5LOSES, PROPAGATION OF. 440 ROSES, PROPAGATION OF. 



tile aroma, if that were possible, the per- 

 fums of the rose. In small gardens, a 

 number of trees might quickly be cleaned 

 with the aphis 1 ish (see Aphis Brush}. 

 The shoot, wit 1 s living freight, is firmly 

 grasped between them, the brushes are 

 gently drawn along the shoot, and the 

 insects carried off by the bristles and con- 

 signed to a well -merited death. 



Roses, Propagation of. 



The rose, deservedly called the " queen 

 of flowers," is propagated by seeds, cut- 

 tings, layers, budding, and grafting, and 

 new varieties are produced by hybridisation 

 that is, by transfusing the male pollen of 

 one flower into the stigma of another, with 

 the object of producing seed which shall 

 reproduce the best qualities of both the 

 parent plants. The great obstacle to 

 hybridising in our climate is the difficulty 

 found in ripening the seeds. Tea-scented 

 and Chinese roses must be grown under 

 glass to do so ; but the seeds of most other 

 varieties will ripen sufficiently out of doors. 



Roses, Propagation of, by Bud- 

 ding. 



The stocks most commonly used for bud- 

 ding and grafting roses on are the common 

 dog-rose of the hedges, and the Boursault 

 and Manetti roses, both of which are ob- 

 tained by cuttings, the former being a good 

 stock for tea-scented and Chinese roses, 

 and the latter for the hardier roses, where 

 vigorous growth is required. The dog- 

 rose, however, is preferred by many for all 

 purposes. The best time for procuring 

 stocks for planting in ordinary soil is in the 

 autumn, in October and November ; but 

 where the soil is inclined to be moist, it is 

 better to obtain them in the spring. The 

 best stocks are those of two or three years' 

 growth, a little under an inch in thickness, 

 with the bark fresh, and having greyish- 

 green sttipes. It is remarked that the graft 



does not take well where the bark is red- 

 coloured. The stock should be of propel 

 length, well rooted in the soil, free from 

 spines, and without branches. 



Time for Budding. The process of bud- 

 ding may be done successfully at various 

 seasons, the first condition being that the 

 branch and stock are in the same state of 

 vegetative progress. The dog-rose is in 

 its best condition for operating on in July 

 or August ; to operate earlier is considered 

 a disadvantage. Under very favourable 

 conditions of weather, they may be worked 

 as late as September ; but vigorous grow- 

 ing roses like the Provence, Moss, Gallican, 

 Damask, Austrian, and other summer roses, 

 are best budded in the former months. 

 Those stocks, on the contrary, which grow 

 luxuriantly and late, as the Manetti and 

 crimson Boursault, are better worked in 

 the beginning of September, provided the 

 stocks are growing freely and the weather 

 warm and sunny ; for in rose-budding, 

 where the bud is exposed to heavy falls ol 

 rain, it may rot and perish before it is 

 united with the stock. The roses for which 

 these stocks are suited are Perpetuals, 

 Bourbons, Noisettes, China, and Tea roses, 

 and all the autumnal late bloomers. But 

 all these, when budded on the dog-rose, 

 succeed best in July and August. 



Conditions for Budding. The condi- 

 tions required in budding are that the bark 

 should rise freely and that the shoots are 

 getting a little firm ; the buds will then 

 take admirably. In budding, the top bud 

 on the shoot should be commenced with, 

 cutting from \ inch below the eye to inch 

 or | inch above it. In removing buds, and 

 especially from the stem, they should be 

 cut very close, and, if large, the wound 

 should be covered with grafting wax or 

 clay. Where branch grafting is to be prac- 

 tised, one bud should be placed on each 

 branch of the stock, and that as near the 

 stem as possible ; therefore, when this kind 



