214 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



R- 



BUDDING AND LAYERING ROSES 



OSE budding- used to he an important item in the 

 routine of a gardener's life and work. Then, as 

 now, the most successful practitioner had no fixed 

 and definite dates for his various operations. He left 

 rigid calendarical gardening to others, for he reahzed 

 full well that weather plays an important part in gar- 

 dening. Successes and failures, particularly the latter, 

 soon teach that it is the season and weather and not the 

 calendar that must be studied if the best results are to 

 attend our efl^orts. The time for outdoor rose budding 

 is when the sap runs freely, so that the bark may be 

 easily separated from the stem, and when the selected bud 

 may be cleanly detached in its entirety. These two must 

 coincide. It does not matter how beautifully clean the 

 bark may be lifted on the stock if a perfect bud mav not 

 be taken to fit on it. Then the weather immediately fol- 

 lowing the budding has to be considered. Should it be 

 unusually hot and dry, the bud is more than likely to 

 shrivel before a union can be formed with the stock. On 

 the other hand, cold and wet weather is equally fatal ir 

 that under these conditions the bud lies in danger of de- 

 composition. So, as in most affairs, it is the happy mean 

 in the weather that is needed for successful budding. 

 These combinations of circumstances are generally found 

 during July. 



As to which method of budding is favored, it does not 

 seem to matter whether it is the T-shaped incision, the 

 inverted T, the square shield or the circular so long as, 

 like the laying of a foundation stone, it is done "truly and 

 well" ; though the T-shaped incision has the sanction of 

 fairly long and general usage. With this method it is 

 easiest to make a perfect union between scion and stock. 



The selection of the bud repays for consideration. It 

 is the bud from a flowering shoot that is most satisfactory, 

 and as will be seen from the .illustration on this page, 

 the best bud is found towards the basal end of such a 

 shoot, for it is just there that they are the most perfect 

 for the purpose. Lower on the shoot the buds are too 

 dormant and too hard, while on the upper portion they 

 are soft and not sufficiently developed. In the same 

 illustration will be seen the hud prepared for insertion, 

 and in this respect care should be taken to retain the 

 little piece of leaf stalk with the bud. While preparing 

 the bud it must always be remembered that the core, root, 

 or base, as the emb.ryo on the inside is variously termed, 

 is the vital part, and must be treated with the greael'^t 

 respect. Any injury to this part results in failure. 

 While care is needed to ensure as perfect fitting as ma\' 

 be, and the tie sufficiently tight, but not so as to cause 

 constriction, it is the skilled buddcr, who can do the work 

 quickly, who succeeds in getting the highest percentage of 

 "takes." On a dull day speed in working is not so essen- 

 tial, but during dry weather the buds and the exposed 

 portion of the stocks both dry quickly, a condition not 

 to be desired. 



TuF. Briar .Stock Is Best. — No longer can the gar- 

 dener go out and get good stout briars from the highways 

 and byways. During the past we have reaped, but we 

 did not sow, and now are paying the inevitable penalty. 

 This scarcity of briars is widespread, and in the endeavor 

 to overcome it, various stocks, other than Rosa canina. 

 have been tried with more or less success. The stock 

 difficidty is more serious with standards. The Manctt'i 

 stock answers very well for busli roses and is 

 readily propagated by cuttings. But for standards none 

 equals our English briar. Latterly Rosa ru,!;osa has been 

 used a great deal. From the garden point of view the 

 cl ief objection to it is its slenderness and also that the 

 head often becomes top heavy. Both of these faults could 

 doubtless be removed if the nurseryman would grow the 



stocks a year longer before budding them, but I suppose 

 this is asking too much ! 



j\Iore recently a Japanese form of the Siberian Rosa 

 laxa has met with favor from the growers. A great point 

 IS that it is in a suitable condition for budding much 

 earlier in the season than any other, so that budding is 

 often commenced as early as May — the buds are taken 

 from pot plants — which gives the nurseryman a much 

 longer season than otherwise. This early budding nearly 

 always results in the buds bursting into growth the same 

 season, while one prefers the bud to remain dormant until 

 the following Spring. Though if the laxa stock results 

 in sufficient growth of the bud to be properly ripened be- 

 fore Winter sets in, well and good, otherwise serious 

 losses will occur. 



Layering Roses. — Many prefer dwarf roses to be on 

 their own roots and insert cuttings later in the year. But 

 there are certain varieties which do not root readily. With 

 these the difficulty can nearly always be overcome by lay- 

 ering, a method which has a deal to recommend it for the 

 garden where only a limited number of fresh plants are 

 required. The layering is carried out much in the same 

 way as with carnations, except that to get the required 

 branch in position a stouter peg is ref|uired. For both 

 budding and layering the knife should always be kept as 

 sharp as possible because so much depends on the cuts 

 being cleanly made. The best time for layering is about 

 the last half of July, though, as with other shrubs, it can 

 l:)e successfully performed later. — The Garden. 



ANNUAL MEETING OF AMERICAN ROSE 

 SOCIETY 



(Continued from pat^c 207) 



which (Ireta Kluis, Marie Pavie, were outstanding sorts, 

 the latter a most inveterate bloomer but probably most 

 distinguished among the roses in this new garden were 

 tree roses planted only a year ago last Autumn but with 

 heads of generous spread and 12 to 18 blooms to a plant. 



In this little two-day journey the officers of The Ameri- 

 can Rose Society were fortunate in being able to visit 

 the Rochester Rose Show. For more than one generation 

 has Rochester been known as the flower city but it re- 

 mained for the young blood of the present day of floral 

 enterprises to put Rochester on the map again rosewise 

 through capable career of this organization started by a 

 master hand within the last two years and stinuilated into 

 active service bv the rose i)atron of these parts, Dr. F. M. 

 .Mills. They have grown until the Rose Show of this 

 year marks a trimn]ih for scope, extent and quality, 

 ( )thcr ])e()]jle have much to learn as do nearly all amateurs 

 with reference to staging roses, but when you can get 

 close to 1,000 people to come out of a night and study 

 your roses (to say nothing of the arduous labors of stag- 

 ing such sliows on the part of many of the busy business 

 men and hustling housewives), you have certainly made 

 great progress, and as far as appeared to some of the 

 visitors it would seem as though Rochester would soon 

 take the lead, indeed, if not already there. 



John Dunbar of the Park Department with his assistant 

 Mr. Dukelow. usecl two entire l.-ihlcs tn dis])lay climbers 

 and species of Inish ro«es in extensive varieties clearly 

 labeled, and outstanding among the exhibits by the .Ama- 

 teur was a huge l)owl of ( )ld rmld, a first prize winner. 

 .\ stately display of Paul's Scarlet Ciiniber and a charm- 

 ing vase of .Souv. de Claudius Pernet. 



RoiiiiRT I'vi.E, President. 



Know thy work, and do it like Hercules. One 

 monster there is in the world, the idle man. — Carlyle. 



