10 



with regard to the very important point, namely stocks and their 

 propagation. 



The stocks mostly used are the dog rose (Rosa canina, seedling 

 and cutting) and the Manetti. The former abounds in the hedges 

 throughout Europe, and is (in this country) undoubtedly the best 

 stock for almost all roses. 



Cuttings of the dog rose may be taken at the end of October and 

 inserted in beds, where they will root freely and be fit for planting out 

 the following autumn. Nine months later, in July, the dog rose cuttings 

 are in a fit condition for budding. So much for the cutting briar. 

 The dog rose is also raised from seed, and is thought by some 

 authorities to be superior to the cutting briar, especially on light soils, 

 but when put to the test there is very little in it, beyond the iact 

 that as maidens the seedling briar comes into flower ten days before 

 the cuttings. The hips should be gathered in autumn, or when ripe, 

 and mixed with sand and placed in a pit for twelve months. They 

 must be turned over several times during the year. Sow in autumn 

 or spring out of doors on a light soil ; transplant into budding quarters 

 when seedlings are about as thick as a straw. The seedlings are 

 usually ready for budding six to nine months after sowing. 



The Manetti is desirable for winter forcing under glass for such varie- 

 ties as ' Richmond ' and ' Killarney ; ' ' Sunburst ' and other yellows 

 being best on seedling briar, as the Manetti, being more excitable than 

 the briar, starts much more quickly into growth. It is recommended by 

 some authorities for hard varieties and the more vigorous-growing 

 Hybrid Perpetuals, but I think investigation shows that this is not 

 quite so, and only in the case of very few varieties would I 

 recommend this, and then only for Scotland, North of England, 

 and Ireland. The plants admittedly grow more vigorously the first 

 year on the Manetti, but their subsequent decline is also more rapid. 

 Probably the reason some nurserymen use the Manetti so much is 

 because the buds take more readily and make larger plants the first 

 year than on the dog rose. 



The best stock for standard roses is the dog rose rooted up from 

 the hedges in autumn. Before planting, the roots should be chopped 

 off close to the stem with a small axe or some other such instrument 

 and the tops shortened from 2 to 10 feet, according to the straightness 

 and bulk of the stem. As the standard stocks shoot forth in spring 

 they will sometimes produce buds right up the stem ; all these should 

 be removed except about three nearest the top ; three placed triangularly 

 are best. Two or three of these may be budded and cut away as soon 

 as the eyes develop. Stocks of all kinds for dwarfs may be allowed 

 to grow as they like till the time for budding arrives, then clean a 

 sufficient space on the stem as low down as possible to allow the buds 

 being inserted conveniently. 



Budding is the chief and best way of propagating the rose, and is 

 the method practised almost everywhere. 



In the nursery fields, where the briars are planted in rows about 



