STOCKS. 67 



The hed^'-crow will teach you your plantings 

 lessons, for althoug-h roots run deep, yet the " collar " 

 is seldom found far under f^round, unless in the hedg-- 

 ing and ditchings of a bank it has been cove'red, w^hen 

 it will be noticed that the additional soil seldom has 

 settled close around the stock. When your standard 

 briars break in the spring- and produce buds, all 

 should be rubbed out except three, or possibly four, 

 at the top ; you need only bud two of the shoots ; but 

 if one bud fails to take, you have another shoot to fall 

 back on, and it can always be cut away if not wanted. 

 So much depends upon the briar^ that it is hard to lay 

 down any rule. If two vig-orous shoots are put out 

 at the top of a briar more or less at opposite sides, 

 these will suffice the expert, and the stock will flourish 

 and build up g^ood head and root g-rowth. 



But if three shoots are formed triang-ularly, I like 

 it the better, and have always left and budded the 

 three. In a nursery, of course, it means more buds,. 

 more time, and gfreater expense. Two buds will often 

 do as well as three, but on a vig;^orous briar, root 

 l2frowth and flow of sap are two all-important factors 

 to success. 



Cut down your flow of sap and you check your 

 root g-rowth ; check your root g-rowth and at an early 

 stagfe you harm your tree. That is why it is wisest on 

 a backward briar to leave a little more g-rowth than 

 you require, and to nurse even a weak shoot in the 

 hopes that it will draw the sap and soon g-ive place to 

 a ^ood plump bud that shall form a shoot worth 

 having-. 



All suckers must be cut away unless, of course, 

 the briar has not moved to bud, and seems unlikely to 

 do so, when as is often the case a sturdy sucker will 

 make a gfood standard if cared for, and in two years 

 be fit to bud. 



Briar Cuttings, that is, cutting^s of the Dogf Rose ; 

 these may be taken at the end of October. They are 



