ROSES IN POTS 43 



thinned ; the majority have found purchasers and have gone. 

 If necessary, what remains must be top-dressed and watered 

 with liquid manure to make the second crop as good as the first, 

 that is, if it is thought advisable to clear them out while in 483. 

 But if the plants are going to be developed and made double their 

 present value, now is the time to shift them into 245, which we 

 consider the ultimate size for market work. Mix a compost, 

 half turfy loam, half rotten manure ; add sand and crushed bones, 



FIG. 24. Pot rose lightly pruned at marks 



and when thoroughly well mixed ram it well home into the pots. 

 See that the drainage is really good, for that is a thing we are always 

 insisting upon. Remove any weak shoots which reveal themselves 

 when potting, and always remember that a weak shoot on a pot rose 

 is not only weak in itself but weakens the whole plant. Reduce 

 the plant to three shoots, if necessary, but retain more if they are 

 strong. These plants will require the usual nursing given to 

 newly potted plants for a week or two, but this must not be carried 

 too far. Plenty of air and plenty of light after the first week will 



