126 THE BOOK OF THK ROSE chaf. 



of the sufferings of my poor coat, I carry home 

 rejoicing. Sometimes it may be more convenient 

 to reserve till reaching home the work of the prun- 

 ing knife, in shortening bruised roots, smoothing 

 saw cuts, shaving off suckers, and carefully cutting 

 out all semblances of buds below the ground 

 surface. 



In selecting standard stems, if there is plenty of 

 choice, take only two-year-old shoots ; next three- 

 year-old, leaving one-year-old shoots for next year, 

 and avoiding old stems, unless you are very hard up. 

 I have seen a great many stocks in nurserymen's 

 quarters that I should never take unless I was very 

 short — old, spotted and cankered. For it is instruc- 

 tive to notice that canker may certainly be found on 

 the wild Bose, in its natural state, even where there 

 seems to have been no outward injury to the stem. 

 It is true that some of the grey hidebound old stocks 

 will make very good growth when cut back and 

 transplanted, but some will not, and you never can 

 tell where they will break. A sharp frost, after they 

 are moved, would be fatal to most one-year-old 

 stems, which are too soft and pithy to stand the 

 ordeal of transplanting. 



There are a great many varieties of the Dog-Eose, 

 and a great difference will soon be noticed in the 

 general appearance of the stems. It used to be said 

 that the red-barked, very thorny, variety is the best, 

 and perhaps this is true, but I have formed fine 

 plants on smooth stems. I should not generally 

 choose the water briar with its deep green bark, and 

 running slender growth almost like the Ayrshire, 

 but I have grown good Teas upon it. The sweet 

 briar does not form a good stock, though, as I have 



