132 PAESONS ON THE ROSE. 



als ; their stamens should also be visible, and their pistils 

 perfect ; for perfectly double flowers, in which all the or- 

 gans of propagation — the stamens and pistils — are changed 

 into petals, never yield seed. These should be planted 

 together in a rich soil, and as far as possible from any 

 other roses. If there are among them any two varieties 

 whose peculiarities it is desired to unite in a single plant, 

 place these next to each other, and there may possibly be 

 such an admixture of the pollen as will produce the de- 

 sired result. 



Care should be taken not to affect the proper maturity 

 of the seed by taking off the petals, but allow them to 

 fall by their own decay. The seed should be j^erfectly 

 mature before it is gathered, which will be immediately 

 after the first hard frost. After the hips have been gath- 

 ered, the seeds can be taken out with the point of a knife, 

 or, if there is a large quantity, they can be put on a table 

 and bruised with a wooden roller ; the covering of the 

 seeds is so tough that they cannot easily be injured. 

 When the hip is sufiiciently bruised, it can be plunged in- 

 to a vessel of water ; and by continued friction, the seeds 

 can be easily separated from the pulp which surrounds 

 them, and will generally fall to the bottom. After 

 being dried a few days in the shade, they should be 

 placed just beneath the surface, in pots filled with fine 

 sand, or peat earth, where they can be kept until wanted 

 for planting in the spring. The seeds which are not thus 

 placed in sand soon after they are gathered will not grow 

 until the second, and if delayed very long, until the third 

 year. In this case, however, their germination can be 

 hastened by sowing them in earthen j^ans, which are 

 placed upon a hot-bed or under a glass frame. The seeds 

 being thus planted immediately after being gathered, the 

 sand should be kept moistened through the winter, and the 

 pots put out of the reach of frost. Mice are very fond 

 of these seeds, and will destroy them unless they are pro- 



