An Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 



315 



Bosa — continued. 

 horticulturi>ts as that now under consideration. The Rose 

 has been immortalised, from the most ancient times, by 

 authors and poets of all countries. As the emblem of 

 Youth, it was dedicated to Aurora ; of Love and Beauty, 

 to Venus ; of Danger and Fugacity, to Cupid. It was 

 given by the latter, according to classical writer.^, as a 

 bribe to Harpocrates the God of Silence : hence, un- 

 doubtedly, the origin of the common expression, "under 

 the rose." The Rose is the national emblem of Eng- 

 land. Apart from the value of the genus as an un- 

 rivalled collection of the most beautiful floral objects, 

 it forms an important factor in commerce. The raising of 

 new varieties, tfec, and the manufacture of rosewater and 

 attar, give emxdoyment to thousands of persons. I^otaa 

 is also a prominent contributor to our Materia Medica : 

 according to Dr. Lindley, " one of the most earnest de- 

 fenders of its powers has not hesitated to assure the 

 world that the Pharmacopoeia should be formed of Roses 

 alone" ! (Introduction to "' Rosarura Monographia," 1820.) 

 The Rose, is justly designated the Queen of Flowers. 

 Its easy mode of propagation, its adaptability to meet the 

 requirements of most cases where flowers are needed, and 

 its general floriferous habit, under varied circumstances, 

 are all well-known characteristics. In horticultural exhibi- 

 tions, throughout the summer, Roses are always largely 

 represented, and many beautiful shows are limited almost 

 exclusively to this one flower alone. For cut flowers, 

 too, Roses are unequalled, and they may be procured, 

 under cultivation, at almost all seasons, especially the 

 invaluable Tea section. For covering arbours, arches, 

 walls, «&c., the climbing varieties, which include a good 

 selection, are admirably adapted ; while there are hosts 

 of others, suitable for beds by themselves, mixed borders, 

 culture in pots, aiul for any other purposes where their 

 flowers can be admired. In some places, a Rose Garden 

 is established, ancl planted with the various sections of 

 tbe genus ; the original species, and those of more recent 

 introduction, are available for afi'ording much interest 

 and beauty in wild gardens, and often for climbing up 

 tall shrubs and trees; several of the dwarf- growing 

 ones are useful for rockeries. It is needless to attempt 

 referring to all the purposes for which the Rose is so 

 well adapted ; they are generally familiar, and numerous 

 other books and periodicals refer to the subject in more 

 lengthened terms than is necessary or even possible here. 

 Many of the species are very beautiful, because of the 

 numerous bright-coloured fruits, called '' hips," which suc- 

 ceed the flowers. Even the common Dog Rose [R. canina) 

 is very ornamental in this respect ; and the beautiful 

 R. riujosa, where it succeeds, is covered with large fruits 

 towards autumn, while it also continues more or less 

 plentifully to keep flowering. The common Sweetbriar 

 Rose, and many others, are familiar examples, because of 

 their highly-coloured hips. 



Propagation. Rose propagation may be accomplished 

 in many ways, namely, by seeds, cuttings, layers, suckers, 

 and sports; sometimes by division; and very extensively 

 by budding and grafting. 



Seeds. Raising Roses from seeds is a practice seldom re- 

 sorted to except for obtaining new and improved varieties. 

 As a rule, only an exceedingly small percentage of seedlings 

 fulfil these conditions, now that good sorts are so numer- 

 ous ; by far the largest majority will be found worthless. 

 When seeds are to be saved, the hips must remain on the 

 plant until quite ripe, wdien they should be gathered, dried 

 in the sun, and afterwards rubbed out. The seeds may 

 either be sown at once, or the hips may be kept whole, 

 and stored in sand or soil, until spring. Rats and mice 

 are very partial to the seeds, which they devour greedily ; 

 it is, therefore, necessary to make provision, as far as 

 possible, against their attacks. Birds are also destructive 

 in the seed-bed, if this is in the open ground. Rose seeds 

 may be sown in a warm, sheltered position in the open 



Bosa — continued. 

 air, or in pans or shallow boxes of saudy soil, which may 

 afterwards be placed in a cold frame. The seeds vary 

 a great deal in the time they take to germinate ; some 

 seedlings appear the first season, many not until the 

 second. The first autumn, all that are large enough 

 to handle should be transplanted from Gin. to 12in. apart, 

 according to their different sizes, and protection must be 

 provided for these, and for others in seed-beds, throughout 

 the winter. Seedling Roses do not produce their first 

 flowers at any fixed time ; some blossom iu less than a 

 year, but many more do so the second season, while others 

 take a longer period. The first flowers indicate little 

 beyond the colour ; those which follow are often of far 

 better substance and superior merit. 



Cuttings. Roses of all kinds on their own roots 

 are now much favoured, and propagation by means of 

 cuttings may be successfully practised from spring 

 until late in autumn. Formerly, the method chiefly 

 adopted was by cuttings made of dormant shoots, and 

 inserted iu autumn ; and this is still extensively practised. 

 The mode of procedure with ripened cuttings in autumn 

 is very easily explained, and, if the cuttings are good 

 and properly inserted, success is almost as certain as 

 with cuttings of Gooseberries or Currants. Rose cuttings 

 should be made from wood of the current year, which 

 should be of medium strength, and well ripened. They 

 may be cut from 9in. to 12in. in length, and if a heel 

 can be obtaine d, so much the better, but th is is not 

 absolutely essential for striking them. The Hybrid 

 Perpetuals, and any others which are equally as hardy as, 

 or more than, these, may be inserted in the open ground. 

 They should be placed about Gin. deep, and from 1ft. 

 to IH't. apart. The best plan is to dig the soil and 

 insert cuttings as the work proceeds ; care must be 

 taken to tread round them thoroughly, in order that 

 frost may not lift them out. In preparing cuttings for 

 insertion, none of the eyes should be removed, as fre- 

 quently, when the upper portion of the cutting dies, 

 shoots proceed from the joints beneath ground, and so 

 the plant is safe. This is one of the advantages Roses 

 raised from cuttings always have over those worked on 

 another stock, namely, that all the shoots thrown iip at 

 any time are those of the Rose itself, and if the upper 

 branches are ciit down by frost, in all probability the 

 lower portion of the stem will escape injury. Occa- 

 sionally, after a sharp spell of frost, it will be necessary 

 to tread i-ound cuttings inserted in the previous autumn, 

 to keep them firm and in position. Good plants will 

 be ready for lifting in the course of a year, when they 

 should be transferred to permanent positions for flowering. 

 Cuttings of Tea-scented and other somewhat tender 

 Roses, when inserted in autumn, will not succeed under 

 the system above described ; they must be more care- 

 fully treated, by being placed in pots of sandy soil, 

 and provided with protection under glass. They may 

 be dibbled in rather close, aud merely kept in a cold 

 frame through winter, during which time they will form 

 a callus, and be ready for emitting roots when subjected 

 to a little heat in spring. This valuable section is more 

 generally propagated in summer ; but in autumn ripened 

 cuttings may be procured from outside plants, when 

 there are none grown in pots. 



Cuttings of Roses may be readily rooted at almost 

 any time during summer, when suitable firm, partially- 

 ripened growths can be obtained. The leaves at this 

 season should be carefully preserved, and cuttings with 

 two or three eyes may be successfully rooted. The first 

 batch may generally be procured early in the season, from 

 plants that have been forced, and none are better suited 

 for propagating. If inserted, and placed in a close frame 

 with a little heat, or on a slight hotbed, and kept moist 

 and shaded, roots will, as a rule, soon be emitted, and the 

 young plants may then be potted off singly, and still 



