2S 



F A R -"I E R S ' R F. G I S T K R . 



No. 1 



spared no pains or expense in importing the choice- 

 est sorts; aniono; tiie'ui was a budded tree rose of 

 Jlousseuse dclajleche, so conspicuous for the long 

 moss whieii decorates the midrib and edges of tlie 

 leaves, althougli the fiowcr is small and only senii- 

 double. There is another of this small-leaved 

 moss variety in Fiance, v^-itli a striped, flovyer, 

 (Mouseuse panachee) which is worth growing. 

 His striped unique rose, also budded on a tree, is 

 the most perfect and charming of the tribe. The 

 Mexican, Admirable horde rouge, Bobilina, per- 

 petual Philip 1st, Le jeune Henri, Casimer Perier, 

 Palavicini, and may oihers afforded me the high- 

 est gratification. I'trust this gentleman will find 

 leisure another season to form a regular Rosarium, 

 where the flowers and habits of each variety may 

 be studied at ease. The occupation of raising 

 hew varieties from seed, is almost as exciting as 

 gambling in a lottery, parjicularly after being once 

 successful in drawing the prize of a superior flow- 

 er, and dedicating itlo some person high in our 

 esteem: I scarcely need add, how much more in- 

 nocent, how much less liable to bitter regrets. 



The easiest and quickest method of procuring a 

 good collection of roses is by budding; the shoots 

 produced from which will, if properly manaa^ed, 

 generally flower the succeding summer. This 

 operation, called shiekl budding, is very simi)ie, 

 and performed as follows: In August, choose a 

 sound branch of a rose-bush of that years growth, 

 and make an incision with a sharp knilij through 

 the bark in the shape of a T; raise up the bark 

 forming tiie edges of this incision ll-om the wood 

 with the nail, or better with a piece of smooth 

 shingle: take a bud from the rose you desire, in 

 the following manner — cut a slice out fi-om the 

 branch about an inch and a half long, and half 

 the thickness of the branch, so that a bud may be 

 about the middle of the slice; with the nail gently 

 remove the woody part, leaving nothing but the 

 bark and the bud, winch must be distinctly visible 

 in the bark, so that it is certain it has not separated 

 with the woody [uirt; insert the piece neatly under 

 the incision; alter insertion, cut the bark on which 

 the bud is, so thsitlhc lop fits exactly and closely 

 with the lop of the T, and tie up the wound with 

 bass, not too tight. In about three weeks the ad- 

 hesion of the bad to the stock will be complete. 

 If it is desirable iJjr it to shoot and make wood the 

 s.ime season, all slioots and buds belovv^ the oj)era- 

 tion must be removed, and the branch headed 

 down, leaving one shoot above the bud inserted. 

 to draw up the sap. This is desirable when a 

 slight protection can be given during the winter, 

 because by cutungdovvn the shoot from the [>ud to 

 tvvo eyes in April, it is almost sure to have many 

 flowers that summer. I pursued tins plan last year 

 with fuurp'ants — one a bud Irom Rosa Grevillea. 

 I transjjlantedthem into pots in October, kept them 

 in tile cellar during the winter, and then plunged 

 them into the open ground the beginning of May, 

 where they flowered in proliision. There is a dif- 

 ference in the stocks on vv-liich to peribrm this op- 

 orasion of budding; the French, who excel in it. gen- 

 erally bud on a tall, strong sucker of a single wild 

 rose, for the purpose o\' making a tree six or seven 

 leet high, with a head of flov/crs; and these are 

 exceedingly ornamental, dotted about in low 

 shrubberies; but I have budded with great success 

 on bushes of the common semi-doable while, and 

 yn the maiden's blush. Last April, I transphuited 



fi'om the woods tu^o strong suckers of the com- 

 mon sweet-ijrier, six and seven ft-et high, and bud- 

 ded with celesiiul, moss, single yellow and provins,' 

 which have all succeeded, although they have3et 

 made no slioots. I am told that they \vi\\ not last 

 more than two or three years, and that in their na- 

 tive situation they only, endure this period: tliis is 

 in some measure true; yet I have never seen one 

 dead, witiamt seeing a thriving young sucker by 

 the side of i:, vviiich has evidently drawn away all 

 the sap of the root, and left its predecessor to per- 

 ish. Now one universal rule witli these budded 

 trees, is to keep them [tea from suckers, or they 

 will quckly die; this is, therefore as true of the 

 wild rose in Engiand and in France, as with the 

 sweet-brier here. But there is one point I have 

 observed, both with the imported tree roses and 

 with the sweet-brier stocks, that requires much 

 attention — the bark Avheii once wounded, even 

 by roughl}' tearing off a thorn, seldom heals; 

 the wound enlarges, and finally the brown and 

 dead bark increases so as in a few seasons to be- 

 come an irreparable injury. Whether this may 

 be cured or slopped by covering the wound with a 

 composition has yet to be tried. The Eoursault 

 rose, if tied to a trellis, is also an excellent stock 

 on which to bud, and seldom fails. 



Mr. J. W. Russell, of Mount Auburn, observes 

 that to be successful in fioweringlhe yellow tea rose, 

 it is better to bud it on a young healthy multiflora 

 or Greville rose, and at the time of heading down 

 to re-pot it in a mixture of one half good li'esh loam, 

 the remainder leaf soil with a portion of sand, 

 observing to give the pot a good drainage. 



The most common method of propagating roses 

 is by layers; that is, cutting a shoot half through 

 and pegging it down, where cut, below the sur- 

 face of tfie soil, bending up the end of the shoot; 

 this operation is generally performed after the 

 blossoms have ceased: but if a sacrifice be made 

 of the blossoms, and they are layered early in Jul)-, 

 and the flov\'er buds be removed, tiiey vv-ill moke 

 plantsfitfbrremoval the folio wing spring; otherwise, 

 they must remain one season in the nursery beds. 

 The moss rose is more difficult to root than most 

 others, and in this climate more tender. I have 

 imported several; those protected lived, the others 

 perished. This method of layering may like- 

 wise be adopted with shoois of roses budded, and 

 thus the variety obtained with its own root, instead 

 of having meicly the budded stock, the tenure of 

 whose existence is ra.lher uncertain. 



Many sorts throw out suckers; these may be re- 

 moved at once in autumn, or in this climate better 

 in the spring, heading them down to about three 

 or fbnr inches high. 



The common monthly roses, JR. indica, which 

 include the dark red variety sungirinca, are best 

 propagated by cuttings, which strike readily if 

 taken off at a joint where the wood is beginning 

 to ripen, and planted in sandy mould under a 

 hand glass, or even without, if kept in the shade. 



The French are generally considered to excel 

 in the cultivation of the rose. The greater pro- 

 portion of the soil used there is a rich, stifbsh 

 loam, with some manure; this composition is very 

 retentive of moisture. Where this cannot be rea- 

 dily obtiuned, mulching the roots with decayed 

 leaves and diuig is restored to. The pruning as 

 practised in Furope. would hardly suit here, but, 

 should be deferred uuii! the spring, just when the 



