502 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



almost the whole of the wood represented by 

 the dotted lines, and shortening the remainder 

 as indicated by the crosses. Teas and Noi- 

 settes do not require this severe pruning, but 

 the same principle should be followed for 



Fipc. fi09— Climliin? Rose, forming arch. 



them. A third section, represented by Gloire 

 de Dijon and Reve d'Or, should be pruned as 

 shown in fig. 612, by simply removing the 

 unripened ends of the long shoots. This is 

 the best section for climbers and pegging- 

 down, the last season's wood of which should 

 be cut away as soon as it has flowered. To 

 cut away the long rods is to destroy the crop 

 of flowers and induce the production of more 

 flowerless shoots so far as the current season is 

 concerned. 



Summer pruning is often desirable for strong 

 growers, especially those used for beds, and 

 by removing growths that have bloomed, which 

 would otherwise produce lateral shoots at the 

 expense of the sucker-like shoots that will be 



pushing from the base. This admits of the 

 thorough maturation of the wood to be left 

 when the general pruning takes place. 



The time to prune depends upon the class 

 of Rose and the locality. Early in March is 

 good for Bourbons, Hybrid 

 Perpetuals, and all classes 

 but Teas, Noisettes, and a 

 few of the more tender sorts, 

 which should be left until 

 early in April. It is not 

 often that the eyes start into 

 growth early, unless the 

 weather has been mild. It 

 is useless to leave any un- 

 ripened wood upon the 

 plants, no matter to which 

 section they may belong. 

 Always cut back to a sound 

 eye. 



Pegged-doivn Hoses. — This 

 method consists in planting 

 strong-growing dwarf Roses, 

 in lines or beds, far enough 

 apart for the strong shoots 

 of the previous year's growth 

 to be bent down and kept 

 about 6 inches from the 

 ground by means of pegs. 

 From nearly every eye 

 flowering wood breaks, and 

 masses of flower are thereby 

 produced. In August, or 

 as soon as the flower is past, 

 the flowering wood of the 

 previous summer is cut 

 away close to the ground, 

 and three or four of the 

 strongest shoots of the sum- 

 mer's growth left for pegging 

 down in February. Roses thus treated pro- 

 duce strong shoots from the base. 



Culture in Pots. — Roses for the decoration 

 of the conservatory during the winter and 

 spring are grown in pots. If plants growing 

 out-of-doors are selected, they should be taken 

 up in October or November, when the shoots 

 are ripe, and, the roots having been pruned 

 and the heads thinned, potted firmly in 6-, 8-, 

 or 9-inch pots, according to habit, in mellow 

 turfy loam, leaf-mould, and well - decomposed 

 dung in equal parts, adding a little sand.» The 

 pots should then be plunged up to the rims 

 in coal-ashes or old tan; a layer of soot is a 

 good preventive against the ingress of worms. 

 Here they may remain all winter with only 



