74 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



We should never be afraid of making our plants too 

 strong ; for we can always divert the stream of sap and 

 lessen its sup|:>ly to each bud by leaving a greater 

 number of shoots or buds on the plant at the two 

 periods of disbudding. I have even heard of cutting 

 the roots of La Boule d'Or in the early summer when 

 the thick strong fleshy buds by their extra vigour seem 

 unlikely to open properly, but should never advise it. 

 At all events the weakening of a shoot or plant may be 

 easily and speedily accomplished ; it is the getting up 

 full steam that taxes all our time and energy. 



In speaking of weakly plants, I do not mean the 

 naturally " dwarf " and " moderate " growers, which if 

 healthy and doing well according to their habit will 

 take their full share and enjoy it, though naturally not 

 requiring so much as the stronger growers. Comtesse 

 de Nadaillac will require her food and answer to it in 

 size of glorious flowers, but an extra dose will not raise 

 her to the stature of Ulrich Brunner. I meant either 

 an evidently unhealthy plant, or one which though 

 fairly healthy does not from some unknown cause thrive 

 and do as well as the others. Such a one had always 

 better be removed than kept and nursed ; try giving 

 it away ; it does not sound very generous, but removal 

 to a different soil and situation will be either kill or cure, 

 and experience will show many wonderful instances of 

 the latter eventuality. 



Care should also be taken that newly moved plants 

 may have their liquid manure much weaker till they 

 have made some strong growth with large healthy new 

 leaves. The wrong principle, then, is the supposing 

 that because a plant is the strongest in the bed it 

 therefore wants the least of the liquid manure ; on the 

 contrary, it wants, because it can use, the most. 



