ON ROSES 331 



as it has to be brought into close contact with the stem 

 of the Brier ; and as the inner part is covered by the pith 

 from the body of the shoot, it follows that this woody 

 matter must be picked away with the finger and thumb, 

 and that it must be removed without tearing the bud, to 

 which it is attached, out with it. The operation is un- 

 doubtedly a delicate one, and it becomes almost impos- 

 sible when the wood is hard and sapless; but with 

 plenty of sap the pith is pliable and yielding, and very 

 little practice enables the operator to prepare the buds 

 properly. The slices may be cut out thinly, and about 

 an inch and a half long. Not a moment must be lost 

 when they are prepared, as they dry quickly ; they must 

 be slipped into cuts made with a sharp knife-point in the 

 stems of the stocks, the edges of the bark being carefully 

 raised to admit them. They must be tied in with strong, 

 soft material. The Briers must not be pruned until the 

 buds start growing the following spring, when they may be 

 cut back, (b] By cuttings. An amateur who has a favourite 

 Rose may try to increase it by cuttings. Many of the 

 strong-growing sorts, including climbers like Dorothy 

 Perkins and Crimson Rambler, strike readily, and make 

 nice plants in two years. The time and method recom- 

 mended for striking cuttings of Briers may be practised 

 with Roses. Shoots which have borne flowers are quite 

 suitable. 



Making Pillars and Arches. I hope that the Rose- 

 loving reader has a special leaning towards rambling 

 Roses. I hope that he or she is bent upon breaking 

 up the stiffness of his garden by putting in plenty of 

 pillars and arches. A series of straight, flat, unrelieved 

 lines is all very well in a kitchen garden, but we can 

 improve upon it in the flower garden. A few pillars 

 and arches need not cost a great deal, and they will 



