322 
ROSES. 
[chap. IX. 
and elegant* and yet so strong that they are 
in no danger of giving way under any weight 
of snow that is ever likely to fall on the tree. 
The iron frame work has been coated over 
with gas tar to preserve it from rust* and it 
now looks exceedingly well 
Rases. — These beautiful shrubs are so 
generally admired* and they are grown so 
universally in all gardens* that I think I 
ought to give some especial directions for 
their culture. In the first place* roses are 
said to require removing every third year; 
as their roots exude a great deal of matter 
unfit for them to reabsorb* and as their fibrous 
roots are few, small* and not widely extended 
from the bole of the plant. It is not perhaps 
necessary to take this rule strictly au pied de 
la lettre * but it is as well to keep it in view* 
and to remember that when rose trees look 
sickly* or fail to produce a due proportion of 
flowers* removing them to a fresh soil will 
generally restore their vigour. 
It is not perhaps generally known that 
there are nearly two thousand species and 
varieties of roses. Among such a chaos it 
would be almost impossible to choose* had 
