84 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE chap. 



am sure ; but this poor weakly thing would certainly 

 be the better for a dose." 



This would be an error in principle as well as in 

 fact. The principle is a Gospel one, and may be 

 found in St. Luke xix. 24 — 26. It comes into Eose- 

 growingin more than one way ; notably, in pruning, 

 that less in proportion should be cut away from 

 strong growers than from weakly ones ; in selection 

 (for ordinary purposes, not for exhibition), that a 

 man should cultivate most specimens of the varieties 

 which do well with him, and not endeavour to make 

 up the balance by growing more of those which only 

 sometimes come good ; and here, in feeding, in two 

 ways, for not only does it pay better, as graziers and 

 all keepers of live stock know, to encourage the 

 healthy than to coddle and nurse the weak, but also 

 the weak cannot use the rich food which makes the 

 strong still stronger. Giving strong meat to babies 

 wastes the food and also seriously injures the feeble, 

 who must take but cannot assimilate it. 



We should never be afraid of making our plants 

 too strong ; for we can always divert the stream of 

 sap and lessen its supply to each bud by leaving a 

 greater number of shoots or buds on the plant at 

 the two periods of disbudding. I have even heard 

 of cutting the roots of La Boule d'Or in the early 

 summer when the thick strong fleshy buds by their 

 extra vigour seem unlikely to open properly, but 

 should never advise it. At all events the weaken- 

 ing of a shoot or plant may be easily and speedily 

 accomplished ; it is the getting up of full steam that 

 taxes all our time and energy. 



In speaking of weakly plants, I do not mean the 

 naturally "dwarf" and "moderate" growers, which 



