JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 21, 1881. ] 
21st 
TH 
22nd 
F 
Sutton Coldfield Bose Show. 
23rd 
S 
Cleckheaton Cattle Show. 
24th 
Sun 
6TU SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Horticultural Show at Liige. 
25th 
M 
26th 
TO 
Boyal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees at 
27th 
W 
[11 A.M. British Bee-keepers’ Exhibition (7 days). 
STRIKING ROSES IN SUMMER. 
CORRESPONDENT having asked for the 
names of such II.P. Roses as -will grow on 
their own roots, I have to say that I have 
not found any which will not succeed in that 
way at least as well as they will in any other. 
It is true I have not grown them all, nor a sixth 
part of such as may be said to be in general culti¬ 
vation amongst large exhibitors ; but as no failures 
have occurred amongst those which have been tried, 
and they represent all classes, it may be assumed that 
although under certain conditions some varieties will not strike 
root as freely as others, yet when once rooted they will all 
grow well, and that those which will not strike readily under 
one system will freely do so under another. There is probably 
not a Rose grown which will not freely root at this time of 
the year if the cuttings are treated in the way I shall attempt 
to describe. 
Most people who have attempted to grow Roses have also at 
some time tried to bud a few ; they will therefore understand 
that when a Rose shoot is in the condition of having buds fit 
to insert, it is also then in the best condition for making into 
cuttings, with a chance of every cutting striking root. To 
those who do not know anything about budding I may say 
that the growth is generally in the best condition at the time 
of flowering, or immediately afterwards. A shoot which has 
produced a flower, and still has its foliage healthy, will gene¬ 
rally have little plump buds in its axils, and these before they 
start into growth are in the best condition for the purpose of 
propagation either by buds or cuttings. It is not really neces¬ 
sary that a shoot should flower to be in this condition ; on the 
contrary, those which have not produced a flower, if the growth 
is sufficiently hard, will probably strike root the quickest; but 
as everything depends on the condition of the wood I am 
anxious to make this part of the subject plain. It must be 
moderately hard, bearing fresh healthy leaves, and must not 
be too vigorous. Medium or even weak growths will be found 
to root more freely than those which are strong and succulent. 
Having decided that the growth is in a suitable condition for 
making cuttings, the soil must be prepared to receive them— 
for remember, that when once they are severed from the parent 
plant every minute of exposure to the action of the air before 
insertion will probably add a day to the time it will take them 
to strike root ; and further, that the value of the future plant 
altogether depends on its striking root without losing its pre¬ 
sent foliage. It will, I think, not be too much to assert that 
more Rose cuttings fail to strike by being dried during the 
process of making and insertion than by any other cause. 
49 
Keep the wood and foliage perfectly fresh and failures will 
be few ; permit the bark to shrivel and the leaves to flag and 
the losses will be many. 
I prefer to have my cuttings for striking in summer in such 
a position that the sun cannot shine directly on them, but still 
so that they may have the benefit of all the daylight there is. 
The best place, then, I consider is quite close to the north 
side of a rather high wall, and if there are no plants growing 
there so much the better. Another advantage which this 
position possesses is that the fluctuations of temperature are 
not so great as in other parts of the garden, hence the con¬ 
densation of moisture, that great producer of “ damping-off,” 
is not so great. My propagating frames are very simple, con¬ 
sisting of bottomless boxes fixed on the ground after it is 
prepared for the cuttings ; or if the boxes are not sufficiently 
deep to give a couple of inches of clear head-room above the 
cuttings they may be fixed on the ground first, and then the 
interior can be lowered to the required depth, taking care 
that the soil to receive the cuttings is sweet but not rich. It 
will be an advantage to place an inch or two of gritty soil— 
say a third road grit or sand to two-thirds of well-pulverised 
soil, such as would be found on the surface of a flower border. 
The size of the boxes is immaterial, so long as they do not reach 
out too far from the wall. Mine are generally boxes such as 
have been used for growing French Beans in during winter, 
the bottoms of which invariably decay before the upright 
parts, and they then serve this purpose as well as new boxes 
would. The size of them is 32 by 12 inches, and 9 inches 
deep. The greater part of our propagating is done in boxes 
of this length and breadth, although they are not of uniform 
depth, and they are covered with panes of glass about 12 by 
104 inches, three panes covering each box. Some long strips 
of paper about an inch wide are cut, a little paste (merely 
flour and water mixed without boiling), and a small paint 
brush are in readiness before the cuttings are taken off. 
Where a long shoot can be spared it may be made into 
several cuttings, as it is not necessary to have a heel to them, 
as many people imagine. One joint below ground and one 
above is sufficient, but more will do no harm provided there is 
no soft growth left on the upper part. Use a dibber without 
a sharp point, so that it may leave the bottom of the hole flat 
for the cutting to rest on, then make the soil quite firm round 
it without bruising the bark. Have one box filled as quickly 
as possible, give a rather heavy watering, place the glass over 
immediately, and paste the strips of paper partly on to the 
box and partly on to the edges of the glass, so that no air can 
enter. If the panes fit closely together on the top it will not 
be necessary to place paper across ; but if there is more than 
room to stick the point of a knife in, the widest spaces should 
have paper pasted on them as well. Do not allow the glass to 
be lifted for four weeks, by which time you will have plants 
instead of cuttings, and they then must be treated accordingly. 
Among the sorts which I have doing well are Etienne Dupuy, 
Francis Michelon, Mdlle. Therese Levet, La France, Duchesse 
de Vallombrosa, Marie Baumann, Alfred Colorab, Jules Mar- 
gottin, Victor Yerdier, Achille Gounod, Madame Clemence 
Joigneaux, General Jacqueminot, Centifolia Rosea, John 
Hopper, and Beauty of Waltham. 
There is a Rose, I suppose it is a H.B. Paul Verdier, which 
I would specially recommend to those who have to supply cut 
flowers, as it comes in just as the H.P.’s are getting past their 
■No. 1712. — Yon. LXYI* Old Seri"' 
No. 56.—Vol. IIIi, Third Ssrijgs. 
