194 WINDOW GARDENING. 
the soil, pressing the cut firmly into the ground, and twisting it a little, so that 
the end of the tongue may have a downsvard tendenc}'^ in the ground. May, 
June, and July are the best months for layering, and by November they can be 
cut off from the parent plants within two inches of the tongue, and potted in 
small pots for the winter. 
The Chinese mode of layering differs a little from ours. They select in July 
a strong shoot of the same year's growth, tongue it as described, cutting it just 
below a bud or joint, and put in a little pebble to keep the slit open. Then 
bind a ball of green moss around the tongue ; keep the moss constantly moist, 
and roots will speedily" shoot into it, and by six or seven weeks the layer will bo 
read}' to cut off; it should then be planted in rich soil, without disturbing the 
moss, and it can be sent, as a present to a friend, to any part of the country. 
There is a diversity of opinion regarding the best time for pruning Roses, but 
M. Paul, the celebrated English Rose-grower, says : 
"A Rose in vigorous condition, healthy and full of sap, requires less pruning 
than when it is of moderate or weak growth. The same degree of pruning, 
applied to each condition would produce opposite results. Close pruning would 
be the means of improving the health and flowering of a weak plant, while it 
would induce a strong one to form wood shoots rather than buds." 
But it is a good rule to thin out the weak, unhealthy shoots, and even some 
of the stronger ones, as soon as the plant has done flowering. This allows it to 
make fresh roots, and theo will follow new shoots and fresh buds. 
When the plants are out of flower remove the soil to the depth of an inch, if 
you can do so without injuring the roots, and fill up with the richest soil you 
can procure. This treatment will cause a fresh, vigorous growth, and insure 
many buds to come. The decayed flowers should be at once removed, and the 
stems cut back. 
Nothing but patient hand-picking and weekly showerings will keep away the 
green fly. In the Chapter of Part I, which treats upon " Insects," antidotes are 
given for all insects. 
No plant thrives better under applications of liquid manure, but care must be 
taken not to give it so strong as to make all the leaves fall. A decoction of soot 
is also good for it. Dissolve a tablespoonful of it in two quarts of warm water, 
and apply to the roots once a week, and the growth of your plants will surprise 
you. 
The Tea and China Roses are large shrubs in their native climes, and bloom 
profusely; but our northern seasons do not allow them to grow so lapidly, yd 
they fill our hearts with much pleasure. The buds of these varieties are much 
handsomer than the expanded flowers, which are open in the centre, and fre- 
|uently show the stamens, while the Hybrid Perpetuals are very double. 
For winter flowering the following list embraces some of the best varieties : 
Tea. 
Aurora, rich yellow, shaded to Tr><=es 
