102 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



The principal stock used is the common Dog-Rose or 

 briar (Rosa canina) of our fields and lanes, and probably 

 three-fourths of the Roses cultivated in this country are 

 now grown upon this stock. It is used in three forms : 

 first, as a standard, which is the actual wild plant 

 dug up from the hedges, with the Rose budded on the 

 lateral branches proceeding from the stem. Secondly, 

 the briar cutting, which is a shoot of the briar struck 

 as a cutting, and budded, after it is well rooted, as low 

 down on the stem as possible. Thirdly, the briar 

 seedling, which is the growth from the seed of the wild 

 Rose, and has the bud inserted on the actual main root 

 or underground stem. 



Next in popularity comes the manetti stock. This is 

 a form of wild Rose, introduced from Italy, some sixty 

 years ago, by the late Mr. Rivers of Sawbridgeworth : 

 it is only used in the form of plants struck from cuttings 

 to make dwarf Roses. Other sorts of Roses which root 

 strongly as cuttings have been used as stocks, such as 

 the De la Grifferae, used by some for the Gloire de Dijon 

 race and strong climbing forms of Teas and Noisettes, 

 and the Polyantha, which may still be said to be under 

 trial ; but at present the stocks that " hold the field " 

 are the three different forms of the briar and the manetti 

 cutting. 



A large proportion of amateur Rose-growers will, from 

 various causes, be unable or unwilling to propagate their 

 own plants, and so will have to rely upon those they 

 purchase from nurserymen. Even in this case it is 

 desirable that they should know something about the 

 different forms of stocks, so that they may order those 

 most suitable for the several varieties and the purposes 

 for which they are designed. Except that we cannot 

 now, fortunately, purchase Teas upon the manetti stock, 



