JANUARY. 
7 
Birmingham Bose Show in July last were cut from these four beds, and I feel 
sure my friends, Messrs. Hedge and Cant, of Colchester; Mr. Turner, of 
Slough ; Mr. Paul, of Cheshunt; and Mr. Francis, of Hertford, who came over 
to see me the day after the Show, would testify that not only what I state is 
correct, but that another edition equally fine could then have been cut. 
As I have now spoken of the advantages attendant upon this mode of training, 
I will proceed to explain the method of carrying it out. I will suppose that the 
plants are well established, and are either on their own roots, or budded low 
on the Manetti (the former I prefer). The operation of bending and pegging- 
down should be performed in the month of March or early in April. All the 
small growth should be cut clean away, and the ends of the strong shoots cut 
off to the extent only of a few inches. These shoots should then be carefully 
bent to the ground, and fastened down by means of strong wooden pegs, suffi¬ 
ciently stout to last the season and to retain the branches in their proper 
positions. Care must be taken that the branches do not split off at the base ; 
but the operator will soon perceive which is the best and easiest mode of 
bending the tree to his wishes. Many shoots will spring up from the base of 
the plants, too strong to produce summer blooms, but most of them will gratify 
the cultivator with such noble flowers in the autumn that will delight the heart 
of any lover of this queen of flowers. These branches will be the ground¬ 
work for the next year. I have recently been engaged in cutting all the old 
wood away which last season did such good duty, and am now furnished with 
an ample supply of shoots from 4 to 8 feet high, which if devoid of leaves 
would strongly remind me of fine Raspberry-canes, and which by their appear¬ 
ance promise what they will do for the forthcoming season. I would suggest 
that these long shoots should now be merely bundled together, and a stake put 
to each plant, so as to prevent their being injured by the wind. In this state 
let them remain until the latter end of March, and then proceed as I have 
before mentioned. I feel convinced that when this method of pegging-down 
and dwarfing strong-growing Roses becomes generally known, many of the 
justly esteemed and valuable robust show varieties will occupy the position in 
our flower gardens they are justly entitled to. 
The Cedars , Castle Bromwich. Chas. J. Perry. 
BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS. 
Lesson 1. 
In this course of lessons on Introductory Botany by Dr. La Maout which we 
intend to continue in the pages of the Florist and Pomologist, we shall depart 
from the usual course adopted in modern works, which begin with the elementary 
organs of plants, and proceed by degrees to the study of the higher structures. 
That to beginners is always a tedious and uninteresting process, and has 
perhaps done more to bring upon the study the epithet of “ dry” than any 
other cause. The subjects of which botany is the study are of themselves 
objects of universal attraction and admiration; and it seems strange that the 
study of these should be attended with so much difficulty by many, and by a 
certain degree of aversion by not a few. When we meet so frequently with 
those who are desirous of acquiring a knowledge of this engaging pursuit, but 
who are deterred from it by fancied difficulties attending it, we are constrained 
to believe that there must be some reason in the objection. It must be borne 
in mind, however, that no knowledge can be acquired without study; and the 
more study and the closer the application the greater the success, and the more 
satisfactory the result. 
