have the growing season before them ; they then get a firm hold of the 

 ground by winter, and are better able to stand the severities of that 

 season. 



It cannot be too strongly impressed that planting should not take 

 place unless the soil is sufficiently dry to be trodden firmly about the 

 plant without it " caking." 



A few words should have been said about roses planted singly on 

 lawns. A hole should be dug i8 inches square and i8 inches deep, and 

 the soil well enriched with farmyard manure ; some J-inch bone may 

 also be added with advantage. The same would apply to rambling or 

 other very vigorous roses, only the hole should be 2 feet cube. Do not 

 allow grass to grow within i8 inches of the plant. 



Too much care and attention to detail cannot be paid to this part of 

 the work. 



Pruning. — Pruning may be said to be the art of improving the 

 productive power, the strength, and appearance of the plant. It con- 

 sists of two operations : (i) The removal of dead, weak, overcrowded 

 or otherwise useless shoots. Unripe wood (which in the spring will 

 usually be found to have discoloured pith caused by the winter frosts) 

 should be cut clean away to the base of the shoot. (2) Pruning proper, 

 the shortening of those shoots which are allowed to remain after the 

 thinning-out process has been completed. 



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 arises. When pruning a shoot it should be cut to a dormant leaf-bud 

 or " eye " (as it is called) pointing outwards. In order to keep a plant 

 in a healthy and vigorous condition, some of the shoots which are 

 more than two years old should each year be removed to make room 

 for the young and more vigorous growths. 



Roses need to be somewhat differently pruned according to the 

 purpose for which they are grown. For instance, shoots must be cut 

 back severely if the plant is required to produce exhibition blooms, but 

 if for ordinary garden decoration the shoots must be left longer, if to 

 form bushes they must be left still longer, and if to clothe pillars, arches, 

 &c., some of the shoots will scarcely require shortening at all. 



As a large range of varieties are available for different purposes, it 

 is necessary in pruning to take into account the individual habits 

 and requirements of each. This may be learned only by close 

 observation. 



It is impossible for me here to give an account of how every variety 

 should be pruned, so I will just have to state the general rule, if indeed 

 any rule can be laid down. 



All roses, the first time after planting, should be severely pruned ; 

 they should be cut down to within 3 or 4 inches of the ground. Even 

 in the case of strong-growing or climbing varieties, only the strongest 

 shoots should be left more than a foot in length. Roses planted in 

 autumn should be pnmed the following spring, and if planted in spring 

 should be pruned at the same time. 



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