PRUNING. 65 



long way towards it; here, as in all other cases of rose pruning, the 

 little weak shoots must be removed, the strongest left on all the way 

 up, and should be shortened to two eyes. If the tops here die down 

 at all, shorten them to the strong top eye, not to the top eye, for seve- 

 ral near the top may be found weak, and they would never be other- 

 wise, whereas the stronger one will grow fast, and soon supply the 

 place of the old top. 



When the buds first show in spring, it will be right to go over the 

 roses carefully, to remove any that are in the way ; and the growth 

 of some roses will be found so different to that of others, that one sort 

 will want enormous room to develop its shoots and blooms, while 

 another will make but short branches and bloom abundantly. These 

 characteristics will be discovered in a year's growth, if not well ex- 

 plained beforehand, and the provision can be made accordingly. Many 

 Pillar or Climbing Roses are made to run over arches from pillar to 

 pillar, or along festoons from pillar to pillar ; the best way to manage 

 those parts which form the arch, or festoon, is merely to thin out their 

 weak branches without shortening their strong ones, because they 

 will bloom more abundantly, which is the great charm ; and the loose 

 and free manner in which they hang about will be to their advantage, 

 BO they be kept within bounds a little. 



Pruning and Training Roses on Flat Trellises, Walls, and 

 Fronts of Houses. 



The management of this family is very similar to that of Pillar Roses, 

 except that the leading shoots must be encouraged to grow the best 

 way to fill up the space allotted to the plant, for which purpose it will 

 be advisable, in some cases, to train the strongest two shoots horizon- 

 tally right and left along the bottom ; or if the space to cover be only 

 pne way, to train one strong shoot along the bottom, and turn it up at 

 the end ; if it reach further, the rest of the strong shoots may be fanned 

 out at equidistances, and all the weak joints removed. The next year, 

 rub off the buds that are coming where they are not wanted. Allow 

 any strong shoots that come up from the bottom horizontal shoot, to 

 grow as much as they will, but no weak ones. A fast-growing Rose 

 will soon cover a house front, a trellis, or wall, and flower all over. 



