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HORTICULTURE 



December 14, 1907 



Roses Under Glass. 



GRAFTING 



Tliat grafted roses are steadily gaining in favor is 

 beyond a doubt and tlie increase in the number of grow- 

 ers who are devoting space to this kind of stock would 

 seem to indicate that the results have been satisfactory. 

 All soils, however, are not favorable to grafted stock, 

 and before planting extensively the grower should as- 

 certain Avhether grafted stock would be more remun- 

 erative than own-root stock in his own particular class 

 of soil. In many of the heavy soils, the product of own- 

 root stock exceeds .in quality, and often in quantity, 

 that of grafted stock. Also we must consider the varie- 

 ties we intend to grow. Killarney and Bride will do 

 well on Manetti in rather light sandy soil, while Beauty 

 and Chatenay succeed best on their own roots. Those 

 who contemplate doing their own grafting should soon 

 get in their supply of Manetti. These should be potted 

 and placed in a cool house, the temperature of which 

 may vary from 38 degrees to 50 degrees, according to 

 the length of time allowed them to make roots. Low 

 temperature is necessary to keep the buds from starting 

 before the stock has made a sufficient number of roots 

 to give an immediate supply of sap to the newly at- 

 tached scion. 



The season when grafting can most successfully be 

 performed is in the months of January, February and 

 March as, during this period, conditions of tempera- 

 ture, moisture, etc., are more easily controlled than 

 when the season is further advanced. 



One of the chief essentials in this method of propaga- 

 tion is to have a suitable bench or frame to contain the 

 plants when grafted. The style of the frame matters 

 little providing it meets the requirements in other ways. 

 The bottom should be about eighteen inches above the 

 heating pipes, and the same distance below the sash 

 covering or top of. frame. The sides and ends should be 

 boarded up, leaving spaces a few yards apart with doors 

 attached, to serve as ventilators and to regulate the heat 

 contained in the interior. There should also be a suf- 

 ficient number of pipes under the frame to insure a 

 minimum temperature of 80 degrees during the sever- 

 est weather. Wlien -completed the frame should be prac-. 

 tically air-tight. MlUefial, upon which to set the plants 

 may be obtained by sifting the ashes from the boiler 

 room. This also serves to retain the requisite amount 

 of moisture in the frame. 



The selection of wood for grafting should be made 

 by one who thoroughly understands the work, else there 

 will be trouble later on. It is not advisable to experi- 

 ment with soft, pithy shoots. The wood for the scions 

 should be' of about the same quality as that recommend- 

 ed for cuttings. 



The most common style of graft employed on com- 

 mercial places is the whip graft, and as expediency and 

 speed are objects to be attained, this style of graft is, 

 perhaps, best suited to the purpose. The mechanical 

 part of this method of propagating is quite simple. 

 With a sharp knife a cut about three-quarters of an inch 

 in length is made in the stock. A corresponding cut is 

 then made in the wood or scion, and the two parts 

 placed together. The scion should be tied firmly in 

 place with some soft material but not so tight as to 

 cause an abrasion of the bark, at the same time taking 

 care that there is direct communication between the 

 layers of bark in all the parts to be united. The woody 



parts of stock and scion never unite, but are so covered 

 over by outer growths that the fact is not apparent 

 unless the part is dissected. 



When tlie first batch of plants have been grafted they 

 should be thoroughly watered and placed in the frame, 

 which should be kept closed as much as possible during 

 the first few days until the union has taken place. When 

 this occurs a little air may be given for a short time 

 during the day, gradually lengthening the exposure as 

 the plants become hardened. 



When sufficiently hard to withstand the full effects 

 of the outer temperature the plants may be treated sim- 

 ilarly to own-root stock, excepting when syringing, 

 whicli operation should be performed with exceeding 

 tare and small force of water, until they receive the 

 support of stakes, which should not be withheld very 

 long after the plants are taken from the frame. 



A New Rose Stock 



It is singular how generally the Manetti and the Dog 

 Rose have been relied upon as stocks, on which to work 

 the hardy varieties of roses for open culture. These 

 stocks have the merit of vigorous growth, which they 

 impart, in a good degree to the graft. But this vigor 

 often proves an evil in producing suckers which over- 

 power and ruin the graft. Still they have held the 

 field surprisingly and I am inclined to think without 

 sufficient competition with other stocks, to determine 

 their comparative merit. 



At the recent convention of the American Pomo- 

 logical Society, at Jamestown, I met a nurseryman, who 

 informed me that he was using the Madam Plantier 

 for all classes of roses and with uniform success. His 

 location is in Florida, where he can make his cuttings 

 in the fall, in the open ground and find them well- 

 rooted in the early spring. These are ready for budding 

 by the 1st of May and the bud will make a growth 

 of from one to three feet by the end of the season, the 

 growth varying witli the vigor of the variety. 



It is apparent that this is a product at a minimum 

 cost. The question now is as to its value. The follow- 

 ing points may be stated in regard to Madam Plantier. 

 It is a higher type and texture of wood than the Ma- 

 netti and Dog; it is equally vigorous and hardy; it 

 roots as readily as a willow and most important of all 

 and unlike the others, it does not throw up suckers. 

 This last quality, if it proves persistent, will insure its 

 popularity. It remains to be proved whether all classes 

 of roses will take kindly to it and will yield products 

 which will compare with the blooms from the Manetti. 

 A single season, a single trial is not sufficient. Time 

 alone will decide as to tlie compatability of the union. 

 This however is certain, that plants will be turned out 

 by this process by the million and at a cost which should 

 distance foreign competition. 



]\'(ib(iii. Mass. 



