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Same Rose as Fig. 29 Properly Pruned: Austrian

Rugosas, Austrian Briars, Chinas and Bourbons require practically no pruning excepting the removal of dead wood and necessary thinning to prevent crowding. If pruned severely it tends to the development of wood instead of flowers, especially in the Austrian Briar.

If To again enumerate the main points in this chapter: Prune when the new growth can be plainly noted; for medium fine blooms prune the strong varieties on the strongest canes to five and six eyes; weaker canes, to a smaller number. On the weaker varieties prune to three and four eyes on the strong canes; two and three eyes on the weaker ones. the bushes are desired for garden decoration, do not prune quite so far down the canes; for a few exhibition blooms, cut harder, and, later in the season, thin out unnecessary and unpromising growths. For all plants cut out dead wood. In cutting roses during the spring and summer never leave less than two eyes on any cane. This gives summer and autumn blooms. On the very strongest varieties cut to three eyes-always cut to a strong eye. Be sure that the cut is a clean one and slanting, and from one-quarter to one-half an inch above the bud. Always cut to outside buds, except where special direction of the growth is needed.

In all pruning remember the working rule and so accomplish the purpose; the fewer buds the more sap they will receive, and the more buds the smaller amount of sap each one will get, and also that the buds near the base may not break.

IF the directions given in this book for location, preparation of bed, ordering, planting and pruning have been followed, the really hard work is over and the most pleasant part is ahead. The actual culture of the rose is very easy and agreeable. Beyond a little spring and autumn care, some spraying and the weeding of the beds, there is not much work to be done. In the spring, after the frost is out of the ground, take off the covering of the bed, whether it be litter or only leaves. The little mounds should now be raked down so that the bed is level, and if the roses were covered with litter the greater part of it, especially the straw, should be removed, and the manure that is left should be forked into the bed; but not to the extent of disturbing the roots.

After the roses are pruned, the next thing is the feeding of the plants in order to give a particularly fine growth.

In the bed itself, there is enough manure to furnish the roots with food for many years, but to secure the best results feed the roots from the surface.

Wood ashes and bone meal may be alternately forked into the bed after growth has begun. Another good FIG. 31 Variety which does not require disbudding FIG. 32 At the left, the result when disbudding is needed and not attended to; at the right, the improvement for specimen blooms given by careful disbudding food is liquid manure water in the proportion of half a bushel of manure to a barrel of water-"weak and often" is the old gardener's recipe. Dr. Huey advocates watering heavily during dry conditions before such feeding.

Blood diluted with water is sometimes used. Mr.

Frederick W. Taylor applied this alternately with manure water; his recipe is five pounds of blood to a barrel of water. After mixing, permit the blood to settle, then draw off the greater part of the water; use the same blood in the same manner twice again, five pounds making three mixtures.

In April or May the shoots should begin to grow, and very shortly the buds themselves will appear and gradually turn into blooms. On certain varieties, too few unfortunately, there is only one terminal bud on each growth; on a great many, small buds will appear close to the larger ones; these should be carefully removed as naturally they take a certain amount of sustenance, and the main bloom will develop better and will be of finer quality if it receives all the nourishment. It does not take very long to go over the plants and disbud all these smaller flower buds, and unless nothing but a mass of color is preferred remove them. This can be easily and quickly done by hand.