194 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE chap. 



nearly Christmas. The formation of these late buds 

 may be promoted by removing all flower buds in the 

 summer, till the end of August. 



In a cool house like this nothing but protection is 

 aimed at, but that is quite sufficient to make the 

 plants bloom much earlier than they would in the 

 open air. They should not be pruned before 

 January, if there are no means of keeping the frost 

 out in severe weather, and in the meanwhile the 

 soil should be cultivated and cared for in the usual 

 manner. As soon as the plants commence growing, 

 however, they will require a good deal of attention, 

 and' some at least of the many troubles of growing 

 Eoses under glass will be experienced. 



Every outdoor pest has also to be contended 

 against under glass, and mildew, red spider, aphides, 

 and thrips are even more troublesome than in the 

 open. One of the greatest difficulties is the main- 

 taining just the right amount of moisture in the air. 

 If there be too much, mildew will probably show 

 itself, and may soon make terrible havoc, the tender 

 leaves being much less able to resist it than the 

 hard foliage of outdoor Eoses, at midsummer. 

 Incautious ventilation, to dry the air, will probably 

 increase the evil, unless the weather outside be very 

 mild. If, on the other hand, there be a lack of due 

 moisture, red spider and thrips are sure to appear, 

 and may do as much damage as the mildew. To 

 hold the scales evenly in this matter of moisture is 

 one of the most important points of successful cul- 

 ture under glass, and it seems difficult to frame any 

 special rules on the subject save those that are 

 founded on experience, with a knowledge of the 

 dangers on either hand. The uninitiated would 



