132 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
his invariable practice of keeping his pit, in which they were 
grown, quite closed. 
It has been sometimes recommended, I think by Mr. Salisbury, 
to invert the plants between two trestles in the autumn and 
until they are quite at rest, with a view to the storing up in the 
branches of the elaborated sap, which would otherwise descend, 
to the roots ; the benefit arising from this practice may, I think, 
be referred to the more complete state of rest, to which the 
plants, in such a situation, are forced to yield, and in conse¬ 
quence of which their excitability is increased. There can be 
no doubt that wherever plants are submitted to a higher tem¬ 
perature than is usual to them at an early season of the year 
it is one of the most essential points towards ensuring precocity 
to take care that they are excited annually in the same order 
and rotation. 
It would be desirable to say a few words respecting the pro¬ 
priety of working roses when intended for pot culture, and also 
to notice the kind of stock which is best suited to this purpose; 
but here opinions vary, and perhaps the subject can only be sa¬ 
tisfactorily decided on by actual experiment. That the delicate 
kinds of roses are best when worked upon a more vigorous stem 
seems to be generally admitted; but what kind of rose should 
be used as a stock is not so clearly evident. Many years ago 
Mr. Rivers recommended Rosa canina (the dog-rose), one of 
our English species, for the purpose, and this opinion he still 
holds; whilst, on the other hand, Mr. Beaton says, “ never use 
the dog-rose stock for forcing.” The dog-rose is easily procu¬ 
rable, of vigorous growth, and easily excitable, and therefore 
seems to be in some degree at least approximating to the kind 
of stock required ; and the same might be said of others of our 
English species. Others recommend Rosa damascena {the 
damask rose), on account, as it is said, of it not being liable to 
throw up suckers. These are perhaps all surpassed for this 
purpose by Rosa Banksia (the Banksian rose), which, in ad¬ 
dition to its easily excitable nature, and its freeness of growth, 
possesses the quality of being abundantly furnished with fibrous 
roots; and therefore it seems to be best of all adapted to cater 
for a supply of food for its “ adopted head.” There is no 
reason why it should not be sufficiently abundant at least to 
supply stocks for pot roses, as it produces abundance of cut- 
