August 19 , 1880 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
155 
19 th 
TH 
Reading Show. 
20th 
F 
Bradford Horticultural Show. 
21st 
S 
22nd 
Sun 
13th Sunday after Trinity. 
23rd 
M 
24 th 
Tu 
Royal Horticultural Society .Fruit & Floral Committees at 11 A.M. 
25th 
W 
Isle of Thanet Horticultural Exhibition. 
ROSES FROM CUTTINGS. 
P^vp-^^*)EVER, perhaps, has the value of dwarf Roses 
been more apparent than during the present 
season. In the southern counties and favour¬ 
able localities standards have passed the winter 
with comparatively little injury, but over a vast 
extent of country, and in the north especially, 
iV most of the trees are dead, and the survivors pre¬ 
sent a miserable appearance. In a majority of gardens 
only the dwarfs are healthy, and these in not a few in¬ 
stances are growing luxuriantly. These plants may 
have been worked on the Manetti, seedling Briar, or Briar 
cutting stocks, but most of them are practically on their own 
roots, and probably would have been equally healthy had they 
been grown from cuttings instead of having been budded or 
grafted. It is certain that nearly all Roses on their own roots 
grow freely and produce fine blooms. A few may not do so, 
but they are few indeed, and can either be dispensed with or 
given the peculiar treatment they require. 
It is a little strange that own-root Roses are not raised in 
any large numbers in nurseries. Manetti cuttings are struck 
by the million, and Briar cuttings by thousands, while seedling 
Briars are raised in very large quantities ; but Rose growth is 
left on the trees until the spring, and the shoots that, if taken 
at the right time would have made cuttings innumerable, are 
consigned to the flames. Nothing better can be done with 
them at that time, for not one in a thousand will strike if 
inserted at pruning time, while, on the contrary, few w ill fail 
if properly chosen and carefully inserted from now until 
November. 
The best wood for cuttings is that which is short-jointed and 
rather firm. Sappy luxuriant shoots will not do, and weak 
stubby growths are not desirable. The latter may emit roots 
very well, but they are long in making good plants. 
Seven years ago I inserted in three short rows a dozen cut¬ 
tings each of the Manetti, the Briar, and John Hopper Rose. 
All the Manettis grew, all the John Hoppers, and nine of the 
Briars. In due time the stocks were budded, but the John 
Hoppers took the lead and kept it, and are the best bushes 
now. This is the only fair way to test own-root Roses against 
worked plants. I have seen so-called trials of the different 
types conducted in this manner—cuttings of Roses have been 
planted at the same time that buds of the same Roses have 
been inserted in other stocks. Under these conditions those 
budded have made strong plants the soonest, and their su¬ 
periority has been pointed out over the others ; but it was 
forgotten that the budded plants had a clear year’s start. Let 
the plan above mentioned—namely, cuttings of stocks for 
budding, and of Roses for growing and blooming, be inserted 
at the same time, and it will be found that the plan of working 
the Roses on other stocks does not possess such striking ad¬ 
vantages as is popularly supposed. 
Rose cuttings, I have said, may be inserted from now until 
November. The present time is preferable, especially when 
only a few scores or hundreds are required ; but if thousands 
are needed it is more profitable to insert them in the autumn, 
or when the Manetti or Briar cuttings are planted. It may 
very naturally be remarked, that if August is the best time 
for inserting ten Rose cuttings, it is also the best for insert¬ 
ing ten thousand. That is the logical view of the case, but 
gardening practice cannot always be successfully conducted by 
rules of logic. 
An important element of success in striking Rose cuttings 
in summer is keeping them perfectly fresh— i.e., they must be 
just as fresh when placed in the soil as when cut from the 
trees ; in fact, the work cannot be done too quickly. If once 
the cuttings shrivel—and they shrivel rapidly—few will grow ; 
but if quite fresh, well selected, and rightly inserted, few will 
fail. This essential of perfect freshness can be maintained 
when the number of cuttings is limited, but cannot at any rate 
without some trouble and difficulty when they amount to 
thousands, and those who have to be entrusted with the work 
cannot be depended on for exercising the care that is really 
requisite when they cannot see the necessity for it. 
As above mentioned, rather firm short-jointed wood is the 
best for cuttings.- Wood containing much pith on the one 
hand, or very hard and wiry in appearance on the other, should 
be eschewed. Those shoots that have produced blooms make 
excellent cuttings, and the lower portions of moderately strong 
shoots strike freely. It is not necessary to take them off with 
a “ heel,” though such “ slips ” will grow. The cuttings may 
be about 6 inches in length, a little more or less not being 
material. They should be cut smoothly across close under a 
joint with a very sharp knife, all the leaves being removed, 
but not the buds, except the top leaf, or if very short-jointed 
the top pair. The cuttings should be inserted quite up to these 
top leaves, or in other words 5 inches of their length being in 
the soil and 1 inch above it. The soil is preferably rather light 
in texture, made fine by careful digging, but trodden rather 
firmly before planting the cuttings. They may either be placed 
in trenches, prepared as if for planting Box edging, or be in¬ 
serted with the dibber, the worker standing on a board and 
planting by its edge, as if pricking-off Cabbage plants. I like 
this plan the best. If the Rose cuttings are placed in trenches 
some sand should be put round them before levelling-in the soil 
and firming it. If they are dibbea-in, the surface should be 
covered half an inch thick with rough sand or gritty road sweep¬ 
ings. A blunt dibber should be used, which forces the sand 
downwards, on which each cutting must rest firmly, and the 
soil must be made firm especially at the base of the cuttings. 
Thousands of cuttings of all kinds are spoiled annually by 
simply hanging them, the soil at the base being loose, while 
near the surface it is patted round the cuttings with some care. 
The very reverse of this should occur both when inserting cut¬ 
tings and young plants of all kinds. 
Rose cuttings inserted now are the least trouble if a partially 
shaded border can be afforded for them. They should be 
placed about 4 inches apart in rows a foot asunder, there to 
No. 8.—Vol. I., Third Series. 
No. 1664.—YOI,. LXIV., Ol.D SERIES. 
