PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 65 



As the weather at this time is often very hot, it is a good plan to tie 

 a bunch of loose moss over all, and water the moss occasionally the 

 first few days, because it keeps off the burning sun, even if dry, and 

 greatly preserves the newly-disturbed bark. It will be easily seen 

 that the quicker this operation is performed the better; because, if the 

 sap of the bud, or that of the raised bark, has time to dry, the union 

 of the one with the other cannot be completed with any degree of cer- 

 tainty. 



The bark being damped immediately by the application of wet moss 

 will hardly undo any mischief already done ; so that a sharp knife, a 

 clean cut, and rapid action are necessary, and can hardly fail. If the 

 bud is cut out of the branch too thick, and too much wood is taken 

 out with the bark and bud, the wood ought to be cut thinner, or pulled 

 out from the bark of the bud altogether ; but there is danger in taking 

 out the wood ; for it will occasionally bring out the germ of the bud 

 with it. The effect of this would be, that nothing would indicate 

 outside what was wrong, but the bud would not grow. It would 

 look as green, as fresh, and as completely united, as if the germ were 

 there. On this account, you may omit the practice of taking the little 

 bit of wood from the inside of the bud, and with the greatest success. 

 This operation should be carried through all the stocks, if you 

 have plenty of buds on each of the branches ; because two buds will 

 make a head sooner than one, and if you choose to do so, you may 

 put two different sorts on the same stock. In this case, you must be 

 particular about having two of about the same habit; for a fast-growing 

 one would soon deprive a slow-growing one of all the necessary nour- 

 ishment; and, besides this, it would grow incongruously, and would not 

 be controllable. On the other hand, if you have two of similar habit, 

 and opposite colors, it may be made a very pretty object. But the 

 great value of this delicate, though simple operation, is to make an 

 old China, or other strong-growing Rose, long established, change its 

 face altogether. Many kinds of roses may be budded on such a tree; 

 by selecting all the strong-growing branches of the present year's 

 growth, putting a different bud in each, and cutting all the other parts 

 of the tree away, leaving the novelties alone to grow; or the buds 

 may be all of the same sort, so it be some choice kind ; but different 

 colored roses have the best effect. 



Spring Budding .--But one of the most sure and expeditious method* 



