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Celluloid Label: Daily

Where high pruning is used it must be understood that with such treatment the stems will gradually become shorter and weaker, and the individual blooms less beautiful than where the plant is cut back by the ordinary method, but there will be a greater number of blooms. In the illustration of Daily Mail pruned high and low, the growth on the plant pruned high was the result of hard cutting back the previous season. If the high pruning is carried out a second year there will not be new strong growths such as those obtained by the low pruning.

The best and usually accepted way of pruning roses for cutting is to prune for the finest blooms. As a general working rule prune the strongest varieties to five buds or eyes, about six to ten inches, on the main strong canes, the small weaker canes being cut to three or four eyes, about six inches.

A plant can always be made to grow in any given direction by cutting to a bud which leads in that direction; e.g., in order to spread the plant, if the fifth eye is on the inside of plant, cut to the eye FIG. 27 Daily Mail pruned low to 5 eyes. Note the extreme strength of the stems FIG. 28 Daily Mail with merely the tips cut back. Note the weak stems and greater number of blooms at the top of plant Pruned low Daily Mail gives an average of 32 blooms on Multiflora; pruned high an average of 47 blooms. Prune low for better cut flowers; prune high for more color in the garden. These plants are of the same age, on the same stock, were planted at the same time, and were of almost identical size and condition when pruned above if it is a large cane, for the eye above is on the outside of the plant; or if the wood is somewhat smaller and weaker cut to the outside eye below.

In this way the plant will be spread out and the shoots will not all crowd together on the inside, as would be the case in cutting to inside eyes. With weaker varieties cut to three and four eyes on the stronger-growing canes, and to two and three eyes on the very weak ones. Each of these buds left on the cane should throw up flower stalks.

In addition to this main theory, there are one or two other points which it is necessary to consider in pruning plants. They should not be too much crowded and the best way to prevent this is by cutting out the weakest growths. At first it may be somewhat difficult for one to be sure which canes should be removed, but by watching the plants after growth is started this will soon be understood. An absolute rule cannot be given for the number of canes to be left, but there must not be too much crowding, particularly in the center of the plant. All dead wood should also be removed. This can be easily detected and it should be cut back to the live wood, care being taken not to injure the bark of the latter and to make a clean, sharp amputation.

Where there is any doubt it is easy to cut high, and later prune low if the buds do not push properly. The rule has sometimes been given to cut away everything until the pith shows white. The method quoted is preferable, as it is often difficult to judge the condition of the pith and it is easy to prune low later, no harm being done by leaving the cane longer; this is equally true of climbers.

Quite a number of varieties have the unfortunate habit of throwing out one or perhaps two very large growths on one side of the plant, the opposite side being correspondingly immature and weak. In such cases, in order to balance the plant, particularly for succeeding years, cut back the one or two large growths very "wickedly," one or two eyes being the proper distance. Cut out all but the best of the remaining weaker stems, and after growth has commenced do not allow the stalks on the strong canes to get beyond control. This treatment will serve to equalize the growths on such plants.

In England, where the cold does not kill back the canes so far, the Hybrid Teas are pruned to a greater number of eyes. Pemberton, for example, advises leaving Caroline Testout from two to three feet, but in our climate this rose would be killed back to a foot or less and in the north to an even greater degree.

Pruning is usually done after the main body of frost has left the ground. Where frost does not occur pruning should be done at the season of the year when the buds commence to break; even in climates where there is no frost, roses will have a dormant season, and just before the buds begin to break will be the proper time to prune in these localities. Usually in such climates the dormant season of the rose is the time during which it does not get any water, that is, during the dry season. With the return of the rains the dormant plant commences further growth. This refers, of course, to climates in which there is practically no winter, i.e., no frost. In the spring pruning it will sometimes be found that canes of the weaker varieties have died back after a very severe winter to a smaller number of buds than above noted or given in the lists, though these exceptions should be rare. If the wood has died back to any extent it will be necessary to prune to the first good bud or eye below the winter-killed portion without reference to the number of buds, even if the cane is shorter than that left by the usual system. This information is a general working rule. There are some few varieties which, on account of their peculiar growth, should receive special treatment, and to cover this point thoroughly the number of eyes to which each should be pruned is given in the lists, the number referring to the strongest canes; on the weaker ones, of course, cut to a less number of eyes.

In order that the rules for pruning may be more thoroughly understood the system is illustrated in Figs. 29 and 30 herewith given. The first is a Hybrid Tea rose which was not pruned in the spring but was allowed to develop. The second is the same plant properly pruned.

Fig. 29 shows the plant photographed after it was taken from the ground. On stem "A," in particular, it will be noted that none of the lower buds have pushed but that the top buds are well developed.

This carries out exactly the theory that on a long, weak stem the sap will go to the top buds. To properly prune this weakest stem it should be cut off to two buds as is shown in Fig. 30. On stem "B," which is somewhat stronger, it will be seen that the lower buds have pushed, owing to some extent to the fact that this stem is not so long. Fig. 30 shows that stem "B" is pruned to the third bud, which is on the outside. The first bud is dormant and does not show clearly in the illustration. Cane "C" on Fig. 29 should be pruned in exactly the same way, cut to the third bud on the outside, and this is done in Fig. 30. Cane "D" in Fig. 29 is undoubtedly the one which should be removed, as it crowds the center of the plant, and in Fig. 30 this stem has been cut out. Note how much more space is left for the balance of the growth, particularly for the strong lowest A B D E FIG. 29 HYBRID TEA ROSE, NOT PRUNED BUT ALLOWED TO DEVELOP B A ******** C E FIG. 30