THE CULTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ROSES. 
205 
winds and the heavy rains which prevail some- 
times, completely set and rot the blooms. 
Some gardeners recommend a cool situation 
to discourage the early growth; this is as much' 
evil as good, for the growth in such situations 
is more vigorous, and the bloom is thrown too 
late. The best situation it can have is where 
it can have no north nor east wind, and this 
can only be accomplished in some places at the 
east end of a south wall, where a building or 
some other interruption intercepting the east 
wind, secures it all the advantages of early 
growth : and a protection at night, and on frosty 
days, may be given without any difficulty by 
means of the transparent calico. The same 
material would throw off heavy soaking rains, 
and keep off a blazing sun. Leave nothing 
undone that would tend to its advantage, for 
wherever the early shoots are cut off, the 
bloom for that season is cut off with it; and to 
this may be attributed its occasional total failure, 
even in well-established specimens growing 
in the best situations. When the blooms are 
bursting, the calyx should be separated as 
that of a carnation is, to enable the flower to 
open even. If you try a plant of this kind, 
put it into some south-east corner where the 
soil is high and dry; mix brick rubbish with 
the loam and dung, say one-third, and then 
let it take its chance. Prune but little; merely 
take out weak shoots, and the end of every 
one that is growing out of its proper limit; 
and bide your time, for above all Roses it is 
one which will not be hurried, nor can you by 
any means that we know of greatly hasten its 
period of blooming. We remember one 
worked cutting that was making but sickly 
growth for three seasons; the third year 
however there were some buds on one of the 
branches that was more sickly than the rest, 
but the tree died afterwards, though the stock 
was alive. 
STOCKS FOR PROPAGATING BY BUDDING AND 
GRAFTING. 
The great call for these articles has made 
it somewhat difficult to procure them any- 
where but at the nurseries ; and when you 
consider you can pick and choose at some 
price or other, the nurseries are the best places 
for an amateur to purchase. In some parts of 
the country the Briers are plentiful, but they 
are mostly in hedge-rows, and it is somewhat 
perilous Avork to grub them up Avithout per- 
mission ; nevertheless, many men get their 
living by collecting these for the nursery 
grounds. The stocks should be procured at 
the fall of the leaf, and be straight, strong, 
Avell rooted and compact. These should be 
placed in rows, eighteen inches apart from each 
othei", and three feet or three feet six inches 
vacancies between the toavs; they should be 
staked, or, which is better, stakes should be 
put at equal distances, and a rail along them, 
to which rail all the stocks should be fastened 
by strong ties, the whole being Avell trodden 
in after the same manner that neAV Roses are 
planted. The preparation of the roots should 
be in all respects the same, and the stocks are 
generally shortened before you get them to 
the height their groAvth best adapts them for. 
Here they remain till they begin to push in 
spring, when all the lower buds must be 
rubbed off, leaving the three or four that are 
highest up the stock, to see which will grow 
best. It will be found that some of these 
stocks have died down to a considerable 
distance, but as they are not of the slightest use 
above the top growing bud, you may, Avith a 
strong knife, cut right doAvn to the bud, or 
leave it till after the summer growth of the 
buds has considerably advanced. If you have 
one good branch it will do, but two on opposite 
sides are better, because you can work both, 
and be safe if one fails. Several times you 
must go over these stocks, to rub off the fresh 
buds that will be springing out on different 
parts of the stock where they are not Avanted ; 
and two good buds near the top are all you 
need save. You have to remember that all 
the strength of the plant will go into these 
tAvo branches, if the others are taken away; 
but that every leaf that is allowed to grow, 
besides those wanted, takes greatly from their 
strength, on which strength the value of the 
plant entirely depends. If the top shoots or 
buds happen to be weak in the first instance, 
compared with some loAver down the stock, it 
is better to rub off the top, and lose a little 
height of the stock, than to trust to dwindling 
branches, so that, in this case, your two 
branches to save might be half way doA\ T n the 
stem; and it is better, in such case, to cut 
down at once to it, that the top may be 
no more trouble, and may not mislead you 
in going over them a second time, to cut 
or pull out your best branches ; for the top, 
so long as you left it on, Avould be throwing 
out its green shoots ; and being the same 
height as the general run of them, nothing is 
more likely. All that is to be done, besides 
keeping the stocks from throwing out other 
branches, is to cut aAvay from the roots any 
suckers that may come up, and Avhich distress 
the stock nearly as much as dAA^arf branches. 
The ground, of course, is to be kept clear of 
Aveeds until Midsummer, Avhich is the season 
for budding, and which is the next subject 
for consideration. 
PROPAGATING BY BUDDING ON BRIERS. 
There is no process in the art of Practical 
Gardening more interesting, nor the fruits of 
which are more gratifying to an amateur, 
