IMPROVEMENT OF ROSES BY BUD SELECTION. 97 



As the plants were planted upon the benches August 19, the following note 

 was made: "At this time there is little difference in the size and general vigor 

 of the plants from the blind and flowering wood cuttings." 



As soon as the plants became established in the soil on the bench growth 

 on all was vigorous, and while there was a marked difference in the growth 

 and general behavior of different varieties, there was no notable difference in 

 vigor between the blind wood and flowering wood of the same variety. 



The bloom record of the several lots is quite different, however, as is 

 shown in the accompanying table, which gives the total number of flowers 

 produced between December 1, 1897, and July 1, 1898: 



No. No. 



Variety. Plants. Blossoms. Average. 



Bride, flower 13 242 18 8/13 



Bride, blind 18 32 17/9 



Bridesmaid, flower 8 192 24 



Bridesmaid, blind 3 56 18 2/3 



Perle des Jardins, flower 8 141 17% 



Perle des Jardins, blind 14 224 16 



Mme. Hoste, flower 7 204 29 1/7 



Mme. Hoste, blind 9 176 19 5/9 



Total No. blind 44 488 111/11 



Total No. flower 35 779 22 9/35 



As is seen from the table, the product of the flowering wood plants in 

 this one year's test was more than double that of the blind wood plants, 

 amounting in this particular instance to 156 per cent, gain in favor of the 

 flowering wood plants. 



During the forcing season of 1898 and 1899, extending over the same 

 period as in 1897 and 1898, i. e., from December 1 to May 31, inclusive, the 

 two varieties retained in the experiment produced bloom as follows: 



No. No. 



1898-99. Plants. Blossoms. Average. 



Bride, blind 13 113 8 9/13 



Bride, flower 15 253 16 13/15 



Bridesmaid, blind 8 119 14% 



Bridesmaid, flower 12 210 17V2 



The results here recorded show the superiority of the flowering wood over 

 the blind wood plants. But strange as it may appear, the difference between 

 the flower-producing power of the plants grown from flowering wood and 

 from blind wood is less than in the first generation, and this, despite the fact 

 that the plants used in this test were grown from cuttings selected from 

 plants used in the previous years' tests. 



HISTORY OF THE SECOND YEAR PLANTS. 



The flowering wood plants used in the tests of 1898 and 1899 were 

 grown from cuttings selected from the base of flowering shoots produced by 

 the plants previously grown from flowering wood. This course was followed 

 in order to test the effect of constant selection in one direction, the idea being 

 to secure plants with the maximum blooming capacity. The experiment was 



