138 CALIFORNIA GARDEN FLOWERS 



they break into lateral shoots. You can tie with rafia, but any soft 

 cotton string or yarn works well. Of course no wax is necessary. In 

 about two weeks, or when the bud shows signs of growth, cut the 

 string on the opposite side from the bud. The top of the stock can be 

 cut off or bent over, leaving two or more eyes, as it is usually claimed 

 to help draw up the sap and nourish the new bud. Our notion is, how- 

 ever, that the gradual removal of the top is to reduce the sap pressure 

 of the old stem until the bud makes growth enough to take it all; for 

 we have seen buds "drowned out" by bursting sap. However that may 

 be, it is a good practice not to cut back too sharply at first, if you are 

 putting buds into a very strong old plant. 



Grafting can be done in the root, at the root crown, or at any point 

 above where the stem is hard enough to hold the scion well. Grafting 

 methods are also explained in Chapter VIII. 



Whether roses should be budded upon a different root than that 

 which can be secured by rooting a cutting of the desired variety, or 

 whether they should be grown "on their own roots," is ia question 

 which has been energetically discussed for decades in California, and 

 the general conclusion must be inferred from the fact that probably 

 not one rose in ten thousand now growing in this State, away from 

 parks and other professionally-kept places, ever felt the push of a root 

 other than that which it made for itself. The general attitude of ama- 

 teurs seems to be to discard the relatively few varieties which do not 

 have appreciation enough of the good things of California to root 

 themselves strongly and be vigorous in wood-growth and bloom. We 

 have no dispute with professionals, who are wise on stocks, or with 

 nurserymeni who may find it to their advantage to grow budded roses 

 largely; we are simply stating the prevailing amateur way. It is not 

 necessary to enter the discussion of "wild stocks" for the rose; the 

 amateur pays little attention to them. If he finds a rose which on his 

 place is a poor grower, but too good to throw away, he simply buds it 

 upon any surplus bush he may have, of a strong growing kind, and 

 generally he gets satisfaction. Really, we never could see why a 

 California amateur, growing roses in the open air, need to go hunting 

 brambles and briers, which usually do not get half the size and vigor 

 of scores of our own-rooted, improved roses. Why should he seek 

 thirstingly for a suckering, rusting, short-season wild thing, which 

 never can grow higher than his head, perhaps, when he can bud into 

 a Banksian which has run all over his barn with almost evergreen 

 foliage, free from rust and mildew, with root non-suckering, and wood 

 free from thorns or use some other strong growers of which every 

 rose garden is full of conspicuous examples. If, however, the reader 

 must have the name of a stock for budding, let it be the old Manetti, 

 the cuttings of which were first imported from France, as they are deep 



