Rose Stocks. 7 



The Briar Seedling. 



When Mr. George Prince, of Oxford, introduced the 

 Seedling Briar into fuller notice it caused a mild sensation ; 

 and as \ve well remember seeing that cultivator's Early Roses 

 we can testify to their great beauty. We say into fuller notice, 

 because the French growers had already used it largely for 

 grafting in pots, especially the new varieties of Roses which 

 they were every year introducing ; but it is to Mr. George 

 Prince that we are indebted for the great popularity it has 

 attained, more especially with regard to the Tea Rose, for 

 which it seems particularly well suited when grown in a 

 light soil. The finer growth of this class seems to take 

 to it most kindly, although there are good reasons for 

 believing that it is suited to almost all varieties of Roses ; 

 but to the lover of the Tea Rose it has been a wonderful 

 boon, and people who never dreamed of attempting its culti- 

 vation have been enabled to do so with considerable success. 

 Another point in favour of the Briar Seedling is that there 

 is nothing like the same tendency to produce suckers as there 

 is in the Manetti or even in the Briar Cutting. Against it 

 so far as the class of readers to whom this book ostensibly 

 caters is concerned is the fact that such stocks, being raised 

 from seed, are necessarily a long time in arriving at the 

 stage when they may be " worked." This is a decided dis- 

 advantage, as quite a large number of Rose-cultivators would 

 lose not a little of the enthusiasm the hobby begets if they 

 were unable to superintend all the operations in connection 

 with their favourites. 



Growing Dwarf Stocks. 



As we have stated elsewhere, it is far preferable for the 

 average amateur to purchase his stocks for dwarf Roses 

 than to attempt their cultivation. Still, it may be stated 

 that in making cuttings of either Manetti or Briars for stocks, 

 all the buds except the two uppermost ones should be care- 



