THE EOSE AND ITS CULTUEE. 



75 



on the root-stock itself, lose their potency in the 

 production of suckers. Further still, in confirmation 

 of the change of root-form, and its natural results, it 

 is found that Eoses worked early on the seedling 

 "briar are more floriferous than those worked on 

 other stocks, not even excepting the hriar cutting. 

 Hence the very smallness of the stock in the case of 

 seedling briars may cause the whole of it to he more 

 thoroughly assimilated to the character and pui-- 

 pose of the Eose — that of producing a profusion of 

 hloom chiefly. Certain it is, that Tea-roses worked 

 on seedling briars grow better and bloom more than 

 those on any other stock. 



Other Rose Stocks. — Among these, almost 

 the only one that threatens to rival those ah-eady 

 named is the De la Grifferaie, a variety of the 

 ]\Iultiflora Eose, sent out many years ago. It 

 is a good climbing Eose, blooming in large clus- 

 ters, with a robust habit and fine foliage. Its 

 chief merit, however, is its free-rooting, growing, 

 and taking qualities, which render it valuable as a 

 stock. It roots as freely as the INIanetti, and Tea 

 and other Eoses worked on this stock grow as rapidly 

 or more so than on any other. The old Celina, Coupe 

 d'Hebe, Charles Lawson, Crimson Boursault, Pink 

 and other Chinese or monthly Eoses, the Banksian, 

 and such robust-growing Teas as Gloire de Dijon, 

 and Gloire de Bordeaux, have likewise been used 

 successfully as stocks. One of the newest stocks is 

 that of Rosa polyantha^ a single white, sweet-scented 

 Eose from Japan. This is a vigorous-growing, free- 

 rooting Eose, the stems running up so raj^idly that it 

 may even be useful for forming standards, and so 

 become a rival to the natural briar of our woods and 

 hedge-rows. 



The rapid production by artificial means of stems 

 sufiiciently tall and strong for forming standardH, is 

 still a desideratum in Eose stocks, and probably such 

 s^Qoie^SiQ Rosa pohjantha, E. Briinonii (see illustration), 

 R. Caucasia, and the Crimson Boursault might help 

 to supply this want. There are almost any number 

 of dwarf stocks to supply all the rosarian's needs ; but 

 when he wants tall standards he must still betake 

 him to the woods and hedge-rows in search of them. 

 It seems high time that this haphazard hunting 

 for briars should cease, and -that the trade should 

 grow their thousands and tens of thousands of 

 standard stocks, straight as arrows, and full of 

 fibrous roots as the most exacting could demand. A 

 good deal towards this much-to-be-desired result 

 might be done by judicious selections of seeds from 

 the best strains of the Dog-rose, Rosa canina (see 

 illustration), not only throughout this country, but 

 Europe. There are a good many varieties of this 

 species, some more and others less suitable for 



stocks. Possibly a cross with some of our hardy 

 climbing Eoses, or such sp)ecies as those just indi- 

 cated, might result in stocks as long as fishing- 

 rods, and almost as strong, within three years or so, 

 just the strains for making standard Eoses. 



For dwarf Eoses the rosarian has a profusion 

 of stocks, and is perplexed with the difficulties of 

 selection. For open-air culture, probably the 

 seedling briar, briar cuttings, the Manetti, and the 

 De la Grifieraie are on the whole the best and 

 the most easily provided, in quantity. Such semi- 

 tender stocks as the Banksian, Teas, and Chinas, 

 should be used chiefly for Eoses to be grown under 

 glass. 



The Manetti Rose Stock. — This Eose is 

 still grown by its thousands and tens of thousands. 

 It is a free-growing Eose of Italian origin, in- 

 troduced into this coimtry about forty years ago, 

 and first brought into prominent notice as a stock 

 b}^ the late ]Mr. Thomas Elvers, of Sawbridge- 

 worth, Herts. Being a most luxm-iant grower and 

 a free rooter from cuttings, and buds and grafts alike 

 taking upon it with exceptional freedom, and grow- 

 ing upon it with unexampled rapidity, it soon be- 

 came a fashion, then a rage, almost a furore. It 

 threatened to banish all other stocks for dwarfs out 

 of the garden. For mere growth, and growing on 

 light soils, perhaps, there is no stock to match the 

 Manetti. It is still so good that no rosarian should 

 be without it, as it has special merits of its own, 

 already pointed out. Probably more dwarf Eoses ar;3 

 on the Manetti at this moment than on any other 

 stock, and hence a good batch of cuttings of it should 

 be at once inserted. 



They may be made, planted, and treated exactly 

 as seedling briars, November being the best month 

 to make and plant Manetti cuttings. Custom and 

 the most successf\il practice have also agreed in 

 budding the Manetti low. This gives the Eose at 

 planting two strings to its bow ; it may either use 

 the roots of its foster-mother as permanent hel^js, or 

 may starve them off so soon as it can form roots of 

 its own. The Manetti stock is equally suitable for 

 either method, or the modem one more generally 

 adopted — that of running two sets of roots abreast, 

 to the fuller feeding and more powerful stimulation 

 of the Eose. 



Special Stocks for Different Roses.— 



In the present state of our knowledge compara- 

 tively little can be said on this subject. Singulailv 

 enough, however, some curious facts have been esta- 

 blished. Such, for example, as that the Banksian 

 has proved one of the very best stocks for the 

 Marshal Xiel; that the seedling briar is, on the 



