S34 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



( M&r I, tSM: 



the beantiful gardens of BockhillB, adjoining tho Palace, and 

 the residence of the late Sir JuBuph Puxtun, will bo thrown 

 open to visitors. As in front of tlio surrouuiUng verandah 

 there is growing one of tho largest trees of Wistaria sinensis 

 in the country, and as at tho time of this great Show it will be 

 in full beauty, Ruch an opixirtuuity affords additional interest 

 to tho great Show of the cominR seaBon. Tlieao gardens will 

 be again thrown open on tho day of tho groat Itoso Show, 

 Saturday, June Titd. 



THE MANETTI STOCK EOR ROSES. 

 TuE constant accession of new readers to The Jouun.\l of 

 Houticultcbe renders it necessary to ruvert occasicnally to 

 subjects that havo been already discussed in its pages, in order 

 to satisfy iiujuiries that arise from time to time. It may 

 happen, too, that additional facta may bo elicited by the re- 

 newal of a discussion upon any subject. I um inclined, there- 

 fore, to ugreo with " t'ouNiitY Cuiuri; " that it may not be 

 without advantage to return to the question of llanutti stocks. 

 The soil in which Hoses on the Manetti arc grown must, of 

 course, be the chief means of determining the adaptability of 

 the stock to the end in view, which 1 assume to be this — to 

 produce better flowers, and a greater number of them, than can 

 be obtained by any other means in tho same situation. A 

 secondary con.'^ideration will also be — that the plants, resem- 

 bling in airpearance those on their own roots, which in soils 

 that are hght and not naturally strong they soon become, are 

 therefore more manageable and less unsightly whtn out of 

 bloom than stiuidards or half standards on the briar ; for there 

 is scarcely a shrub les.s attrective to the eye than a flowerless, 

 leafless liose bush, and the ugly appearance of pruned and un- 

 pruned standards in the same naked state is noticeable to every 

 one, but we readily pass this out of mind when we look on tho 

 lovely forms produced bj- them. 



The soil in this part of Surrey is very different from the de- 

 scription " CouNTKY CuuATE " givcs of that of his garden in 

 Shropshire, and both again differ from the soil of Mr. Had- 

 clyft'e's late garden at liushton. The superiority of the Manetti 

 stock having been fully establislmd both hero and at Rushton, 

 " Country Cvkate " is quite justified in asserting that it 

 should be tried in other places, and, I wish to add, the resiUt 

 of the trial should be made known. 



We have read frequently in these pages and elsewhere that 

 the Manetti stock is not advocated by rosarians who have 

 heavy soils, and not without reason, because generally the 

 briar does well on those soils, and the propagation of Hoses on 

 it is so simple and easy that satisfactoiy results are obtained 

 without having recourse to any other means. It is also 

 affirmed that the Manetti stock proves too strong for the Ivoso 

 budded or otherwise worked upon it. Eoses on their own 

 roots also do well in heavy soils. Instances of both have come 

 under my notice, and in submitting thtso notes in reply to 

 " CorN'TKY CciiATE's favourable mention of my former article 

 on this subject, cognizance is taken of these circumstance.s. 



As regards the intJueme of climate, it is sufficiently estab- 

 lished that the Manetti is hardy enough to with.stand the 

 generality of English winters, as well as the varying character 

 of our springs and summers. I have heard of its succeeding 

 well in Durham and Yorkshire, and hence there is no reason to 

 doubt equal success in Shropshire and other north-western 

 and midland counties. It may be assumed, also, that since the 

 Manetti stock is found to maintain the Kose grafted or budded 

 upon it in better condition in the earlier stages of growth in 

 light soils, which retain a higher tempenitiue than hea\7 

 ones, the south of England may be slightly more suitable for 

 it than the north ; and, further, that in rich soils in a favour- 

 able situation the eiLuborance of vigour in the stock ma.v some- 

 times prove too strong for the Kose worked upon it, and hence 

 the reasonable objection of those who have tried it under these 

 conditions. 



The inquiry of " Cocstby CnRATE " embraces two principal 

 but connected subjects — namely, the propagation of Roses on 

 the Manetti stock, and the propagation of the stock itself. All 

 the other points of information sought for in his recent article 

 may be included in these. 



1st, I'rojutiintinn of Rnsfs on the Manrtti. — The stocks 

 should be obtained in the autumn that they may be well es- 

 tablished for operating upon in tho following summer. They 

 should be planted in rows not loss than inches apart ; 

 9 inches or even a foot would be preferable if space permit. If 



several rows are planted, and it is intended to remove them 

 when the plants are sufficiently advanced to allow of removal, 

 space may be economised by planting the rows at alternate 

 longer and shorter intervals — that is to say, if the first and 

 second rows are about 18 or 20 inches apart, the second and 

 third should be 2 or 2) feet, the third and fourth tho same as 

 tho tirst and second, and so on. This will allow room for 

 working the stocks with less inconvenience and risk than if the 

 rows were at uniformly short intervals apart. The stocks 

 should not be planted deeper than is necessary to secure the 

 roots tirmly in the soil. Before planting it will be well to 

 notice if any buds have appeared within a few inches of the 

 roots, and if so, they should be removed. The same precau- 

 tion is even more requisite when removing established plants, 

 as these buds in time become developed into shoots, or suckers 

 as they are frequently but improperly called, and which prove 

 a fruitful source of annoyance afterwards. Tho neglect of this 

 precaution has added to the complaints that have, unjustly, 

 been brought forward in argument against tho Manetti. 



For propagation in the open ground budding is more certain, 

 easier, and in every respect preferable to grafting. As I stated 

 in a former article, a carefully inserted bud in good condition 

 will in nearly every case produce a good jilant. 



As soon as spring indicates signs of genial weather, towards 

 the end of March or early in April the stocks may be earthed 

 up 3 or 4 inches. The object of earthing up is to keep the 

 bark moist, and this is indispensable when the stocks are to be 

 budded, for the bud should be inserted in that part of tho 

 stock that has been covered with soil ; and it should be remem- 

 bered that it is not nccessarj- to have wood of the current year's 

 growth, but the bud should at all times when practicable be 

 inseited in the main stem of the stock, which would, therefore, 

 bo of the previous year's growth or even older. Stocks of the 

 previous year's growth should be preferred, as they can be 

 operated upon nearly as easily as the current year's shoots 

 of the Dog Kose. If the stocks are more than two years 

 old there will be more difficulty in performing the operation, 

 and some doubt about the success of it ; also, if the earthing 

 up is done in the autumn when tho stocks are first planted, 

 they will sometimes throw out rootlets where these are not 

 wanted — that is, where the stock is to be budded, rendering 

 the bark too hard for successful operation. 



By the end of May the stocks will be ready for budding, par- 

 ticularly if the spring has been favourable. A day or two be- 

 fore it is intended to bud, so much earth should be removed 

 from the stocks as had been drawn around them by earthing 

 up. It is advisable to make the siurface level or nearly so ; the 

 stocks should not be left in a kind of in-egular trench, other- 

 wise, if continuous rains follow, the water will settle around 

 the stocks in puddles, thereby acting injuriously upon the in- 

 serted buds, which should be as low down as possible. When 

 the ligature of the bud i; fleecy worsted, a soft and at the same 

 time pliable and strong material, which I have always found 

 preferable to any other, if the lower end of the ligature is in 

 contact with water that settles around the stock, the bud will 

 be kept wet too long by the capillary attraction of the worsted, 

 and soon rot. In heavy soils these points cannot be too 

 strongly insisted upon, and even in light porous soils like 

 mine inattention has been followed by casualties. Before 

 budding all lateral and superfluous shoots from the stock may 

 be cut off, and, if the budding is performed early in the season, 

 the stem in which the bud is inserted should be slightly 

 shortened. 



By early budding I mean as early in the season as buds can 

 be obtained in a condition fit for propagation, or, as we or- 

 dinarily call them, " ripe," and the weather sufficiently warm 

 to insure success, it being always inadvisable to bud when the 

 temperature is k.w and likely to continue so for a time. Now 

 tho sap of the Manetti is so active that as soon as the genial 

 warmth of spring puts it in motion tho stock soon becomes fit 

 for the operation, so that it is by no means imprudent to bud 

 in May from Roses that have been forced and have sufficiently 

 ripened their wood. It is thus useful for procuring plants of 

 new or desirable kinds earher than by late budding. We may, 

 perhaps, consider last season an exceptional one, for I do not 

 recollect cutting buds from out-of-door plants so early as the 

 end of May, which I was enabled to do last year. The first 

 week or ten days in June were also very propitious. 



When advantage is taken of an opportunity to bud early, the 

 bud will soon " take ; " in a fortnight or three weeks the liga- 

 ture should be removed, and the stock further shortened to en- 

 couraga the growth oi the young ahoot from the inserted bud. - 



