180 GRAFTING OF AUTUMNALS. 



roses should be potted at any time in the autumn, 

 winter, or early spring months ; the first-named 

 period is the most eligible. The Manetti Kose 

 is the best stock ; then comes Celine, also very 

 good: some of the Hybrid China Eoses will 

 also make good stocks. In the month of April, 

 the shoots of Tea-scented, Hybrid, Perpetual, 

 and indeed of all the Autumnal Eoses that have 

 been forced will be mature and in a fit state for 

 grafting. One certain rule may be depended 

 upon, when every flower on a shoot has fallen, 

 that shoot is ripe and in a fit state; then take 

 your stock, cut off cleanly all the shoots from the 

 stem, leaving only those at the top, which 

 shorten to within two inches of their base, cut off 

 from the side of the stock a thin slice of bark, 

 and fit the graft to it as in whip -grafting, as 

 described in page 173 ; only, instead of using bast 

 for tying, use cotton twist, and in binding on the 

 graft do not let the threads of twist touch, but 

 mind that you can see the bark of the stock 

 between each thread ; place the grafted stocks in 

 a close moist heat, till the grafts begin to shoot, 

 cutting off all the young shoots carefully from 

 the stock below the graft, and treat them exactly 

 as recommended for cuttings in page 177, hard- 

 ening them gradually : in a fortnight they will be 

 safe ; as soon as the graft has made shoots four 

 or five inches long, the head of the stock should 

 be cut off close down to the graft : till this takes 



