March 13. 1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



527 



Store of the Walter Mott Seed and Bulb Co., Jamestown, N. Y. 



of the next convention place shall come 

 before the society, the polls shall remain 

 open for at least one hour, for the con- 

 venience of those desiring to express their 

 preference. 



A communication regarding the pro- 

 posed United States laws in reference 

 to the inspection and fumigation of nur- 

 sery stock was referred to the legisla- 

 tive committee of the society. 



In compliance with an invitation from 

 the secretary of the Horticultural So- 

 eie.y of New York, ex-President O'Mara 

 was appointed a delegate to represent the 

 S. A. F. at the Plant Breeding Confer- 

 ence, which is to be held in New York 

 City this year. 



The president reappointed the present 

 legislative committee, also the present in- 

 cumbents of the offices of botanist, en- 

 tomologist, and pathologist. 



It was announced by Vice-President 

 Deake that it was the purpose of the 

 local people to entertain the visitors next 

 August with a drive through Biltmore 

 and a ride to Overlook Park. At the 

 latter place, which is 3,000 feet above 

 the sea level, an old-fashioned water- 

 melon eating will be on the program. 



Season tickets for each member of the 

 convention, admitting to the rose exhi- 

 bition in New York City, were received 

 from Secretary Barron, and a vote of 

 thanks accorded therefor. 



A sub-committee appointed for that 

 purpose presented the following final res- 

 olutions, which were unanimously 

 adopted: 



We. the memters uf the esecutivo eommittee 

 of the S. A. I'"., in meeting assembled, desire 

 to express our thanks to the Asheville Board 

 of Trade, to the Idlewild Floral Co.. to the EUcs 

 Lodge of .Asheville. the Biltmore Estate. 

 Messrs. Braneh & Yonng. proprietors of Swana- 

 noa Hotel, for the unbounded hospitalit.v and 

 many courtesies shown us during our stay in 

 this citv. also to the daily press of Asheville 

 for the liberal notice given of our proceedings. 



William J. Stewart, Secretary. 



HYBRID STOCK FOR ROSE PROPA- 

 GATION. 



By Dr. W. Van Fleet. 



[Paper read befoie the .American Rose Society. 

 March 12 19 2.] 



But little effort has been made to ascer- 

 tain the rose stocks best suited for Ameri- 



can use. Rose growers here mainly propa- 

 gate cuttings, and "own root" roses of 

 all varieties that may be increased in that 

 manner have, until very lately, been much 

 preferred for culture both under glass 

 and in the open. Reeent successful com- 

 mercial trials, however, have shown the 

 advantage of grafting certain forcing 

 roses on stocks resistant to the "eel 

 worm," as well as to supply a root system 

 of greater vigor than is inherent in the 

 variety wanted. Then, too, a considerable 

 number of the most desirable hardy roses 

 propagate very sparingly, if at all, by 

 cuttings. The increase by root cuttings 

 and clump division is slow and precarious, 

 so that budding and grafting on conge- 

 nial stocks remain the only practicable 

 methoils. 



We have hitherto accepted the stocks 

 most approveil by European growers as 

 without (juestion the most available, and 

 for greenhouse commercial work the Ma- 

 netti rose, of hybrid China parentage, 

 may always be most useful ; but for out- 

 side planting both Manetti and Dog 

 Brier have proven dismal failures under 

 our climatic conditions. The latter does 

 not thrive at all, and the former, while 

 vigorous enough, suckers badly and ceases 

 growing too early after dry summers to 

 encourage late blooms in those surieties 

 disposed to autumnal flowering. 



Manetti roots are very fibrous, fonning 

 a perfect mat in rich, moist soil; but they 

 run shallow and are quickly affected by 

 drought. They drink greedily soluble 

 nouiishment, but seem unable to extract 

 much plant food from dry soil. The com- 

 mon experience with roses worked on Ma- 

 netti is that they are troublesome and 

 short-lived, unless so planted as eventu- 

 ally to throw out an adequate root system 

 of their own. The great ma.iority of the 

 imported budded roses are discarded 

 after blooming a season or two, and the 

 remaining ]dants seldom develop into the 

 strong, vigorous specimens we have a 

 right to expect. 



These defects in European stocks have 

 been long known, though but little effort 

 has been made to find more useful substi- 

 tutes. One nursery in the west claimed 

 some years ago to use Mme. Plantier, a 

 vigorous and very hardy rose of much- 

 mixed parentage, but of the hybrid China 



type, with great success ; but we have not 

 heard much about it since. Our native 

 Prairie rose, Rosa setigera, has been used 

 in an experimental way by the writer and 

 others with much success, both as a stock 

 for budding and root grafting. It is ex- 

 ceedingly hardy, the foliage is resistant 

 to most" diseases, and the root system is 

 strong and penetrates the soil deeply. 

 Buds or grafts unite readily, and the 

 union seems very permanent, but time has 

 not tested the latter clainl. All varieties 

 tried grow well on this stock, which may 

 be easily increased by seeds or cuttings. 

 It is of a climbing habit, and the canes 

 are not suitable for high budding for tree 

 or standard effects. The roots seldom 

 sucker, all the new growth starting from 

 the crown. 



For high budding we have found noth- 

 ing better than the Penzance hybrid 

 sweetbriers, rose Bradwardine, Amy Eob- 

 sart and Anne of Gierstein. They grow- 

 here more upright and vigorous than the 

 type species, and are not subject to sun- 

 seald like standard Manetti. Other hy- 

 brids of the sweetbrier, with General 

 Jacqueminot, and with various hybrid per- 

 petuals, of our own raising, have the 

 same characteristics. There is no sueker- 

 ing, and they are easily increased by cut- 

 tings. Lord Penzance and other sweet- 

 brier hybrids, containing blood of the 

 Persian yellow class, should be avoided 

 for this purpose. The canes are more 

 slender, and propagation is less certain. 



The most suitable stocks for low or 

 dwarf budding and root grafting appear 

 to be hybrids of Rosa multiflora and R. 

 Lucia", more widely known as R. Wichu- 

 raiana. Seedlings of Clothilde Soupert 

 crossed with Crimson Rambler furnish the 

 best example of the former class. Some 

 are thornless, or nearly so, strong, rapid 

 growers and deep rooters. They work 

 very easily, and the buds or grafts soon 

 maise a firm union. They can be increased 

 by cuttings of green and hard wood with 

 the greatest facility. 



Crosses between Crimson Rambler and 

 R. AVichuraiana, to use the name best 

 known, are still more vigorous, but less 

 upright in habit and quite thorny. They 

 strike readily from cuttings, and also root 

 as freely from the tips as a dewberry, 

 when allowed to trail. The roots pene- 

 trate the soil deeply, and the bark worts 

 with the greatest ease when ready for 

 budding. 



Crosses between R. Wichuraiana and 

 China roses sometimes possess great vigor. 

 One plant two years from the seed, plant- 

 ed in poor, gravelly upland, threw a trail- 

 ing cane 26 feet long last summer. They 

 all seem very easy of propagation and are 

 more upright and less thorny than R. 

 Wichuraiana itself, which trails as flat as 

 a melon vine. 



The roots of R. Wichuraiana and its 

 hybrids go deep down in the soil, and if 

 there is any moisture or fertility they will 

 find it. Tliey will thrive on the most bar- 

 ren slope when established and the plants 

 look as if they would endure for all time. 

 The long, smooth roots are admirable for 

 grafting, and they can be worked as eas- 

 ily and certainly as apple roots if good 

 wood is fitted to them. The grafts may 

 be tied with twine or lightly waxed and 

 packed in damp moss, and kept rather 

 warm until union is effected. 



Neither Kosa multiflora nor R. Wichu- 

 raiana hybrids sucker, but buds start 

 freely from the crown,- which should be set 

 rather deeply in budded plants. There is 

 no trouble with suckering from the root 

 grafts. Plants of the above hybridi 

 grown from cuttings of good sized wood 



