i88 THE ROSE BOOK 



No further attention was given them for two months, 

 except that as the few leaves decayed they were picked 

 off and the interior of the bell-glass was wiped dry every 

 day or so. At the end of February they were nicely 

 rooted. Air was admitted gradually, and in a week or 

 two the bell-glass was removed altogether. In April the 

 little plants (they were aU climbing roses) were put out 

 at the foot of six-feet-high poles. By September some 

 had reached the top — all were well on the way. The 

 following summer — ^some eighteen months from the 

 receipt of the cuttings — there was quite a fair show 

 of bloom. Each succeeding year, as June has come 

 round, they have been wholly delightful. The varie- 

 ties were Tausendschon, Trier, R^ne Andr6, Rubin, and 

 Paradise. 



Another simple method is to insert the cuttings in 

 a border out of doors in September. The cuttings 

 should be chosen from shoots that have borne flowers. 

 It is better to have them nine inches long when pos- 

 sible, though six inches is not too short. Cut across 

 immediately beneath a joint to form the base, and 

 remove all leaves except one or two at the top, and cut 

 these in half. The soil is prepared by digging and 

 treading firmly. A trench, having a flat, perpendicular 

 back, is then made with a spade and a good sprinkling 

 of silver sand is put in at the base. The cuttings are 

 inserted, well pressed against the back of the trench, 

 their bases resting on the sand. 



Two-thirds of the cutting should be below the ground 

 surface, one third above. The trench is half filled with 



