224 
THE LADIES MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
as they are called, and laid in water to be ready. A stock must then be 
selected ; and this may be either an old tree-rose, or a wild briar trans¬ 
planted from the hedges the previous year, or a wild rose raised in the 
garden from seed, and two or three years old, or a sucker sprung from the 
roots of some garden rose. When the stock is selected, a small part of 
the stem must be chosen, and all the side shoots above and beneath it, ex¬ 
cept those forming the head of the stock, must be cleared away. An 
incision should then be made in the bark, about half an inch long, hori¬ 
zontally ; and from the centre of this a perpendicular cut, one or two 
inches long, must be made downwards. The great art in doing this is to 
cut entirely through the bark without wounding the wood ; and it is for 
this reason that I think a round-pointed knife better than one with a sharp 
point; as it is very difficult with the latter to avoid wounding the wood. 
The bud must then be prepared by cutting it out of a shoot of the current 
years growth. This is done by inserting the knife about half an inch 
above the bud, and then cutting downwards, so as to take out the bud 
with the wood of about half the thickness of the shoot. This piece of 
wood must then be separated from the bark, without injuring the bud ; and 
this is the most difficult part of the whole operation, as if it be done care¬ 
lessly, the eye of the bud will be probably pulled away with the wood, 
and the bud will be rendered useless : the separated bark must, therefore, 
be carefully examined on the inner side, and if no hole is found where the 
bud is, it is in a proper state. The bark of the stock must then be care¬ 
fully raised with the haft of the knife on each side of the perpendicular 
incision, and the bud, being first reduced to the proper size, must be 
slipped carefully in. The bark of the horizontal incision is then raised 
to admit the upper part of the bud, and the operation is finished, except 
tying the stem several times round with the strands of bast matting in 
order to keep the bud in its proper place. 
In about a month, if the bud be found to look full and fresh, it has be¬ 
come united to the stock, and the bandage may be loosened to allow it 
room to swell; and when the operation has been performed in July, the 
head of the stock is generally taken off, about a week afterwards, in order 
to throw all the strength into the bud. If, however, the operation be 
deferred till August or September, the head of the stock is generally left 
on till spring. All the shoots below the bud should be rubbed or pinched 
off as soon as they appear. 
Greenhouse shrubs, particularly those in balconies, will require water¬ 
ing twice a day in hot weather during this month : but care should be 
taken, either to keep them without saucers, or to empty the saucers as soon 
as the water has passed through the earth in the pot, as stagnant water 
will injure the roots, and soon make the plants become stunted and sickly. 
