372 
The Garden Magazine, August, 1920 
in the open. The soil for pot or indoor 
culture should be a good compost of rotted 
sods, sand, and fine old manure in about 
equal proportions. Bonemeal well mixed 
in at the rate of a table- 
spoonful to a six-inch pot of 
soil affords a useful stimulus 
to the plants as they develop, 
but other forms of commer- 
cial fertilizers should be 
avoided. In frames and gar- 
den beds the soil should be 
rather more compact in tex- 
ture to avoid the necessity 
of too frequent watering. I 
have had best success in the 
latter when formed of rather 
moist loam, but good drain- 
age, so that water does not 
long remain on the surface, is 
essential in every case. 
Rose seeds are seldom free 
in germination and appear 
best sown rather thickly. 
From 25 to 50 seeds may 
be accommodated in a six- 
inch pot — probably the hand- 
iest size for the purpose — 
and they may be sown at 
the rate of two or more seeds 
to the inch, in rows four to 
six inches apart when in gar- 
den or frames. Have the soil previously well firmed, the seeds 
properly distributed, and covered with about half an inch 
of clean sand, smoothly pressed down. If in frames or open 
beds the seeds may now be left largely to the course of na- 
ture, except that weeds and other encroaching vegetation 
should carefully be removed; but pots, boxes or flats, whether 
under glass or plunged in the open, will need regular and 
copious waterings. 
G ERMINATION, except among the dwarf Multiflora or 
“ Polyantha” varieties is most uncertain. Seedlings from 
the same gathering may come up at irregular intervals, from a 
few days after sowing to several years! Tea and Multiflora 
seeds sometimes germinate within a week or two under warm, 
moist conditions; Hybrid-teas and Hybrid-perpetuals may re- 
quire many months, some lyingdormant as long as seven years and 
then coming up with considerable vigor. Seeds of Rosa Hugonis, 
R. wichuraiana and other hybrids usually germinate the follow- 
ing spring if properly sown when ripe and well exposed to frost, 
but occasional individuals come up in a few days under specially 
favorable conditions. Sweetbrier, Dog Rose, Rosa Hugonis, 
R. Soulieana and the seeds of a large number of old world and 
native species usually lie dormant until the second year after 
sowing, though there are individual exceptions. They are best 
grown in seed beds under ordinary garden conditions. Roses 
of the Tea, Bourbon, and Rosa gigantea sections, R. Banksiae and 
the Cherokee and Macartney Roses and probably other tender 
forms from southern Asia, require greenhouse treatment practi- 
cally at all times but seedlings of the general run of garden and 
dooryard Roses may very well be grown without glass protection 
if one has patience to wait for their tardy germination. Seeds 
of the little Polyantha nana Roses offered by dealers may be 
grown in an ordinary window box like Cabbage or Tomato 
plants and should profusely bloom the first season. 
A MULTITUDE of experiments have been tried to hasten 
the tardy development of Rose seeds. Soaking in hot or 
cold water; immersion in concentrated sulphuric and other acids 
or alkalies to char or soften the bony hulls; treatment with hy- 
WHEN THE HYBRIDIST FEELS HAPPY 
Here is an exceptionally strong stand of seedlings of a Rosa Soulieana hybrid 
drogen peroxide, camphor water, manganese and 
other solutions; exposure to intense chemical cold 
or rapid alternations of freezing and thawing tempera- 
tures — all claimed to be partially effective with cer- 
tain other seeds — have failed 
with Rose seeds. Beyond 
the slow wait for after- 
maturity, apparently a char- 
acteristic of Rose, Hawthorn, 
Holly, and some other bony 
seeds, the normal action of 
frost and the solvent proper- 
ties of snow water appear the 
only agents worth taking into 
consideration. That frost 
and snow are not actually 
necessary, even though 
advantageous, may be 
concluded from the 
fact that seeds of some 
of the most dilatory 
species of Roses have 
germinated in the greenhouse 
after continuous exposure to 
high temperature for five to 
seven years. Great patience 
is required of the seedling 
Rose grower. Hope of ger- 
mination should not be 
abandoned until examination 
shows that all of the hard 
shells have decayed and the 
contained germs have perished. Tender Rose seedlings, of the 
everblooming classes, particularly those raised from Hybrid- 
tea parents, require close attention and are best cared for in a 
well-equipped greenhouse, though occasional plants may pull 
through under frame or window garden conditions. Mildew, 
aphides, and black spot (an obstinate leaf disease of this section), 
claim a large proportion, even under expert care. Many runts 
and cripples, the result of uncongenial cross-pollinations at some 
period in the life history of the parents, are sure to result and can 
rarely be induced to thrive, but a fair proportion of reasonably 
vigorous plants, capable of being reared to blooming maturity, 
may be expected. These may be transferred to small pots of 
the deep form used for Rose cuttings and grown on until large 
enough to be set in the garden. 
Seedlings of the hardy garden varieties of Roses had best 
remain where sown for the first season even if quite crowded, 
and removed the following spring to trial rows or beds, 
setting them two or more feet apart each way. Rose seed- 
lings of the hardy types will endure considerable cold and 
exposure when small, but should have moderate protection 
against unusual frosts. Deep, rich soil and an open sunny 
position in the garden are needed for best results and these con- 
ditions should be striven for to the best of the grower’s ability. 
The soil about the plants should always be well worked and they 
should never be interfered with by weeds or other near-by plant 
growths. A situation in full sunlight is always best for young 
Rose plants. 
Seedlings of the various constant-blooming varieties usually 
attempt to bloom when quite small — in some cases even in 
the seed-leaf stage — but these precocious efforts greatly retard 
gorwth and should promptly be suppressed in the interest 
of future development by pinching out the tiny buds as soon as 
they can be distinguished. The plant must have reasonable 
size and vigor before it can perfect blooms of normal character 
for the variety and considerable time must elapse before their 
special merits or lack of merit can fairly be judged. 
Plants of the large-growing garden classes bloom the second 
or third year from seeds if sufficiently developed, but several 
seasons further are often required to fully determine their gen- 
