January 10, 1005. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



46 J 



Grafting Roses at the Waban Rose Ginservatories, Natick, Mass. 



of whip grafting. The first is formed 

 by making an oblique cut from one-half 

 to three-quarters of an inch in length, 

 according to the size of the stock, and 

 cutting the scion to match the same, 

 placing the cut surfaces together and 

 securing firmly with raffia. The points 

 to make sure of are that at least one 

 side and the bottom cut of the scion 

 are so placed that the cambium cells, 

 the layer of cells between the bark and 

 the wood, are in perfect contact with 

 the corresponding cells in the stock; 

 that in no case must the pith either in 

 the stock or in the scion be left ex- 

 posed, because while exposed wood cells 

 will callus over, the pith will not. 



Making the Graft. . . 



It is a good plan to have two knives, 

 one for stocks and one for scions, and 

 to cut a batch of scions before starting 

 to graft; they will keep for some time 

 if kept sprinkled on sphagnum. If 

 the benches have been built as de- 

 scribed, a person sitting on the lower 

 one and facing the table will be in the 

 proper position for quick work. 



Place the pot containing the stock 

 between the knees, steady with the left 

 hand, make a clean, oblique upward 

 cut and hold facing up; without laying 

 down the knife pick out a suitable size 

 scion and hold it on the stock with the 

 forefinger and thumb of the left hand, 

 always matching at least the bottom 

 and side toward the operator. Grasp 

 a piece of raffia which has been cut 

 previously to the proper length; insert 

 one end between the forefinger and sec- 

 ond finger. "Wind carefully and firmly, 

 beginning always at the top and not 

 winding too closely together, as close 

 winding gives a chance for moisture to 

 collect beneath the raffia and causes rot- 

 ting of the scion. 



The neatest way to make the tie is to 

 pass the free end through beneath the 



last twist of the raffia and draw tight. 

 The plants should not be allowed to 

 stand around too long, as the green 

 scion will shrivel up. 



There are, of course, many ways that 

 grafting can be done, but if the be- 

 ginner will carry out carefully the de- 

 tails metntioned, with the a|esurance 

 that he is on the right track, he will 

 rapidly become expert and conclude 

 that, after all, there was considerably 

 more talk about it than there was work. 



The Test of Watchfulness. 



Now if anyone thinks that after he 

 has performed all of the foregoing in- 

 structions his labors are over he surely 

 is making a great mistake, for although 

 everything up to this stage must be done 

 with care, the real test of his watchful- 

 ness comes after the grafts are placed 

 in the case. 



For the first four or five days after 

 the plants are put in the case, if the 

 bottom, whether it be ashes or sand, 

 has been properly moistened it will not 

 be necessary to open the case. But this 

 rule will not always hold good, because 

 the novice will be perhaps very likely 

 to have either too much or too little 

 moisture. If too wet the leaves will 

 become saturated with moisture and 

 both leaves and stems will begin to 

 blacken and rot. This latter condition 

 is generally a sure sign that the temper- 

 ature is too high or else the case is too 

 wet; this, however, would not hold good 

 for weak or soft scions, because they 

 would be likely to rot with even the 

 best treatment. 



The only thing to do, then, if the case 

 is too wet is to raise the sash very 

 slightly; the thickness of a lath is 

 plenty, even if the plants have been 

 in only two days. This will give a 

 chance for the air to circulate and will 

 likely carry out the surplus moisture. 

 Watch results carefully and if any 



leaves show the least sign of drooping, 

 close the case at once. At any rate 

 five to ten minutes twice a day ought 

 to be sufficient to accomplish the par- 

 pose. 



On the other hand, if the case is too 

 dry the remedy is obvious; damp very 

 slightly with a fine mist. Mist is what 

 is meant as it describes exactly what 

 is wanted; and keep the case tight. 



Airing the Plants. 



After five or six days, then, provided 

 everything has gone right, the callus 

 should be far enough advanced to al- 

 low of admitting air. This should be 

 done, to start with, not over fifteen to 

 twenty minutes morning and afternoon, 

 and gradually increased each succeed- 

 ing day until the sash can be kept np 

 all day. It is advisable to close the 

 case for the first night or so after a full 

 day of airing; then for three or foui 

 nights following leave on some air, 

 about half that of the daytime, until 

 finally, in from fifteen to twenty days, 

 the plants will be able to stand full 

 air day and night; and in from twenty 

 to thirty days they should be hard 

 enough to take out, but even then they 

 will require shading from the strong 

 sun for a few days. 



It is taken for granted that even 

 the novice will know that he matt 

 keep the pots properly watered, neither 

 too wet nor too dry, rather dry than wet, 

 for obvious reasons; but it will be well 

 perhaps to tell him that, from the time 

 the plants begin to take air for the 

 full day, they ought to be damped over- 

 head twice a day with a very fine spray, 

 until they are removed from the case 

 and have become thoroughly hardened. 

 Of course, neither minutes nor days can 

 be an exact guide, but are mentioned 

 only in order to give an approximate 

 idea of the time usually required. The 

 best guides, and in fact the only ones 



