ROSES 171 
bare, thrifty branches may be trained over it. Old flower 
stalks and objectionable shoots should be removed during 
the summer. 
Cultivation. Keep the soil loose under the bushes. A 
single plant in a lawn should have a circle at least two 
feet in diameter that is not encroached upon by grass. 
Give the soil a mulch of lawn clippings occasionally 
during dry weather in the summer and a heavy coating 
of coarse manure in the winter. 
Diseases. For leaf blight, rust, and mildew, spray 
with Bordeaux mixture or use dry Bordeaux. 
Pests. For plant lice, red spiders, and rose hoppers, 
spray with sulpho-tobacco soap or kerosene emulsion. 
Propagating by cuttings. December or January is the 
most favorable time for selecting and preparing rose 
cuttings; then the wood is in a dormant condition, 
with an abundance of food stored up for starting the 
buds. The rambler rose is well adapted to schoolroom 
work. 
From a thrifty rosebush take branches grown during 
the previous summer. Discard all weak and immature 
tips and make cuttings that are five or six inches in 
length. Such cuttings usually have four or five buds. 
Examine the upper bud carefully; it should be strong 
and in good condition. Both lower and upper ends 
should be near a bud. Make the cut for the upper end 
by holding the branch in the left hand and starting the 
blade of a sharp knife on the opposite side of the stem 
from the bud, even with the top of the bud, so that the 
