ROLLING. 



equalities of surface, and pressing down the 

 plants or earth which have been thrown up by 

 the frost. 



There are also rollers for other purposes, viz., 

 the spiked roller, which is used for pulverizing 

 stiff soils, preparatory for wheat. This is 

 formed by inserting several rows of spikes, or 

 cast or wrought-iron darts, in a common hard- 

 wood roller. The concave or scalloped roller is 

 adapted to the form of ridges, and is often at- 

 tached to the turnip drill. (Cultivator). 



ROLLING. In agriculture, the action or 

 operation of drawing a roller over the surface 

 of the ground, with the view of breaking down 

 the clods, rendering it more compact, and 

 bringing it even and level; or for only level- 

 ling the surface, as in grass lands. This is a 

 practice that becomes necessary both upon the 

 tillage and grass lands, and which is of much 

 utility in both sorts of husbandry. In the for- 

 mer case it is made use of with different in- 

 tentions, as for the purpose of breaking down 

 and reducing the cloddy and lumpy parts of 

 the soil in preparing it for the reception of 

 crops. It is also of great use in many cases 

 of light soils, in rendering the surface more 

 firm, even, and solid, after the seed is put in. 



ROOT. In botany, that part of the central 

 axis of a plant which is formed by the descend- 

 ing fibres, and whose function is to attract 

 liquid food from the soil in which it is mingled. 

 It differs from the stem in not having leaves or 

 buds upon its surface, and in its tendency to 

 burrow under ground, retreating from light; 

 nevertheless, some kinds of roots are exclu- 

 sively formed in air and light, as in the ivy and 

 other such plants ; but these are to be regarded 

 as prehensile organs, to support the plants, 

 rather than as roots, or nutritious organs. The 

 root-stock or rhizome is a prostrate, rooting, 

 thickened stem, which yearly produces young 

 branches or plants. Ginger and orris-root are 

 common instances of it. It is often confound- 

 ed with the root. There are many appendages 

 to the roots, namely, tubers, bulbs, &c., which 

 are mere reservoirs of food for the lateral pro- 

 geny of the plant. See BULB, RHIZOME, TUBER, 

 &c. 



ROSE (Lat. Rosa, from the Celtic rhod, red, 

 in reference to the prevailing colour of the 

 flowers). In botany, the English name for the 

 well-known and universally cultivated flower 

 of the genus Rosa. It is an extensive family, 

 but all of the species love a stiff soil. No roses 

 will thrive in shallow, poor ground. Standard 

 roses are obtained by budding them upon vigor- 

 ous stocks raised from the seed of the hedge 

 or dog-rose, managing the stocks in the same 

 way as fruit-stocks. Their heads must be 

 pruned occasionally to prevent their rambling. 

 The dwarf roses in flower borders should be 

 pruned in January, down to a foot high, cutting 

 out the old and dead wood. They will produce 

 finer flowers. Roses bear their flowers upon 

 wood of the last year. Only the China roses 

 flower upon the shoots of the same year. Roses 

 continue blowing a long time, if the fading 

 flowers are cut off instead of being allowed to 

 seed. 



Nearly a dozen species of the wild rose are 

 found in the United States, among which are 

 120 



ROSE-CHAFER. 



those familiarly known as the swamp, rock, 

 dwarf, wild, &c. 



ROSE BAY, or MOUNTAIN LAUREL. 

 See RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM. 



ROSE-CHAFER, or ROSE BUG, is a diurnal 

 or day-flying beetle of the Melolonthian genus. 

 Dr. Harris states that this insect, which is com- 

 mon in the vicinity of Boston, is, or was a few 

 years ago, unknown in the northern and west- 

 ern parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 

 and Maine. The natural history of the rose- 

 bug, one of the greatest scourges with which 

 American gardens and nurseries are afflicted, 

 was for a long time involved in mystery, but 

 is at present fully cleared up. 



For some time after they were noticed, says 

 Dr. Harris, rose-bugs appeared to be confined 

 to their favourites, the blossoms of the rose ; 

 but within 30 years they have prodigiously in- 

 creased in number, have attacked at random 

 various kinds of plants in swarms, and have 

 become notorious for their extensive and de- 

 plorable ravages. The grape-vine, in particu- 

 lar, the cherry, plum, and apple trees, have an- 

 nually suffered by their depredations; many 

 other fruit trees and shrubs, garden vegetables 

 and corn, and even the trees of the -forest and 

 the grass of the fields, have been laid under 

 contribution by these indiscriminate feeders, 

 by whom leaves, flowers, and fruits are alike 

 consumed. The unexpected arrival of these 

 insects in swarms at their first coming, and 

 their sudden disappearance at the close of their 

 career, are remarkable facts in their history. 

 They come forth from the ground during the 

 second week in June, or about the time of the 

 blossoming of the damask rose, and remain 

 from 30 to 40 days. At the end of this period 

 the males become exhausted, fall to the ground, 

 and perish, while the females enter the earth, 

 lay their eggs, return to the surface, and, after 

 lingering a few days, die also. The eggs laid 

 by each female are about 30 in number, and 

 are deposited from 1 to 4 inches beneath the 

 surface of the soil ; they are nearly globular, 

 whitish, and about one-thirtieth of an inch in 

 diameter, and are hatched 20 days after they 

 are laid. The young larvre begin to feed on 

 such tender roots as are within their reach. 

 Like other grubs of the Scarabaeians, when not 

 eating, they lie upon the side, with the body 

 curved so that the head and tail are nearly in 

 contact; they move with difficulty on a level 

 surface, and are continually falling over on 

 one side or the other. They attain their full 

 size in the autumn, being then nearly three- 

 quarters of an inch long, and about an eighth of 

 an inch in diameter. They are of a yellowish- 

 white colour, with a tinge of blue towards the 

 hinder extremity, which is thick and obtuse or 

 rounded; a few short hairs are scattered on the 

 surface of the body; there are six short legs, 

 namely, a pair to each of the first three rings 

 behind the head; and the latter is covered with 

 a horny shell of a pale rust colour. In Octo- 

 ber they descend below the reach of frost, and 

 pass the winter in a torpid state. In the spring 

 they approach towards the surface, and each one 

 forms for itself a little cell of an oval shape, by 

 turning round a great many times, so as to com- 

 press the earth, and render the inside of the ca- 

 4 i 2 953 



