188 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
ancl largeness of flowers, and for lateness and continuity of flowers; still, put 
Briar Roses in suitable land, and it will do splendidly for you. For pole purposes 
the Manetti stock is, I think, the best. 
5. Pruning. —Some people prune on a particular day, and prune all Roses 
alike. Excellent rules are given for the pruning of all families in the three noble 
works before referred to. It must not, however, be forgotten that Roses in the 
same family require very different pruning. Among the Bourbons there is a 
world-wide difference between Acidalie and La Quintinie. As regards a Briar 
Rose, in the spring of its first planting, or whenever it is moved, it is a rule that 
it must be cut hard, whether it be for a pole, wall, or standard. For lack of this 
Briar Roses frequently fail. Till, however, the sap rises, and the eyes swell, you 
must never prune. As regards Manetti Roses, they often fail from being cut 
hard. From first to last prune them as Hybrid Chinas, whether pot plants or 
monstrous plants. If their wood and skin are injured, then you must cut them 
down to sound wood and sound skin. 
6. Growth and Hardihood. —These do not always go together, but both are 
requisite for England. Some that have China blood in them grow well, but yet 
they are not hardy. As a rule the thorned Roses are hardier than the smooth¬ 
skinned Roses. Of course there are exceptions in both cases. When, therefore, 
3 r ou see a novelty described as thornless, remember it may be no recommendation. 
I ventured, some years ago, to say, in an article, that none but vigorous growers 
would suit the English; and the consequence has been that raisers of seedlings 
have erased the words “dwarf” and “moderate,” and now almost every new 
Rose is described as “vig.” I am told that some of the new Roses of 1864, 
described as “ vig.” are very dwarf and bad growers. “ Moderate,” in the fine 
lands of nurserymen, will be “dwarf” in ninety-five lands out of a hundred, 
and “ dwarf” means death. The two best moderate growers, and both hardy and 
excellent, are the well-known Giant of Battles and Pauline Lanzezeur. 
7. Watering.— Roses suffer much in torrid weather from lack of water. 
Before watering the ground should be surface-stirred, and sufficient water poured 
over the roots to touch all the points of the roots. If the surface is kept super¬ 
ficially stirred, it will be moister than when kept corked down tight, because a 
lesser quantity of rain, and the night dews, which are in the ratio of the sun’s 
heat, will be able more easily to penetrate the soil. 
8. Syringing. —A great many of the miseries of Roses would be got rid of if 
the trees were regularly syringed from the earliest appearance of the leaves. By 
keeping the lungs clean you preserve the health of the plants. The leaves of 
plants are externally and internally conducive to health. Syringing is the best 
thing to keep down fungi and aphides, and also to prevent the mischief of honey- 
dew, which, if not washed off as soon as perceived, will, by the sun’s extraction of 
the fluid parts, leave a viscous concrete, that will destroy the functions of the leaves. 
9. Fungi. —These are a numerous family. The two most destructive are 
orange fungus and white fungus. Orange fungus must be picked off by hand 
before the nucleus bursts and spreads its spores over the leaves ; and white fungus 
must be destroyed by sulphur (the black sulphur is best), or by 2 ozs. of blue 
vitriol, dissolved in a little hot water, and then mixed with a stable-bucket of cold 
water, and poured from a watering-pot, with the top on, over the leaves. This is 
the most effectual remedy. There is also another misery—“ black blight.” This 
is also called by some a fungus. It may be so; but I could never perceive the 
spores of fungus. It proceeds, I believe, from a low state of temperature, also 
from checks of weather. I am inclined to think this, because I never remember 
seeing it under glass, which is no preventive of white fungus. It is less mis¬ 
chievous than either of the other two miseries. When it occurs early in the year, 
if the leaves are universally affected, stirring the ground deeply, or removing the 
plant, to estop the sap, are probably the best preventives of mischief. 
10. Wind. —Roses cannot have too much air, and too little wind, in the 
growing season. At other times it is beneficial. Great havoc every year has 
been committed on my rosery by the destruction of the leaves by wind. This 
season the wind has been quiet; but in ten of the months last year there were 
irom one to five gales monthly. 
