July i, 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
ROSES IN CEYLON. 
(Bij a Practical Horticultudst.) 
May lOtli. 
Of all plants grown in Ceylon for their flowers 
none gain so much the admiration of lovers of flowers 
{and who are not ?) as the Rose. It is not therefore 
surprising that queries regarding it are so frequent 
and varied; and “ Lady Ilorticulturist” in your issue 
of the 26th ult., renews the subject. There is probably 
no householder in the island possessing any piece 
of a garden, large or small, who does not find a corner 
therein for Posa ; yet it is but comparatively few 
years ago that the introduction of this favorite into 
Ceylon would have been considered as unlikely as 
that of the Scotch heather would be nowadays. 
Temple offerings of flowers of the jasmine and the 
temple-tree, which with true followers of Buddha have 
always been considered indispensable at temple 
ceremonies, seem now to be giving way to the more 
delicate charms of Rosa mal (rose flewers). When 
paying afternoon visits, incorporated in the conversa- 
tion about tea, labour, and cacao disease, must as- 
suredly be “Our Roses.” 
The Thistle.it must be admitted has charms all 
its own, the old Shararock recalls the hearts of the 
truest patriots; and the gallant little Leek is doubt- 
less useful in its own sphere, finding as it does par- 
ticular favour under the name of Lunu with curry- 
stuff connoisseurs in Ceylon; but the Rose has floral 
beauty that is at once striking and superlative, and 
is justly designated the queen of flowers. It is the 
national emblem of England; it is the favourite flower 
of Queen Victoria and also, I believe, of her repre- 
sentative in Ceylon, Her Excellency, Lady Ridgeway. 
It stands as the head (or type) of a family unsurpassed 
for beautiful and fragrant flowers and luscious fruits; 
e.g., the peach, pear, apple, strawberry, not forgetting 
our familiar loquat. 
Probably no other genus of plants has received so 
much attention from authors and poets of all coun- 
tries as has Rosa. To Aurora, it was dedicated as the 
emblem of youth ; to Venus, of love and beauty ; to 
Cupid, of fugacity and danger. The latter, according 
to classical writers, gave it as a bribe to Harpocrates, 
the God of Silence, hence the saying, “ under the 
rose.” 
The rose is almost as cosmopolitan as a Scotchman. 
Left to itself it finds a congenial home as far north as 
the sub-alpine zone, and by cultivation it flourishes 
in equatorial regions. Apart from its floral attrac- 
tions, it forms an important factor in commerce, the 
manufacture of rose-water and attar alone giving em- 
ployment to perhaps millions of persons. This is an 
industry which should be peculiarly adapted to the 
Sinhalese villager, and as roses may well be grown 
on a large scale up-country, who can say but the 
precious and expensive attar may in the no distant 
future, figure prominently in our sources of revenue. 
Bosa contributes largely to our Materia Medica. 
“ Dr. Lindley, one of the most earnest defenders of 
its powers, has not hesitated to assure the world 
that the Pharmacopoeia should be formed of roses 
alone.” 
It has been well said that a garden without roses 
is a misnomer. The fine display of these at the 
recent Nuwara Eliya Show was in itself proof of the 
success that can attend their careful cultivation in 
the island. Roses are not so difficult to manage as 
is generally supposed, the chief difficulty, in the low 
country, really consists in suitable soil not (jeing availa- 
ble in large enough quantities. In selecting a site for 
a rose-heel, or beds, it is a mistake to choose a shady 
place, as some people do with a view to sheltering 
the plants from the sun and heavy rains. An open 
airy situation is beat ; trespass of roots from sur- 
rounding trees which impoverish the soil and rob the 
plants of the manure intended for them is to be 
guarded against ; it being often necessary to cut open 
a deep drain to check their transgression. Roses de- 
light in a loamy and somewhat tenacious soil, 
i7 
which should be enriched by occasional applications 
of farm-yard rnanure. As to pruning, they yield best 
to this operation at the beginning of the monsoons. 
It is a great mistake, as many find from experience, 
to prune severely if any, in the hot and dry months 
which is practically winter here (paradoxical though it 
sounds), because g owth is then mo-e or less inactive. 
At this time they will alsog.eatly benefit by having 
the earth abo it th ;m covered with dead leaves or 
litter to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture 
from the soil and check the penetration of the fierce 
sun’s rays to the roots. 
Propagation. — It is compara,tively easy to propa- 
gate roses by means of “ cuttings.” There are two 
distinct ways of performing this operation : the right' 
and the wrong way ; the latter being generally fol- 
, lowed by our garden wallah if left to himself. Send 
him to plant a bed of rose cuttings, and ten chances to 
one he|will proceed somelhing after this fashion. He will 
carefully stir the soil with his mamotie, and will 
then assums the sitting posture peculiar to his class, 
i.e.. by resting the posteriors on the heels with won ier- 
ful agility and perfect ease ; after taking considerable 
pains to make a smooth surface bv means of a 
splinter of bamboo he will proceed to insert the cut- 
tings (merely sticking them in the soil) packing them 
together in the line as closely as possible, and tak- 
ing particular care to have all the upper ends on a 
uniform level, but paying little or no heed to the por- 
tion of the cutting in the ground. Most probably not 
more than one per cent! of these will grow, and as 
decay sets in, white-ants begin to make food of them ; 
consequently Termes fatalii is severely railed at for 
having “destroyed the rose-cuttings,” which, 
as a matter of fact, are dead before they are thus 
attacked. 
It need hardly be said that if we wish for better re- 
sults a different method must be adopted, and 
Ramasamy will have to be taught by practical 
demonstration that a roseplant requires to be differ- 
ently treated from .a tea-bush. Get him, if you 
have not the time or inclination yourself, to dig the 
bed quite a foot deep, at the same time mixing in 
some manure and a quantity of’ leaf-mould, if avail- 
able ; rake over the surface, not too finely, but 
evenly ; open across a shallow trench about 6 inches 
deep ; place the cuttings sloping-wise against the 
steeper side at least 4 to 5 inches apart, about which 
sprinkle some sand (river-sand preferably) and fill 
in with the soil, pressing it moderately firm around the 
planted cuttings ; open the next line about 7 inches 
distant, and proceed in the same way. In preparing 
the cuttings all the buds should be carefully pre- 
served, and it is not by any means necessary to 
strip off all the leaves which are to be above ground • 
these had better be left to wither away of their own 
accord, for as long as any green is left they will 
supply some nutriment to the cutting, and when 
withered will afford shading to some extent. It is 
of course essential after planting that the cuttint's 
be kept shaded (oadjan leaves being most convenient 
for this purpose) and the ground moist until they 
show signs of making young growth. 
Vermin. — In this country no enemy of the Rose 
has a worst reputation than the white-ant ; yet, 
as is already pointed out, on careful examination i 
have no doubt it will be found that all healthy plants 
are altogether secure from its attacks, its ravages 
being confined to diseased or decayed vegetable 
matter; so that it may really be regarded as a use- 
ful scavenger. However, the presence of white ants 
-in a garden is by no means to be desired. The 
most reliable means of diminishing their numbers is 
by digging up iheir nests or haunts and destroyincr 
the queen-ants. Roses that are infested with thrim 
black-fly, and such like, should have frequent syrino-’ 
ings, morning audevening. If that i.s not effectual, dilute 
a wine-glassfull of kerosiiie oil to a gallon of hot 
water, and apply quite hot by a syringe. But roses 
are said to bs as yet more free of insect pests 
and parasites in Ceylon than in any other 
country in which they are cultivated, ,‘and that 
they may long continue to be so will be 'the wish 
of all of us, 
a 
