and most of their hybrids need no pruning beyond cutting out dead wood, and occasionally cutting the young base shoots back to hard, well-ripened wood, when the tips are touched by frost.

Provence and Moss Roses.—Cut out old wood; thin out old shoots, and out back the young base shoots and laterals to four or six eyes. Some of the strong-growing moss roses may be left taller. The Perpetual Moss roses are pruned as hybrid perpetuals for garden decoration.

Miniature Provence.—Keep well pruned to within six inches of the ground, and thin out the centre.

Gallica and Damask.—Prune lightly. The strong growers may be kept as tall bushes or pillars. The dwarf, such as Red Damask, and Rosa Mundi cut back to three feet. Keep the best one- and two-year-old shoots and laterals, and thin out old and weak wood.

Alba.—Grow as bushes or pillars five to six feet high, cutting out weak wood, leaving all the laterals on which the flowers are borne, about eight inches to one foot.

Hybrid Chinas, such as Charles Lawson, Coupe d'Hébé and Madame Plantier, should be grown as bushy pillars, leaving the shoots six feet long. Shorten the laterals on old wood to three or four eyes. Blairii No. 2 should hardly be touched.

Sweet Briars.—Cut out all weak wood and cut old and naked shoots down to the ground. The Common Sweet Briar should be grown about four feet high. The Penzance Briars make enormous base shoots, which may be shortened to ten feet or less according to one's requirements, and some of the strong laterals of last year shortened back. Lord and Lady Penzance, from their Austrian briar blood, are much less vigorous, and need far less pruning, only cutting out dead wood. When the Penzance and Common Sweet Briars are grown as hedges, the base is apt to get bare, and some of the long shoots must be laid down to keep it clothed, while the rest are pruned much shorter.

Hybrid Bourbons.—Prune the laterals lightly, and leave the best of the base shoots.

Hybrid Noisettes and Musks.—Thin out old wood and tie in young shoots.

Austrian Briars.—Only cut out dead wood. Soleil d'Or, a hybrid, flowers on the young wood, and the shoots may be pruned back to two feet.

Scotch Briars.—No pruning is needed, except cutting out old and dead wood and shortening back some of the numerous suckers.

Climbing Multifloras need little pruning. When grown as pillars or on screens they are apt to get bare at the base. Therefore it is well to cut some of the weaker young shoots back to two or three feet to clothe the base, leaving the strong ones their full length. With Crimson Rambler and its class, cut out some of the old wood to make room for the young shoots and shorten any weak laterals: but leave most of the strong ones intact, and do not touch the long base shoots of the last year.

Wichuraianas.—Only cut out old and dead wood. I have seen a beautiful effect produced with Dorothy Perkins by cutting out all the old wood in the autumn, and training the long young shoots over wire frames two-and-a-half feet wide, forming low arches about a yard from the ground in the centre. The mass of flower shoots standing erect on these frames makes a most strikingly beautiful object. The Wichuraianas also form very lovely weeping standards on eight-feet stems. And for tall pillars and fountain roses they are unequalled.

Chinas.—The old Blush and Cramoisie Supérieure should only be thinned. The newer kinds, such as Mme. Eugène Resal, Laurette Messimy, etc., may be cut back to a few eyes from the ground.

Bourbons.—Prune lightly, growing as bold bushes or standards; except Hermosa, which may be pruned back to form a dwarf, spreading, two-feet bush; while Mrs. Bosanquet is treated like the Chinas.

Noisettes are of two types. The strong growers need hardly any pruning, except Maréchal Niel, which must have all cankered and weak shoots removed after it has flowered. Lamarque, Fortune's Yellow (which must not be pruned at all), and Jaune Desprez need a wall; and Céline Forestier prefers one.

The other type, such as L'Idéal and William Allen Richardson, may be pruned fairly close, by cutting back the laterals to a few eyes. All Noisettes bear their flowers on the laterals; therefore these should be preserved as much as possible.

Dijon Teas.—These are the climbing and vigorous Gloire de Dijon and its descendants and allies, such as Belle Lyonnaise, François Crousse, Duchesse d'Auerstadt, Mme. Bérard, etc. They are all apt to get bare below. Therefore, while some of the strong shoots from the base are left almost their full length, others must be cut back, some to two or three feet, others to four or five feet, in order to keep the whole surface of the wall, arch, or pillar clothed evenly. The laterals may be pruned on the same plan. Old worn out wood should be occasionally cut down to the base to make it start afresh, when the first flowering is over.

Banksia Roses.—These need no pruning except in the case of a very old plant, when a shoot that shows weakness may be cut down to the base in April. But I have pointed out in Chapter IV that the Banksias bear their flowers on the sub-laterals of the third year. Therefore, for three years they must not be touched with the knife, and the shoots merely tied in evenly over the surface of the wall.

Dwarf Polyanthas.—These only need to have the old flower stems cut out in March.

Hybrid Perpetuals and Hybrid Teas, dwarf and standard.—If pruned for garden purposes or what I call enjoyment, not for exhibition, all dead wood and weak or unripe shoots must be cut out to the base of the plant. The centre of the plant must be kept clear by removing shoots which cross each other. The strong ripe shoots from the base should be cut back to about twelve inches, and the laterals on the old wood cut back to about four to six eyes. This is merely a general guide to the pruning of these two kinds of roses. But the rosarian, as I have said, will have to study the peculiarities of each individual plant, and to adapt these instructions to its needs, leaving more shoots on the stronger roses, and keeping them longer than on the weak-growing varieties.

Teas and Noisettes, both dwarf and standard, are pruned on exactly the same lines as the Hybrid Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals, but must be pruned in April instead of March.

PROPAGATING ROSES.

The three chief methods of propagating roses are by—