BOSA 



BOSE OBDEB 



EOSA 385 



sown as soon as ripe, and when sown in 

 the open must be protected from mice 

 and birds. They are usually several 

 months in germinating, but when the 

 seedlings are large enough to handle 

 easily they may be transplanted to quar- 

 ters where they can be protected in 

 winter. 



Cuttings of aU the strong-growing 

 Eoses root readily. In autumn ripened 

 shoots about 9 or 12 in. long may be 

 firmly inserted about 6 in. deep, much 

 in the same way as Gooseberries and 

 Currants, but aU the buds should be 

 left on. By spring they will nearly all 

 be rooted and begin to grow. They 

 are best left until the autumn and then 

 moved to their permanent position. 



Tea Eoses and other more tender 

 sorts may be rooted in the same way, 

 but they require the protection of a cold 

 frame during the winter months. 



Layering is not much practised. The 

 principle is as explained at p. 59. The 

 plants obtained in this way are on the 

 same level as those from cuttings bj' 

 being on their own roots, and always safe 

 from the suckers of an inferior variety. 

 It is not essential to detach the rooted 

 layers. They may be allowed to remain 

 round the parent plant if space will per- 

 mit, and when in bloom will present a 

 magnificent sight. 



Budding is the most popular means 

 of increasing Eoses, and almost every 

 amateur who is fond of them likes to do 

 his own budding. The stocks chiefly 

 used are the Dog Eose — taken from the 

 hedges, struck from cuttings, or raised 

 from seed — the Manetti, and sometimes 

 De la Grifferse — a form of B. poVyantha. 

 Bach kind has its champions, but there is 

 a preponderance in favour of the Dog 

 Eose or Briar. 



In the south of Prance stocks of Bosa 

 polyantha have been largely used and 

 spoken of very favourably. Unfor- 

 tunately, the seeds are somewhat difficult 

 to procure, and this will prevent its 

 becoming conunon. The seeds germinate 

 in about a month's time, and Boses have 

 been budded on July 2 on plants the 

 seeds of which were sown on March 14. 

 Plants on the polyantha stock are said 

 to produce twice as many flowers as those 

 on the camna (Dog Eose) stock. 



Eose budding is generally practised 

 in June and July, and the process is 

 detailed at p. 58. 



Grafting Eoses is generally done in 

 March out of doors, and is practised on 

 old standard trees which have lost their 

 tops ; but it is scarcely worth the trouble. 



Grafting may also be performed during 

 the winter months in greenhouses. The 

 stocks should be a little in advance of 

 the grafts, by placing them in gentle heat 

 some time before the operation is to be 

 performed. Care must also be taken to 

 secure sound wood in the grafts, and no 

 shoots that have been injured by frost 

 are of any use. By whip-grafting (see 

 p. 52) a good union may be secured, 

 afterwards tying both stock and graft up 

 carefully and firmly, and placing in a 

 warm close frame. Light is best excluded 

 for several days until the union has 

 almost taken place, but as soon as possible 

 it should be admitted. Baidding may be 

 practised at the same season and under 

 similar circumstances, and it is possible to 

 have Eoses in bloom by the following June, 

 or about six months after the process. 



Besides the above methods Eoses may 

 also be successfully increased by means of 

 the single ' eyes ' or buds. These are cut 

 in the same way as for budding, but a 

 portion of the leaf — say the 2 bottom 

 leaflets — is retained and the wood is not 

 detached from the bark, but is left to 

 form a plate from which the roots are to 

 be developed. The ' eyes ' thus prepared 

 are dibbled into sandy soil and placed in 

 gentle bottom heat, soon root, and produce 

 young plants. If kept growing without 

 a check this is a good way of increasing 

 Eoses. The dormant buds attached to a 

 piece of the old wood will also root in 

 bottom heat if inserted about pruning 

 time. 



DISEASES AND PESTS 



Mildew {SphcBrotheca pannosa). — If 

 outdoor Eoses are kept in a good state 

 of cultivation — that is, if the soil is 

 kept well tilled, the drainage perfect, 

 and water abundant but not frregularly 

 supplied — they do not suffer much 

 with mildew. If they do, as often 

 as not something is wrong dn one or 

 other of the departments mentioned, or 

 perhaps an erratic season with sudden 

 changes from hot to cold, drought or wet, 

 is to blame. Any way, good cultivation 

 is a great_ preventive. Soot sprinkled 

 over the foliage when the dew is on it, and 

 allowed to remain a few days before 

 washing off, is an exoeUent if unsightly 



