A little trick to prevent the bare base of the branches: In straight 

 branches, the sap goes to the top, leaving nothing for the buds at the 

 base. Train the branches up crooked by putting sharp bends in the 

 stems within 2 feet of the ground, and fohage will be produced the 

 whole length of the stem. To get a second crop of flowers in the fall., 

 cut 8 to 10 inches of wood with the flowers. Several Hybrid Perpetu- 

 als will also bloom in the fall with this treatment. See also below 

 and the list of loi Roses on pages 20 to 25. 



In the fall, extra-long canes will need to be cut back a little, and 

 perhaps tied to a stake or support, to prevent damage to the roots 

 from swaying. 



HOW TO USE THIS PRUNING INFORMATION 



Refer to pages 20 to 25 for varieties on which information is 

 desired. Opposite each name will be found abbreviated directions 

 for pruning. The key to these directions is fully explained on this 

 page. 



These notes may be considered as abbreviations to the chapter on 

 pruning. 



1. Hard. Thin out to the base all but from three to five shoots, 

 and cut these back so as to leave two to three eyes on each shoot. 



2. Moderately Hard. Thin out as No. i, and cut each shoot back 

 to about five to ten eyes. 



3. Medium. Thin out as No. i, leave four to seven shoots; shorten 

 these shoots to about half their length. 



4. Sparingly. Thin out as No. i, leave four to seven shoots, which 

 should be merely tipped. 



5. Thin. No pruning required; thin out annually. 



6. None. No pruning required; thin out every two or three years, 

 just to keep the plant within bounds. 



7. Climbing, Pillar and all other Roses that are marked 7 can be 

 improved by thinning, when one or more of the old stems shows 

 plainly that it is old and past doing good service. This should not be 

 necessary of tener than every three years. Kinds marked + are more 

 likely to need it than kinds marked — . 



None of the numbers cover the needs of such Roses as Mrs. Peary, 

 Marechal Niel, etc., where the climate is warm enough not to kill 

 back the main stems. In this case, the branches should be trimmed 

 to two to ten eyes 



E. Method to use to produce exhibition specimens or large flowers. 



Q. Method to use to produce showy bushes or a quantity of flowers. 



Note i. — "Pruning, therefore, is the art of improving the productive power, 

 and the appearance of the plant. It consists of two distinct operations, i. The 

 removal of dead, weak, overcrowded, or otherwise useless shoots. Unripe wood 

 which in the spring will usually be found to have discolored pith, caused by the 

 winter frosts, should be cut clean away at 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. 



The most frequent errors made in pruning are (i) leaving too many shoots 

 when thinning out; (2) pruning severely the shoots of varieties which require little, 

 if any, shortening; (3) pruning Hghtly the varieties which require severe pruning; 

 (4) leaving Rose plants crowded with shoots and cutting these to a uniform length 

 all over the plant is a similar way that a hedge is clipped. 



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 springs, as the case 

 may be. When the plant has been pruned the shoots should be left as nearly as 

 possible equi-distant from each other, and regularly arranged round it so that it 

 presents a well-balanced appearance on all sides." — National Rose Society's Hand- 

 Book on Pruning 



15 



