70 



HORTICULTURE 



January 17. 1914 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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Questions by our readers in line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Making Beauty Cuttings 



To begin the operation first make sure tliat tlie prop- 

 agating lioiise is in good working order, the sand in 

 good shape and everything ready to receive the cut- 

 tings. Then for the wood; select wood that has nice 

 live thorns on it if it is at all possible. Wood with 

 dead thorns is quite hard, and will be more difficult to 

 root than the former. As soon as enough is cut to keep 

 one busy for a little while, stick the lower ends into a 

 tub of water so that the wood will not wilt in the least. 

 It is also necessary to have a pail of clean water ready 

 to drop the cuttings into as soon as they are made. Do 

 not allow these to remain in the water for any length of 

 time, but insert them into sand as soon as enough are 

 made to make it worth while. A very important factor 

 is a good sharp knife that will cut very smoothly and 

 without crushing. A dull knife will crush the delicate 

 tissues of the wood far more than one would think, and 

 as a result many of the cuttings will begin to turn black 

 from the bottom after being in the sand a little while. 

 Have a good steel knife, sharpened and edged so that it 

 will shave. Then there will be no fear of any harm from 

 this source. 



Two or Three-Eye Cuttings 



With the Beauties we like the two-eye cuttings the 

 best — that is leaving only one leaf and eye above the 

 sand. Where two eyes are left above the sand the 

 cuttings crowd too much and are very likely to get some 

 disease that will clean out most of the foliage. Here is 

 another point to heed; never leave any more foliage on 

 a cutting than will be absolutely necessary to keep it 

 alive. With Beauty, usually the two lower leaflets of a 

 leaf will suffice. Should these be very small, then half 

 of the next two can be left, too, giving the cutting 

 plenty of chance to secure the necessary air. 



Separating the Cuttings 



Many growers will sort out the cuttings usually into 

 three grades— hard, medium, and soft. We find that it 

 is just as well to watch the cuttings as they are in- 

 serted into sand, and then plunge the harder wood 

 deeper tlian those that are of softer wood. Thus the 

 cuttings deeper in sand will receive more heat and more 

 moisture as well, and will root in the same time as the 

 others that receive less. 



Propagating Various Tea Roses 



All these are more or less in one family and will thrive 

 almost equally under one treatment. We prefer to make 

 cuttings with two leaves and three eyes on all these, 

 and as many heel cuttings as we can get. In making 

 hybrid tea cuttings proceed the same as with Beau- 

 ties, selecting nice clean wood and, better still, wood 

 especially grown for propagating purposes. Cut just 

 below the eye and just above, as close as possible with- 

 out injuring the vitality of the eye. It is a bad sight 

 indeed to see a beiich of cuttings look like a cut off 

 forest with the stumps sticking up all over. All this is 

 due to cutting too high above the top eye. It does not 

 do any harm necessarily but the looks are enough to 

 keep any man who takes pride in his work, from cutting 

 thus, for it makes an unfinished looking job. 



Dipping Cuttings 



If you think there is any chance of red spider being 

 on the leaves at the time the cuttings are made, you had 

 better dip them in some one of the many preparations 

 that are on the market. This will do away with many 

 that may be lurking around, and if done well will not 

 do the cuttings any harm. Make the solution a little 

 weaker than recommended by the manufacturer, and do 

 not allow the cuttings to remain in the solution any 

 length of time. Merely throw them in and stir gently 

 and then rinse them good in clean water again. Beauties 

 are sometimes dipped into the ammoniacal copper car- 

 bonate mixture greatly reduced in strength, but if care 

 is taken, no black spot need appear on the leaves, and 

 the dip omitted, as the ammonia is none too good for 

 the underside of the leaf where the breathing pores are. 

 It is a fact that the upper side of a leaf will resist the 

 action of many chemicals, which if applied in the same 

 strength to the tissues on the under side would kill them. 



Keeping Foliage Off the Sand 



When the cuttings are being put into sand care should 

 be taken to point the leaves all one way, and to keep the 

 leaves from touching the sand. Not that they should 

 stand straight up into the air, but there should be air 

 space between the leaves and the sand. This will give 

 the cuttings all the necessary air, and will keep them 

 from contracting various diseases as well. 



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