as it grows with such remarkable vigour, is so full of sap, so smooth, and so agreeable to bud. In describing varieties in the preceding pages, I have pointed out many that do not flourish on the Dog Rose; for these the Boursault and the following varieties should be used. In making cuttings, take one-year-old shoots, and cut them into lengths of one foot the bottom of the cutting should be cut close to a bud, and not sloping; the top should be cut just above a bud, with a gentle slope; then carefully cut out all the buds, but two at the top. In planting, the section of a ridge must be formed, the cutting placed firmly against it, and the earth dug up to it, and firmly pressed; when finished, the row of cuttings should stand in the centre of a ridge about eight inches high, and only one bud of the cutting above the surface; from being thus moulded up, no exhaustion takes place during the dry frosts of winter and spring, and every cutting will grow; in July or August of the following season they will be fit to bud. The ridge must then be levelled so as to expose the main stem of the cutting; and in this, at about six or eight inches from the bottom, the bud must be inserted; the stocks should be budded as soon as possible after being uncovered, or the bark will become rigid, and will not open freely. The Celine Stock, a very old Hybrid Bourbon Rose, will succeed under exactly the same treatment; this is a most excellent stock for Bourbon, Noisette (particularly the Cloth of Gold), and many other roses, if planted in a rich, moist soil; the second year it will make shoots from four to five feet in height, fit for low standards. 66 Last, but not least," is the Rosa Manettii, a rose I received some eight or ten years since, from Como, from Signor Crivelli, who recommended it as the very best of all roses for a stock. It was raised from seed by Signor Manetti, of the Botanic Garden at Milan; cuttings of this may be prepared and planted exactly as recommended for the Boursault. All the roses I have budded on this stock have succeeded admirably; above all the Hybrid Perpetuals, which scarcely seem to know when to leave off growing and blooming in the autumn; indeed this stock is remarkable for its late growth: for it may be budded during the whole of September; another excellent quality is, that it never gives any suckers from its roots; and if planted in a stiff loam highly manured, it will, if cut down close to the ground, make shoots, in one season, six to eight feet in height; and will thus form fine standards. I have a stem of three years' growth, larger than a stout broom handle, and apparently increasing rapidly in girth; it seems to flourish equally in light and dry as well as in stiff soils; and it will, I trust, be of much value to the rose amateur, who, if the soil of his rose garden is light and dry, is so often troubled with the numerous suckers thrown up by the Dog Rose. Stocks of the Dog Rose should always be planted in November. Those intended for dwarfs, may be cut to within six inches of the root, those for dwarf standards and standards to the requisite lengths. After planting, cover the surface of the soil near their roots with litter or fresh manure, four to six inches deep; in August of the following season, they will be in fine order for budding. Hedge budding, lately recommended in the Gardener's Chronicle, may be practised under particular circumstances; thus, if some fine stocks, that have been overlooked in autumn, are discovered in February, in lieu of removing them to the rose garden, bud them in the hedge in July or August following; attend to them the following summer, and remove them to the garden in the autumn. If removed with the dormant buds, the same autumn they are budded, they will, unless the plants are well rooted, not break well; but, if the stocks can be removed with tolerable roots it will, unless the hedge is very near the house, be interesting to have them in the garden, so as to be able to watch over them carefully. By the former method, you will have very strong plants to remove into the garden, fifteen months after budding; by the latter, you may remove your stocks with their buds three months after budding. You will probably lose a few of your plants, from their being deficient in roots, and some of your budded stocks will refuse to push or break, from the same cause. Your roses will ornament your hedge during the summer, prick your fingers, and give you some trouble to prune and superintend. Your buds will bloom in the garden, though not with equal vigour, still, if Hybrid Perpetuals or Bourbons, with much freedom, and they will constantly be under your eye. Take the scales of experience, and weigh carefully the advantages to be derived from the above methods. I can only say, that the culture of roses, whether in the garden or in the wilderness, is always interesting. |