PRUNING 



37 



flowers are sought the pruning can hardly 

 be too severe; but for ordinary garden pur- 

 poses a moderate cutting will be better. 



The stronger the growth of the rose, the 

 less it should be pruned; many such roses, 

 if too severely cut back, will run to wood 

 (Margaret Dickson) or die out altogether 

 (Gloire Lyonnaise) . 



In pruning, cut out all 

 the dead wood and weak- 

 est shoots first. Where 

 two limbs make a bad 

 cross and are liable to 

 chafe, remove one of 

 them, remembering to 

 keep the centre of the 

 plant as clear as possible 

 to admit the circulation 

 of air. Now consider 

 what you have left and 

 what you want: if but 

 few roses of surpassing size, then prune a 

 vigorous plant to three or four eyes on the 

 shoot; if you want quantity, leave six eyes, 

 or even more. If the effect of large masses 

 is wanted, four or five canes may be retained 

 three feet in length, and all very old or weak 



The same plant of Crimson 

 Rambler, pruned, to be 

 grown as a bush. 



