[RISH GARDENING. 



16^ 



Roses. 



By O'DONEL BROWNE, M.D. 



M. 



BUDDING. — The art of buddingf roses g-enerally 

 occupies all roseg-rowers' time during- July and 

 August, for by this means next year's stock of 

 maiden plants is prepared ; and the rose-grower who likes 

 to cut the very best blooms should lay in a plentiful supply 

 of briars every autumn. There is nothing difficult 

 about the operation except to describe it on paper. 

 Budding- consists in inserting a bud or dormant eye of 

 a rose tree into a briar, with the object of g-etting a rose 

 tree on briar roots. According as you want a standard 

 or dwarf plant, so you bud a standard or dwarf briar. Let 

 us suppose we require a standard, as this is the easiest and 

 cleanest to manipulate. Standard stocks are to be had 

 during the autumn out of all our hedges, previous leave 

 being- obtained from the owner of the land. The wild 

 briar, preferably one about one inch thick, of two years 

 old— one whose pith is scarce and the bark mottled 

 or streaked with reddish 

 lines — should be dug- 

 up. Try and keep as 

 much fibrous roots as 

 you can, but in nine 

 cases out of ten you get 

 a root like a hockey 

 stick. Trim the root 

 well back, remove any 

 suckers, and when you 

 have collected as many 

 as you require let them 

 be planted in your gar- 

 den where they are to re- 

 main. No side growths 

 should be left on the 

 stock. In the spring- 

 young shoots start to 

 push out of the stock, 

 as well as suckers from 

 below. Remove all 

 suckers back to root, 

 and only allow three 

 young growths to grow 

 above — choosing those 

 fairly close to one an- 

 other. It is on these you 

 bud during July. Now-, 

 supposing you are ready 

 to bud these in July, 

 certain requirements 



must be fulfilled. First, these growths must be half ripe — 

 I.e., the thorns must fly off when pressed laterally; 

 there must be a good flow of sap into these laterals. 

 Secondly, the buds to be inserted ought to be also half 

 ripe ; and, thirdly, the operation should be quickly and 

 neatly done. The buds are to be found where the rose- 

 leaf joins the stalk on which your rose is growing. In 

 the middle of July to end of August, buds taken from 

 a shoot, the flower of which has just bloomed, are 

 g-enerally in right condition. Sometimes the upper buds 

 have begun to grow and are useless ; w hat you require is a 

 plump bud. Those found about the middle of the shoot 

 are right. Have leng-ths of raffia about six or eight 

 inches long at hand, and a very sharp budding knife. 

 Cut your shoot from your rose tree, immediately re- 

 moving all the leaves, save one eighth of an inch of each 

 leaf-stalk, and carry this shoot to your briar in damp 

 moss. Hold the shoot with the flowered end pointing 

 to you. Insert your knife blade about a quarter of an 

 inch hclihid the bud and leaf-stalk, and commence cut- 

 ting towards you until you have passed the bud. Catch 

 the bud lying on the blade between blade and thumb, 

 and send it away from the shoot. Turn the bud upside 

 down, holding it in your left thumb and finger. Bend 

 back the long tongue of bark towards your feet, and 



catch hold of the bit of wood left projecting with thumb 

 and finger of right hand ; with a quick rolling motion of 

 your right wrist, roll this bit of wood away from your left 

 thumb which holds the bark by the leaf-stalk. If the 

 bud is in proper condition it should readily separate, 

 leaving- the bud inside the bark perfectly intact, and level 

 and smooth. If there is a dimple throw the bud away 

 and try again. You have torn the living germ out on 

 the bark, and your bud is useless. Now rub oft' the thorns 

 and leaves on the briar lateral for two inches or so 

 where the lateral emerges from the briar. Enter your 

 knife point close to junction, and gently divide only the 

 bark towards you for about one inch. Make a cross- 

 cut at the end of this cut, so forming a X- With the 

 flattened end of your budding knife, put into the junction 

 of these two cuts, ^fv;//i' lift the bark up on both sides. 

 Take your bud in left forefinger and thumb by the leaf- 

 stalk and slide it quickly down under these raised flaps, 

 and try and get your bud to go as c'.ose to the old wood of 

 the briar as possible. This is why I advised you when 



Explanation of Diagrams. 



E With a sharp knife make two cuts in the bark -one straight down about ij inches, the other across at 

 top about J inch. F— With the bone end of the budding knife raise the bark sufficiently to allow the bud to be 

 slipped in. G — The bud being slipped into position. H — The bud in position. I — Budding completed ; tied 

 round with a piece of worsted string. 



cutting- your bud to begin behind the bud. With your 

 raffia bind the bud firmly in, paying- particular attention 

 to get one lap of your tie just behind the bud, pressing- 

 bud down flat to briar.* Trim your tongued-shaped flap 

 of bud level with the cross-cut on T of briar, and tie 

 with the raffia. You must iiotc\i\. any of the wild growth, 

 save the actual T until November. Bud two laterals 

 on each standard label, or note variety in a book, and 

 ^o on and bud more. 



Dwarf stocks are either seedlings or briar cuttings. 

 These are kept earthed up until budding- time, and well 

 watered and hoed. Clean away all the earth from as 

 many as you intend working down as close to the roots 

 as possible. With a rag give the stock a rubbing until 

 it is quite clean. Make your T cut, and cut your bud 

 just the same as you do the standard, only do not replace 

 the earth back until winter. Be most careful to allow 

 no foreign body into the wound — remembering; budding 

 is a forced junction of rose and briar, and any dirt does 

 not enhance success. Do not cut any portion of briar 

 save the T cut. If you find that the bark does not 

 readily separate from the wood give your briars a good 

 soaking, and defer budding; to another day. 



* The wood should look white and not green. If green, the shoot is 

 not ripe enough, and union may fail. 



