CHAPTER IV 

 PROPAGATION OWN ROOT 



AS we get down to Rose growing proper it may be best to 

 begin with the plants in their primary stages. If you 

 want to produce own root stock, the methods employed are easy 

 and simple. You should have a propagating house; this need 

 not be large and may be situated on the north side of your 

 larger house. It should have continuous ventilation along the 

 top and is much improved if you can admit light and sun 

 through the north wall of your Rose house by means of win- 

 dows. If these windows slide, you w T ill be able to admit air 

 on days when it is not advisable to open the ventilators on your 

 north side lean-to. These same openings will, at certain sea- 

 sons, be of use in admitting warmth to the propagating house. 



The bench to hold the cuttings should be built so as to 

 allow drainage of the sand, no matter whether that structure 

 be of wood, tile or cement. Four or five inches of edge board 

 will hold enough depth of sand. Two or three steam pipes, 

 boxed in underneath, will provide enough bottom heat. These 

 should have valves so that they may be shut off altogether, or 

 in part, as required. The best and cleanest sand you can get 

 is none too good for propagation purposes; the kind masons use 

 for setting bricks is just right. A good whitewashing of hot 

 lime, in which a little sulphur has been boiled, is of great bene- 

 fit as a preservative and sweetener of the bench. 



Fill the benches with sand, pound down well with a brick 

 or a wooden mallet, water thoroughly and insert a thermometer 

 in the sand. The cuttings may be inserted as soon as the sand 

 is warmed up to 60 F. or over. The best temperature for a 



