236 
ROSES. 
meant warnings, which, in the plenitude of my ignorance, have 
been set down as mere vapouring ; however, experience comes to 
the assistance of the most foolish, and I now remove every rose 
likely to be at all tender every autumn, that they may be so 
placed as to be easily protected, should such a measure prove 
desirable. All the China varieties and some of the Bourbons are 
got up carefully in October, and replanted close together in some 
sheltered part of the garden, placing them in groups as nearly of 
a height as is possible for the convenience of covering; thus the 
dwarfs are selected into two divisions, the strong-growing kinds 
by themselves, and the more dwarf in like manner by themselves ; 
so also the standards and half-standards are stationed respectively 
apart, the advantage of which is soon experienced when it be¬ 
comes necessary to thatch them up. At the taking up, all the 
fibres should be gently disengaged from the soil with each plant, 
and being properly labelled, they are taken to the protection 
ground, where a trench is open sufficiently large to receive their 
roots, and as many as can be conveniently got together are so 
placed, pressing their heads one into another until the whole are 
so firmly bound together as to resist the effects of the heaviest 
wind ; the earth is thrown round their stems till it forms a little 
mound, and being pressed firmly down, throws off the worst of 
the rain which may fall upon it. In this manner they are left 
till the occurrence of sharp frost renders it necessary to adopt 
protection : the best and cheapest means is to bind them round 
closely with tightly twisted haybands, filling the interior spaces 
with loose hay ; this wards off the action of frost without ex¬ 
cluding air, a matter of some consequence, for I find, when 
covered too closely, so as to raise the circumjacent atmosphere, 
the buds are likely to start, a partial development takes place, 
tending to weaken the plants, and therefore to be avoided. The 
dried fronds of fern are equally good in this respect, but are not 
so easily packed in a neat manner. It is not advisable to begin 
this protection till actually necessary, for a few slight frosts 
will do no injury, and if covered too soon, the wood will have no 
opportunity to ripen : in the average of seasons it is not required 
till January, and may usually be dispensed with by the beginning of 
March, when the roses receive their annual pruning. No apprehen¬ 
sion need be felt on account of the removal of the plants, for its 
