180 PROPAGATION OF AUTUMJ^AL ROSES. 



or peat aud sand, equal parts. With rare sorts two 

 buds will do, or even one ; in the latter case, the 

 bud must have the leaf attached, and a small por- 

 tion of wood below the bud ; it must be inserted 

 in the pot so that the bud is slightly covered with 

 the moidd. The pots should then be plunged in 

 cocoa-nut fibre, sawdust, or old tan, into a gentle 

 hotbed, and kept perfectly close, sprinkled with 

 tepid water every morning, and shaded from the 

 sun. In about a fortnight they will have taken 

 root ; but they must not be removed from this 

 close frame till they have made a shoot from one 

 to two inches in length. They are then safe, and 

 may be removed into another frame, still with 

 gentle heat, and have air every day to harden 

 them. In a week they will be fit to pot into larger 

 pots, and they may then be removed into the 

 greenhouse or cold frame, as convenient, till re- 

 quired for planting out in the borders in April 

 and May : the pots used for the above purpose 

 are very small, 2^ inches deep and 1-J inch over 

 at the top ; if more convenient, three or five cut- 

 tings may be placed round the side of a larger 

 sized pot, 3^ inches deep by 3 inches over. This 

 method saves some trouble, but the plants are apt 

 to be checked when potted ofi* ; pots of the latter 

 size must be filled one-third with broken pieces of 

 pots, on which the base of the cuttings should 

 rest ; the small pots require no drainage. 



For summer cuttings in June and July, from 



