PRUNING INFORMATION 



35 



stems show plainly that they are old and past doing good ser- 

 vice. This should not be necessary oftener than every three 

 years. Kinds marked + are more likely to need it than 

 kinds marked — . The needs of such roses as Mrs. Peary, 

 Marechal Niel, etc., are not covered by any of the notes, 

 where the climate is warm enough not to kill back the main 

 stems. In this case, the branches should be trimmed so as 

 to leave from two to ten eyes. 



Ex. Method to use to produce exhibition specimens or 

 large flowers. 



Q. Method to use to produce showy bushes or a quantity 

 of flowers. 



"Note i. — Pruning, therefore, is the art of improving the produc- 

 tive power, and the appearance of the plant. It consists of two distinct 

 operations: (i) The removal of dead, weak, overcrowded, or otherwise 

 useless shoots. Unripe wood which in the spring will usually be found 

 to have discolored pith, caused by the winter frosts, should be cut 

 clean away at the base of the shoot. (2) Pruning proper, the shorten- 

 ing of those shoots which are allowed to remain after 

 the thinning-out process has been completed. 



"The most frequent errors made in pruning are 



(1) leaving too many shoots when thinning out ; (2) 



pruning severely the shoots of varieties which require 



little, if any, shortening ; (3) pruning lightly 



the varieties which require severe pruning ; 



(4) leaving rose plants crowded with shoots 



and cutting these to a uniform length all 



over the plant in the same way that a hedge 



is clipped. 



In thinning out a 

 shoot, it should be 

 either cut clean away 

 to the base of the plant, 

 or to its starting-point 

 on the older shoot from 

 which it springs, as the 

 case may be. When the 

 plant has been pruned, 

 the shoots should be 

 left as nearly as pos- 

 sible equidistant from 

 each other, and regu- 

 larly arranged around 

 it so that it presents a 

 well-balanced appear- 

 ance on all sides." — ■ 



1. Pruning-shears for heavy work National Rose Society's 



2. Flower-scissors that cut and hold the stem. __ , D i n 



3. Flower-scissors strong and convenient for light work. tiana-tSOOR on mining. 



