WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
April, 1919 
1 10 
blossoms of greatest perfection, as 
well as to secure a succession of 
bloom, severe pruning must be 
practiced. When a large number 
of blooms, of small size is the aim, 
the pruning is less severe. Where 
the greatest amount of bloom is 
desired, without regard to the size 
or quality of the individual flow- 
ers, the least pruning is done. 
When dormant roses are plant- 
ed in the spring they should be 
pruned at the time of planting, 
leaving only two or three stems 
with four or five eyes on each. 
This will leave them 6 inches or 
less in length. After the .first year, 
pruning should be done as soon as 
freezing weather is over. All weak 
wood and crossing branches 
should be removed every year. 
For fine specimen blooms on hy- 
brid perpetuals the remaining 
shoots should be shortened to four 
or five eyes. For the greatest 
mass of bloom only one-third to 
one-half the length of the shoots 
should be cut away. 
In regions where cold sometimes 
injures roses, teas and their hyb- 
rids should be trimmed later than 
the other classes, or about the 
time growth starts. They should 
be trimmed in the same manner as 
the hybrid perpetuals. China, Ben- 
gal, and most roses should be 
treated the same as the teas and 
hybrid teas, except that it is not 
desirable to cut them quite so 
closely. Bourbon roses should 
have only half the length of the 
shoots removed. Summer prun- 
ing is desirable. 
A special type of pruning 
should be practiced in fall in sec- 
tions where winter protection is 
necessary. Under such circum- 
stances it is desirable to cut back 
the tops in the fall to within 30 
inches of the ground to allow ot 
more easily covering the bushes. 
This should be followed in the 
spring by the regular pruning. 
The long stems left in this fall 
pruning help hold the winter 
mulch from blowing away and 
from packing too closely. They 
are also long enough to allow con- 
siderable winterkilling and yet 
have sufficient eyes left to insure 
ample growth for the next sea- 
son’s bloom. 
Protection and Special Care 
In the northern half of the coun- 
try, cut-flower roses need winter 
protection. This may be provided 
by coarse manure, straw, or leaves 
applied after the preparatory 
pruning already described. Ever- 
green boughs, or even branches 
from deciduous plants, are often 
helpful in holding the other mate- 
rials in place, besides being a pro- 
tection in themselves. Individual 
specimens are often wrapped in 
straw and burlap. There is some 
danger of trouble from mice in the 
use of straw and strawy manure, 
especially during hard winters, 
this is minimized by banking earth 
about the plants befure mulching. 
This banking of earth is also a 
most effective preventive of in- 
jury from cold. Earth banked up 
about the plants to a height of a 
foot or more makes an excellent 
protection, especially if covered 
well with manure after the ground 
first freeze. The earth cover 
must be promptly removed in 
early spring, as soon as danger 
from freezing is past. In some 
sections it is advisable to protect 
cut-flower rose plants from strong 
winds by shrubbery borders, ever- 
greens, vine-covered fences, or 
ether windbreaks 
Paris Green and 
Insecticides 
BUY the “Co -opera- ; 
tive Way” as recom- 
mended by the U. S. ! 
Dept, of Agriculture. 
WRITE for Price 
List. Do it now as 
all orders must be in 
before April 25th. 
Address 
American Co-Opera- 
tive Ass’n. 
Milwaukee, Wis. 
McKAY NURSERY 
COMPANY 
MADISON, WISCONSIN 
Nursery Stock of 
Quality 
for Particular Buyers 
Have all the standard varieties 
as well as the newer sorts. Can 
supply you with. everything in 
Fruit Trees, Small Fruits, 
Vines and Ornamentals. 
Let us suggest what to plant 
both in Orchard and in the 
decoration of your grounds. 
Prices and our new Catalog 
sent promptly upon receipt of 
your list of wants. 
Nurseries at 
Waterloo, Wis. 
