THEY SAY. 



249 



Rose Seedlings and Cross Fertilization. — In the 



German Rosen Zeitiing, Dr. Muller, who has engaged in 

 the propagation of new seedling roses for the last six 

 years, gives the following directions for hybridizing and 

 seedling culture : Before the bud to be fertilized has 

 opened, the petals and stamens are removed by means of 

 pincers and a little hook or crochet needle. This opera- 

 tion must be performed with great care in order to avoid 

 injuring the ovary and pistils. The leafless flower is 

 then wrapped with a thin layer of wadding, which is 

 held in place by twisting a few of the fibres together. 

 This covering excludes insects, absorbs the sap which 

 flows in some cases from the wounds, and affords a firm 

 hold for the external protecting envelope, which con- 

 sists of a strip of waxed paper rolled into a cone and 

 fastened by a pin. The cone is made long enough 

 to project a little below the wadding, and the lower 

 edge is pinched or folded about the stem so that 

 the flower is completely protected from the rain. 

 Within this double covering the pistils keep fresh, even 

 in the hottest weather, for a number of days, and the 

 experimenter can wait confidently for the best time for 

 fertilization. 



The stamens of a variety with which a cross is de- 

 sired are collected in a saucer, which is covered with a 

 pane of glass and shielded from direct sunlight. The 

 anthers soon open and shed the pollen, which retains 

 its vitality for several days. 



The best time for fertilization is within a couple of 

 hours before, or after, noon, on a bright fair day. With 

 some varieties the selection of the proper time is very 

 important ; others may be operated upon in less favora- 

 ble weather with success. The pollen is applied to the 

 stamens with a fine, soft brush.* 



The propagation of roses from seed obtained by cross" 

 ing or otherwise, presents no special difficulties. The 

 seed of the rose, like all seeds provided with hard shells, 

 demands a certain time of preparation, during which it 

 must be kept dry and cool. Attempts to force sprouting 

 by heat and moisture are sure to result in few and sickly 

 plants. It is well to free the soil of the seed pots from 

 insects and other injurious elements by roasting it in an 

 iron kettle until all offensive odor ceases, and drying it 

 under cover. The seeds are sown in November, in pots 

 filled with this earth. The seeds are covered with about 

 three-quarters of an inch of earth, well pressed down, 

 and the pots are sunk to their edge in the bed of a cold- 

 frame and straw laid over the sashes. 



The seeds should germinate in the latter part of 

 March. Shortly before this the straw covering should 

 be removed. The sashes are still left as a protection 

 against possible frosts, but should be raised whenever 

 the temperature in the frame rises above 60° Fah- 

 renheit. Seeds that have not sprouted by the end of 

 April are dug up on a fair day and laid out on a board 

 to dry. In a little while the outer shell springs apart 

 and can be easily removed. The seeds are then re- 



* Dr. Miiller neglects to give any directions concerning the subse- 

 quent treatment of the fertilized flower. — Translator. 



placed in the pots and generally sprout within two 

 weeks. These assisted seedlings frequently overtake the 

 others in growth. Seeds of the tea roses most fre- 

 quently need assistance. With good soil and care the 

 seedlings grow so vigorously that they can be budded 

 upon small plants of Rosa canina during the first sum- 

 mer. — I. B. F. 



A Gardening Apron. — I find an apron made of tick- 

 ing very useful in the conservatory. It keeps the dress 

 from being wet and soiled. 

 A row of pockets at the bot- 

 tom are very useful, also 

 two above. I move the lit- 

 tle pots from place to place 

 in them, and keep my scis- 

 sors, trowel, string hammer, 

 tacks, bits of leather, etc , 

 in my pockets, and it saves 

 much running. I can find 

 all these things handy when 

 on a step-ladder tying or 

 pruning vines, and I gather 

 the dead leaves and twigs 

 and keep them in my apron. 

 In the garden too, my apron 

 is my best friend. If the 

 ground is damp, I sit down on 

 it to weed or transplant, and 

 find it such a saving of time 

 and temper to have all my 

 tools where I can so easily 

 get them. The apron can 

 be made in a very fancy 

 way, so as to be useful and ornamental together. Mine 

 is embroidered with red worsted, but it may be plain, 

 as seen in the illustration. — Sister Gr.\cious. 



Study Your Conditions. — Just as complete failure 

 may come from want of adaptation to the existing con- 

 ditions as from any other cause. A multitude of things 

 need consideration in determining what shall be our 

 line of work. Among them are climatic conditions 

 kind of soil, lay of the land, soil and atmospheric drain- 

 age, nearness to market, ability to get help, manure, 

 etc. A farmer far back from the railway may grow 

 and evaporate raspberries, and successfully compete 

 with one close to market, because the product when 

 ready for market is valuable in proportion to its bulk, 

 while in the production of heavy, cheap, or perishable 

 products he is at a great disadvantage. There is a 

 wonderful difference between going ten or fifteen miles 

 to market or railway station with a load, say one and a 

 half tons of potatoes worth f 25, or the same weight of 

 evaporated raspberries worth i*6oo. Considering it 

 worth I3 to make such a trip, we have twelve per cent, 

 of the market value of the first product taken up for the 

 cost of moving it from the farm, while in the latter case 

 it is but one-half of one per cent. In marketing $1,000 

 worth of the two, this difference would amount to the 

 considerable item, $115. To carry soft perishable 



