PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 113 



CHAPTER VII. 



PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 



CUTTINGS. 



This mode of propagation, although possible witli all 

 roses, is more difficult with those that bloom only once in 

 the season. It is most applicable to the smooth-wooded 

 kinds, as the Bengal and its sub-classes, and the Bour- 

 sault, Microphylla, rubifolia, etc. Many of the Perpetuals 

 and Bourbons are propagated with facility by the same 

 mode. For propagation in the open ground, cuttings 

 should be made in the autumn, or early part of winter. 

 They should be made of wood of the growth of the sea- 

 son, and about six inches long. The lower end should be 

 cut square, close to a bud, and they can then be pl.mted 

 thickly, two-thirds of their length in sand, in a light and 

 dry cellar. Here a callus will be formed on the bottom 

 of each cutting during the winter, and on being planted 

 out in the spring, they will immediately throw out roots. 

 They should be planted as early as possible in the spring, 

 in a light sandy loam, with one-third of their length and 

 at least one bud above the surface of the ground. They 

 should be planted very early in the spring, because, if left 

 until late, the power of the sun is too much for them. 

 The earth should be trodden down very tight about them, 

 in order, as much as possible, to exclude the air. If the 

 weather is dry, they should be carefully watered in the 

 evening. Where it is inconvenient to make the cuttings 

 in the fall or early in the winter, they can be made in the 

 spring; but in consequence of having to form the callus, 

 they will require a much lighter soil than will afterward 

 be desirable for their growth, and they will also be much 



