762 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



the thickness of a quill : the operation is per- 

 formed close to the ground. Remove all suckers 

 that may arise from the stock as soon as they 

 appear. When the scions begin to elongate — 

 which they will rapidly do in heat — being still ill 

 supplied with food by the stock, the same atten- 

 tion to shading will be required until a union 

 takes place, as if they were mere cuttings ; when, 

 however, the scion and stock become united, 

 then less shading will be required, and after- 

 wards it may be discontinued altogether; and a 

 greater amount of air must be admitted to the 

 plants, to harden them progressively for being 

 removed to a cooler and more airy place. The 

 ligatures which hold the stock and scion together 

 should be removed as soon as a union takes 

 place, and to prevent accident they should be 

 supported with a small stick. When the new 

 plant has begun to grow, and has made four or 

 five leaves, it should be topped, which will cause 

 it to send out side shoots, and form a nice bushy 

 plant. 



Propagating the rose by cuttings. — This is an ex- 

 peditious and very certain mode of propagating 

 the majority of roses; and in the case of China, 

 Tea-scented, and Bourbon roses, it is the only 

 proper way of getting plants on their own roots. 

 Summer and autumn are the best seasons, but 

 in the case of rare or new varieties, if placed in 

 a mild heat in February, the process may go on 

 till autumn, as cuttings may be produced by the 

 old plants. The best time, however, as regards 

 those that are growing in the open air, is imme- 

 diately after they have flowered ; for no shoots 

 are mature till their blooming is past; and shoots 

 of moderate strength, and well ripened at their 

 base, are to be preferred. They should be of 

 about the length of from 3 to 4 inches ; that is, 

 with three joints or buds : but even greater 

 lengths may be taken, the tops of which should 

 be shortened, so as to leave from three to four 

 perfect leaves, with a bud at their base ; and when 

 taken off, a small portion of the old wood, form- 

 ing what is called a heel, should be removed with 

 them, that portion being more disposed to form 

 a callosity than the young wood above it. The 

 leaves should be retained at planting, and al- 

 lowed to drop off by degrees, and removed as 

 they fall, to prevent damping. Sixty-sized pots 

 are the most eligible, and these should be filled 

 with light loam and sand, into which the cuttings 

 should be stuck to the depth of an inch, and ar- 

 ranged around the sides of the pot to the number 

 of five or six in each pot. When inserted, settle 

 the soil well about them by watering; and when 

 dry, set them in a close frame or pit facing the 

 north, keeping them shaded while the sun shines 

 upon them. Here they should remain until they 

 have formed a callosity at their base, which will 

 in general take place in about ten or fifteen 

 days. They should then be removed to a pit or 

 frame, and plunged into a slight bottom-heat, 

 and one having a northern aspect will lessen the 

 trouble of shading, and obviate the chances of 

 its being neglected. The roots will soon form, 

 at which time they may be potted off into 60- 

 sized pots, one plant in each, and transferred to 

 a pit or frame with a southern exposure, and 

 again plunged in a mild bottom -heat. Here 



they should remain for about a month, when 

 they will be completely established, and fit for 

 being placed in a cool pit or frame to harden off, 

 kept at no great distance from the glass, and 

 abundantly supplied with air, even to the extent 

 of uncovering them entirely for days together. 

 This is an expeditious mode. A more slow, but 

 yet equally certain method, is to place them at 

 once in a cool pit, and to allow them to make 

 their roots during the summer, to preserve them 

 from frost during winter, and to pot them off in 

 February following, and then place them in a 

 temperature of from 55° to 60°, but without 

 bottom heat : they will be in excellent condition 

 for planting out in May following. Those, how- 

 ever, who have the means of following the former 

 plan, will have their plants fit for planting out in 

 the previous August. The above may be termed 

 the summer process, and is best adapted to 

 the autumnal varieties ; and the following the 

 autumn process, which is alike suited to both 

 the summer and autumn kinds. About the end 

 of October or beginning of November, before 

 the foliage begins to fall, cuttings should be 

 taken off, close to the old wood, so as to retain 

 a portion of it, as already adverted to; for 

 although cuttings taken from the upper portion 

 of the shoot will root occasionally, they do not 

 so with the same certainty as when furnished 

 with a heel. These are to be set in pots, as 

 directed above, and set in a cool pit, protected 

 during winter from frost, and in April they will 

 be found rooted, and fit for being placed singly 

 into 60-sized pots ; when, if placed in a cool 

 close frame, they will soon make plants fit for 

 planting out in May. The stronger and hardier 

 sorts, like the hybrid Perpetual, Ayrshire, hybrid 

 Chinese, hybrid Bourbon, Boursault, &c, require 

 less care. In October, cuttings of them 10 to 12 

 inches long, but cut with a heel at their base, 

 may be inserted in the ground, in any mo- 

 derately sheltered border, to the depth of 5 or 6 

 inches, placed in rows a foot apart, and 3 inches 

 in the line. A slight protection during winter, 

 by mulching the ground, and sticking a few 

 branches amongst them, will be of advantage. 

 As soon as they begin to grow in spring, it will 

 be seen what success has attended the process, 

 when, if they appear to be too thick, a portion 

 may be carefully taken up and replanted in nur- 

 sery lines, and the whole encouraged in growth 

 till the following autumn, when they may be 

 taken up and planted elsewhere. Some nursery- 

 men strike immense numbers of roses by placing 

 the cuttings in autumn, not in soil, but pretty 

 thickly under a glass frame in half-decayed flax 

 refuse. Here they stand over winter, and in 

 spring they are taken up with abundance of 

 roots, and are potted and treated as already 

 noticed. By cuttings dwarf plants only are ob- 

 tained, yet many sorts, such as the China and 

 Tea-scented, do best on their own' roots; and we 

 believe that many others would do so too, if the 

 soil is suitable for them. Those budded on the 

 Dog-rose stock often fail, because the soil in most 

 gardens is too light for that stock to thrive in. 



Propagating the rose by layers. — To obtain 

 shoots for this purpose, as they should be strong 

 and freely grown, the plant should be cut down 



