138 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE chap. 



them. In the following autumn those that have made 

 good growth may be moved, and planted shallower m 

 then' permanent quarters, and it will then be seen how 

 poor are the roots in comparison to those of the stocks 

 on which Roses are budded. 



If this method of propagation is carried out during 

 the summer, a close frame or at least a hand-glass is 

 necessary. The cuttings need not be more than four 

 inches long, and should consist of short-jointed wood with 

 a heel to each. They should be syringed and kept close 

 for a while, and much care will be requisite to prevent 

 damping off. Bottom heat is a great help towards 

 getting them on quickly, but all this is generally great 

 waste of time and energy, as only a few of the hardiest, 

 strongest and commonest sorts will do well on their 

 own roots, and these will root fairly as November 

 cuttings. 



Suckers and Layering.— The Scotch and Austrian 

 Roses and some other sorts, when grown on their own 

 roots, form suckers at some little way from the plant, 

 and these when rooted may be cut off and transplanted 

 to form plants elsewhere. A cut on the under side 

 of the sucker beneath the ground will encourage the 

 formation of roots. 



Dwarf plants of any free-growing variety may be 

 " layered." To perform this operation the shoot must 

 be bent down so that it will touch the ground some 

 little way from the tip. A small hole should be pre- 

 pared here and filled with rooting material, such as leaf- 

 mould, sand, and cocoa-fibre dust : the shoot should be 

 cut halfway through and then longitudinally so as to 

 form a tongue, and then pegged into and planted m this 

 hole, when in due time roots will be produced and a 

 new plant formed. 



