ROSA 417 



root attached may be potted and placed in a close frame for a short time. 

 For the remainder it is best to adopt the layering method described in 

 the introductory chapters, which may, indeed, be advantageously adopted 

 for all the non-suckering species where a few plants only are wanted. 

 Seeds may, of course, be used, but so freely do the wild roses intercross 

 through insect agency, that they can never be relied on to come true 

 unless the plants are isolated. At Kew, where the species of Rosa are 

 grown together for purposes of study and comparison, it has long been 

 ascertained that it is a waste of time raising seedlings from them : and 

 seeds of other than isolated plants are no longer offered in exchange. 

 Most of these mongrels are worthless for garden purposes, and so common 

 are' they that they have ceased to have any scientific interest. 



The principles explained in an early chapter govern the pruning of 

 roses as of other shrubs. Most of them produce flowers on short twigs 

 issuing from the previous year's growth; the shoots cannot therefore 

 be shortened back without reducing the crop of flowers. Such pruning 

 as is necessary for these is chiefly a matter of removing the older worn- 

 out stems. Those of the gallica and indica types, which flower on the 

 growths of the current year, may be pruned back in the same way as 

 hybrid perpetuals and tea roses are. 



The flowering of these wild types commences soon after the middle of 

 May with sericea, hispida, and the Scotch roses ; and it ends in August 

 with setigera and Wichuraiana; the great majority blossom in June 

 and July, 



R. ACTCULARIS, Lindley. 



A vigorous bush up to 6 ft. high, abundantly furnished with bristle-like 

 prickles on the young stems. Leaves 3 to 5 ins. long, consisting of five to 

 nine leaflets, which are f to i^- ins. long, to f in. wide, oval or obovate, 

 bluish green, toothed, usually downy beneath ; stipules \ to I in. long, 

 narrow, pointed, toothed. Flowers solitary, in pairs or threes, bright rosy 

 pink, i\ ins. across ; the stalk I to \\ ins. long, more or less glandular- 

 bristly ; sepals I to \\ ins. long, expanded at the end into a leaflike tip. 

 Fruit i in. long, half as wide, more or less pear-shaped, bright red, crowned 

 with erect, persistent sepals. 



A species very widely spread in nature, extending across the northern 

 part of the Old World from Finland to Japan, and through Siberia across 

 Behring Straits to N. Alaska. It is worth cultivating in semi-wild spots for 

 its large pink flowers and abundant red hips. 



R. SAYI, Schiveinitz, is a N. American ally, perhaps a form of acicularis. 

 It, too, has densely prickly or bristly stems, and sepals erect on the fruit, 

 but the leaflets are often doubly-toothed, the flower-stalk is not so glandular- 

 bristly, and the fruit is rounder. 



R. acicularis differs from.blanda in its densely bristly stems, and from 

 arkansana in the erect (not spreading) sepals on the fruit. (See also Engle- 

 mannii and nipponensis.) 



R. ALBA, Linnceus. 



(Andrews' Roses, t. 10.) 



A bush 6 to 8 ft. high, of strong growth, armed with prickles of various 

 shapes and sizes, but usually more or less hooked. Leaflets five or seven, 

 greyish, wrinkled, oblong, broadly oval or ovate, simply toothed, i to 2\ ins. 



