CULTURE OF ROSES IN POTS. 
133 
tings, and strikes freely with a little warmth. 1 would there¬ 
fore suggest its very general adoption in this character, in ad¬ 
dition to the numerous others it so honorably bears. 
There remains yet a topic which it is desirable not to lose 
sio-ht of altogether : I refer to the root-pruning of roses in pots; 
and there is no plant which bears a judicious application of this 
feature in cultivation better than the subject before us. I would 
therefore recommend its annual adoption with such plants as 
may have attained considerable size. This should be performed 
before the plants are excited in the spring, removing a portion 
of the least Bbrous roots, and shortening the others; this, with 
a corresponding reduction of the branches, will have a salutary 
effect, and prevent the plants from attaining to an unmanage¬ 
able size. I would not, however, recommend it with any other 
object in view. 
To sum up the foregoing in few words, 1 would recommend 
to begin invariably with young plants; to afford them every le¬ 
gitimate inducement to grow freely; to adopt two distinct 
methods of pruning as specified ; the one to continually stop 
the young shoots, the other to encoyrage them to their full 
length ; to apply manuring substances and moisture sparingly, 
when light is deficient, and more abundantly when it is abound¬ 
ing ; to make the application of heat equally depending on the 
absence or presence, the deficiency or abundance of light; in 
fact, to treat them as though the cultivator was really sensible 
that they were organized beings, whose vitality depended on a 
supply of food properly digested, and whose increase depended 
on a due performance of the no less important functions of in¬ 
spiration, respiration, and assimilation. 
To conceive a Banksian rose covered with myriads of its en¬ 
chanting blooms ; a China rose bowing beneath the profuseness 
of its fragrant blossoms ; a moss rose crowned with clusters of 
its noble blossoms, some blazing with beauty, and others scarcely 
willing to burst from their mossy envelope as though they would 
teach mankind to value beauty most, where modesty stiives most 
to conceal it; these are pictures which would induce every ardent 
lover of Flora’s kingdom and of Flora’s queen thus to treat his 
plants; and thus treating them the picture of his fancy will be¬ 
come realized, and his labours will be abundantly repaid. 
