VI PRUNING 113 



varieties, really fine flowers instead of a mere mass, 

 wherein are some dead, some overblown, some not 

 out, and all poor. I can never pass such a great 

 head of buds in a neighbour's garden without my 

 fingers instinctively longing to be at them and ease 

 the struggling competing crowd. 



It should be remembered that the production of 

 fruit, flowers, or even flower buds, has just the 

 opposite effect upon the constitution of a plant to 

 that which is given by the growth of shoots and 

 leaves. In the latter case the plant is growing, and 

 the roots are increasing in proportion to the leaves. 

 But in the former case the plant is engaged in 

 reproduction, which is to some extent weakening 

 and exhausting. So all lovers of flowers should 

 bear in mind that as the removal of leaves, to any 

 considerable extent, weakens a plant, so the cutting 

 off of flowers or buds strengthens it. We should 

 never be afraid to cut Eose-blooms ; we sometimes 

 hear, " Oh ! I thought it was a pity to cut that 

 splendid Rose on that little plant," when as a matter 

 of fact it was still more a pity to have left it. 



A large head of clustered Eose-buds is a great 

 strain on the root and the plant, and the sooner this 

 strain is relieved the better by far will be the bud 

 that is left and the earlier and finer will be the 

 autumnal bloom. 



In growing for exhibition this operation of dis- 

 budding is most important (see Chap. XI) and must 

 be strictly practised on the Teas as well. But for 

 general purposes many of the Teas are greatly 

 improved in beauty if a bud or two be left with the 

 Eose, only those immediately surrounding the central 

 bud being removed. 



