28 THE BOOK OF ROSES . 



The graft seldom succeeds when the bark is of 

 a reddish colour. 



The stock should be long, straight, and with 

 a good root. Before planting, all the old de- 

 cayed roots should be carefully trimmed off, as 

 well as all superfluous knots or branches. If 

 a saw is applied for this purpose, the wounds 

 should be closed up with the pruning knife, 

 and the cicatrices covered with grafting wax. 

 The stock, thus prepared of the height desired, 

 should be straight and smooth as a walking-stick. 



A hole must be dug in the ground prepared 

 for the reception of stocks, of a size to contain 

 the roots of the plants ; and care must be taken 

 to fix it in an exact perpendicular, throwing in 

 the mould carefully to fill the interstices of 

 the roots ; then treading it in solidly and sub- 

 stantially, so as to bear the props which, in the 

 course of a few days, should be added to pre- 

 serve each stock in a vertical position. The 

 ligatures of these must not be tight enough to 

 injure the bark. If planted in lines, a prop 

 need not be assigned to each ; solid posts can 

 be placed at intervals, with a rail to which 

 each stock is carefully attached by osier bands. 

 This is the best mode of planting for a nursery 

 ground. 



In the month of March, the stocks begin to 

 shoot ; when they will require constant care, for 

 the removal with the pruning knife of all but 



