766 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



in a position where shoots are not wanted, the 

 remaining buds form stronger shoots, and thus, 

 perhaps, a larger, certainly a healthier, surface of 

 foliage is the result. It is bad policy, then, to 

 suffer more buds to be developed as shoots than 

 are required for forming the tree, or for flower- 

 ing ; for, by cutting away these, when pruning, 

 there must be a waste of the elaborated juices 

 of the tree. But this is not the only evil ; be- 

 yond this, the tree is sorely maimed in the 

 operation. Now, if the nutritive matter which 

 has been supplied in the development and sus- 

 tenance of numerous branches was confined to 

 a lesser number, they would have been more 

 powerfully developed, and the loss by removal, 

 and the injury the tree suffers by thinning, 

 would have been avoided. I believe," he adds, 

 " disbudding to be the system best calculated 

 to produce flowers in the finest possible condi- 

 tion, to keep a plant in full health and vigour, 

 and to bring it to the highest pitch of beauty." 

 We know the beneficial effect of disbudding on 

 other trees, whether fruit or flower bearing, and 

 analogy points out to us that the rose does not 

 form an exception. Some regard must, however, 

 be paid to the habit of the tree, whether it be a 

 strong or a weak grower. In the former case, 

 much fewer buds should be displaced than in 

 the latter, because, if the whole strength of a 

 strong-growing plant be thrown into the produc- 

 tion of a few shoots, these, in all probability, 

 would become too strong, and be more inclined 

 to run into wood than into the production of 

 bloom, at least until a late period of the season. 

 In the latter case, if too many shoots are allowed 

 to form, the energies of the tree are expended 

 in their production, instead of in the production 

 of bloom ; and should they even bloom, the 

 flowers will be small and imperfect, and the 

 tree necessarily exhausted. Disbudding should 

 be attended to throughout the whole growing 

 season; and in doing so, those pointing in an 

 outward direction should be preferred, while 

 such as point inward, or in a direction likely to 

 cross others, should be removed. When the 

 buds have extended to the length of half an 

 inch, they are in a proper state for removal, and 

 should be rubbed off close to the wood from 

 which they issue, thinning the centre of the tree 

 most, but retaining such as point to a part of 

 the head deficient in branches, that the proper 

 balance and form may be maintained. Thinning 

 roses of their superfluous shoots before the 

 blooming season arrives, has the important ad- 

 vantage of bringing the blooms more into sight, 

 and exposing the flowers better to the sun and 

 air. 



Forcing. — The rose at all times is impatient 

 of a high artificial temperature, and more so 

 during the sunless months of winter. It is 

 equally impatient of a close and impure atmos- 

 phere, and requires all the light that can pos- 

 sibly be afforded it. The structure best adapted 

 to it, under winter cultivation, is a low span- 

 roofed house or pit, capable of being heated to 

 the extent of 70°, with fire and sun heat com- 

 bined, during the day, and to 36° during the 

 night, whatever the external temperature may 

 be. The interior arrangement should be such 



that the tops of the plants may be placed within 

 a foot of the glass when coming into bloom; 

 and for this purpose it is desirable to have the 

 platforms upon which they are placed so ar- 

 ranged that they may be lowered or elevated to 

 suit the height of the plants set upon them. It 

 is also desirable that a passage be left within, of 

 sufficient height to admit of head-room for the 

 cultivator to walk freely under the roof; and this 

 is most economically attained by sinking a pas- 

 sage along the centre of the pit, the platforms 

 for the plants being placed on each side ; and that 

 all may alike be placed so as to enjoy the light 

 and sun, such pits should run in a north and 

 south direction. The roof may be a fixture, and 

 ventilation secured by openings along both of the 

 side-walls, yet sufficiently low that the air may 

 enter under the platforms, and not come in im- 

 mediate contact with the plants ; its escape 

 should be through an opening along the ridge. 

 The heating should be by means of 3-inch hot- 

 water pipes. The floor should be thoroughly 

 drained, and covered with sifted coal-ashes or 

 river-gravel, for the absorption of spilt water and 

 the correction of damp. A proper selection of 

 plants should be in readiness, by being estab- 

 lished one year in pots, and kept plunged in the 

 reserve garden, in an open and well-exposed 

 situation, till required. That the roots may be 

 prevented from passing through the drainage- 

 holes into the soil, it is expedient to remove them 

 frequently ; or, what is a more certain and less 

 troublesome operation, to set them on a concrete 

 floor, or on pavement, or tiles, or large slates, 

 and to fill up the spaces between the pots with 

 coal-ashes or sand. Disbudding and pruning 

 should be attended to while in this their prepara- 

 tory state ; their growth should be encouraged, 

 during the same period, by copious waterings 

 in dry weather, and occasional supplies of liquid 

 manure. Although all roses for forcing are 

 better to be one year established in pots, yet, 

 where this has been neglected, or an insufficient 

 number of plants potted, most of the hybrid 

 and damask Perpetuals will give a good bloom 

 if only potted in October or November previous 

 to forcing ; and these will, after blooming, if 

 their young shoots are cut back to within two or 

 three buds of their base, give a second crop of 

 flowers later in the spring, if allowed a week or 

 two to rest in a lower temperature, and again 

 brought into the forcing-pit. The same also 

 holds good with most of the China, Bourbon, and 

 Tea-scented sorts, the last even often producing 

 a third crop of bloom. The beginning of Decem- 

 ber is a good time to commence forcing, taking in 

 a portion in succession towards the middle of 

 the month, and so continuing every fortnight 

 till the middle of March. If disbudding has 

 been attended to during summer, little pruning 

 beyond shortening the shoots will be required 

 when they are taken in, and this should be 

 carried to the extent of cutting each shoot back 

 to within two or three eyes or buds of their 

 base, the latter for the stronger growers, and 

 the former for the weaker sorts. In regard to 

 temperature, the reverse of ordinaiy practice 

 should be followed, and instead of lighting the 

 fire in the afternoon, it should be done about 



