THE ROSE AND ITS CULTURE. 



181 



than the wood of briar or Rose, into which the buds 

 are placed. 



Finally, the bud itself, and the section of bark 

 attached to it, must separate freely from the wood. 

 Unless this is the case, the base of the bud will be 

 pulled out, and the bark itself also injured in pro- 

 cess of separation. Either of these mishaps endangers 

 the prompt and healthy union of the bud to the 

 stock. The two combined may be said to render 

 any union impossible. So much for the general 

 condition of the scion and the stock at budding time. 



The condition of the prickles also affords a useful 

 index to the best time to bud. In all cases they are 



Fig. il.— Briar with Prickles Etibbed off for Budding. 



removed of necessity to enable the bud with its 

 section of bark to be easily slid into the stock, and 

 the best way to remove them is to rub them off side- 

 ways with the thumb. If they come off easily, the 

 wood is in a good state for budding ; if with 

 difficulty, the most favourable season has already 

 passed. 



The Time to Bud.— Taking an average of 

 seasons, the last week of June and the first three 

 weeks in July will be found the very best time for 

 budding. AU the more essential conditions already 

 described will be found to be fully developed at this 

 particular season. 



Preliminary Preparations.— These are a 

 supply of labels, or numbers, with ties attached 

 for prompt use ; a small pan or watering-pot about 



half full of damp moss ; some cotton, worsted, soft 

 bast, or ratafia tie — if either of the latter, the 

 softest and finest to be chosen, cut into lengths 

 of about a foot and tied into a bunch, so as to be 

 hung from a waistcoat-button for this operation — 

 and a sharp budding-knife. That with a round- 

 ended blade at one end, and a sharp wedge-shaped 

 handle at the other, is the best. The use of all these 

 will be obvious as we proceed. 



The Actual Removal of the Buds and 

 their Insertion into the Stocks. — Cut a 



branch, or part of the branch, off the Rose-tree or 



rig. 12.— Tlie Briar with the Buds Inserted, one Tied in. 



bush that is to be thus propagated. It is generally 

 necessary to cut almost the whole of it, as the best 

 buds will mostly be found towards its base. If 

 those nearer the top are not sufficiently developed, 

 cut the shoot back to the last good bud, then care- 

 fully rub off the prickles, and cut off the lea-s'es, 

 leaving a small portion of the leaf-stalk intact, and 

 lay it on the damp moss or place it in water (Fig. 

 10). The same care must be taken of every other 

 shoot, and in fact very few should be taken off at a 

 time, as nothing lessens the chances of success in 

 budding more than cutting numbers of branches 

 at one time, and allowing them to become dried up, 

 or plunging them into water to keep them fresh. 

 Placed on rather than in damp moss, and covering 

 them with a Cabbage-leaf or cloth, is the surest means 

 of keeping the buds fresh and plump until they are 

 placed in the stocks. Few budders remove the 



