278 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 2, 1858. 
ning of March ; for the stronger growers, such as the 
Moss, Provence, and Perpetuals, the sooner the better. 
The others need not be potted till March. 
Potting. —Having received the plants, if any of 
I them have been grafted or budded, look to their roots, 
: and diligently extirpate all suckers, and buds of suckers, 
that may be visible ; also cut off, to a living part, all 
roots that may be dead, and all knobby excrescences ; 
i then trim in slightly the living roots. The plants are 
then ready for potting. Put in upon the drainage a 
layer of the largest pieces of turf, and upon them a 
thin layer of soil; then put the plant in the pot, hold¬ 
ing it with one hand, and spread the lowest tier of 
roots out equally all round. Upon them place a layer 
of soil, and then spread out the next roots; covering 
j them again with the compost. Press each layer down 
very firmly; and so proceed till the pot is nearly full. 
Then again press the soil down very hard. Firm 
potting is essential to success. Leave the soil half 
an inch below the level of the rim. This space is 
to hold water and liquid manure, and also to allow 
room for top-dressing. Should the pots and plants be 
large, an inch of space for these purposes will not be 
too much. 
Pruning. —The stronger growers should be short- 
cned-in about one-third of the length of the last year’s 
; shoots, and the weak growers just ended. The former 
may be plunged in an open part of the garden in coal- 
ashes, taking care that there is a layer of them, at 
least two inches thick, under the pots, to keep out the 
worms ; but the tender varieties must be plunged in 
i ashes under a frame, or pit, till the middle or the end of 
| May, because the late frosts injure the young shoots 
seriously. The glass should be drawn off every mild 
day ; and when the weather becomes warmer, the 
lights should be propped up, even during the night. 
When the weather is decidedly warmer, then prune 
: the plants a second time. This, in general, may be 
done about the end of March. Prune the strong 
growers to three or four eyes ; but thin out the 
branches, so that they may not be crowded in sum¬ 
mer. The weak or tender sorts should be pruned 
still closer : two eyes will be sufficient for them. The 
j great end, or aim, is to have rather a few good strong 
shoots regularly placed all round the plant, than a 
large number of weak, straggling shoots. When the 
summer arrives, the Teas, Chinas, &c., may be plunged 
near the strong growers. 
In June, they should all have a second potting; 
j and the same attention in draining, potting firmly, 
&c. Whilst this second potting is being performed, 
look over the shoots, and thin those that are too 
crowded. Very strong shoots should have their ends 
nipped off, or they will rob the rest of their due sup¬ 
port. When all are repotted, plunge them again in 
the open air. 
Watering. —In dry weather, supply them with water 
pretty freely. Give them liquid manure, made of 
sheep or eowdung, mixed with a shovelful of quick¬ 
lime, to kill insects. Do not apply this too strong; 
let it be diluted with half its quantity of water. It is 
better to err on the safe side. Always water at least 
twice with pure rain water before giving liquid ma¬ 
nure, and twice afterwards. This treatment should 
be continued till the middle of September; after 
which time the plants should be kept comparatively 
dry, in order to check growth, and ripen the wood. 
I would not allow them this first season to produce a 
| single flower, as that would tend to weaken the plants. 
The grower must have patience ; and let Nature assist 
him to give strength to his Rose plants, in order to 
succeed in producing fine flowers, and plenty of them, 
in due season. 
Insects. —The green fly is sure to make its appear¬ 
ance during the growing season. To check and de¬ 
stroy them • in the open air, apply, through a syringe, 
some tobacco liquid, mixed with half its quantity of 
water. If applied too strong, it will scorch the leaves. 
In the frame, or pit, the green fly is easily destroyed 
by tobacco-smoke. The mildew, too, sometimes, in 
damp weather, makes its appearance. The remedy 
for this is to dust over the affected leaves with sulphur. 
The grub, too, will attack the flower-buds, eating the j 
inside completely away ; or by curling up the young 
leaves, stop their growth. I know no application that 
will kill these vermin, except that of crushing them 
with the fingers. They are not to be destroyed by 
the recipe that, when I was a lad, a Scotchman gave ; 
me. When I asked him how to kill woodlice, he 
said, “ Get them atween twa stanes, and grind them 
to deeth.” The Rose grub, however, cannot be trapped 
that way. 
With the above care and attention bestowed on his 
young Rose trees the first season, the amateur will 
find them in a fine condition. The treatment the 
second season, and a list of the best varieties for grow¬ 
ing in pots, I must reserve to another opportunity. 
T. ArrLEBY. 
PECULIARITIES OF PRUNING. 
THE FILBERT AND THE BLACK CURRANT. 
That extreme opinions are often bad, is a saying as 
old, perhaps, as language itself, and is verified by 
events of every-day occurrence. Even in garden 
matters, there is no lack of enthusiasts, who advocate 
extreme measures in certain cases, with an earnestness 
that is far from reprehensible ; even when the majority 
of the thinking, or working public, have proof of the j 
fallacy of the thing advised. Potting very small 
plants at once, into very large pots, was strongly 
urged by a large section of plant-growers. Root- 
pruning of fruit trees, had previously been insisted on 
as an absolute requisite to the fruitfulness. By-and- 
by, or rather contemporary with these ideas, various 
modes of pruning the top were also insisted on by j 
sundry members of the blue-apron fraternity. Hori¬ 
zontal, vertical, and pyramidal forms were all insisted 
on by their respective friends, with a warmth, which 
was more or less afterwards acted upon ; and it would 
be wrong to say without success. Nevertheless, in 
spite of all these improved modes, many old-fashioned 
customs still prevail: and, it is not saying too much, 
when we aver, that the bulk of the fruit which sup¬ 
plies the London market, is grown much in the same 
way as it was a hundred years ago ; most of the trees 
are treated much the same now, as they were then. 
Now, though this is true in the majority of cases, there 
are others in which a considerable alteration has taken ' 
place ; and, it is generally admitted, that the new pro¬ 
cess is right in principle. 
If we take a tree in a wild state, its fruitfulness is 
often found second to its growth, more especially in j 
its earlier years ; but, as it becomes older, it becomes 
more fruitful; and eventually still more so in its de¬ 
clining state. This wise provision of Nature—enabling 
it to reproduce itself with greater facility when its own 
days seem numbered—is more conspicuously shown 
on all the trees bearing stone fruit. A Cherry, or 
Plum, becomes more prolific in blossom, as it becomes 
gnarled, stunted, and diseased ; and an old Haw 
Thorn is equally so. Now, this lesson has not been j 
lost on fruit growers ; for grafts or scions carry with l 
them much of the constitutional characteristics of the j 
tree they are taken from, and consequently become 
fruitful at an earlier age, than from seedlings ; but, at 
the same time, they are shorter lived; and, as I have j 
