242 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April n, 1908. 
Pruning 
ROSES. 
USEFUL 
HINTS. 
As the time is now at hand for pruning 
Roses a few hints on the subject may 
be of use to those amateurs who have not 
done any pruning before. It is a great 
mistake to prune Roses too early, and 
from past experience I think the second 
week in April is soon enough, as the new 
growths are then more likely to escape 
the spring frosts. Remember to treat each 
variety according to its habit of growth 
and the section to which it belongs. Do 
not do as I saw a neighbour of mine doing 
last year, simply slash away at them any¬ 
where regardless of whether they were 
Teas, Hybrid Teas or Hybrid Perpetuals ; 
in fact, he never kept the names on any 
of them, so did not know what they were. 
Anyway, I know he was not very pleased 
with the result. Always make a point of 
keeping the labels on the trees, so that 
you can see what the variety is and the 
section to which it belongs. 
Hvbrid Perpetuals should be pruned 
rather close, the strongest shoots to six 
or eight eyes (or buds), and weak ones to 
three or four, cutting away altogether 
twiggy or misplaced shoots. Hybrid Teas 
should be cut less severely, removing 
about a third of the length of the shoot 
and cutting out all dead wood. Tea Roses 
do not require much pruning. The frosts 
mostly do this for you, but they need trim¬ 
ming up, and where frost has done no 
harm treat them similar to the Hybrid 
Teas. Roses of the Japanese section, such 
as Conrad F. Meyer and Blanc Double 
de Coubert, and also the Austrian Briers, 
must not be pruned at all, not in the 
proper sense of the term, but should only 
have the soft unripe tips removed in 
spring. 
Climbers should be cut back to within 
18 inches of the ground the first spring 
after planting, and in subsequent years 
should only be thinned out and an occa¬ 
sional old and worn out stem removed al¬ 
together. This should be done in July, 
after the flowering is over. 
When using the knife always make a 
slanting cut. This causes the wound to 
heal much quicker, and cut to a bud 
pointing outwards in the direction you 
wish the shoot to grow. 
Harringay, N. F. W. Bluett. 
-- 
Plant Parents. 
The relationship of parent and off- 
spring is a peculiarly interesting one in 
plant land remarks Mr. G. Clarke Nuttall 
in “The Young Woman” for April, so 
marvellous and varied are the provisions 
made for the little ones, so wonderfully 
akin to our own are the ideals therein. 
And there, too, just as among our own 
people, some parents are cleverer than 
others in the arrangements they make, 
their offspring are better equipped and 
hardier for the fray in the competition of 
life that comes to all individuals, whether 
plants or animals, in this somewhat over¬ 
crowded world; and the result, as may be 
imagined, is that some of the young 
plants start life under happier auspices 
and are more successful in landing a niche 
for themselves than others are. 
National Auricula and Primula Society. 
The 'Southern Section of the above so¬ 
ciety has just issued its thirty-first annual 
report for the year 1907. This report 
states that the past year had been an un¬ 
fortunate one for the society since the 
R. H.S. had withdrawn its grant of ^10, 
which had been given for so many years 
past. The forthcoming show for the pre¬ 
sent year will be held on 28th April in 
the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent 
Square, Westminster, as usual. Prizes 
are offered in thirty classes for the vari¬ 
ous sections of Primula, such as show and 
alpine Auriculas, fancy Auriculas, Poly¬ 
anthus, Primroses and a group of any 
species of Primula. The show being held 
in conjunction with the meeting of the 
R.H.S. there has been a large attendance 
of visitors on that occasion for many years 
past. The society has a balance in hand 
°f .zo J 5 I 7 S - Ir d- The Secretary is Mr. 
T. E. Henwood, Auricula Villa, 16, 
Hamilton Road, Reading. 
- G. W. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS. —Competitors must 
write on one side of the paper only. Regular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con¬ 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any wayjl any artiole or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be care¬ 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINGS will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege¬ 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making f iie award. Mark envelopes “ Oom- 
petitRn,” and post not later than the Monday 
folk wing date of issue. .Entries received later 
th i.n Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OF 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the best papers in this competition 
aie too long, and we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
The prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “ W. 0. Hums” for the article on 
“ See t Sowing,” page 226. 
In the Prize Letter Competition a prize 
was awarded to “ D. V. E. ” for the article 
on “ Mossy Plants for Surfacing ” ; and 
another to “Geo. A. Fisher” for the article 
on “ The Ubiquitous Snapdragon,” page 228. 
ABOUT THE 
R' 
Ml 
N 
[in 
rpiT 
LVJ 
AtJ 
LN 
rl J 
LUl 
OF SEEDS. 
The time is fast approaching whenie 
shall be in the midst of the imperative id 
fascinating work of seed-sowing, therele 
a reminder of some of the broad pn- 
ciples that govern successful germinatn 
may not be amiss. 
v Vitality of the seed may be taken-as e 
first consideration, and provided they e 
got from a reliable source there willie 
no cause to worry on this point. It ny 
be taken for granted that the majoritpf 
seeds retain their vitality for at least ".e 
year. Composition to a great extent 
rermines the seeds lease of life, oily o:s 
generally being shorter-lived than star y 
ones. 
In practice soil comes next, but y 
no means is it necessary for-the growtbf 
a seed, a case in point being war- 
plants, but for practical purposes it.s 
essential in order that the plant may h e 
root hold. A mixture of fineiy-sifd 
loam, leaf-soil and silver sand will ; ; t 
the majority of seeds, with exceptions sih 
as Orchids, Nepenthes, etc. 
An adequate amount of heat, in ci- 
j unction with a sufficiency of moist e 
and air, are absolutely essential befe 
germination can take place. The scienr 
can tell us what each of them does, alee; 
with the ideal temperature for the difi- 
ent seeds, but for the present purpose t 
is enough to know that the extra ht 
causes chemical action in the seed, nec - 
sitating the absorption of water, or t 
least the transference of water from ce 
part of the seed to another; for, be it - 
membered, no living body is absoluty 
destitute of water. 
From the air the necessary supply f 
oxygen is obtained, without which k 
would be impossible. This fact teach 
us not to bury our seeds too deeply in i; 
soil. 
As regards temperature, it would be i- 
possible in this article to give anythi; 
like detailed instructions; the grow 
must be guided to a great extent by 
knowledge of the habitat of his plan. 
Most seeds will germinate better in i 
slightly higher temperature than tl: 
which they require when established, 1- 
ing something like young animals in tl; 
respect; but for the guidance of t: 
novice a rough table might be laid dov, 
thus : — Hardy seeds, 40 degs. to 60 degs 
greenhouse and sub-tropical seeo 
50 degs. to 70 degs, ; stove and tropic 
seeds, 60 degs. to 90 degs. These te:- 
peratures, however, by no means repv 
sent the maximum and minimum at whi 
seeds will germinate. Should the sec- 
raiser be of an experimental turn of min 
the chemist will tell him that solutions ' 
iodine and bromine favour germinatio 
and, on the other hand, some gases, su 
as chloroform, retard germination. The 
discoveries, though outside the realm 
practical horticulture, are exceedingly i 
teresting, and show the sensitiveness 
seeds. 
T. H. 
