THE ROSE AND ITS CULTURE. 



177 



old, some not till three, or even more, and the re- 

 sult is very uncertain ; for, unfortunately, Roses are 

 more prone to degenerate than most cultivated 

 plants -when raised from seeds. A large proportion 

 of them, it may he ninety-five out of every hundred, 

 will come single or worthless. Still, as single flowers 

 are now the fashion, all the sweetest and most bril- 

 liant even of these should be saved for growing in 

 the wild garden or shrubbery. Nevertheless, few will 

 take the trouble of raising many Roses from seeds, 

 while the result continues as now to be so many 

 blanks in proportion to prizes. But in Roses, as in 

 everything else, the cultivator reaps what he sows. 

 Hence, the trade and others who make the propa- 

 gation of Roses from seeds the business or pleasure 

 of their lives, begin by attempting to improve the 

 seeds themselves. This is done by careful cross- 

 breeding or hybridising, by skilful selections of new 

 strains, by perpetuating spprts, and other means. 

 (See articles on Propagation.) 



The rosarian's difficulties in these matters are 

 increased by the fact, that some of the finest Roses 

 <-annot be seeded at all under ordinary circumstances. 

 The transformation of pistils and stamens into petals 

 piled on petals, has in such cases been so thorough 

 and complete, that the powers of fructification are 

 necessarily suppressed. 



Still there are certain, and those chiefly what are 

 termed thin Roses by rosarians, which seed freely and 

 plentifully. Among these are all the briars, Aus- 

 trian and English, most of the Bourbons, the JIoss, 

 Chinese, several of the Teas, and such Hybrid 

 Perpetuals as Charles Crapelot, Madam Domage, 

 Prince CamiUe de Rohan, Fisher Holmes, Jules 

 Margottin, WilUam Jesse, and the old General Jac- 

 queminot. So freely does the latter seed, and so 

 potentially has the parental likeness been stamped 

 on its offspring, that there is rather more fact than 

 fancy in the humorous receipt for new Roses once 

 commonly in vogue : " Cut any number of General 

 Jacqueminots, place them in your hat, draw them 

 out bUndfold, and name as you like." Among pink 

 Roses the old Chenedole, and Coupe d'Hebe, have 

 been very fruitful sources of new varieties. 



Cross-breeding consists in collecting the pollen of 

 one Rose and placing it on the stigma of another of a 

 different colour or character. {For mode of fertilisa- 

 tion, &o., see articles on Propagation). When the 

 seed ripens, the seedlings maybe expected to manifest 

 some of. the features of either or both parents. It 

 is by such simple means, as well as by chance fertili- 

 sation, that most of our new Roses have been raised. 

 Of late years M. Bennet has followed this plan 

 with considerable enthusiasm, and has been at last 

 rewarded by such Roses as Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, 

 Her Majesty, and several others of almost equal 

 12 



merit. Great patience and perseverance are neces- 

 sary, as the offspring is often no improvement on the 

 parent, but more frequently a reversion to a more 

 primitive, and hence more worthless type. Still, 

 where intelligent forethought is brought to bear 

 rather than mere haphazard practices, a satisfactory 

 result is rendered more certain, and its attainment 

 more speedy. 



G-athering and Sowing of the Seeds.^ 



Whether any special efforts have been made to 

 obtain seeds or not, towards the end of most 

 seasons a considerable number of hips will appear 

 on the Rose-trees. These should be gathered so soon 

 as ripe, and laid out in the sun or in a hot-house to 

 dry. Break up the hips, separate and clean the 

 seeds, and either sow at once, or store safely in paper 

 bags in drawers till the spring. Autumnal sowing, 

 however, is mostly reckoned to be the best, and a 

 warm, drj-, sheltered border in the open air is con- 

 sidered the best place. Time may be gained as well 

 as greater immunity from the ravages of mice and 

 rats — both extremel.v partial to the sweet seeds of 

 Roses as well as the more common hips of the Sweet- 

 briar and other briars — by sowing the seeds in pots 

 or pans, in pits or frames under glass. But the evils 

 and risks of attenuation and mildew are thought to 

 more than counterbalance the benefits of such safety 

 and shelter as the glass affords. Spring-sown seeds 

 seldom vegetate so soon or so freely as those sown 

 as soon as ripe ; time, though spent in the cold and 

 wet ground, favouring the gradual swelling and 

 earlier germination of the seeds. 



The seeds may be sown in drills or broadcast. 

 If the former, from six inches to a foot is a handy 

 distance; from half an inch to three-quarters a 

 suitable depth. If sown in drills, tread in the seeds, 

 and rake smooth in the usual way. If broadcast, 

 scatter half an inch or so of fine compost over the 

 bed, and pat the surface firmly down with the back 

 of the spade. This hardness and smoothness helps 

 the seeds to germinate, and is also a most useful and 

 much-needed indicator of the visitation of such pests 

 as slugs, worms, rats, mice, or birds to the seed- 

 beds. The former mow the Roselets off with their 

 saw-like teeth before they are well out of the 

 ground ; the worms drag them into their holes ; the 

 birds puU them up to see if a sweet seed may be 

 found at the roots; and rats and mice devour the 

 seeds wholesale. To forewarn is to arm the rosaria'- 

 with lime-water, and other traps and engines of de- 

 struction, to the saving of his seedling Roses. 



Irregularity in Germination. — Amateur 

 propagators will need to be cautioned under this 

 heading.. The seed-bed of Roses is as unlike a bed 



