HARD Y SHE UBS. 265 



in the soil before germinating is owing to their being inclosed by a 

 horny substance. This should be softened before sowing, by allowing 

 the seeds to remain in boxes of finely sifted sand during the Winter, the 

 boxes to be buried several inches below the surface of the soil out-of- 

 doors. In removing the seeds from the sand previous to sowing, use a 

 sieve with a small mesh; empty the sand (which is likely to be wet) 

 into this, and force the sand through the meshes with the aid of a stream 

 of water from the hose. The seeds should then be sown before getting 

 dry. Care must be taken to remove them from their Winter quarter* 

 before vegetating, which they are apt to do, even when they are deep 

 in the soil, as soon as the temperature of their surroundings reaches 

 40 degrees. Another method of treating rose seeds, especially those 

 which ripen as a result of cross-pollination, and one, which if carefully 

 done results in quick germination, consists of cutting off one end of the 

 achene a little at a time until the seed is partly exposed. This can only 

 be done with great care and with the aid of a dissecting microscope, a 

 sharp knife and lots of patience. 1 have found that seeds so treated 

 sprout very quickly when sown in clean, large-grained pure sand. It is 

 only the large achenes which lend themselves to this treatment; the 

 smaller ones, such as are found in the heps of the Wichuraiana, are too 

 small to be successfully worked, and in this case there is little necessity 

 for treatment of this description, as the seeds germinate very success- 

 fully after being stratified out-of-doors during the Winter months. 



Teas and Hybrid Teas are the most important of all the classes, be- 

 cause they include the Roses mostly grown under glass to supply flow- 

 ers all the year round. Although the new varieties are numerous enough 

 comparatively, old kinds or sports from old kinds are still grown in 

 large quantities. La France is a peerless variety, although over 40 

 years old, but there are few growers who can master its requirements 

 as a forcing rose. It ia 40 years since Catherine Mermet was raised. 

 This is the parent of two sports, Bride and Bridesmaid, both of which 

 are still money makers, and by those who understand their require- 

 ments on the bench and in the ice-box, they are considered among the 

 best varieties for Winter use. Golden Gate, about 10 years old, is still 

 in the front rank. Meteor gave way to Liberty, which in turn was dis- 

 carded for Richmond, which, when well grown is a favorite every where. 

 It combines to a certain extent the color and fragrance of General Jac- 

 queminot. Killarney and its sport are favorites ; the color and form 

 are exquisite even when the petals are fully expanded. My Maryland 

 is one of the recent candidates for popular favor , it is of robust growth 

 and evidently not very exacting in its requirements. The list of varie- 

 ties which have been tried as forcing roses is a very long one. Many 

 growers in this country have been experimenting in raising new forms 

 with more or less good judgment. It is a fascinating pastime, but it 

 may be said with truth that even the most successful raisers seldom get 

 rich as a result of their work. 



For Outdoor Bloom the Teas are getting more popular year by year 

 and deservedly so, as they flower continuously during the Summer and 

 Autumn months. If planted in deep rich soil, given a mulching of stable 

 manure during Winter and the roots kept moist and cool during Sum- 



