VI PRUNING 97 



blooms than for well-shaped plants. When I first 

 learnt to prune, a long time ago, H.P.s were quite 

 new and very few in number, and there were still 

 many large standards of summer Eoses, each of 

 which was a study in itself for the pruner's art. 



First, as to the instruments required. A pruner 

 of the old school would condemn the use of scissors 

 or secateurs, be horrified to see a shoot cut off square, 

 and would consider the neat smooth sloping cut 

 of a sharp knife to be the only legitimate appearance. 

 He would also perhaps scorn the use of gloves and 

 think he could do his work better without them ; 

 but this must be a matter of taste, for it is useless 

 to deny that Eoses have thorns, which are especially 

 hard and sharp at pruning time. A Eosarian does 

 not much heed summer thorns on the young wood — 

 green, and comparatively pliable and soft ; but on 

 all ripe wood, where they have become dry, hard, 

 and brittle, they are another matter. It is well to 

 remember that in using a knife, especially to budded 

 Eoses of one year's growth, the plant must be firmly 

 held with the other hand, or a serious breakage is 

 very apt to occur. 



Two good knives, a whetstone, a strong pair of 

 secateurs, and a mat to kneel on by the dwarf 

 plants, will probably prove a sufficient equipment. 

 One of the knives should have a strong blade, the 

 other a narrower and smaller one. The smaller and 

 thinner the blade the easier it will be to use and 

 to keep sharp : a large part of ordinary pruning 

 may be done with a budding-knife. The hone 

 should be carried about and not left behind, or the 

 tearing off of a valuable branch will soon be the 

 result of a blunted blade. The secateurs or scissors 



H 



