86 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



maintaining a shapely plant of well-placed shoots — has 

 almost died out in modern out-of-door Rose culture. 

 This is owing to the neglect now shown to the Hybrid 

 Chinas and Hybrid Bourbons, really strong-growing 

 varieties but only blooming once : to the waning popu- 

 larity of standards where a well-balanced head is more 

 noticeable and necessary than in a dwarf or bush plant : 

 and to the fact that most enthusiastic Rosarians are 

 also exhibitors, and therefore care more for perfect 

 blooms than for well-shaped plants. When I first 

 learnt to prune, a long time ago, H.P.s were quite new 

 and very few in number, and there were still many 

 large standards of summer Roses, each of which was a 

 study in itself for the primer's art. 



First, as to the instruments required. A primer of 

 the old school would condemn the use of scissors, be 

 horrified to see a shoot cut off square, and would consider 

 the neat smooth sloping cut of a sharp knife to be the 

 only legitimate appearance. He would also perhaps 

 scorn the use of gloves and think he could do his work 

 better without them ; but this must be a matter of 

 taste, for it is useless to deny that Roses have thorns, 

 which are especially hard and sharp at pruning-time. 

 It is well to remember that in using a knife, especially 

 to budded Roses of one year's growth, the plant must be 

 firmly held with the other hand, or a serious breakage is 

 very apt to occur. 



Two good knives, an oilstone, a strong pair of pruning- 

 scissors, and a mat to kneel on by the dwarf plants, will 

 probably prove a sufficient equipment. One of the 

 knives should have a strong blade, the other a narrower 

 and smaller one. The hone should be carried about and 

 not left behind, or the tearing off of a valuable branch 

 will soon be the result of a blunted blade. The scissors 



