PLANTING AND PRUNING. 67 



bleeding or exuding of the sap. The pruning 

 should therefore take place while the plants are 

 dormant, and before the sap begins to flow. 

 The chief objects to be held in view in pruning 

 are the formation of a symmetrical plant, and to 

 promote the formation of bloom buds. To 

 secure these the following general rule must be 

 observed : Plants of delicate habit and iveah 

 growth require severe pruning i those that are 

 vigorous in growth should have the shoots only 

 moderately shortened^ hut the branches well 

 thinned out. If varieties of vigorous habit are 

 closely pruned, a great growth ensues and very 

 few flowers ; hence it is of the utmost importance 

 to know the character of the variety that is to 

 be operated on. Besides pruning the plants in 

 March, a summer pruning is desirable with many 

 varieties of Hybrid Perpetuals, so soon as the 

 June blossoming is over, in order to induce the 

 formation of flower buds later in the season. 



