There is a right and a wrong way to cut roses. The choice of the latter may seriously injure the blossom-producing properties of the plants, it is pointed out by specialists of the United States Department of Agriculture. This applies particularly, of course, to rose plants chosen and grown especially for cut-flower production. Such roses will be largely of the perpetual blooming sorts.

When a rose is cut from such plants—tea roses or other perpetual bloomers—only two or three eyes of the current season's growth of that branch should be left on the plant. This should give the roses very long stems. Succeeding blossoms should be cut close to the ground. It will seem like destroying the bush to take so much off it, but if the object is the production of roses, the cutting away of the surplus wood will attain the desired end.

If the spring pruning has not been sufficiently severe the plant is likely to have long, naked stalks and short stems to the flowers. With this character of growth only one or two strong leaf buds should be left on the branch when the flower is cut, so as to stimulate as much growth as possible from the base of the plant.

The greatest temptation to leave wood is where there are two or more buds on one branch, some being small when the terminal one is open. This temptation to follow a bad practice can be avoided by pinching off all side shoots after a bud has formed on the end of a branch. This prevents the formation of two or more buds on one stalk. This summer pruning will encourage additional blooms on varieties which bloom more than once a year.