16 Roses for Amateurs. 



He thus gains two, if not three, years a matter of con- 

 siderable importance. Although budding, as we shall see, 

 is not a difficult process, yet failures must take place, and, in 

 dry seasons especially, they are likely to be numerous. All 

 these vexations the purchaser is saved. 



Seeds. 



Interesting though the process of raising Roses from seed 

 may prove, it is not one that is likely to appeal to any but 

 specialists anxious to see what may be done towards producing 

 something worthy of being perpetuated. Still, the prospect 

 of obtaining anything likely to prove worth the trouble is far 

 from being a good one, and cannot, therefore, be recom- 

 mended. Seeds may be obtained from the " heps " or 

 "hips"; these, when ripe, are buried in damp sand until 

 the following spring, by which time little but the seed will 

 remain, and it can then be rubbed out and sown. Birds, rats, 

 and mice are all extremely partial to the seeds, and care must 

 therefore be taken that they are prevented from taking them. 

 For the seed-beds, warm, sheltered quarters are desirable, 

 drills i ft. or so asunder should be drawn and the seeds 

 sown thinly. Or, again, they may be sown in shallow boxes 

 of prepared soil stood in a cold frame. The former, how- 

 ever, is the better plan. Still, however sown, there must 

 not be any impatience shown, as Rose-seeds are notoriously 

 variable in respect to the time that they take to germinate. 

 Undue haste in turning up the soil that has been set apart 

 for the seeds may result in their destruction. We have often 

 had the seeds two years and more in the soil before they 

 showed any signs of life. Any large enough to transplant in 

 the autumn should be lifted and planted 6in. to ift. apart 

 as soon as possible in November, protecting them with light 

 litter during severe weather. The first flowers from such 

 seedlings are only of use as colour-indicators : succeeding 

 years will show the prizes as well as the blanks. 



