ON BUDDING THE ROSE. 231 



ARTICLE IV. 



ON BUDDIXG THE ROSE. 



BT W. V. . 



The most certain time to bud the rose is from the beginning to the 

 end of August, the sap then being in full force, more especially so if 

 the weather be moist after a droughty season ; ■whether early or late 

 in the month will be pointed out by the season being an early or late 

 one. The desideratum in the plant is, that the bark will most easily 

 separate from the wood, exhibiting at the inside a free supplv of sap. 



If the season be droughty the sap will not flow so freely, unless a 

 good soaking of rain falls, or the stocks have a free watering a week 

 previously to budding, and if this be repeated it will be an additional 

 stimulus. 



If it happens that there is a cloudy day to perform the operation of 

 budding in, take advantage of it ; if not, to bud towards the close of 

 the afternoon will be the best part of a sunny day. I have budded 

 ten kinds of roses upon one stock, all of which succeeded, and have 

 bloomed most singularly beautiful. Care was taken to have those 

 kinds which were of a similar habit in growth, for a vigorous growing 

 kind and a weakly one are unsuited together ; the former would bv 

 its luxuriant growth prevent the other from having due support, and 

 eventually would, in a few years, perish. 



In selecting a bud for insertion, choose a strong and healthy shoot; 

 cut away that part which has pushed since June, and from it select a 

 bud for the desired purpose. A plump one should be taken; that is, 

 it should be full, round, quite closed (i. e. not pushed). Such a bud 

 may generally be had about midway up the shoot, the lower ones 

 being more dormant, and the upper ones scarcely perfected enough. 

 The bud is situated in the axillae of the leaf. 



The shoot having been cut from the plant, take it in the left hand, 

 holding the thickest part inwards ; then with a very sharp knife, begin 

 to enter the shoot about three quarters of an inch above the bud, cut- 

 ting downwards about half way through the shoot, and bring out the 

 knife about the same distance below the bud, in which case the bud 

 is contained in the portion cut off, " which is termed a shield," and 

 is formed as a segment of a circle. Then take the shield betwixt the 

 linger and thumb, holding the bud downwards; that is, in a different 



