NATIONAL ROSE CONFERENCE. 



1G9 



turnips," meaning that lie is not likely to thin them sufficiently, 

 but those who are used to thinning grapes and other garden 

 produce will probably have got over this difficulty. 



TJie Golden Hide. 



The next question is, how many buds are to be kept on each 

 shoot retained ; and the answer is to be found in the golden rule 

 of pruning, that more buds are to be left on each shoot in pro- 

 portion as the plant, both as a variety and an individual, is 

 strong, and less in proportion as it is weak. 



To a novice in rose-growing it appears strange at first that 

 we should cut away almost all there is left of a weakly-growing 

 and precious variety, which would seem to be almost extermi- 

 nated by such severity, and yet leave longer shoots on a strong 

 sort, which seems better able to stand the rough treatment ; but 

 the rule is, nevertheless, in strict accordance with the law of 

 Nature — Darwin's survival of the fittest ; and the law of God 

 — " Whosoever hath, to him shall be given." It is of wide- 

 spread application. In education, for instance, it is beginning to 

 be found out that it is wiser to add to the knowledge a child 

 possesses, and to concentrate all teaching on the one branch for 

 which an aptitude is displayed, than to introduce a variety of 

 fresh subjects. But I must stick to roses ; and we shall find 

 the same rule apply in other branches of cultivation besides 

 pruning. If we were to give directions to an ordinary labourer 

 to apply liquid manure to the plants, we should very likely find 

 him choosing the weakly ones as recipients of stimulant and 

 nourishment, and omitting the strong, on the plea that 

 they did not want it. That would be a mistake : it is 

 the healthy and strong who want it, because they can 

 use it. The weak cannot ; the nourishment they have is 

 more than they can manage. Again, every rosarian finds that 

 some varieties of roses do well with him, and some do badly. 

 The first idea is to grow less of the sorts of which we have 

 plenty of good ones, and more of those which have not been so 

 successful. And an exhibitor must do this to a certain extent, 

 but it is a pity ; it is doing that which we should always 

 endeavour to avoid, viz. fighting against Nature, instead of 

 directing, and even diverting, and yet siding with her. To get 



