AN ENCYGLOPADIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 315 
Rosa—continued. t 
horticulturists as that now under consideration. The Rose 
has been immortalised, from the most ancient times, by 
authors and poets of all countries. As the emblem of 
Youth, it was dedicated to Aurora; of Love and Beauty, 
to Venus; of Danger and Fugacity, to Cupid. It was 
given by'the latter, according to classical writers, as a 
bribe to Harpocrates the God of Silence: hence, un- 
doubtedly, the origin of the common expression, “ under 
the rose.” The Rose is the national emblem of Eng- 
land. Apart from the value of the genus as an un- 
„rivalled collection of the most beautiful floral objects, 
it forms an important factor in commerce. The raising of 
new varieties, &c., and the manufacture of rosewater and 
attar, give employment to thousands of persons. Rosa 
is also a prominent contributor to our Materia Medica: 
according to Dr. Lindley, “one of the most earnest de- 
fenders of its powers has not hesitated to assnre the 
world that the Pharmacopeia should be formed of Roses 
alone”! (Introduction to “ Rosarum Monographia,” 1820.) 
The Rose, is justly designated the Queen of Flowers. 
Its easy mode of propagation, its adaptability to meet the 
requirements of most cases where flowers are needed, and 
its general floriferons habit, under varied circumstances, 
are all well-known characteristics. In horticultural exhibi- 
tions, throughout the summer, Roses are always largely 
represented, and many beautiful shows are limited almost 
exclusively to this one flower alone. For cut flowers, 
too, Roses are unequalled, and they may be procured, 
under cultivation, at almost all seasons, especially the 
invaluable Tea section. For covering arbours, arches, 
walls, &c., the climbing varieties, which include a good 
selection, are admirably adapted; while there are hosts 
of others, suitable for beds by themselves, mixed borders, 
culture in pots, and for any other purposes where their 
flowers can be admired. In some places, a Rose Garden 
is established, and planted with the various sections of 
the genus; the original species, and those of more recent 
introduction, are available for affording much interest 
and beauty in wild gardens, and often for climbing up 
tall shrubs and trees; several of the dwarf- growing 
ones are useful for rockeries. It is needless to attempt 
referring to all the purposes for which the Rose is so 
well adapted; they are generally familiar, and numerous 
other books and periodicals refer to the subject in more 
lengthened terms than is necessary or even possible here. 
Many of the species are very: beautiful, because of the 
numerous bright-coloured fruits, called “hips,” which suc- 
ceed the flowers. Even the common Dog Rose (R. canina) 
is very ornamental in this respect; and the beautiful 
R. rugosa, where it succeeds, is covered with large fruits 
towards autumn, while it also -continues more or less 
plentifully to keep flowering. The common Sweetbriar 
Rose, and many others, are familiar examples, because of 
their highly-coloured hips. 
PROPAGATION. Rose propagation may be accomplished 
in many ways, namely, by seeds, cuttings, layers, suckers, 
and sports; sometimes by division; and very extensively 
by budding and grafting. 
Seeds. Raising Roses from seeds is a practice seldom re- 
sorted to except for obtaining new and improved varieties. 
As a rule, only an exceedingly small percentage of seedlings 
fulfil these conditions, now that good sorts are so numer- 
ous; by far the largest majority will be found worthless. 
When seeds arg to be saved, the hips must remain on the 
plant until quite ripe, when they should be gathered, dried 
in the sun, and afterwards rubbed out. The seeds may 
either be sown at once, or the hips may be kept whole, 
_and stored in sand or soil, until spring. Rats and mice 
are very partial to the seeds, which they devour greedily ; 
it is, therefore, necessary to make provision, as far as 
possible, against their attacks. Birds are also destructive 
in the seed-bed, if this is in the open ground. Rose seeds 
may be sown in a warm, sheltered position in the open 
_ absolutely essential for striking them. 
Rosa—continued. 
air, or in pans or shallow boxes of sandy soil, which may 
afterwards be placed in a cold frame. The seeds vary ~ 
a great deal in the time they take to germinate; some 
seedlings appear the first season, many not until the 
second, The first autumn, all that are large enough 
to handle should be transplanted from 6in. to 12in. apart, 
according to their different sizes, and protection must be 
provided for these, and for others in seed-beds, thronghont 
the winter. Seedling Roses do not produce their first 
flowers at any fixed time; some blossom in less than a 
year, but many more do so the second season, while others 
take a longer period. The first flowers indicate little 
beyond the colour; those which follow are often of far 
better substance and superior merit. 
Cuttings. Roses of all kinds on their own roots 
are now much favoured, and propagation by means of 
cuttings may be successfully practised from spring 
until late in autumn. Formerly, the method chiefly 
adopted was by cuttings made of dormant shoots, and 
inserted in autumn ; and this is still extensively practised. 
The mode of procedure with ripened cuttings in autumn 
is very easily explained, and, if the cuttings are good 
and properly inserted, success is almost as certain as 
with cuttings of Gooseberries or Currants. Rose cuttings 
should be made from wood of the current year, which 
should be of medium strength, and well ripened. They 
may be cut from Qin. to 12in. in length, and if a heel- 
can be obtained, so much the better, but this is not 
The Hybrid 
Perpetuals, and any others which are equally as hardy as, 
or more than, these, may be inserted in the open ground. 
They should be placed about 6in. deep, and from 1ft. 
to 1}ft. apart. The best plan is to dig the soil and 
insert cuttings as the work proceeds; care must be 
taken to tread round them thoroughly, in order that 
frost may not lift them ont. In preparing cuttings for 
insertion, none of the eyes should be removed, as fre- 
quently, when the upper portion of the cutting dies, 
. shoots proceed from the joints beneath ground, and so 
the plant is safe. This is one of the advantages Roses 
raised from cuttings always have over those worked on 
another stock, namely, that all the shoots thrown up at 
any time are those of the Rose itself, and if the upper 
branches are cut down by frost, in all probability the 
lower portion of the stem will escape injury. Occa- 
sionally, after a sharp spell of frost, it will be necessary 
to tread round cuttings inserted in the previous autumn, 
to keep them firm and in position. Good plants will 
be ready for lifting in the course of a year, when they 
should be transferred to permanent positions for flowering. 
Cuttings of Tea-scented and other somewhat tender 
Roses, when inserted in autumn, will not succeed under 
the system above described; they must be more care- 
fully treated, by being placed in pots of sandy soil, 
and provided with protection under glass. They may 
be dibbled in rather close, and merely kept in a cold 
frame through winter, during which time they will form 
a callus, and be ready for emitting roots when subjected 
to a little heat in spring. This valuable section is more 
generally propagated in summer; but in autumn ripened 
cuttings may be procured from outside plants, when 
there are none grown in pots., 
Cuttings of Roses may be readily rooted at almost 
any time during summer, when suitable firm, partially- 
ripened growths can be obtained. The leaves at this 
season should be carefully preserved, and cuttings with 
| two or three eyes may be successfully rooted. The first 
batch may generally be procured early in the season, from 
plants that have been forced, and none are better suited 
for propagating. If inse: , and placed in a close frame 
with a little heat, or on a slight hotbed, and kept moist 
| and shaded, roots will, as a rule, soon be emitted, and the 
young plants may then be potted off singly, and still 
