THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



close to the bud, so that there will be no ugly spur sticking up, which 

 cannot heal over, and which will surely die back, to the injury of the 

 plant. 



Propagation 



The propagation of roses is fortunately a very easy matter. Budding, 

 grafting, layering, seeds and cuttings are the several means employed. 

 Most of the hardy roses which come from Europe are budded or grafted 

 on the dog-rose or manetta stock, while in America a great many are 

 grown from cuttings on their own roots. I shall not attempt any detailed 

 account of the methods of budding and grafting roses, as those who would 

 learn this had better consult some of the standard works, where very 

 plain illustrations will be found which will be far more helpful than any 

 words from me would be. 



Cuttings from growing wood may be put in sand through the summer 

 in a cold frame with a northern exposure, and if kept shaded and well 

 watered will root freely enough. The best shading is a piece of cheese- 

 cloth tacked to a frame of wood to replace the ordinary sash. Cuttings 

 should be about four or five inches long and have one or two leaves. 

 It is well to make a nice clean cut near a bud at the bottom. Cuttings of 

 dormant wood put in fiats of sand and set in a cool greenhouse will root 

 through the winter and grow when spring comes. 



Layering consists in taking a shoot and making a slit in it, cutting it 

 part way through, then bending it to the ground and burying it two or 

 three inches deep at the point where the cut is made. After a while roots 

 will be emitted at the cut, and when these have made some growth, the 

 layer may be entirely cut from the parent plant and transplanted. 



Propagation by seed is only resorted to for the purposes of raising 

 new varieties or for raising the various wild stocks for grafting and 

 budding. 



Insect Enemies 



The competitive spirit has been previously referred to as one of the 

 prominent characteristics of human nature, and the rosegrower is engaged 

 during the growing season in another kind of competition — a competition 

 to see whether the various beetles, caterpillars, aphids and mites shall have 

 the lion's share of the roses or not. However, it has been said that diffi- 

 culties are made to be overcome, and the enthusiastic rosarian will engage 

 these enemies as they appear, and, with vigilance and care, will come ofif 

 victorious. Aphis, the green fly or green louse, is so well known that de- 

 scription is unnecessary. As soon as any of these are seen, and they are 

 generally found on the growing tips, measures should immediately be 

 taken for their eradication, as they are tremendously prolific. One author- 

 ity tells us that one aphis may become in five generations the progenitor of 

 nearly six thousand millions of descendants. I confess that I have not 

 verified this statement by actual count, but my observations on their possi- 

 bilities of increase have impressed me with the necessity of immediately 



268 



