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New Dork

State College of Agriculture
At Cornell GQniversitp
Ithaca, 2. DB.

 

Librarp

Dhariesthtign so
 
SAXTON’S COTTAGE AND FARM LIBRARY.

 

THE

AMERICAN ROSE CULTURIST:

BEING A
PRACTICAL TREATISE
/ ON THE
PROPAGATION, CULTIVATION, AND MANAGEMENT
OF

THE ROSE

IN ALL SEASONS; WITH A LIST OF CHOICE AND APPROVED VARIETIES,
ADAPTED TO THE CLIMATE OF THE UNITED STATES ;

TO WHICH ARE ADDED
FULL DIRECTIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF

THE DAHLIA.

Illustrated by Engravings.

 

‘*___No flower that blows
Is like the Rose, nor scatters such perfume.”

New York:
C. M. SAXTON, AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHER,
i, “ee £8
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by
C. M. SAXTON,
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District
of New York.
INDEX.

THE ROSE.

PAGE

Briers......-seeees . Te, a

Budding...

enn

 
  
 
 

 

   
 
      
  
  
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
    

Spring... a 35

| Calendar of Operations. --- - 73

Flowering of Seedlings, Hastening of.. - 47

Retarding’ oh: eer 49

Forcing. .«. . 39, 42, 43, 2
Gratin dex sase <ss rp ain gaan aioe supeisa generate

Root... “ 3B

Hints, Gener: Cultiva 67

Insects infesting the Rose..
Manures proper for the Rose.
Pillar Roses.....- estes
Planting of the Rose......
Poetical Allusions to the Rose.

Potting of Roses.. scSiasis - 89, 41
Propagation by Budding. some OL
Cuttings. . -- 49
Grafting. . +. 57

Layers....
Seed..
Suckers... ia, ste
Properties of Climbing Roses.
Moss Roses..
Noisette Ros
Roses for Stands. .
Pruning:.......
Standards..
and Trailing Pillar Roses.
Root Grafting. .
Roses, Austrian Brier.
Banksian.

 

vase QL, 26

 

PAGE

Roses, Bengal.......
Bourbon...
Boursault..
Burgundy...-
China......

11, Bi at

    
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
    
     
 
 
 
   

Double Yellow.
Evergreen.
French..

Hardy Garden
Hybrid.........
Jaune Desprez.

Microphylla....
Miniature..

Tea-scented..
Varieties of.
Village Mai:
hite......+06

Soil proper for the Rose......-..-.-
Species and Varieties.......0-sseeseeee

THE DAHLIA.

PAGE

WAfter Culture... .scscceccccnccceccncces 94

History....
Mulching...

: Planting OU traitors atiarisise

Propagation by Grafting and Slips

OCU. eens

Slips......-.

Requisites of a Fine Flower... 2+ses0++

    
  
  
 

+. 93
«- 92
+. 90

 

    

++ 78| Soil, Preparation of.

eeoee 90 | Watering. ..-+sseccesereee rece conens

   
    
 

Situation........ee see

Treatment, Autumnal.
of- Slips. aoe
Spring..
when flowering.
ADVERTISEMENT.

Tus marked effect with which the “ Cottage Bee Keeper” was
received, as the first of the series of “Saxton’s Cottage and
Farm Library,” has led the Publisher to issue the present
treatise on the Rose and the Dahlia.

No pains will be spared in bringing out the succeeding volumes
agreeably to the plan of the original design; and if practicable, it is
hoped that they will be still more deserving of success than those
which have already appeared.

The publisher acknowledges his indebtedness to Messrs. Lea and
Blanchard, of Philadelphia, for the permission granted for using Lan-
dreth’s “ Dictionary of Modern Gardening,” in the compilation of this
work. He also takes this occasion to thank Mr. William H. Starr for
the use of several engravings herein employed.

C. M. SAXTON,

AGRICULTURAL Book PustisHER,
152 Fonron Srreer,
 

THE ROSE.

INTRODUCTION,

Rose ! thou art the sweetest flower
‘ That ever drank the amber shower ;
Rose ! thou art the fondest child
Of dimpled Spring, the wond nymph wild.
ANACREON.

HE Rose, the emblem of beauty and the pride
of Flora, reigns Queen of the Flowers in every
part of the globe; and the bards of all nations
and languages have sung its praises. Yet
what poet has been able, or language sufficient,
to do justice to a plant that has been denom-
inated the Daughter of Heaven, the glory of
spring, and the ornament of the earth? As
it is the most common of all that compose the
garland of Flora, so it is the most delightful.
Every country boasts of it, and every behold-

er admires it. Poets have celebrated its charms without exhausting
its eulogium ; for its allurements increase upon a familiarity, and every
fresh view presents new beauties, and gives additional delight. Hence
it renovates the imagination of the bard, and the very name of the
flower gives harmony to his numbers, as its odors give sweetness to
the air.

 
6 INTRODUCTION.

To paint this universal emblem of delicate splendor in its own hues,
the pencil should be dipped in the tints of Aurora, when arising amidst
her aérial glory. Human art can neither color nor describe so fair a
flower. Venus herself feels a rival in the Rose, whose beauty is com-
posed of all that is exquisite and graceful. It has been made the
symbol of sentiments as opposite as various. Piety seized it to deco-
rate the temples, while Love expressed its tenderness by wreaths; and
Jollity revelled adorned with crowns of roses. Grief strews it on the
tomb, and Luxury spreads it on the couch. It is mingled with our
tears, and spread in our gayest walks; in epitaphs, it expresses youth-
ful modesty and chastity, while in the songs of the Bacchanalians
their god is compared to this flower. The beauty of the morning is
allegorically represented by it, and Aurora is depictured strewing
roses before the chariot of Pheebus:

“When morning paints the orient skies,
Her fingers burn with roseate dyes.””

The Rose is thought to have given name to the Holy Land where
Solomon sang its praises, as Syria appears to be derived from Suri, a
beautiful and delicate species of Rose, for which that country has al-
ways been famous; and hence called Suristan, or the “ Land of Roses.”
The island of Rhodes owes its name to the prodigious quantity of
roses which formerly grew upon its soil.

Of the birth of the Rose, it is related in fable, that Flora having
found the corpse of a favorite Nymph, whose beauty of person was
only surpassed by the purity of her heart and chastity of her mind,
resolved to raise a plant from the precious remains of this daughter of
the Dryads, for which purpose she begged the assistance of Venus
and the Graces, as well as of all the deities that preside over gardens,
to assist in the transformation of the Nymph into a flower, that was
to be by them proclaimed Queen of all the vegetable beauties. The
ceremony was attended by the Zephyrs, who cleared the atmosphere,
in order that Apollo might bless the new-created progeny by his
beams. Bacchus supplied rivers of nectar to nourish it, and Vertumnus
poured his choicest perfumes over the plant. When the metamor-
phosis was complete, Pomona strewed her fruit over the young
branches, which were then crowned by Flora with a diadem, that had

been purposely prepared by the celestials to distinguish this Queen of
slowers.
INTRODUCTION. Tv

Anacreon’s birth of the Rose stands thus translated by Moore:

“Oh! whence could such a plant have sprung?
Attend—for thus the tale is sung;

When, humid from the silvery stream,
Venus appeared, in flushing hues,

Mellowed by ocean’s briny dews —

When, in the starry courts above,

The pregnant brain of mighty Jove
Disclosed the nymph of azure glance--
The nymph who shakes the martial lance!
Then, then, in strange eventful hour,

The earth produced an infant flower, .
Which sprung, with blushing tinctures drest,
And wantoned o’er its parent’s breast.
The gods beheld this brilliant birth,

And hailed the rose—the boon of earth !
With nectar drops a ruby tide,

The sweetly-orient buds they dyed,
And bade them bloom, the flowers divine
Of him who sheds the teeming vine ;

And bade them on the spangled thorn
Expand their bosoms to the morn.”

The first Rose ever seen was said to have been given by the god of
love to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to engage him not to divulge
the amours of his mother Venus; and from hence the ancients made it
a symbol of silence, and itbecame a custom to place a Rose above their
heads in their banqueting rooms, in order to banish restraint, as no-
thing there said would be repeated elsewhere; and from this practice
originated the saying, swb rosa, (under the rose,) when anything
was to be kept secret.

Oriana, when confined a prisoner in a lofty tower, threw a wet Rose
to her lover to express her grief and love; and in the floral language
of the East, the presenting a rose bud with thorns and leaves, is under-
stood to express both fear and hope; and when returned, reversed, it
signifies that one must neither entertain fear nor hope. If the thorns
be taken off before it is returned, then it expresses that one has every-
thing to hope; but if the leaves be stripped off, it gives the receiver to
understand that he has everything to fear.

The Moss Rose is made the emblem of voluptuous love; and the
creative imagination of a German poet thus pleasingly accounts for
this Rose having clad itself in a mossy garment:

The angel of the flowers ono day
Beneath a rose treo sleeping lay.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

That spirit to whose charge is given

To bathe young buds in dews from heaven,
Awaking from his light repose,

The angel whispered to the rose,—

‘Oh, fondest ubject of my care,

Still fairest found where all are fair,

‘For the sweet shade thou’st given to me,

Ask what thou wilt, ’tis granted thee.’

s Then? said the rose, with deepened glow,
‘On me another grace bestow.?

The spirit paused in silent thought—
What grace was there that flower had not?
°Twas but a moment—o’er the rose

A veil of moss the angel throws ;

And, robed in nature’s simplest weed,

Can there a flower that rose exceed ?””

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

Boranists enumerate at least eighty distinct species of the Rose, and
florists an almost innumerable number of varieties and sub-varieties,

most of which are hardy, deciduous, or evergreen shrubs.

a description or even to give a list of the names of all of these would
be foreign to the design of this little treatise, and would be a needless
waste of time, for the simple reason that many of them are unworthy
of preservation, while in others, nothing short of the nicest and the

most minute inspection can discover any difference.

The following are the names and characters of the more important
and desirable members of this family, best adapted to this country

and may be purchased at any of our principal florists :—

Bengal or Daily Boses.

Names. Color and Character,
Animated, Rosy biush.
Arsenie, Light rose.
Augustine Hersent, Superb rose.
Assuerus, Crimson,

Admiral Duperre, Dark rose.

Belle Isidore, Crimson.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES,

Names.
Belle de Monza,
Belle violet,
Bisson,
Burette,
Cameleon,
Cramoisi supérieur,
Cels,
Comble de gloire,
Don Carlos,
Duchess of Kent,
Eugene Beauharnais,
Fabvier,
Grandral,
Grandida,
Hortensia,
Indica alba,
Jacksonia,
Louis-Philippe,
Lady Warrender,
Laurencia,
Marjolin,
Mrs. Bosanquet,
Napoleon,
Reine de Lombardie,
Samson, :
Triomphant,
Vanilla,

Color and Character.
Dark rose.
Violet purple.
Rosy blush.
Dark red.
Rose.
Crimson.
Blush.
Crimson.
Dark rose.
Pink.
Crimson.
Scarlet.
Crimson.
Rose.

Light rose.
Pure white.
Bright red.
Crimson.
White.
Pink.
Crimson.
Large, blush.
Rose, fine.
Cherry red.
Light rose.
Crimson.
Dark rose.

Teazescented Roses.

Names.
Archduchess Theresa,
Aurora,

Alba,

Arkinto,

Adelaide,

Antherose,

Adam,

Belle Marguerite,
1*

Color and Character.

White.
Blush.

Pure white.
Flesh color.
Blush.
Blush white.
Rosy blush.
Rosy purple.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES,

Names.
Bougére,
Boutrand,
Bon Siléne,
Bourbon,
Barbot,
Camellia,
Caroline,
Countess Albemarle,
Due d'Orléans,
Devoniensis,
Devaux,
Delphine Gaudot,
D'Arrance de Navarre,
Eliza Sauvage,
Flon,
Flavescens,
Golcondi,
Goubault,
Gigantesque de Lima,
Gloria de Hardi,
Hyménée,
Jaune Panaché,
La Sylphide,
Lilicina,
Lyonnais,
La Pactole,
La Renomme,
Madame Desprez,
Mansais,
Niphetos,
Odoratissima,
Princesse Maria,
Princesse d’Esterhazy,
Strombio,
Triomphe de Luxembourg,
Victoria modeste,
William Wallace,

Color and Character

Light rose.
Rosy blush.
Superb red.
White.
Blush,
White.
Bright rose.
Straw color.
Bright rose.
Creamy yellow.
Blush.
White.
Light pink.
Pale sulphur.
Buff.
Yellow.
Blush white.
Rosy blush.
Light yellow.
Light rose.
White.
Straw color.
Rosy buff.
Lilac.

Rose.
Yellow.
White.
White.

Rosy buff.
White.

Rich blush.
Blush.

Light rose.
White.
Rosy blush,

-Blush,

Pale blush.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES. ll

Bourbon Roses.

Names. a
Augustine Lelieur,
Acidalie,

Comte de Rambuteau,
Ceres,

Cytherea,

Comte d’Eu,

Doctor Rocques,
Dumont de Courset,
Du Petit Thouars,
Emilie Courtier,
Gloire de Rosamene,
Gloire de Paris,
Grand Capitaine,
Gloire de France,
Hermosa,

Henri Plantier,
Impératrice Josephine,
Lady Canning,
Madame Desprez,
Madame Souchet,
Madame Lacharme,
Madame Nerard,
Maréchal de Villars,
Ninon de l’Enclos,
Paul Joseph,
Princesse Clementine,
Pheenix,

Pierre de St. Cyr,
Queen,

Reine de Fontenay,
Souchet,

Souvenir de la Malmaison,
Théresita,

Colorand Character.

Bright rose.

White, large, and fine.
Violet purple.

Dark rose.

Rosy pink, very fragrant.
Bright carmine.

Purple crimson.

Deep purple.

Rosy red.
Brilliant crimson.
Bright red.
Brilliant scarlet.
Rose, very fragrant.
Light pink.

Pale rose.
Creamy white.
Deep rose.

Rosy lilac.

Blush, fine.
Blush white.
Light rose.

Rosy purple, fine.
Dark rose.
Velvet crimson.
Deep rosy purple.
Rose red.

Light rose.
Delicate blush.
Brilliant rose.
Deep crimson.
Creamy white, fine.
Bright carmine.
12 SPECIES AND VARIETIES,

Remontant ov Wobria Perpetual Roses.

In Europe, these Roses are highly esteemed; here, their reputation
as “perpetuals,” has been seriously injured, in consequence of their
having been, in many instances, worked on stocks unsuited either to
them, or to our climate.—Landreth. ,

Names. Color and Character.

Antinous,

Aubernon,

Augustine Mouchelet,
Baronne Provost,
Comte de Paris,
Claire du Chatelet,
Clementine syringe,
Comtesse Duchatel,
Crimson or rose du roi,
D’ Angers,

Doctor Marjolin,

Duc d’Aumale,
Duchesse de Nemours,
Duchesse de Sutherland,
Edouard Jesse,
Isaure,

Israel,

Insigne D’Estotells,
Josephine Antoinette,
Louis Bonaparte,
Lady Fordwich,
Lady Alice Peel,

La Reine, or Queen,
Madame Laffay,
Marquise Bocella,
Mrs. Elliott,

Melanie cornu,
Newton,

Palmyre,

Princesse Héléne,
Prince Albert,
Prudence Reeser,

Dark crimson.

Clear red, very fine.
Clear bright rose.
Fine rose color.
Dark crimson.
Purple red.

Pale rose.

Light crimson.
Delicate rose.

Pale rose.

Bright rose.

Dark purple crimson.
Bright pink.

Sable.

Rosy blush,

Deep Rose.

Rosy carmine,
Rose color, superb,
Brilliant rose.

Rosy red.
Deep crimson.

Blush,

Large deep rose.

Very dark crimson, fine,
Rosy pink.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 13

Names.
Prince de Salm,
Prince of Wales,
Reine de la Guillotiére,
Desquermus or Royal,
Stanwell,
Sisley,

Color and Character.

Dark crimson.
Rose carmine.
Brilliant crimson,
Large rose.
Blush, very fine.
Large bright red.

Noisette ov Cluster-flowering Roses.

Names.
*Alba,
*Aimée Vibert,
Bengal Lee,
Cadot,
Charles Tenth,
Conque de Venus,
Coeur Jaune,
Champneyana,
*Comtesse de Grillion,
Chromotelle,
*Euphrosine,
Fellenberg,
*Gabriel,
Jaune Desprez,
*Julienne le Sourd,
Julie de Loynes,

Color and Character.

Creamy white.
Pure white.
Blush, fragrant.
Blush lilac.
Purple.

White rose centre.
White yellow centre,
Rosy white.
Blush.

Large yellow, fine.
Pale yellow.
Crimson, superb.
Blush, fine.

Rosy yellow.
Rose.

White.

Lamarque, Creamy white, fine.
La Biche, Flesh color.

Lady Byron, Pink, fine.

Lutea, or Smithii, Fine yellow.
Landreth’s carmine, Carmine.

*La Nymphe, Pale rose.

Miss Simpson, Blush.

Orloff, Pink, fine.

*Ophire, Yellow, fragrant.
Sir Walter Scott, Deep rose.
Solfatare, Superb dark yellow.
Vitellina, White.

 

* Those marked * are dwarfs.
14 SPECIES AND VARIETIES,

Climbing Roses.

These flower annually in immense clusters, grow rapidly, and are
quite hardy.—Landreth.

Names. Color and Character.
Banksia lutea, Double yellow.
Banksia alba, White.
Boursault, Rose color.
Boursault purpurea, “Purple.
Boursault blush, Large blush.
Boursault gracilis, Bright rose.
Bengalensis scandens, Large rosy white.
Félicité perpetuelle, Blush white.
Grevillia, Greville produces im-

mense clusters, of vari-
ous colors and shades,
from white to crimson.

Multiflora, Pink.
Multiflora alba, Blush white.
Rubifolia, Single Michigan or

Prairie,
Rubifolia elegans, Double pink.
Rubifolia purpurea, Double purple.
Rubifolia, Queen of the Prairies, Double pink.
Rubifolia alba, Double blush white.
Russelliana, Crimson cottage rose.
Sempervirens plena, Superb white.
Triomphe de Bollwyler, Blush white.
Laura Davoust, White.

PAlcrophylla Roses.

Names, Color and Character,
Maria Leonida, White, extra fine.
Microphylla rosea, Rose color.

Microphylla odorata alba, Creamy white.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES, 15

PAuskescented Roses.

Names. Color and Character.
Moschata, White semi-double.
Moschata superba, Pure white, very double,
Princesse de Nassau, White double.

BWardy Garden Roses.

Names. Color and Character.
Miaulis, Rosy purple.
Coronation, Purple crimson.
Reine des roses, Bright crimson.

Due d’Orléans, Dark rose.

Painted Damask, White.

Brennes, Dark pink.

Rivers’ George IV., Superb crimson.
Hybride blanche, White.

Heureuse surprise, Carmine.
Ranunculus, Purple, compact.

La capricieuse, Purple crimson.
Royal Provins, Superb pink.

Du Roi, Perpetual, bright red.
Harrisonii, Yellow Austrian brier.
Moss, Single, Crimson, very mossy.
Moss, Common, Rose.

Moss, Luxembourg, Crimson.

Moss, White, Perpetual.

Moss, Crested,
Moss, Adelaide,

York and Lancaster, Red and white.
Provins Belgic, Large pink.
Four Seasons, Pink.
Moretti, Light rose.
Burgundy, Rose, compact.
Persian, Double yellow.
Village Maid, or La Belle Villa-
geoise, Rose, striped with lilac.

Austrian Brier, Deep yellow.
16 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

In contemplating some of the best Roses from the various families,
we cannot help admitting, that, compared with the old and still valued
varieties, more than two-thirds even of our selections are not so good
in character. The love of novelty is all-powerful; a shade of color,
the slightest difference in habit, a different season of bloom, an alter-
ation in the size or color of the foliage, the distinction between a slow
and a fast growth, have always been considered sufficient by sellers to
warrant a new name and a place in the catalogues; and the Rose,
unlike all other flowers, began with better varieties than hundreds of
their successors, or rather their younger rivals, proved to be.

Notwithstanding many of the early Roses were really beautiful,
and hardly admitted of much improvement, we had, at a very early
period of the fancy, such Roses as the Tuscan, the Cabbage, the Cab-
bage Moss, the Maiden’s Blush, White Provence, and Double Yellow.
These have, it is true, been succeeded by a few worthy of ranking
with them, but they have to be selected from thousands infinitely
worse, and hundreds which ought not, for the raiser’s honesty, or the
buyer's good sense, to have even passed the seed bed. If therefore,
we were to select, to lessen our readers’ difficulty in choosing, we
could not recommend them as Roses equal to old favorites; for not
one in fifty would beat the few we have mentioned, and which ought
to be the first they furnish.

The Provence Rose.

The Provence Rose, or, as it has been called, the Hundred-leaved
Rose, is a distinguishing title for every Rose that has a remarkably
double flower, unless there is something in the habit or character that
claims for it another title. If this were understood, we should know
what we are about. The Moss Rose would clearly come under this,
were it not for the moss; for the old Cabbage Rose, and the Moss
Rose strongly grown, would not be known from each other, except for
the Moss; and the Moss Rose would be a Moss Rose, if ever so single,
though its original were double and fine. Now, the Provences, of
which the old Cabbage Rose is a sort of type, and generally called the
Hundred-leaved Rose, ceases to deserve this name, if semi-double. So
that although the origin of the family is rightly named, many pushed
into the same list do not deserve the name.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 7

Moss Rose.

This family is distinguished by the mossy appearance of their stems
and the calyx, and therefore there is no difficulty in recognising any
member of the family.

The French Rose.

This, to some of our readers, would appear to mean roses raised in
France. It happens, however, that the original was, as many of the
leading ones were, raised by Van Eden, in Holland, and it was years
before the French raised a single seedling from them; nevertheless
some of the so-called varieties were raised in France, but as there are
hundreds raised in that country which are not belonging to this family,
the distinguishing name fails; and were it not so, they are so unlike
each other that one could not recognise, in any particular feature,
enough to decide, nor do the rose growers themselves appear more
certain.

Hybrid Provence Roses.

These are said to be intermediate between French and Provence
roses, because they have the long shoots of one and the dense foliage
of the other; the said long shoots and dense foliage being the charac-
teristics of roses of other families in quite as large a degree, and even
in this very family, we have varieties which seem to be between the
Boursault and Provence. So that allis indecision, change, uncertainty,
and frivolity. In this family, the distinguishing character is that they
“are robust and hardy ;” so are hundreds that do not belong to it.

Hybrid China Roses.

We are told of this family, that the numerous varieties give a com-
bination of all that is beautiful in a Rose. They are said to owe their
origin to all sorts of crosses; but there is® distinguishing feature in
these, if it be adhered to: “leaves smooth, glossy, and sub-evergreen ;
branches long, luxuriant, and flexible.” Then, again, we are informed
“that hybrids produced from the Rose, impregnated with the China
18 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

Rose, are not of such robust and vigorous habits as when the China
Rose is the female parent.” This looks like plain, straightforward
information ; but it is followed by the same incertitude as some of the
other distinguishing features of families. Mr. Rivers adds: “But, per-
haps, this is an opinion not borne out by facts; for the exceptions are
numerous, and like many other variations in roses, and plants in gen-
eral, seems to bid defiance to systematic rules.” Of course, they do;
and, with the exception of those names which bespeak a distinct char-
acter, the splitting of this beautiful flower into so many different fam-
ilies at all, was a very injudicious measure. Athelin,a Rose classed in
this group, is called also a Hybrid Bourbon, and as it blooms in clus-
ters, would have been much better understood if called a Noisette.
It comprises other roses as unlike each other as can be well imagined,
and many of them will shoot ten feet in a season, and would be much
more at home if classed as Climbing Roses. Belle de Rosny, among
this family, is nevertheless called also a Hybrid Bourbon, and many
others of this family are destined to be removed, if the senseless dis-
tinctions by name are to be kept up.

White Roses.

Here we have an illustration of the extreme folly of the present dis-
tinctions. We are told the roses of this division may be easily dis-
tinguished by their green shoots, and leaves of a glaucous green,
looking as if they were covered with a grayish impalpable powder;
and flowers generally of the most delicate colors, graduating from a
pure white to a bright but delicate pink.

The Damask Rose,

This is as incongruous a group as any. Blanche borde de rouge
has flowers sometimes a pure white, at others margined with red.
Claudine has flowers of a pale rose cclor. York and Lancaster, also
classed among them, has flofvers striped with red and white. Coralie
is flesh color. Then we have Madame Hardy, which, we are fairly
told, “is not a pure Damask Rose ;” perhaps not, as it is white, and
unlike all the rest. Then, there is the Duke of Cambridge, which Mr.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES, 19

Rivers “at first thought a Hybrid China,” and says, “ will, perhaps,
be better grouped with the Damask Roses.”

Scotch Roses.

So long as this family was allowed to be kept select, these-roses
were very distinct; they make long briery shoots, and flower with
small blooms almost like briers, the whole length of stems. They are
exceedingly pretty, formed as a bank, or in clumps. They are not
adapted for standards. They bloom early, and the Scotch nurserymen
now boast of two or three hundred varieties; but like all the other
families, there are many among them that have been raised from seed,
and others imported, which are neither by name nor nature Scotch.
Amiable étrangére isa French hybrid. Adelaide isa large Red Double
Rose. La Cenomane is a French hybrid with large flowers, “not so
robust as the pure Scotch varieties.”

The Sweet Brier.

This lovely ornament, or rather tenant of the garden, is universally
admired for the delicious fragrance of its foliage, and for nothing else.
It is only necessary to say here, that others whose leaves are not fra-
grant have been placed with it to make a family; some of the new
members having but little fragrance, and one, the Scarlet Sweet Brier,

none at all.

The Austrian Brier.

Here we have the same evidence of indecision as to where things
ought to be placed. In this scentless family we have Williams’ Double
Yellow Sweet Brier. In fact, the Sweet Brier and the Austrian Brier
are muddled together so completely that catalogues do not agree, and
the further we go, the more confusion we get into, and more instances
occur of removal from one division to another.

The Double Yellow Rose.

Here we have only two individuals, the old Double Golden Yellow,
so beautiful and double as to be universally admired, and the Jaune,
a dwarf kind, both shy bloomers under ordinary management, or,
20 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

when we come to the right of it, never blooming well till they are
matured, which takes some years. Of course, there are many Double
Yellow Roses, but only two are admitted into this select family.

Climbing Roses,

Here we might expect to find all those roses which, from their
habits, were adapted to the fronts of houses, pillars, trellises, and other
lofty stations. One would, at least, expect that, if Climbing Roses
mean anything, it means all roses that will climb. No such thing.
Having pushed, we know not how many roses that climb into other
families, of course they cannot be here. We lave various divisions
in this family notwithstanding: First, we have the Ayrshire Rose,
which is said to be a hybrid, accompanied by several others called
Ayrshire Roses also; next, we have the second division, called Rosa
multiflora, said to be a native of Japan, and a number of companions
as unlike it as may be; not that there are any among this family that
do not climb, but there are very many as good Climbing Roses shut
out from it.

The Queen of the Prairies, or Michigan Rose, is remarkable for its
perfectly hardy growth, flourishing equally well in Canada at the
north, and in Texas at the south. It grows with unparalleled rapid-
ity, exceeding all other roses of this family, covering an entire arbor
or an old building ina short space of time. It blooms, also, after other
summer roses are mostly gone, its flowers occurring in large clusters
of different shades.

Evergreen Roses.

Here there can be no mistake: an Evergreen Rose must be an
Evergreen Rose; but, although we have some enumerated, there are
plenty of Evergreen Roses not admitted into this family, but pushed
about in all directions, some crammed into the China, and some into
the Hybrid China.

Boursault Roses.

This is said to be “a most distinct group of roses, with long red-
dish flexible shoots;” yet Gracilis is affirmed to be “ unlike the other
varieties of this division.” They are said to be good Climbing Roses,
making ten feet of growth in the season.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 21

Banksian Roses.

The White and Yellow Banksian Roses are very beautiful plants,
with small foliage and flowers, very graceful, and distinct as any
in cultivation; yet we have a rose-colored hybrid introduced with
them ; a plant acknowledged to partake “as much of the character
of the Boursault Rose, as of the Banksian.”

Hybrid Climbing Roses.

These, one would think, are neither Climbing nor Dwarf, but be-
tween both. Not so, however; because Rosa craculum makes shoots
from ten to fifteen feet in a season. Madame d’Arblay, or Well’s
White, has been formerly placed among the Evergreen Roses; but
whether she misbehaved herself there, or was a great favorite here, is
of no consequence. She was removed from that family to this. We
are, however, informed, with regard to her sojourn among the family
of Evergreens, and subsequent removal, that her “habit is so different
and her origin so well ascertained, that Mr. Rivers removed her to the
present family.”

Perpetual Roses.

These, if the rose gentlemen would stick to the character, would
be very easily defined—roses which have a complete season of bloom;
which go off but a short time; make a fresh season of bloom, and so
on. Noitlike the China Roses, always “growing and blooming,” but
fairly making different seasons of bloom, as complete as if a winter
intervened.

The Bourbon Rose.

The original Bourbon Rose was a hybrid between the Common
China and the Red Four Seasons. Of course, this was quite enough
reason for rose growers to add to the family all that were something
like it, and others that were nothing like it. Here let Mr. Rivers
speak: “Diaphane is a small high-colored Rose, almost scarlet. This
is not a true Bovrbon.” The fact is, there is nothing like the Bourbon
Rose about it. Here we have also Gloire de Rosaméne, unlike the
Bourbon Rose in everything. It isa robust Climbing Rose, of which
22 SPECIES AND VARIETIES,

even Mr. Rivers himself says, “ As a Pillar Rose, it will form a splendid
object.” The White Bourbon, which the French cultivators are at
war about, “some swearing,” as Mr. Rivers tells us, ‘by all their
saints that it is a veritable Bourbon, while others as strongly maintain
that it is a Noisette;” and from its clustered flowers the latter are
nearest right. But all this arises from the multiplication of families.

China Roses.

Everybody knows the Pale China and the Dark China Roses, which
may be seen decorating the cottages of our industrious classes as well
as the gardens of the rich. They were, however, Bengal Roses, and
not natives of China. Now the distinguishing characteristic of the
Bengal, or, as now called, China Rose, is smooth bark, with the thorns
distant from each other; shining leaves, and constant growing and
blooming. These features could be well understood by everybody;
but everything that can be at all traced to have any one of these fea-
tures, and cannot be easily placed in other families, must come to this;
and so we have plenty, and a most beautiful family it is.

Tea-scented China Roses.

This is an acknowledged variation of the Bengal, or, as the rose
dealers will have it, China Rose; but it is a true China, imported into
England from that empire in 1810. It is said to have been the parent
of this large family; but here we have the same difficulty that pre-
sents itself in other families—there is no place to draw the line; they
are China Roses, and only China Roses, but they are stronger scented
than the Bengal, called Common China, and it is difficult to detect the
difference between the highest perfumed of the former class and the
lowest perfumed of the China Tea Roses, as now classed.

Miniature Roses.

This family is also said to be China, possessing all the marked fea-
tures; but it is smaller than the others, and is acknowledged by Mr.
Rivers to be only a dwarf variety of the Common China, or, as we
insist, Bengal. It is worthy of remark, that all those so-called China
Roses have the characteristics we have mentioned, the constant grow-
SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 23

ing and blooming, if kept in order under proper protection; and are
not deciduous.

The Noisette Rose.

The distinguishing character of this Rose is that it flowers in .
bunches, and this ought to be the character of every one added to the
family. But here we have Lamarque, which is anything but a Noi-
sette; it does not flower in bunches, unless every Rose which has two
or three flowers on a stem is to be called Noisette; and Smith’s Yel-
low Noisette is about as much entitled to the name of Lamarque. But
they are not alone; too many which have no claim on the family have
nevertheless been forced on them.

The Musk Rose.

This is an old favorite, and many which have been supposed to
come from its seed are fastened on, it as a family, and many not very
like the parent. The family, like some of the others, is greatly con-
fused, and there is nothing so distinct as to connect it as a separate
class.

The.Macartney Rose.

The characteristic of this Rose is its very bright thick evergreen
foliage, and therefore any other Hybrid Roses which have that char-
acteristic might, according to other classifications, be put among
these. Maria Leonida is perhaps the best of them; Rosa berberifolia
hardii, of whose origin Mr. Rivers makes a sad muddle, is classed with
this family. Mr. Rivers’ story is, that “Rosa hardii was raised from
seed by Mons. Hardy, of the Luxembourg Gardens, from Rosa involu-
cre, a variety of Rosa bracteata, fertilised with that unique rose, Rosa
berberifolia which was very frequently exported from Persia, and comes
always true to the parent; some of the Persian seed was sent to
Mons. Hardy, and from that he, like others, raised the true Rosa ber-
berifolia, which Mr. Lee, of the Hammersmith Nursery, raised from
Persian seed likewise, more than twenty years before Mr. Hardy was
a rose raiser at all.” Well may Mr. Rivers say, in continuation, “This
curious hybrid, like its Persian parent, has single yellow flowers, with
a dark eye, and evergreen foliage.” The fertilising part of the busi-
24 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

ness is the mere work of a fertile imagination. When any one hag
got Rosa berberifolia, he need not trouble himself about whether he
has it from the seed raised by Mons. Hardy, or the seed raised by his
predecessors. There is no more variation, and no more hybrid about
either, than there is in two plants of small salad.

Rosa Microphyllia.-

This, we are told, is nearly allied to the Macartney Rose; so are
the varieties of it, and ought not to have been separated.

 

Qurtn (Rosa bourboniana).
SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

 

Jaunz Dzsrrez (Yellow Rose)
SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

26

 

Low Banxstan Rosa (Rosa banksia lutea).

Ye
SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

 

Buaty Leartettep Rosz (Rosa microphylla).

27
23

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

 

Burevunpy Rosz (Rosa gallica).
SPECIES AND VARIETIES,

 

Ter Vittaczk Marp (La Belle Villageoise).

29
30

SPECIES AND VARIETIES

 

Wittaue’ Louse YELtow SweztT 3Rizr
CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE. 31

CHARACTERISTICS OF AFPINE ROSE.

THERE is no flower more difficult to define than the Rose, and the
difficulty arises out of several curious facts. First, itis the only fowtr
that is beautiful in all its stages—from the instant the calyx bursts and
shows a streak of the corolla, till it is in full bloom. Secondly, it is
the only one that is really rich in its confusion, or that is not the less
elegant for the total absence of all uniformity and order. The very
fact of its being beautiful from the moment the calyx bursts, makes
the single and semi-double roses, up to a certain stage, as good as
the perfectly double ones; and there is yet another point in the forma-
tion of some varieties, which makes them lose their beauty when they
are full biown. For instance, the Moss Rose is a magnificent object
so long as the calyx is all seen, but so soon as the flower fully expands,
all the distinction between a Moss Rose and a common one has de-
parted, or is concealed. This brings us at once to an acknowledg-
ment that the grand characteristic of a Moss Rose is its calyx. These
properties must never be estimated by full-blown flowers, and there-
fore, all varieties of Moss Roses must be exhibited before they expand
enough to hide the calyx.

There are some properties, however, which apply to all roses, what-
ever be their characteristics in other respects, and, therefore, must be
taken as an estimable point in the construction of a flower.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

Whether this be for 4 Moss, which is never to be shown fully
opened, or the florist’s favorite, which is to be shown as a dahlia, this
property is‘ equally valuable, be use the thicker the petal, the longer
it is opening, and the longer does it continue in perfection, when it is
opened. There is another essential point gained in thick-petalled
flowers: The thicker the petal, the more dense and decided the shade
or color, or the more pure a white, while the most brilliant scarlet
would look tame and watery if the petal were thin, transparent, and
flimsy. Hence, many semi-double varieties, with these petals, look
bright enough while the petals are crowded in the bud, but are watery
and tame when opened, and dependent on their single thickness.

2, The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,

fragrant.
32 CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE.

Whether this is to climb the front of a house, bloom on the ground,
or mount poles or other devices, fragrance is one of the great charms
which place the Rose on the throne of the garden as the Queen of
Flowers.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

This would seem to be a little contradictory, after saying, that in a
Moss Rose, the full-blown flower cannot be allowed, because it con-
ceals the grand characteristic of the plant. But it is not contradictory,
because we defend it on grounds which render doubleness equally
valuable to the Moss family, which should not be shown in full bloom,
as to those which are so exhibited. The more double the flower, even
when amounting to confusion, the more full and beautiful the bud in
all its stages. Those who have noticed the single and semi-double
Moss Roses will remember that the buds are thin and pointed, and
starved-looking affairs, while the old common Moss Rose, which is
large and double as the Cabbage Rose, is bold, full, rich, and effective,
from the instant the calyx bursts. At this point, we shall have to
branch off and take families; perhaps the Moss Rose family is the best
to commence with. Those who now follow through the different
species or varieties, will find the first three rules are essential to all,
and are therefore repeated with each division.

Properties of Moss Roses.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4. The quantity of moss, the length of the spines, or prickles, which
form it, and its thickness, or closeness, on the stems, leaves, and calyx,
cannot be too great.

This being the distinguishing characteristic of Moss Roses, the
more strongly it is developed the better.

5. The length of the divisions of the calyx, and the ramifications
at the end, cannot be too great, As the entire beauty is in the unde-
CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE. 33

veloped bud, the more the calyx projects beyond the opening flower,
or rather the more space it covers, the better.

6. The plant should be bushy, the foliage strong, the flowers abun-
dant and not crowded, and the bloom well out of the foliage.

 

Diacram oF a Fine Dovsre Rosz.

7. The color should be bright or dense, as the case may be, and if
the color or shade be new, it will be more valuable; and the color
must be the same at the back as the front of the petals.

These seven properties would constitute a Moss Rose a valuable
acquisition, and probably, at present, the greatest acquisition would
be a yellow one.

8, The stem should be strong and elastic, the footstalks stiff, so as
to hold the flower well up to view.

Qi
34 CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE.

Properties of Roses for Stands, showing the Single Bloom
like Dahlias.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double tc the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4, The petals should be imbricated, and in distinct rows, whether
they be reflexed, like some of the velvety Tuscan kind, or cupped like
a ranunculus; and the petals to the centre should continue the same
form, and only be reduced in size.

5. The color should be distinct and new, and stand fast against the
sun and air, till the bloom fail.

6. The stem should be strong, the footstalk stiff and elastic; the
blooms well out beyond the foliage, and not in each other’s way.

The very worst habit a Rose can have, is that of throwing up sev-
eral blooms close together, on short stiff footstalks, some of which
must be cut away before the others can be fully developed; as show
flowers, they are bad, and as plants, they are very untidy. The side
buds prevent the centre flowers from opening circularly, and when
the first beauty is off, they exhibit dead roses held fast between two
living ones.

Properties of Noisette Roses.

However singularly some catalogues class these varieties, we intend,
by this name, to distinguish those roses which bloom in clusters.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

38. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,

‘ round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4, The cluster should be sufficiently open to enable all the flowers
to bloom freely, and the stems and footstalks should be firm and
elastic, to hold the flower face upward, or face outward, and not
hang down, and show the outside, instead of the inside of the blooms,

5. The bloom should be abundant at the end of every shoot.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE, 385

6. The blooming shoots should not exceed twelve inches before
they flower.

7. The bloom should stand out beyond the foliage, and the plant
should be compact and bushy.

We now proceed to a family which we shall designate Climbing
Roses, and which comprise blooms of the Noisette kind, that is, in
bunches; blooms which come singly, large and small; flowers early
and late; and, in fact, which comprise all sorts of roses that grow tall
enough for training.

Properties of Climbing Roses.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges, with
the outer ones curving slightly inwards.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4, The joints should be short from leaf to leaf, The blooms should
come on very short branches, and all up the main shoots. The plant
should be always growing and developing its flowers, from spring to
autumn, and the foliage should completely hide all the stems, whether
the plan be on front of a house or on any given device.

Concluding Remarks.

Having now travelled through the chief of the families, which
require separate notices of their properties, the first three properties
numbered being required in all of them, we add, by way of a finish
for all, except Moss Roses, that

The foliage should be bright green and shining, and, though not
likely to be found in many varieties, it should be permanent, and con-
stitute an evergreen.

By this, we mainly establish a point in favor of an evergreen. We
mention nothing about size, because size forms the distinction between
many roses which have no other difference, and has little or nothing
to do with the properties of the Rose, except uniformity in the same.
variety.
36 PROPER SOIL FOR THE ROSE,

PROPER SOIL FOR THE ROSE.

Tur proper soil for the Rose is strong rich loam, and well decom-
posed vegetable mould, cow dung, or horse dung; but as we are
too often already provided with the kind of soil we are obliged to use,
and the gardens and situations for our roses are generally ready
made, all we can do is to modify and supply the deficiency, if any,
as wellas we can. If the soil be light, holes must be dug, and loam
and dung forked in at the bottom of the hole, as well as the hole be
filled up with the same mixture; for troublesome as this may be, it is
the only way to secure a good growth and bloom, and it is next to
useless to plant roses in poor light soil without this precaution.
Kitchen gardens well kept up, will always grow the Rose well, and
unless the soil be very poor and very light, a good spadeful of rotten
dung, mixed with the soil where the Rose is planted, will answer all
the purpose. Among the evils of poor soil for the Rose, it is not the
least, that it frequently makes the flower that would otherwise be
double come single or semi-double, so as to destroy all identity of the
variety by its bloom; and although many thousands of roses of no
value have been sent out, many others which did not deserve it have
been condemned, because the party who was growing them knew
nothing about their cultivation, and starved them into a false charac-
ter. Asit is difficult, however, to give the Rose too rich a soil, it
may be as well, even if you think it good enough, to work in a spade-
ful of dung with it; for it will do no harm, even if the state of the
ground be ever so good. We have no doubt that the Rose would
flourish in rotten turf, and when they are to be grown in pots, it is
practicable to give them this invaluable stuff to grow in; but unless
it be a recently turned-up pasture, there is nothing approximating to
it out of doors, and even this is far less supplied with the rotted grass,
than when turfs are cut thin to rot for use. As a general principle,
then, it may be laid down that the Rose requires rich soil; and that if
you have it not, you must change the nature of what you have, by .
means of dung, or loam, or both.
MANURES—PLANTING OF THE ROSE, 37

MANURES FOR THE ROSE.

Ove of the best manures for the rose is a mixture of one part of
Peruvian guano, three parts charred turf and earth, and six parts of
cow dung. A thin dressing of this should be pointed in with a trowel
every spring.

Roses may also be watered at any period of their growth with a
mixture of one fourth of a pound of Peruvian guano and eight gallons
of water, to be applied with a watering pot in the evening or on a
cloudy day.

PLANTING OF THE ROSE.

To plant the rose properly, the root must first be, examined, and
every particle of it that has been bruised should be cut off with a
sharp knife just above the bruise; all the torn and ragged ends should
be made smooth, and cut away as far as they are split or damaged.
If any root has been growing downward, it should be shortened up;
for it is better to discourage any from growing downright. This
preparation being made, and the holes dug large enough to take the
root ingwithout cramping it, fork or dig up the bottom of the hole to
loosen it, and, if necessary to make any addition to the present soil,
to mix it properly with the soil taken out, and work it some way
into the soil at the bottom. Let one hold the tree or plant, if it be too
large to manage properly alone, and the other throw in the soil be-
tween the roots. By moving the stem backward and forward, and
pulling upward a little, it is easy to work the soil well between the
roots, and on this much depends. When it is adjusted, the top of the
root must be pretty close to the top of the ground; there must be
none of the stump or stem buried; and when trodden down, the root
must be fixed steady and solid. If you have to manage the planting
by yourself, you must, as soon as the hole is prepared, lay hold of the
stem just above the root, and return the soil with your other hand,
continuing to move the head first one way and then the other, until
38 PLANTING OF THE ROSE.

the soil has worked well between the roots, when it may be trodden
in as mentioned before.

Dwarf plants there is no difficulty in planting, but you must be
careful to keep the crown of the root near the surface of the ground,
the treading in of all fair and solid being a necessary operation with all
the kinds of plants. With the standard sorts you should drive stakes
into the ground pretty firmly, and fasten the stems of the roses to
them, to prevent the wind from removing them; as when your roots
have been once firmly trodden in, you cannot move a tree one way
nor the other without breaking the fine fibres, and thus lessening the
capacity of the root to carry strength to the head. If you are plant-
ing a group of standard roses, you should place the highest in the cen-
tre, and the lower ones nearer the outside; in fact, a handsome clump
of roses might have six-foot standards in the middle, four feet six inches
in the next row, three-foot ones nearer the front, and eighteen-inch
ones outside; these, if at proper distances, and with picked sorts, of
something near the same habit of growth, will form a superb mountain
of roses in the proper season.

Rows of Standard Roses may be planted with advantage on each
side of a coach road, in a park, or on both sides of a path on a lawn,
but at proper distances, so that each shall form a specific object in
itself, as well as a portion of a row of rose trees. Roses also form very
beautiful objects planted in isolated situations on lawns, and especially
when the sort of rose is distinct from others, or blooms at different
periods; for whatever forms a portion should be of a similar habit to
the rest of the whole. Thus, if a particular walk in a garden or shrub-~
bery were bounded by two rows of roses, they should all flower at
once. Ifa clump of roses is planted, they should flower at one season.
A mixture of spring, summer, and autumn roses would be very bad;
the place never looks right; therefore some pains must be taken to
keep all those which flower at the same period of the year together. —
One portion of the garden may then be always garnished with roses,
and it is far better than having them straggling about, with here and
there a flowerless one among those in bloom, or a blooming one among
those not in flower.

Planting of roses which are on their own bottoms, or worked low
down for dwarfs, or for climbers where flowering wood is always
wanted from the ground, differs in nowise from any other planting
POTTING OF ROSES, 39

except as vo the situation, which should be chosen not too much
exposed to the wind, as in the most sheltered spot they always have
enough to encounter. They must be planted firmly, and in good
soil; and whatever they have to climb up should be firmly placed by
rights before they are planted, but certainly before they shall have
grown much, as the roots spread a good deal, and if damaged by vio-
lence after they have begun to grow vigorously, they will receive a
check which they may not get over the same season.

POTTING OF ROSES.

To the cultivators of the Rose, any improvement in pots is of im-
portance. Those designed to grace a hall or a window of a dwelling,
may be made in fine stone and earthenware of various patterns, and
should be so constructed as to possess advantages over the common
old red porous ones made of clay. One reason why plants potted the
usual way do not flourish well in the house during the winter season
is, the proper want- of leakage, or drainage, and a due circulation of

air about their roots, in consequence of the
close connection between the bottom of the
pot and the shelf or bench on which it rests.
Mr. M’Intosh, gardener of the Duke of
Buccleuch, has obviated the above-named ob-
jection by making pots with feet, as denoted
in the adjoining cut. By this means, the plants get rid of their mois-
ture, and freely receive air about their roots through the hole in the
bottom of the pot.

\ Potting Deciduous Roses for Forcing.

The nearer you can imitate planting in the open ground the bet-
ter. The soil should be the same or richer, with dung chiefly,
because you cannot water soil without washing away, in some meas-
ure, whatever it is impregnated with, that is soluble. By a parity of
reasoning, you cannot moisten with water impregnated with anything,
without imparting the virtue or mischief of the solution to the soil.
40 POTTING OF ROSES.

It is the best way to use half of rotted turf and half of rotted dung;
if it be not too light to let water pass freely, add a little turfy peat,
broken through a sieve that would pass a hazel nut. Trim the roots,
to get rid of all bruises; and, in the first instance, choose plants, the
roots of which are within a moderate compass, for pot culture, and
are well taken up. Select pots that will receive the roots without
much cramping; carefully put the soil between and among the fibres
and larger roots; strike the pots on the potting table, and poke the
soil down so as to be firm.

If the roses be dwarf, follow the directions about pruning at once,
and let them be placed in a cold frame, watered, to settle the earth
about them, and covered up. This should be done in the Southern
and Middle States from November to February, when those for forc-
ing should be put into the greenhouse, gently increased in tempera-
ture, well watered, and kept growing hard; any buds that show
should be removed, and they should be allowed to complete their
growth, and then be plunged in the open ground, and there the wood
be permitted to ripen. When the leaves have fallen, and the wood is
fairly ripe, they may be pruned, by removing all the weak shoots, and
shortening the strong ones; the balls turned out to examine, and if
matted with roots, pots a size larger be given. They may then be
placed in a cold frame, plunged to their rims, until the period you
want to force them. They will flower better the second year than
they could have flowered the first, and if the blooms are all picked
off again as fast as they show, instead of being allowed to perfect
themselves, the growth will be more free; and by growing hard to
complete it early, and leaving them out again to ripen, they will allow
of being pruned into a handsome form, being carried into the house
sooner, and will flower most abundantly, instead of having one or two
sickly shoots with their miserable half-starved blooms. At the end,
they will have as many as you please to leave eyes for, pruning them
the same as you would standards or bushes out of doors, and the
blooms will come as rich, as handsome, and as well colored as any iu
the open air. Roses may then be forced at almost any season, only
they ought to undergo the same forcing a season or two without
being allowed to flower, that they undergo the season they are to be
forced into bloom. And this will answer season after season when
they are once well established, for they require only the usual shifts
POTTING OF ROSES. 41

of plants, which have their balls matted with root; but of the forcing,
more hereafter.

Potting for Show.

As it-is at length the fashion to show roses in pots, the only proper
plan of showing any but single blooms, face upward, the plan of pot-
ting cannot differ from those potted for forcing. Presuming that it
they are late roses and require forcing, they will be treated after the
plan above mentioned, so far as the potting is concerned, the differ-
ence between what the perfectly hardy and summer or autumn bloom-
ing roses will require after potting, as we have directed, is to be put
out in an open situation; and if standards, they should be fastened
to a railing, or trellis, as well as being plunged in their pots, that the
wind may not disturb them. Here they may be protected various
ways: a mat thrown over the head of a rose protected it, though not
a very hardy one, against the last winter’s frost. A wisp of straw
tied at one end, and opened cap-like over each and among the branches
of roses, protected them a good deal, and probably, had they not been
autumn pruned, might have protected them entirely from mischief,
but as it was, some of the pruned branches died back, though the
unpruned ones did not.

Potting the Small, the Smooth Wooden, and Chinese Varieties.

Here, from the first, the soil should be one third rotted dung, one
third peat, and one third the loam of rotten turf. In this stuff, the
most delicate will succeed. From the period of their having struck
root, they can hardly do wrong if potted in this soil, in a proper-sized
pot, with ordinary drainage. Small plants should be placed in pots
no larger than the roots require to hold them, with a moderate sbi
of earth to live in. This kind of rose should be kept growing in a
cool frame or greenhouse, or pit, with not much moisture; plenty of
air in dry mild days, and a refreshing shower when it is warm. It is
safer to plunge them in ashes, if you can, up to the rims of their pots:
it keeps them moist longer than if the pot is exposed, it mostly does,
in bad weather; and though it perhaps does not kill them, it makes
them weakly for some time. In this way, they may grow from time
to time, and be shifted from one sized pot to another, requiring only
42 FORCING OF EARLY ROSES.

that the buds should be plucked off directly they show, sc .ong as the
plant is wanted to grow fast.

FORCING OF BARLY ROSES.

Tus art consists in bringing the Rose, by degrees, out of its season,
as we have half explained under the head of “ Potting for Forcing.”
We know that a Rose can be potted in January, and made to produce
flowers in May; but those who wish to force should know the best
way.

A Rose, then, for early forcing, requires three seasons to be per-
fect. The first season, it should be put into a greenhouse, and
from thence into the stove, as early as November. It is sure to grow,
no matter what sort it is; and let it grow its best, but pluck off the
buds if it have any, yet it should not be drawn; this can be managed
two or three ways, but it requires, to prevent drawing, light and air.
These will have grown pretty well as large as they can grow, by the
time they may be turned out-and plunged in the open air. The wood
will ripen well in the summer time; and in October, re-pot them into
a size larger pots; prune them by taking off all the weak shoots, and
all the least valuable of those in each other’s way; shorten the best
wood to two or three eyes, thinning the inner branches all that may be
necessary to give air, light and freedom to the new wood. Take them
into the greenhouse, thence, soon, into the stove. Let the bloom
buds, as they appear, be plucked off, and the growth to be perfected
again, which will be earlier than the previous season, as they were set
growing earlier. Be early in your attendance on them, when they
commence growing, so as to remove useless buds, instead of allowing
them to form useless branches. When the growth is completed, re-
move them into a cold frame, to be kept from the spring frosts, but
where they can have all the fine weather. In this state, they may
remain till they can safely be put out in the open air, plunged into the
ground, and properly fastened 1o protect them from the wind. In
September, you may examine the balls of earth, to see if the roots have
room; if matted at all, give them anotner change. Prune the plants
FORCING LATER ROSES. 43

well, as before; removing altogether such of the present year’s shoots
as are at all weakly, and shortening all the best to two or three eyes.
Let them now be taken to the greenhouse, or conservatory, or a
grapery, or all in turn; but gradually increase the temperature, till, by
the end of October, they may go into the forcing house, beginning at
the temperature the house was that they came from, say fifty to fifty-
five, and continuing it till they are fairly growing; then increasing it
to sixty, and eventually to sixty-five; rubbing off, as before, all useless
shoots, and giving plenty of air, when it can be done without lowering
the temperature. Atthe least appearance of the green fly, syringe with
plain water; fumigate at night, for too strong a smoke would all but
destroy the plants and incipient blooms. In this way, you will be clear
of the pest without damage, and your reward will be a fine show of
blooms on every rose tree; strong growth, healthy foliage, handsome
plants, and all that can be desired.

Forcing Later Roses.

The principle on which the early forcing is conducted must be carried
out in full, not only in potting the plants then pruning, but also in the
period of removing them. If you wish those a month later to succeed
the first, put them into the house a month later, each of the years.
If you want others to succeed these second, put them into the house
a month later still each year. For nothing has been shown yet in the
way of pot roses, better than were shown several years ago, and all of
them have had a weakly drawn appearance, and have been anything
but creditable to the taste of the gardeners; for they have been staked
all over, and thin, flimsy roses on limp-lankey stems, bound up toa
thicket of unnatural wood. Now, by the plan we have been recom-
mending, the plant is longer growing, stronger in its wood, shorter in
its joints, and more abundant in branches, foliage, and flowers. The
ordinary mode of forcing contemplates no more than removing a plant
from out of doors to in-doors in one year; so that, without having the
advantage of premature ripeness for two seasons, or even one, it has
to perfect its flowers before their time, by great excitement, with a
root hardly established. We hold that a Rose, like a grape vine, can-
not, after bearing in the usual season, be changed all at once to early
forcing, without great sacrifice of crop, strength, or beauty. The
44 THE FORCING OF ROSES.

fact of sudden excitement being fatal to a Rose is demonstrated easly
enough by the result; take a stong plant, well established, from the
cold atmosphere and temperature of the ground, into a full-heated
house, and every bloom will be blighted in its incipient state. Ifa
decided change like this is universally fatal, which is the fact, every
sudden change, and all approaches to it, are proportionally mischiev-
ous. We do not, however, mean to say that roses cannot be forced
in a single season, because thousands are so forced and sent to market;
and the usual result of such management is, three or four long-drawn
branches, with a bud or two at the end of one, and sometimes of two,
with scarcely strength to open into « flower. There are exceptions
to the choice kinds of roses; in these remarks, we allude only to gar-
den roses. The China kinds are of a different nature, always growing
and blooming; winter and summer, if they are kept in a moderate
temperature, are almost ‘alike to them, and those which partake of
their habit.

The Forcing of Roses—the Dwarf China Kinds.

This family has scarcely any rest in pots, and under protection, it
may be merely kept over the winter. There is no place so well
adapted for them as a cold pit, with a good dry bottom, and shelves
near the glass; but a stout shallow box, with a regular garden light
on it, placed high and dry on a paved, slated, or warm, gravelled bot-
tom, makes a good shift.

The China Rose, and all the short-jointed, smooth-barked kinds that
are like them in habit, will strike, bud, graft, grow, and bloom any
month in the year. The only thing necessary, is to have plants in all
stages, and there will never be any want of flowers. In the green-
house, they continue growing on, and blooming at all times; but they
cannot be kept too cool generally, and if abundance of flowers are
required on a plant, it must have a previous rest, and be shifted to a
warm temperature, and if matted in the roots, a lagre pot, and the heat
gradually increased until it will bear that of a moderate stove. All
the new growth will flower about the same time, or at least suffi-
cient of it to well decorate the plant. Cuttings may be struck in the
spring, planted out in beds six inches apart, to grow a little; the topa
may be pinched off, and the buds taken away all the summer, to make
them bushy; and they may be potted up with a compost of half losm,
PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 45

a fourth peat, and a fourth cow dung; trimmed a little into shape,
and placed in the shade awhile. In September, they may be put into
their frames, covered up at night against frost, and opened in mild
veather, until the ground freezes; they may then be removed, a few
at a time, into an increased temperature, and about a month apart.
They will be found to bloom well, and succeed each other admirably,
all through the winter and spring, before those out of doors can even
fairly start into leaf; the only care required being to syringe them
against attack of insects, and if that does not keep them under, fumi-
gate them; and see that they never suffer from want of water. These,
however, like the Summer Roses, will force better the second year
than the first, by shifting them into pots a size larger, trimming the
plants into a proper shape, taking away the weak shoots, letting them
rest, and giving but little water towards the end of the summer, ex-
cept to keep them from actually flagging; putting them in their frames
and removing them into heat, as before, a few at a time, and a month
apart.

PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

Tue Rose is propagated by seeds, by cuttings, by layers, by suckers,
and by budding or grafting.

Propagation from Seed.

This mode is adopted for the purpose of raising new varieties by
crossing different kinds, and is almost exclusively practised by profes-
sional florists; it is also employed for obtaining Sweet Briers and
stocks. When the seed is gathered in the autumn, it is either rub-
bed or washed out of the “hips” and kept in dry sand; or the hips
are laid in a cool room, and turned over from time to time, till the
shell is rotted; the seed is sown in the succeeding spring, after which
it will come up the same year.

Sowing of the Seed—Among the numerous modes of sowing the
seed of the Rose, strange as it may seem, the very plan which has
been adopted for fifty perennials, or perhaps more, answered as com-
46 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

pletely as any. For instance, Polyanthus seed and Rose seed were
sown in the same kind of soil, loam and dung, in the same sort of
pan, placed in the same garden light, watered at the same time; and,
though coming up at a different period, submitted to the same treat-
ment in other respects; shaded from the same noon-day sun, and,
though at a different time, pricked out into pots, four or five in a pot,
round the edge; kept cool, and growing right on; and when the
Polyanthuses were placed in their single pots, the Roses were also
potted in theirs. They were kept dry rather than otherwise all the
ensuing winter, in a cold frame, with their neighbors, well protected
against frost; and that was all.

In the spring, when they began to grow, they were bedded out in
rows, in a shady border, six inches apart, and the rows a foot apart,
and here they remained another season, making considerable growth ;
some were of the China kind, and those were potted up and kept
growing; the others were hooped over with low hoops, which kept
the covering close down on them in bad weather, and there were
several that died during the winter. In the spring they were pruned
carefully, so far as to remove all but the two or three strongest shoots,
and those were cut about half way back. Several bloomed weakly,
but most of them made good growth. No part of the success, how-
ever, went beyond the growth; not half a dozen came at all double,
and though there were some bright colors, there were none in our
estimation worth saving. The China ones were rather better, but not
good enough; so that, after giving a few of the best another year’s
chance, every vestige was given or thrown away. The experiments
followed up season after season led to the following confirmed prac-
tice :—The berries were dried all the winter; they were then bruised
in a bag, and the seeds carefully picked out; a slight hot bed was
made up as if for annuals; the soil put six inches deep all over, half-
rotted turf and half cow dung, raked smooth, and the seed sown evenly
and thinly all over—occasionally moistened; the seeds came up well,
and were shaded; had plenty of air given, and the usual attendance
to see that they were not dry, but not much watered. Here, as soon
as they were large enough, they were thinned a little, by carefully
removing a few wherever they were too thick, which removed ones
were as carefully potted off and kept in the greenhouse. They had
no other care during the season than protecting them from too much
PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 47

sun; but they were allowed to be quite open on mild cloudy days,
and had warm showers of rain at all opportunities. Here it was
found necessary to fumigate fem several times to get rid of the
aphides, which partially appeared five or six times during the season,
but were speedily cleared away. The lights were taken off towards
autumn, and the young plants looked as well as could be wished.
At the period when frosts were expected, they were removed care-
fully with all their roots, into a bed made of the same compost, and a
foot deep; planted a foot apart every way, and the bed being four feet
wide, took four across it, the outer ones being six inches from the
edge of the bed. The same precaution was taken with mats and
hoops to keep off heavy falls of snow or hard frosts, and they were
allowed to push as much as they would, without pruning, all the next
season, no other pains being taken than to throw the mat over when
the sun was distressingly hot, and to water them freely on dry parch-
ing weather, every night. At the autumn, they were replanted, all
the weak shoots being cut out, but the strong ones not shortened till
spring. Though there was a manifest improvement in the flowers
each season, it was four or five before anything like the quality of
some present roses was approached.

This practice differs, in some respects, from that of some other
nurserymen; we have seen healthy seedlings, since all these pains
were taken, where the seeds were sown out of doors in a common
bed, raked in like so many onions; came up like so many weeds;
grew well and stood the weather without even a shelter from hard
frosts. Some may have been killed and not missed, but they did as
well, to all appearance, as those more tenderly nursed.

Hastening the Flowering of Seedlings,

When the seedlings come up in May or June, keep them well moist-
ened, but not too wet, until you can get hold of them well to pot off.
Put one each into small pots, and let them, as soon as they are estab-
lished, be placed in the shade out of doors; but the greatest care must
be taken to prevent the attack of the fly, or vermin of any kind.
‘They must be looked at almost daily, and upon the least appearance
of any insects, you must remove the plants under cover, where you
can fumigate and syringe them regularly. It is still better, if you have
48 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

frame room, to put them in when potted, because it gives an oppor-
tunity of shading, of keeping off too much wet, protecting them
against wind, and of fumigating without the least difficulty, when
necessary. They should, however, seldom have the glasses on,

After the seedlings have been five or six weeks in these pots, they
may be bedded out, in rich beds of loam and dung, without disturbing
the balls; they should be about a foot apart, in beds of four feet wide;
by planting within six inches of the side of the bed, four rows will go
in, and they will here grow rapidly. Before the close of the budding
season, many will have grown quite large enough to bud from; and
the most promising may be cut back, and three or four buds put on
remarkably strong stocks. Select a strong branch for budding on,
and at first, you must let some portion of the branch beyond the bud
be left on to grow; avery small shoot beyond the bud will do to
insure the growth. These buds will strike off vigorously the next
season, and make considerable growth; but before the bud has shot
far, cut the stock away everywhere but the portions budded on. The
growth they will make this summer on strong stocks will insure their
tloom the next season; and, as the real object is to see if the Rose be
good for anything, they should not be pruned, except so far as to cut
away weak branches altogether; by leaving the full length of the
strong shoots, the blooms will be hastened.

In the mean time, those in the bed may be treated as directed; and
though not generally the case under the present management, they
have bloomed these years on their own bottoms, though there were
a great number much later than the third year, and some even went
to the fifth. This mode of budding the promising seedlings hastens
the zertainty of bloom very much, as it is very rare indeed that they
miss coming the third year. If they are worth propagating, the
budding greatly increases the quantity of wood to work from. If, on
the contrary, they turn out good for nothing, the instant you discover
it, cut away all the wood, and the stocks will, in all probability, grow
in time for budding other sorts upon the same season you discover
the deficiency of those already worked. In this way, without incur-
ring much trouble, you may satisfy yourself as to the quality of seed-
lings for a certainty the third year; therefore, you should provide
yourself with stocks for that purpose, whenever you sow seedlings.
For China sorts, you should have some stocks of the common China,
PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 49

or Boursault, or the Dog Rose, in good-sized pots, and well estab-
lished; for they may be budded later, protected better, and indeed
some of the seedlings which partake much of the China are tender,
and really require protection from the frost.

Retarding the Flowering of the Rose.

The most simple method of retarding the flowering of the Provence
and Moss Roses, so as to have the plants in bloom late in autumn, is
to cut off the tops of the shoots produced in the spring, just before -
they begin to show their flower buds; the effect of this treatment will
be to cause the plants to throw out fresh shoots, which will bloom
later, according to the period in which the operation is performed.

It may also be done by transplanting the bushes early in the spring,
as soon as they have formed their buds, which should be cut off The
roots must not be allowed to dry before they are put into the earth
again; and they will require artificial watering if the season should be
dry, to make them flower late in the fall.

Propagation by Cuttings.

When the earliest shoots of the China Rose are about four inches
long, cut them off close to the old wood, plant them in pots half filled
with soil, and plunge them in a warm situation, placing over the pot
a flat piece of glass, to exclude the cold air; the glass should be wiped
occasionally. Thus treated, they will make blooming plants by autumn.

Indian Roses, and climbing kinds, are also easily propagated by
cuttings and slips, protecting them as above, or by a hand glass, when
the climate is cold.

Propagation by Suckers.

Many roses, indeed most of them, growing on their own roots,
instead of by grafting on a stock, constantly spread at the roots, and.
branches force their way up, much to the annoyance, sometimes, of
the men in charge of the rosary. In the spring months, their suckers
should be looked for, and when found, they should be taken off at
once, far enough under ground to get a piece of root with them.
These should be replanted instantly on the removal; but if a piece be

3
50 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

planted out, and devoted to propagation, the proper method is to dig
up the plants in autumn, tracing the roots as far as they go, and tak-
ing the portions which have been growing above ground out at the
same time. Some kinds will have half a dozen, or more, perfect plants,
which have been formed by the spreading at the root, and the end
growing up through the surface. These suckers should be trimmed
and planted carefully, at such distance as the sizes warrant; generally
in rows a yard apart, and thé*plants eixtteemimehes from each other.
Here they have to be cut down in spring to within three or four eyes
of the ground.

Propagation by Layers.

The Rose will propagate from layers. To do this, some merely select
a lower branch, and, bending the wood sharp between two joints, peg
that down under ground in autumn; it will root well by the following
fall. Others cut a notch in the wood, on the upper side, which makes
the bend sharper; but there is more danger of breaking it. Another
method is, to run a knife through the wood, so as to split it, and then
give the wood a little twist; but most of the sorts will root if only
pegged under the surface. That, however, is rarely resorted to; and
when it is considered what facilities for propagation are offered other-
wise, it is‘no wonder. The laying should be done as soon as the
wood has ripened, and the pegs to be used should be like a miniature
hooked walking stick, which it is easy to form out of any branch of
wood. This hook is thrust into the ground firmly, to hold fast the
whole winter and summer season.

In dry weather, the layers should be watered, as the trees them-
selves, or bushes, frequently prevent the rain from coming near the
surface, where the branch is pegged down, and they would in such
cases have no encouragement to root. In the autumn of the next year,
examine them all before they are cut off from the parent root, and if
rooted, of which there will be little doubt, cut the new plant away,
with all the new root; and in planting it out in another place, shorten
the portion above ground to half its length; and at prun‘ng time, in
the spring, cut it down within three or four eyes of the ground, in order
that it may form a bush.-
PROPAGATION OF IM ROSE. 51

Layers of some roses strike almost immediately; and from this
facility, it is a common practice to lay them all over a bed by pegging
down the branches on the surface, at small distances, and thus cover
a whole space, which have rooted at almost every joint. The flowers,
in such cases, are very strong; but a bush thus treated, and every
branch layered, would cut up into an immense number of plants.

Propagation by Budding on Briers.

‘We marry
A gentle scion on the wildest stock,
And make conceive a bark of baser kind
By bud of nobler race; this is art
Which does mend nature—change it rotting ; but
The art itself is nature. SHAKSPEARE.

There is no process in the art of Practical Gardening more interest-
ing, nor the fruits of which are more gratifying to an amateur, than
budding. The theory is this: At the base of the leaf is a small bud,
which, after the leaf falls away from it, becomes prominent, and event~
ually, if left on the tree; makes a branch. By taking a leaf off with
part of the bark, this incipient bud comes with it, and by inserting
this bark under the bark of another rose tree, say one of these com-
mon briers, it unites as if it were originally a part of the bricr itself;
but the bud retains. all the character of the one it came from, and is
not changed in the smallest degree by the transfer from its own to
another stock. This is the fact upon which all propagation by bud-
ding is founded; and, therefore, we Lave twoleading points to consider
in setting about this operation.

First, we must have the green bark of the stock, into which the
buds are to be inserted, rise easily, which it does all the while the
branch is green and growing; and, secondly, we must wait until the
bud, small and almost imperceptible as it is at the base of the leaf, is
old enough to be removed with safety. In a general way, the buds
of Summer Roses are not ready till nearly mid-summer, and the bark
will not easily rise from the wood of the stock much after that. The
budding season may, however, be called from the middle of June to
the middle of August, and not very much longer. What is meant by
the bark easily rising is, easily leaving the wood, so that it would be
easy to peel a branch by stripping the bark off,
52 PROPAGATION OF TUE ROSE.

The first thing, then, to look to, is to obtain branches of the rose
treefrom which we want to produce other plants. If you obtain
these branches before you are ready to use them, plant the thick end
in the ground, and do not let the sun come near them, as it would soon
destroy them; but the); ought not to be an hour longer than you can
help unused. Get some bass matting for ties, or very coarse worsted,
which some prefer, because it gives way better if the bud swells, and
will stand the weather longer. With a very sharp knife, called a
“budding knife,” if you have one, and, if not, any other, and a thin piece
of hard wood or ivory, like a diminutive paper knife, you may go to
work. The knife is to slit the bark down to the wood wherever you
mean to put in the bud, and the piece of hard wood or ivory, with a
sort of blunt edge like a paper kmife, is to divide the bark from the
wood by running it along under the bark, on each side of the slit.

Stocks for Budding and Grafting.—The great call for these articles
has made it somewhat difficult to procure them anywhere but at the
nurseries ; and when you consider you can pick and choose at some
price or other, the nurseries are the best place for an amateur to pur-
chase. In some parts of the country, the briers are plentiful, but they
are mostly in hedge rows, and it is somewhat perilous work to grub
them up without permission; nevertheless, many men get their living
by collecting these for the nursery grounds. The stocks should be
procured at the fall of the leaf, and be straight, strong, well rooted and
compact. These should be placed in rows, eightcen inches apart from
each other, and three-foot or three-foot-six-inch vacancies between
the rows; they should be staked, or, which is better, stakes should:
be put at equal distances, and a rail along them, to which rail all the
stocks should be fastened by strong ties, the whole being well trodden
in after the manner that new roses are planted.

The preparation of: the roots should be in all respects the same, and
the stocks are generally shortened before you get them to the height
their growth best adapts them for. Here they remain till they begin
to push in spring, when all the lower buds must be rubbed off, leav-
ing the three or four that are highest up the stock to see which will
grow best. It will be found that some of these stocks have died
down to a considerable distance; but as they are not of the slightest
importance above the top growing bud, you may, with a strong knife,
cut right down to the bud, or leave it till after the summer growth of
PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 53

the buds has considerably advanced. If you have one gocd branch,
it will do, but two on opposite sides are better, because you can work
both, and be safe if one fails. Several times, you must go.over these
stocks, to rub off the fresh buds that will be springing out on different
parts of them, where they are not wanted; and two good buds near
the top are all you need save. You have to remember that all the
strength of the plant will go into these two branches, if the others are
taken away ;" but that every leaf that is allowed to grow, besides those
wanted, takes greatly from their strength, on which strength the value
of the plant entirely depends.

If the top shoots or buds happen to be weak in the first instance,
compared with some lower down the stock, it is better to rub off the
top, and lose a little height- of the stock, than trust to dwindling
branches, so that, in this case, your two branches to save might be
half way down the stem; and it is better, in such case, to down at
once to it, that the top may be no more trouble, and may not mislead
you, in going over them a second time, to cut or pull out your best
branches; for the top, so long as you leave it on, would be throwing
out its green shoots; and being the same height as the general run of
them, nothing is more likely. . All that is to be done, besides keeping
the stocks from throwing out other branches, is to cut away from the
roots any suckers that may come up, and which distress the stock
nearly as much as the dwarf branches. The ground, of course, is to
be kept clear of weeds until mid-summer, which is the season for bud-
ding, and which is the next subject for consideration.

 

Being thus provided, go to your stocks with your branches of the
trees you want to propagate, in your apron; for you ought to have
front pockets, and the bass matting should be tucked in the apron
64 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

string; take hold of the stock firmly, and shorten both the branches
to a foot, or even less; then with your knife, cut a slit in the bark,
within half an inch of the base of the branch upward, and on the upper
side, an inch and a half long; about the middle of this slit, make a
small cut across; then with your ivory, or thin wood—or more
properly, if you have it, with the handle of your budding knife—raise
up the bark on both sides; then take the branch of your rose tree

 

from which you take your buds, and with your sharp knife, shave out
of the branch a thin piece of the wood, beginning half an inch below
a leaf, and taking the knife along to come out half an inch above the
leaf This small bit has to be inserted under the bark on both sides,
bringing the leaf, which is where the bud is, to the exact place where
the cross cut is; when it is neatly inserted, take your piece of matting

 

and place the middle of it across the slit just under the leaf; pass it
under, and cross it backward and forward along the branch till the
bark is completely tied down close, and only the leaf and bud exposed.
PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 53

As the weather at this time is often very hot, it is a good plan to tie
a bunch of loose moss over all, and water the moss occasionally the
first few days, because it keeps off the burning sun, even if dry, and
greatly preserves the newly-disturbed bark. It will be easily seen
that the quicker this operation is performed the better; because, if the
sap of the bud, or that of the raised bark, has time to dry, the union
of the one with the other cannot be completed with any degree of cer-
tainty. :

The bark being damped immediately by the application of wet moss
will hardly undo any mischief already done; so that a sharp knife, a
clean cut, and rapid action are necessary, and can hardly fail. If the
bud is cut out of the branch too thick, and too much wood is taken
out with the bark and bud, the wood ought to be cut thinner, or pulled
out from the bark of the bud altogether; but there is danger in taking
out the wood; for it will occasionally bring out the germ of the bud
with it. The effect of this would be, that nothing would indicate
outside what was wrong, but the bud would not grow. It would
look as green, as fresh, and as completely united, as if the germ were
there. On this account, you may omit the practice of taking the little
bit of wood from the inside of the bud, and with the greatest success.
This operation should be carried through all the stocks, if you
have plenty of buds on each of the branches; because two buds will
make a head, sooner than one, and if you choose to do so, you may
put two different sorts on the same stock. In this case, you must be
particular about having two of about the same habit; for a fast-growing
one would soon deprive a slow-growing one of all the necessary nour-
ishment; and, besides this, it would grow incongruously, and would not .
be controllable. On the other hand, if you have two of similar habit,
and opposite colors, it may be made a very pretty object. But the
great value of this delicate, though simple operation, is to make an
old China, or other strong-growing Rose, long established, change its
face altogether. Many kinds of roses may be budded on such a tree,
by selecting all the strong-growing branches of the present year's
growth, putting a different bud in each, and cutting all the other parts
of the tree away, leaving the novelties alone to grow; or the buds
may be all of the same sort, so it be some choice kind; but different
colored roses have the best effect.

Spring Budding—But one of the most sure and expeditious methods
56 PROPAGAZION OF THE ROSE.

is that called “spring budding,” by which the bark of the stock, as
carly in the season as it will separate from the wood, is cut like the
letter T inverted, (thus, 7, ) as shown by a, in the adjoining figure;

 

woereas, in “summer budding,” it forms a T in its erect position.
The horizontal edges of this cut in the stock, and of the “shield bark”
containing the bud, should be brought into the most perfect contact,
as denoted by b; because the union of the bark in spring takes
place by means of the ascent of the sap; whereas, in summer budding,
it is supposed to be caused by its descent. The parts should then
‘immediately be bound with water-proof bass, (c,) without applying
either grafting clay or grafting wax. The buds may be inserted either
in a healthful branch, or in a stock near the ground. In general, two
buds are sufficient for one stock, and these should be of the same
variety; a3 two sorts seldom grow with equal vigor. The bass
. ligature, which confines the bud, may be removed, if the season he
moist, in a month after budding; but if it be hot and dry, not for six
weeks at least. A& soon as the inserted buds show signs of vegetation,
the stock or branch containing them should be pruned down, so as to
leave one or two budsor shoots above. If the stock is allowed to
have a leading shoot above the inserted buds, and this shoot is not
shortened, the buds inserted probably will not show many siens of
vegetation for several weeks.
PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 57

PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING.

Tus is by means so simple an operation, though not a very difficult
matter; nevertheless, the pith in the centre of the wood is against it,
as well as the discrepancy in general between the stock and the scion.
The act of grafting is adopted for the same purpose as that of budding
—to propagate particular varieties. It is not so safe nor so certain a
mode as budding, but in the spring, there is no other means; and asin
the purchase of new roses, there is generally a good deal of ripe wood
that must be cut off, those who have stocks that are fit for grafting
frequently adopt it. There are various modes of performing this
operation; one or two ways are applicable to the old wood of the
stock; other modes are adapted to the last year’s branches. In the
one case, a cleft is made in the stump of the stock, and the wood
belonging to the new Rose to be inserted is cut in an angular form to
fit it. It is then bound in its place by bass matting, or some other tie,

 

and the joins covered with grafting clay, or, which is more generally
used for roses, grafting wax; a composition formed of beeswax and
resin, in equal parts, and a little tallow, to render it easily fusible
at a low heat, because the real object of this wax is to melt at a
heat which will not hurt the trees, but that will, on cooling, be suf-
ficiently hard to keep in its place, and bear even the heat of the sun
without running away.

There are various modes of grafting the smaller branches of the
stock; that is to say, the branches of the last year’s growth. One
mode is, to cut the branch down to two inches in length, and then cut

3%
58 PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING.

this short piece down the middle, cutting out the inside of the wood
sloping outward, so as to receive a gvedge-shaped graft, which should
be about the same size, if possible; cut this into the shape of a wedge,
and insert it in the stock, making as complete a fit as possible, and be
careful that the bark of both scion and stock exactly join on one
side, whether it reach the other side or not; for, unless the barks
meet on one side, it will be impossible to unite. It will frequently
happen that the scion is smaller than the stock; the one must be used
as you have got it, the other you must get as good as you can; and
when you have it, make the best of it. Others, in grafting, cut the
branch of the stock into a wedge, and the scion is cut to receive it.
The effect is the same in the end, if well done, and in good grafting, the
joint is soon lost in the growth.

There is one advantage in grafting in spring: If it takes, you may
have roses the same year, and thus a season is saved; but, if any of
them fail, the stock will grow, if the graft does not; and, of course, if
the graft does not grow, you must allow the top branches of the stock
to grow, and rub off all other buds, just as if it had not been grafted.
The China kinds will graft at any time of the year, but they must be on
China stocks, or stocks partaking of the nature of China stocks. It is
only the deciduous kind of stock which is confined to the spring
grafting, and it is not uncommon to see the solid stock of a large size
cleft to make room for a smail bit of choice wood; they holding it to

 

be a waste to throw away the prunings of the Rose, and giving much
attention to the profitable use of them.
Root Grafting. —It will be always found in a plantation of roses that
PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 59

suckers spring up in abundance from the roots; these would soon rob
the head or worked part of a great portion of its nourishment; but
these suckers are useful when taken off with a good portion of root to
them, because there is not a more certain mode of propagating the
Rose than neatly grafting a piece of the wood of a Rose on the root
just under the surface; the union is almost certain, if at all dexterously

 

done. The proper mode of doing this, is to pull up the sucker, which
will expose the root some distance, and take off a good piece of root
with it from the parent stock; cut the sucker completely off to the
part that was on the surface of the ground; get a piece of the wood
of a Rose as nearly the size of the root as possible, cut a slit in the
root, making both cuts smooth and flat inside; then cut the scion
wedge fashion, and make the bark fit it even with the outer cuticle of
the root; tie them well together, and plant them so that the entire
graft goes under the surface of the ground. These root grafts are
_ excellent for dwarf plants, for they are worked actually under ground,
and when well done they make excellent plants. Grafting the Rose is
not chosen before budding; but, as there is always a good deal of
waste wood in a rose tree that has to come off in spring, many give
grafting a chance; and of grafting, root grafting is one of the most
elfective. There is never any scarcity of roots among a collection of
roses; forking the ground a little brings up these straggling shoots;
and so that there be a good piece of healthy stuff, there is no difficulty
in making a good job. There is no occasion to clay over the join in
root grafting.
There is another advantage in root grafting: it is applicable with
the China kinds all the season through, if you make sure of a healthy
root; nor is there any difficulty in obtaining proper roots for the pur-
60 PRUNING:

pose. Wherever a sucker comes up through the ground, use a fork and
take up as much root as you think suck a plant ought to have; the
operation must be performed quickly, and with a very sharp knife,
for the root must not dry under the operation, and they must be
planted directly. The graft need not be put in wedge fashion; any
other way is as good, if the join be smooth, well fitted, and tied firmly.
But we do not recommend grafting of any kind as the best means of
propagation. Nothing is so simple as budding, and scarcely anything
so efficacious. The propagators of roses by root grafting are very apt
to grow the suckers in pots for a considerable time, so that they get
completely established after being broken away from the parent root,
before they are submitted to. the operation of grafting, and this
becomes then almost a matter of certainty ; whereas we have known
the roots .of suckers bléed so much, that they have lost the root,
and have been indebted to the graft striking root for not losing it
altogether.

PRUNING.

Tuer principal objects to be attained by pruning roses are—first, to
compensate, by reducing the part to be nourished, for the loss of the
root that has to nourish it, which loss, greater or lesser, is always
suffered by removal. The proper way to do this pruning depends
much on the state of the plant when you have planted it. If it be
very bushy, cut away“ all the weather branches, leave not more
than three or four of the best of the shoots, and shorten even those
down to a few eyes. If you wish the plant to continue dwarf and
bushy, you may cut down to the last eye or two of the new wood,
but leave no thin half-grown shoots on at any rate. If the plant isa
matured bush, with numerous branches, and pretty strong generally,
shorten the new wood down to two eyes, which will show what more
you need do. It may be found that you have then a great many
more branches left-on than you require; cut one half of’ them closo
off, and that half must be the thinnest; but it may be that the plant
will he improved by cutting some of the main branches clear away,
PRUNING. 61

and all that are on it; for rose trees and bushes, like everything else,
are easily spoiled by bearing too much wood, and being over-crowded.

The regular Climbing Rose is often required to make as much show
as possible the first year of planting; but unless they are removed
with the greatest possible care, they ought to be cut almost to the
ground, and thinned out also. None but the strongest wood ought
to be allowed to remain on the plant, and if this be not of quite first
rate excellence, it is far better to cut out all the weak branches, and
cut down the strong ones to two eyes each,

Pruning Standards,

‘

With regard to Standard Roses, we cannot help thinking, from all
we have seen practised, that a large portion of them are grown alto-
gether upon a wrong principle. Standard trees, to be handsome,
should be as wide in the head as their entire height; and upon the
present system of pruning them, they enlarge a little every year.

-When your standards are planted, you need do nothing to them until

 

April; then cut all small shoots off close; that is to say, clear them
right away; cut down the strong ones to two, three, or at most, four
62 PRUNING.

eyes. care being taken that the top eye is pointing onward; the ob-
ject of this is to obtain strong branches growing outward, to make a
wide head. As the shoots grow, notice the best and strongest that are
growing in a position to widen the head, and leave them to make all
the growth they can; allow any shoot that is growing up strong in. the
centre to grow also; and further, a most important point, rub off, or
cut off with a very sharp knife, all weakly growing shoots, all that
grow inward and cross the head, and wherever two cross each other,
remove the weakest. The branches that grow outward will be good

 

8zconp YzEar’s GrowTH or Bun.

enough and well enough in one season's growth to leave any length
you please towards making a proper sized head; but as five or six of
these branches will not make a full head, the next season they may be
shortened to half their growth, taking care that the end bud must be
an under one, for all the tendency of the Rose is to grow upward, and
it is only when the natural growth is outward, or downward, that the
weight prevails to keep it in a horizontal or drooping position. This
second year, and indeed every subsequent year, every branch that does
not assist to form a handsome head without crowding, must be taken
PRUNING. 63

away, and the younger it is when taken, the more good its removal
floes, because the other branches get the better.

With regard to any one or two, or even three upright branches,
though one strong one is worth three weakly ones, they may be short-
ened down so that two or three good eyes may be fairly above the
other branches, and that when they grow outward the next season,
they may help fill up the head of the tree above; when the eyes
begin to shoot, rub out all that come where they are not required, and
-leave those of which you are yet doubtful, as well as those you know
will be wanted, because it is at this period you have such control by

 

Tuirp Year's GRowTH or Bup.

driving the whole strength of the tree into the branches that are
wanted, In this way, you proceed until the head of the tree is the
proper form and proportion, instead of, as we now see them every-
where, a small, pimping, ungraceful head to a tall stem, or trunk,
When once it has arrived at this perfection, which, with very little
care and attention, it will, you may cut back every year's wood to two
eyes; cut out every weak shoot altogether, if you have not rubbed it
off in the bud; cut out all that are in the way of free growth for the
rest, and when any portion is confused by reason of the number of
64 PRUNING.

spurs or shortened branches left on, clear away a bit by cutting them
off. Always remember that Standard Roses for appearance should not
be too closely pruned; but for showing, when the individual blooms
are shown, a multiplicity of flowers is against size. We can hardly
recommend too strongly the necessity of what we shall call spring
pruning, which is, in fact, nipping the mischief in the bud, watching
the development of the newly coming branches, and removing all but
the number there is good room for; and as this has not been treated
of at any length, if at all, we may fairly request attention to it.

The three cuts which are in illustration of this article, though not
very accurate, show the first year’s growth of two buds placed ina
stock, with dotted lines at the place we should eut them; the second
year’s growth after such cutting, with dotted lines where we should
cut them again; and the third year’s growth is indicated by lines
which give some idea of it. But neither of these euts is exactly what
we like; first, because our pen and ink sketches were imperfect, we
being unable to draw exactly what we wanted; and secondly, because
the artist, who could have drawn it, did not know what we wanted.
There is enough, however, done to assist in our lesson on Pruning
Standards, though not to the extent we wished.

Pruning and Training Pillar Roses.

Although we have touched on the pruning of bushes, and upon the
pruning of climbers when first planted, it only related to the mere
operation of pruning them for growth, in the position they were to
remain; and here, for the sake of the poor roses themselves, and the
pillars they are to ornament, we will suppose they are cut down to the
ground, or nearly so, and have made a fresh growth, or rather are
making fresh growth. Pillars for roses ought to be a foot in diameter,
and are best made of trellis work or rods of iron, or, if it must be so,
of wood; but they ought to be one foot through. As the leading
shoots come, they ought to be wound spirally round the pillar, at such
distance from each other as will enable them to fill up the space be-
tween with foliage; their leading shoots then constitute the tree, and
all the side shoots bear their blooms, and form « pillar of roses. We
do not mean that this is all done in a year, though some kinds go a
PRUNING. 65

long way towards it; here, as in all other cases of rose pruning, the
little weak shoots must be removed, the strongest left on all the way
up, and should be shortened to two eyes. If the tops here die down
at all, shorten them to the strong top eye, not to the top eye, for seve-
ral near the top may be found weak, and they would never be other-
wise, whereas the stronger one will grow fast, and soon supply the
place of the old top.

When the buds first show in spring, it will be right to go over the
roses carefully, to remove any that are in the way; and the growth
of some roses will be found so different to that of others, that one sort
will want enormous room to develop its shoots and blooms, while
another will make but short branches and bloom abundantly. These
characteristics will be discovered in a year’s growth, if not well ex-
plained beforehand, and the provision can be made accordingly. Many
Pillar or Climbing Roses are made to run over arches from pillar to
pillar, or along festoons from pillar to pillar; the best way to manage
those parts which form the arch, or festoon, is merely to thin out their
weak branches without shortening their strong ones, because they
will bloom more abundantly, which is the great charm; and the loose.
and free manner in which they hang about will be to their advantage,
so they be kept within bounds a little.

Pruning and Training Roses on Flat Trellises, Walls, and
Fronts of Houses.

The management of this family is very similar to that of Pillar Roses,
except that the leading shoots must be encouraged to grow the best
way to fill up the space allotted to the plant, for which purpose it will
be advisable, in some cases, to train the strongest two shoots horizon-
tally right and left along the bottom; or if the space to cover be only
one way, to train one strong shoot along the bottom, and turn it up at
the end; if it reach further, the rest of the strong shoots may be fanned
out at equidistances, and all the weak joints removed. The next year,
rub off the buds that are coming where they are not wanted. Allow
any strong shoots that come up from the bottom horizontal shoot, to
grow as much as they will, but no weak ones. A fast-growing Rose
will soon cover a house front, a trellis, or wall, and flower all over,
66 PRUNING.

When the space gets filled, you must continue cutting out, from year
to year, all thin, spindley shoots, and spare the strong ones, so that the
stongest eyes only are developed, instead of all of them; and the Roses
are closely set to their wall or trellis, instead of hanging lolloping
about; the very thing which is good on a pillar, or an arbor, or over
an archway, or on festoons, being the reverse on a flat surface. As a
never-failing operation, however, in all cases, the weak, spindley shoots
may always be removed, whether the strong wood be shortened or
not,

j
Pruning of Standurds on Their Own Bottoms, or Roots.

It is very common to see among Dwarf or Bush Roses, a strong
shoot growing upright, a sucker from the root; and it is frequently
the case that these will rise up to five or six feet high. In the Moss
Roses, this is often to be found. These may always be trained into
standard trees, with heads in every way proportioned to the stem.
As soon as a vigorous shoot of this kind makes its appearance, cut in
the bush at bottom rather hard, as it will tend to strengthen the root,
which will be relieved of some of its work by the operation. When
the shoot has attained the required height, pinch off the top; this will
encourage side shoots, all of which, except the two or three at the top,
must be rubbed off. It rarely occurs, however, that any side growth
is made the first season; so that the better way, unless the shoot be
getting too long early in the season, is to let it ripen its wood. The
latter part of the autumn, you may look at the root, to see what state
it is in, and how far it may be dependent on the main root. If it be
closely joined, so that there would not be sufficient root if separated,
the old bush must be sacrificed, and the root secured for the standard.
As the upper part of the shoot may not be well ripened, it will be as
well to bind a hay band round it, or tie some moss or other litter, to
save it from sharp frost, though moderate ones will not injure.

In the spring, cut the end off as low down as will do for your pur-
pose, and when the buds shoot out, it will be seen that the three or
four upper ones come first; all others on the stem must be rubbed off.
Nor is it any great use having two buds on the same side of the tree;
if you can manage to have three, or even four, within a few inches of
the top, pointing different ways, they will form the better hold of it, to
GENERAL HINTS. 67

strengthen the other portion of the tree. Continue to be watchful as
to other buds that will be continually pushing from the main stem, and
let not one grow but those you have selected for the head.

At the end of the year, these will have made considerable growth,
and, instead of being cut back the next spring to two eyes, as is the
case with many, cut them back only so far as to insure the strength
of the remainder, say, so as to leave five or six eyes. The next season
of growth, there will, out of three or four branches, come four or five
branches each. Those which come in their places, to help form a
handsome head, may be allowed to grow; but if any come so as to
cross others, or where there is plenty of growth already, let them be
rubbed off; but it is quite possible for an eye to shoot where it is not
wanted, and yet the first or second eye of that shoot may be in a
direction to fill up a vacancy where it is necessary; this must, of
course, be looked to before buds are rubbed off. These branches, when
grown another season, will stretch out the head on all sides to a re-
spectable size, and enable you to thin out the weak wood, and cut back
the strong; so that instead of having the head pimping and small, it
may bear a proportion to the stem; for, as we have said before, the
head ought to be as wide across as the stem is long from the ground,
to the under part of the head. There is one thing to be observed with
regard to standards on their own bottom: they never break off, nor
decay, nor canker, half so much as budded and grafted ones,

GENERAL HINTS.

‘We may mention, as a general characteristic, that there is no plant
which yields more willingly to culture than the Rose, nor in the
growth of which there is so much certainty. If you desire a large
quantity of bloom, and are not anxious about the size of the flowers,
there is nothing required but to spare the knife; take out weak shoots,
but leave plenty of wood on the tree; for every eye will bloom, and
68 JENERAL HINTS,

the more you leave on, the better for that purpose. In this case, the
new wood made is but short, because there is so much of it. If, on
the contrary, you desire large blooms, cut away all the strong wood,
of the year previous, down to two eyes at the most, and cut all the
weak wood out altogether. Indeed, you may go further; for you
may cut away half the strong stoots, and lessen the number of eyes
still more.

Again, roses in poor soil will grow and bloom; their flowers will be
smaller, but not less healthy; their wood will be weaker and shorter,
but still sound. The principal danger when a Rose is starved is, that
it may come less double; and this is so serious a fault, that it has
occasioned many to be thrown away that did not deserve it, and
caused many others to be considered wrong varieties, when they
wanted nothing but good growth to make them right ones. On the
other hand, rich soils will cause a Rose to grow enormously; and all
intermediate growths between the strongest and the weakest may be
secured according to the soil they are put in to grow. Generally,
people fancy that dung is the only thing required; this is a mistake,
loam is required to grow the Rose in perfection; and if the ground is
poor and light, a spadeful of loam and a spadeful of dung will be far
better than two spadefuls of dung. This ought to be always mixed
with the soil a little, and the Rose planted in it.

Roses are sadly injured by the wind, and the blooms require fasten-
ing to something or other, to prevent their being frayed. The stakes
of roses should always be made fast to the Rose,.or the roses made fast
to the stakes with leaden or copper wire; because bass matting, or
other perishable stuff, will give way when high wind takes them, and
they receive a good deal of mischief before they are observed and
fastened again.

Of the roses at present in cultivation, very few which are not semi-
double will open out boldly; and those which are semi-déuble, are
not fit to show as single flowers. There are, however, some which
will bear the test of stand-showing, and they not of the dearest or
newest. Those, therefore, who desire to grow none but perfect
flowers, should state to the dealer, of whom they mean to buy, that
their object is to have none but such as will expand and show a good
face when fully bloomed, as they purpose growing none-others, The
GENERAL HINTS. 69

establishment of the showing in stands, like dahlias, will cause many
old and fine roses to be appreciated, and a great many new ones to be
discarded; for although it is not the gayest mode of exhibiting roses,
it is by far the best mode of testing, and it is curious to see the num-
ber of varieties with very glaring faults. For instance, some are close
balls of:petals, with the outer ones rolling back a little, as if they were
shrivelling; but never opening fairly. Others no sooner open than
they show their yellow seeds and their paucity of petals; some are on
stems too weak to hold them in their position; others, again, burst
into a broken mass of ill-formed petals, that do not compensate for
their sweetness. Some fall to pieces the instant they are open, and
others almost before they open; many are shapeless masses of colored
flimsy texture, that neither hold themselves in form nor impart fra-
grance. It is worth while to direct the attention of the amateur to
the large collections of roses sometimes to be seen at exhibitions, and
to the very few which are to be found among them of a fine form.
They will observe bunches of half-bloomed flowers, that dare not be
shown; they will find plenty of hard lumps, on stems not strong
enough to bear them without lolloping about; they will find some
without a round smooth petal among them, but very few so good as
the Tuscan, the Cabbage, the Moss, the Provence, and the oldest of
the known good varieties. This shows the necessity of attention to
the hints we have thrown out; for we must again confess, that
although we have selected the best among eleven or twelve hundred
roses, there are many that we shall see rejected like the remainder of
the entire collection, to make way for better flowers and better taste.

As a concluding observation respecting the management of the
Rose, we are bound to say, that a good deal that is done now is
erroneous, although taught by rose cultivators; and especially with
vegard to roses in pots, which, however pretty they may look, are
very much drawn, and very unnaturally supported. That the system,
if pursued, will lead to the introduction and toleration of varieties
which cannot support themselves, in the same manner as it did to the
introduction of worthless geraniums, there is no room to doubt; for
in the specimens exhibited in pots at various shows, the total inability
of the flowers and stems to support themselves is manifested, as well
as the dispositions to encourage this strange mode of distorting things.
Some allowance should be made for any forced subject; but that
70 GENERAL HINTS.

gardener who can produce his plants without supports, is the one
who deserves a prize for his skill; not the man who draws a plant till
it cannot support itself, and then keeps it up with framework.

There is much to be done in the choice of roses, for particular
objects. Those inclined to droop should be on very tall stalks, for
their pendulous habit is very handsome, and renders the tree a beau-
tiful drooping object; those for bushes ought to be short jointed and
close habited, as best suited to dwarfs, and so also will they be found
for dwarf standards.

The general routine for rose culture is given both as respects the
general collection, and also for seedlings; and with attention to what
has been here written, we think a mere novice may, with a little
enterprise, beat one who grows upon any other system.

Few people are aware of the injustice sometimes done to roses,
which are condemned as worthless, when the culture alone is the
cause of their misbehavior. The Rose is a fidgety customer. The
French people are famous for raising new varieties, and describing
them as very superb; the English and American nurserymen buy
them as soon as they can be obtained, and describe them to their
customers as something recherché; they are purchased by amateur
cultivators upon the strength of such characters, grown for a
year, and too often thrown away as worthless. Once for all, let us
inform our readers, that no Rose can be depended on for growing to
its character under the third season. The effect of poor culture is to
make a Double Rose semi-double and single; and that which would
be rich culture to anything else, may be poor to the Rose, because if
it be not suitable, it may as well be poor.

There are many things which affect the Rose, but the principal one
is tantamount to saying that it does not feelitself at home. European
nurserymen often propagate roses rather too mechanically ; the greater
part of them are “made to sell.” So long as the stock will keep the
bud alive, and let it grow, that is all the nurseryman asks or wishes.
Now, it is quite certain that a stock without much root will live, and
hundreds of plants sent from abroad are of this description. There
may be strength enough in the stock to grow and bloom the kind
upon it, but as the stock is not fairly at home, the first year is often
wasted in making root enough to lay hold of the ground, and during
this period, the head is grown but poorly.
GENERAL HINTS, 71

As to blooming, it should not be allowed until the growth is vigor-
ous, for it comes miserably poor, if at all. The second year, it is more
reconciled to its place, and the third may be considered a fair trial.
Take the very best Rose we have, and grow it badly, the result will
be bad flowers; but, if this be the case with well-known varieties,
how cautious etl we to be of condemning a candidate for our favors
when we have no evidence of its real character.* Rose growers say
it is impossible to tell, after a removal, wit 2 Rosd"Ought to be by
what it is; that it ought to'be tried three easons before condemna-
tion, and nab be discarded under an idea that it is useless, merely
because it flowers badly, which is not always the case. A Rose will
sometimes be for several years only middling, when, if it liked the
ground, it would be excellent.

‘When you have a Rose, first you should cut away all bruised parts
of the root, and see that all the broken ends of the shoots in the
ground, or root shoots, are smooth; then plant it the first year in
good strong fresh loam, from a pasture. If rotten dung be at the
bottom, so much the better, but do not let the dung touch the roots.
Cut nothing back of the head or bud shoot, or if it be an established
head, cut nothing back until you see the buds swelling, so as to enable
you to calculate what portion is alive, and what has died back. As
soon as this is indicated by the growing of the buds, cut away clean
to the tree all the branches which may have perished. When these
are removed, you see what head you have to depend on, and how
mouch you may cut back without losing an opportunity of forming or
improving a head for the next season. For instance, all the branches
but one will often die back, and be forced to be removed by the knife.
Had the pruning at first been close, and each branch cut back to two
eyes, there would be but two, of course, left on the only living one,
and but two shoots could be had from them; having, however, dis-
covered that but one branch is left, this has to be preserved somewhat
longer, and therefore should be ‘pruned to four or five, instead of two
eyes. These may be managed to form branches all round the tree, or
rather at such distance as prudence dictates, due regard being had to
the strength of the plant. If the tree takes off vigorously, and the
wood grows very strong, the bloom is pretty sure to be inferior, as
indeed is the case when almost any plant runs to wood; so that it is
72 GENERAL HINTS.

quite as unlikely that the bloom of the Rose is in character when the
plant is too vigorous, as when it is meagre or too much starved.

Hybridising has done much good for roses, but it has also done its
mischief; for, if it has introduced some splendid varieties, it has teased
us with hundreds not worth growing; some, which are close hard
lumps of rolled-up petals, turn over their thin edges like a dog-
eared book; the backs of the petals a dull color, scarcely any scent to
them, and altogether bad openers, and bad if they can be made to
open. There is no reason. why the Rose should not be as perfect as
the Camellia japonica. There are some of the Bourbens with petals
as smooth and as thick, and almogt as regular; and these are the
kinds to buy and grow. They hold their form longer and better than
those with thin petals; they open more freely, and are better when
they do open. The habits of these full-flowered plants are better ;
the flowers, instead of lolloping their heads down, show themselves
well. All the full free opening roses of old age are of this descrip-
tion; witness the Cabbage Rose, the Maiden’s Blush, the Provence,
and some others, which are as familiar as the name of the Rose itself.
It is true that the bud of a Rose is pretty, and that a bunch of roses
is pretty, but while we have good roses that will open, and of almost
every color, it is unnecessary to grow bad ones; and if the character
of roses is established by showing single blooms, which shall be
required to be open, there will be but little difficulty in doing all the
rest.

Nevertheless, on receiving roses from nurseries, whether American
or foreign, pay attention to these directions in the planting, and be
not ina hurry to condemn. Let them fail the first season, and be
even middling only the second, but give them the benefit of the doubt,
and try them a third season. Convince yourself that the variety is
incapable of becoming better, and that you have seen their natural
habit, before you throw them away. If a petal is thin and curly,
rough-edged and flimsy, it can never be good; if the petals are good,
but there are too few of them, there is great hope that culture will
improve it from a semi-double to a perfect double, which is all that is
wanted,
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS, 73

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS.

Tue following Calendar for the management of the Rose, during
each month of the year, is designed for the central parts of the United
States, including the temperate regions of Maryland, Virginia, Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois. The season of spring com-
mences in the middle latitudes of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and
of Texas, and the northern part of Louisiana, and the southern part
of Arkansas, about one month earlier; and a month or five weeks
later in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and in the central latitudes of
New York, Wisconsin, and of Michigan. The period of sowing, how-
ever, ‘will admit of some latitude, on account of the degree of dryness
of the soil, and of its exposure to cold or moist winds, and to the solar
warmth.

It has long been observed that Nature, in her operations, is so uni-
form, that the forwardness of trees, in unfolding their flowers and
leaves, is an unerring indication of the forwardness of spring; and
that the period at which the shrub red bud (Cercis canadensis) puts
forthyis the proper time to plant Indian corn, and sow in open cul-
ture the seeds of the Rose.

Hanuary,

Look well to all standard roses; see that their stakes are firmly in
the ground, and the stocks or trunks are well fastened tothem. If the
heads of standards are very large, compared with the hold they have
upon the stock, it is necessary that the stock to which the tree is fast-
ened should reach partly through the head, and be fastened to the
head itself. It is also desirable, when very large growth has been
made, to shorten, though not properly prune, all the longest branches,
to lessen the head, that the wind may not have too much power. If
you have not provided yourself with stocks before this month, lose no
time, and when procured, prune the roots into moderate form, for they
will frequently be found straggling and awkward. Besides planting
out a number in rows, to be worked in the open ground, pot some of
the most compact-rooted in pots, and plunge them, making a post-and-
rail sort of frame along them to fasten the stocks to, and prevent them

4
74 CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS.

from being disturbed by the wind; also, if you have not got in all the
roses you want, order them and plant.

Protect the smooth-wooded kinds, budded on the stocks, in pots,
from the cold, and see that those in beds are well covered with litter
where there is danger of their suffering from frost ; and, as the smooth-
wooded varieties budded in pots will be growing, support their shoots
and remove all other eyes from the stocks the instant they break.

At the North, where roses in parlors and greenhouses are coming
into flower, syringe the plants freely with water, and occasionally with
a solution of Peruvian guano, mixed in the proportion of half a pint
of guano to eight gallons of water. Fumigate often with tobacco, in
order to keep down the green fly; and with sulphur, to kill the red
spider.

GHebhbruarpy.

Look over the established stocks, and see which are most favorable
for grafting; andif you have any wood of roses you intend to graft,
leave it on the trees; but if you have to obtain wood, seek for it in
time; and if you get it, plant the thickest end downward in the
ground, in some shady place, because they ought not to be grafted till
next month, and the cuttings will keep some time. The China Roses
in the house, and roses in the forcing house, must be kept well syringed,
and watched carefully, that, in the event of the green fly attacking them,
they may be fumigated, as well as syringed. Roses in pots should be
kept a little moist, and if not pruned in autumn, should be pruned
directly. Look to a supply of wild stocks, if you have not yet com-
pleted your arrangements.

Bruise the berries which have been saved for seed, and rub out the
seed ready for sowing next month,

At the North, continue the same treatment as recommended last
month.

PMarced.

Prune all roses which were jeft half done in the autumn, or not done
at all, especially grafted and budded ones of last year, as they have
this year to make some growth. Stocks may still do if the season is
backward, but not a day must be lost. Look over all the standard
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 75

trees, examine the pushing buds, trim out all weak shoots from the
buds, and cut away all shoots from the stock. This must be always
considered of first consequence, for the growth of a branch from a stock
will completely check the growth of the head. All grafted and budded
trees, when once fairly growing, should be deprived of all means of
growth from the stock itself. It is not wise to destroy altogether the
growth of the stock above the graft or bud, until the union and sub-
sequent growth of the graft or bud itself are well established; but this
once accomplished, leave no vestige of growth belonging to the stock,
and constantly rub off every bud. You may commence grafting this
month.

Sow the seeds in large pots or deep pans, and keep them from onco
getting dry, or being frosted.

At the North, hardy roses may be safely pruned the last of this
month.

April.

If any suckers appear among established roses or stocks, worked or
unworked, remove the earth down to where they join the root, and
cut them off close. Ifthe rose quarter is at all infested with snails or
slugs, use all means to destroy them. Inverted flower pots, tilted on
one side, will catch many snails; cabbage leaves laid on the ground,
and examined daily, will entrap slugs. All stocks on which grafts or
buds failed last season must be looked upon as new stocks, and cut
down to where they appear alive. The shoots upon which buds were
placed should be cut off close, as well as side growths, if they are
intended for budding, but if for grafting, the inside shoots may be
strong enough to graft on; if the grafts, and the shoot grafted on, be
nearly alike, the graft may be all the safer, and the place of union
more completely healed than when small grafts are placed in large
stocks. This month is a good one for grafting or spring budding,
though the operation may be performed successfully in March. Cut
back to two eyes all that have been lef, unpruned, by which late
pruning back, the blooming will be protracted considerably.

Keep the seeds sown last month, moist; and if the season be dry,
moisten them by laying on the ernie some wet moss, Shade them,
also, from the hot sun.

At the North, hardy roses of all kinds should now-be pruned, Moss
76 CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS.

Roses cut back short. Rose seeds may be sown the last of this month
or early in May. Spring budding may also be performed.

Play.

This is an important month with the Rose. First and foremost,
the vigilance in looking for the breaking buds of stocks, which would
rob the head of its growth, must be doubled, and every three or four
days they must be examined and rubbed off. Suckers must also be
grubbed up the instant they appear. The shoots of the*buds of last
year will make rapid growth, and require to be screened, that the
wind may not break them out or damage them; and it is a very good
plan to tie a stick to the stem, to reach a foot above it, and this does
well to support any of the shoots. But when a bud throws up a very
strong shoot, it is well to take the top off as soon as there are two pair
of leaves, for it will make the shoot form a head the first season; but,
in any case, the shoots must be supported by a loose tie to the stick
above mentioned.

The young seedlings will be up this month, and will require great
care to keep them from damaging by too much wet, or burning up for
want of moisture. :

At the North, Tea, Bengal, Noisette and other roses may now be
planted out in borders. Rose seed may ke sown early in this month,
and spring budding performed.

Hune.

This month, great diligence must be used to prevent the stocks from
growing from their own wood, instead of throwing all their stength
into the grafts and buds. It is time also to be looking out for sorts you
intend to bud with, either by buying the plants outright, or bespeak-
ing buds for the season; and if any come in your way about the end
of the month, do not be afraid of budding on the strongest wood you
can find of the present season’s growth among the stocks, though you
may properly choose a later season, if you have nothing to hurry you.

The young seedlings will have advanced enough to pot off, one in
a pot, with loam, peat, and decomposed dung; they must be placed
in the shade out of doors, or in a frame and light, in order to grow five
or six weeks. See that they are watered as often as may be neces-
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. : q7

sary; and on any appearance of the green fly, fumigate them with
tobacco.

At the North, roses should be planted out in borders for summer
blooming.

Huly.

If this month be at all forward, you may bud; and if. you have
wood given to you when you are not ready for it, put the ends in wet
sand, and a hand glass over them; but the sooner you can use the
buds after you have got them the better. The stocks must be put in
completely all over, except one or two eyes beyond the bud on the
branches in which the bud is inserted. All China Roses in pots or
out of doors may be budded, and so also may all the smooth-barked
kinds.

Plant out the young seedlings potted last month, in beds tour feet
wide, in the same soil, without disturbing the balls of earth; let them
be six inches from the side of the bed, and a foot apart each way.
Protect them from vermin by all ordinary means; shade them from
the heat of the sun at mid-day ; wate: if required.

At the North, roses of all kinds planted in open ground, may be
layered the last of this month, Perpetual Roses will bloom bést in
autumn, if they are pruned in after having opened their first flowers,

August.

Continue the budding, and use every precaution to prevent the
stock from growing, and remove suckers the instant they appear
above ground. Nothing should be allowed to grow, except, just
beyond the bud; a shoot may be beneficial, as it draws the sap past
the bud; but as soon as it is united and doing well, anything growing
beyond it may be broken off, or bent down to check it a little. Cut-
tings of the smooth-barked kinds will strike almost every month in the
year; but at the end of this month, whatever you may be anxious to
propagate may be struck in the shade, under a hand glass, or even
quicker where there is a little bottom heat.

The same directions will also apply to the North.
78 OALENDAR OF OPERATIONS,

September.

You may now examine the budded plants, and undo the ties of any
that appear to swell, tying them more loosely, although tight enough
to hold in the bud. If any of the buds have failed, you may open a
fresh place, and insert others; but if well done, this will seldom be the
case. Continue to remove any shoots or eyes that are showing
growth in the stock, for on this much depends. Cuttings from the
smooth-wooded kinds may be taken and struck, and any that are
struck may be potted off insmall pots. Weed the young plants in the
beds. Water them if the seasex be dry.

At the North, roses intended for early forcing, should now be
repotted and pruned.

@ctober.

Towards the end of the month, look out for healthy stocks, or get
some one in that way of business to. collect for you. Always choose,
and make any one who undertakes to supply you understand that you
require strong stems, perfectly straight, with compact roots, that hare
not been much damaged by removal. Any that you get should be at
once trimmed and planted in rows, about eighteen inches apart, and
the rows wide enough to enable you to go up and down them well,
to operate in the way of grafting and budding when required. Many
of the budded stocks may now be untied altogether, but it is not well
to cut the branches in which they are budded close down to the bud
until the spring months. As they would be more susceptible of
damage by frost, let them all be properly sheltered, and fastened, if
they have become loosened. Shorten the longest’ branches of standard
roses, that they may not hold the wind so much; and although it
would be improper to prune, their close back branches may be cut
clean away, because they are of no use on the tree. Cuttings of the
China and smooth-wooded kinds may be taken now for general
propagation. The plants will be the better for losing the wood, espe-
cially all the dwarfs in pots.

Examine the August-budded plants, and loosen the ties, if necessary.
Break or cut off tke wild part of the stock above the bud, all except
one growing eye, to keep up the circulation; remove all other
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 79

branches and shoots. Gather the “hips,” or berries, of any desirable
varieties for seed, as soon asripe. Look to those roses budded on
Stocks in pots. ,

At the North, all tender kinds, growing in open ground, should be
taken up and potted, and hardy roses may be successfully trans-
planted the last of this month.

Nobember.

This is the best month in the year, if the weather is dry and open,
for planting out the garden sorts of rose trees and bushes; therefore,
all removals should be performed as soon as convenient, according to
the plan pointed out in the foregoing treatise. The leaves of all the
garden sorts are falling, or have fallen. Some of the perpetuals, and
the China and hybrid kinds, are, in mild autumns, still growing, and
perhaps blooming. Such must not be touched till the leaves have
turned yellow, or have dropped; but in all other cases, where the
leaves have faded, the removal is kindly and beneficially done. Stocks
may be procured and planted, and if the permanent planting cannot,
for any particular reasons, be done now, they must be temporarily
planted or laid in the earth, in a sloping direction, and the roots well
covered with mould, which must also be well shook in among the
roots and fibres. Cuttings may still be made of the smooth-wooded
kinds, and placed close together in pots of mould, with half an inch
thickness of sand at the top. These pots must not be allowed to dry,
but may be put in a pit or greenhouse, or plunged under a hand
glass in the border, which will answer for covering them well from
frost. 7

In all situations subject to frosts, throw light litter, as pea vines,
pine boughs, or straw, over the beds containing tender varieties, at
night; and if there happen to be frost, do not remove the litter during
the day. Continue to gather ripe berries, or hips, as directed last
month. Cut out the weak shoots from the seedlings, leaving only the
robust and strong ones on the plant, except such as are intended for —
buds in the spring. :

At the North, tender roses should all be taken up this month.” Per-
petuals and Bourbons, in the open ground, if in a well-drained situa-
tion, with a little covering, will stand the winter without injury.
80 INSECTS.

Wecember.

Planting goes on well this month, if the weather be dry and open;
but if wet, and the ground does not work well, it is better deferred ;
for if planting is done when the soil will not crumble well, and go
between the roots, they cannot succeed. Look well to last month’s
directions, and attend to them in all respects, if not done before.

Seed berries, designed for sowing next spring, may be .preserved
by putting a tile at the bottom of a flower pot, into which may be
put those hips that are perfectly ripe, covering them three or four
inches with sand, and let them remain until wanted; or lay them on
a shelf to dry out the moisture. See, also, that the stocks, which have
been budded, are secured to stakes against the effects of the wind.
Protect the smooth-wooded kinds, budded on the stocks in pots, from
the frost, and look well to the litter on those in beds.

At the North, those roses, taken up and potted last month, should
now be headed in, cutting away all small shoots to one good eye.
They may be wintered in a cold frame, or taken into the house, where
they will bloom from February to May.

INSECTS.

TuE insects which infest the Rose are quite numerous; but as their
habits are comparatively but little known, it has thus far been very
difficult to arrest their ravages, or sensibly diminish their number, by
artificial means. At least forty distinct species are described by Euro-
pean naturalists, but many of them do not exist among us. The only
reliable authority on this subject, in this country, is Dr. T. W. Harris,
of Harvard University. From his ‘‘ Report on the Insects Injurious
to Vegetation in Massachusetts,” we copy the following, which, doubt-
less, will be acceptable to all who are not in possession of his work:—

The saw fly of the Rose, which, as it does not seem to have been
described before, may be called Selandria rosce, from its favorite plant,
so.nearly resembles the slug-worm saw fly as not to be distinguished
INSECTS. 81

therefrom except by a practised observer. It is also very much like
Selandria barda, vitis and pygmcea, but has not the red thorax of these
three closely-allied species. It is of a deep and shining black color.
The first two pairs of legs are brownish grey or dirty white, except
the thighs, which are almost entirely black. The hind legs are black,
with whitish knees. The wings are smoky and transparent, with
dark-brown veins, and a brown spot near the middle of the edge of
the first pair. The body of the male is a little more than three twen-
tieths of an inch long, that of the female one fifth of an inch or more,
and the wings expand nearly or quite two fifths of an inch, These
saw flies come out of the ground, at various times, between the twen-
tieth of May and the middle of June, during which period they pair
and lay their eggs. The females do not fly much, and may be seen,
during most of the day, resting on the leaves; and, when touched,
they draw up their legs, and fall to the ground. The males are more
active, fly from one rose bush to another, and hover around their slug-
gish partners. The latter, when about to lay their eggs, turn a little
on one side, unsheath their saws, and thrust them obliquely into the
skin of the leaf, depositing in each incision thus made a single egg.
The young begin to hatch in ten days or a fortnight after the eggs are
laid. They may sometimes be found on the leaves as early as the
first of June, but do not usually appear in considerable numbers till
the twentieth of the same month.

How long they are in coming to maturity, I have not particularly
observed; but the period of their existence in the caterpillar state
probably does not exceed three weeks. They somewhat resemble the
young of the saw fly in form, but are not quite so convex. They
have a small, round, yellowish head, with a black dot on each side of
it, and are provided with twenty-two short legs. The body is green
above, paler at the sides, and yellowish beneath; and it is soft, and
almost transparent like jelly. The skin of the back is transversely
wrinkled, and covered with minute elevated points; and there are
two small, triple-pointed warts on the edge of the first ring, immedi-
ately behind the head. These gelatinous and sluggish creatures eat
the upper surface of the leaf in large irregular patches, leaving the
veins and the skin beneath untouched; and they are sometimes so
thick that not a leaf on the bushes is spared by them, and the whole
foliage looks as if it had been scorched by fire, and drops off soon

4%
82 INSECTS.

afterward. They cast their skins several times, leaving them extended
and fastened on the leaves; after the last moulting, they lose their
semi-transparent and greenish color, and acquire an opaque yellowish
hue. They then leave the rose bushes, some of them slowly creeping
down the stem, and others rolling up and dropping off, especially
when the bushes are shaken by the wind. Having reached the
ground, they burrow to the depth of an inch or more in the earth,
where each one makes for itself a small oval cell, of grains of earth,
cemented with a little gummy silk. Having finished their transforma-
tions, and turned to flies, within their cells, they come out of the
ground early in August, and lay their eggs for a second brood of
young. These, in turn, perform their appointed work of destruction
in the autumn; they then go into the ground, make their earthen
cells, remain therein throughout the winter, and appear in the winged
form, in the following spring and summer.

During several years past, these pernicious vermin have infested
the rose bushes in the vicinity of Boston, and have proved so injurious
to them, as to have excited the attention of the Massachusetts Horti-
cultural Society, by whom a premium of one hundred dollars, for the
most successful mode of destroying these insects, was offered in the’
summer of 1840. About ten years ago, I observed them in gardens,
in Cambridge, and then made myself acquainted with their transforma-
tions. At that time, they had not reached Milton, my former place
of residence, and have appeared in that place only within two or three
years. They now seem to be gradually extending in all directions,
and an effectual method for preserving our roses from their attacks
has become very desirable to all persons who set any value on this
beautiful ornament of our gardens and shrubberies. Showering or
syringing the bushes with a liquor, made by mixing with water the
juice expressed from tobacco by tobacconists, has been recommended ;
but some caution is necessary in making this mixture of a proper
strength, for if too strong, it is injurious to plants; and the experiment
does not seem, as yet, to have been conducted with sufficient care to
insure safety and success.

Dusting lime over the plants, when wet with dew, has been tried
and found of some use; but this and all other remedies will probably
yield in efficacy to Mr. Haggerston’s mixture of whale-oil soap and
water, in the proportion of two pounds of the soap to fifteen gallons
INSECTS. 83

of water. Particular directions, drawn up by Mr. Haggerston himself,
for the preparation and use of this simple and cheap application, may
be found in the “ Boston Courier,” for the twenty-fifth of June, 1841,
and also in most of our agricultural and horticultural journals of the
same time. The utility of this mixture has already been repeatedly
mentioned in my treatise, and it may be applied in other cases with
advantage. Mr. Haggerston finds that it effectually destroys many
kinds of insects; and he particularly mentions plant lice of various
kinds, red spiders, canker worms, and a little jumping insect which
has lately been found quite as hurtful to rose bushes as the slugs or
young of the saw fly. The little insect alluded to has been mistaken
for a species of thrips, or vine fretter; it is, however, a leaf hopper, or
species of Tettigonia, much smaller than the leaf hopper of the grape’
vine, (Zettigonia vitis,) and, like the leaf hopper of the bean, entirely
of a pale-green color.

In treating of the common Rose Bug, or Rose Chafer, (Melolontha
subspinosa,) Dr. Harris says :—

The natural history of the rose chafer, one of the greatest scourges
with which our gardens and nurseries have been afflicted, was for a
long time invoived in mystery, but is at last fully cleared up. The
prevalence of this insect on the Rose, and its annual appearance coin-
ciding with the blossoming of that flower, have gained for it the pop-
ular name by which it is here known. For some time after they were
first noticed, rose bugs appeared to be confined to their favorite, the
blossoms of the rose; but within thirty years, they have prodigiously
increased in number, have attacked at random various kinds of plants
in swarms, and have become notorious for their extensive and deplo-
rable ravages. The grape vine in particular, the cherry, plum and
apple trees, have annually suffered by their depredations ; many other
fruit trees and shrubs, garden vegetables and corn, and even the trees
of the forest and the grass.of the fields, have been laid under contri-
bution by these indiscriminate feeders, by which leaves, flowers, and
fruits are alike consumed.

The unexpected arrival of these insects in swarms, at their first
coming, and their sudden disappearance, at the close of their career,
are remarkable facts in their history. They come forth from the
84 INSECTS.

ground during the second week in June, or about the time of the
blossoming of the Damask Rose, and remain from thirty to forty days.
At the end of this period, the males become exhausted, fall to the
ground, and perish, while the females enter the earth, lay their eggs,
return to the surface, and, after lingering a few days, die also. The
eggs laid by each female are about thirty in number, and are depos-
ited from one to four inches beneath the surface of the soil; they are
nearly globular, whitish, and about one thirtieth of an inch in diame-
ter, and are hatched twenty days after they are laid. The young
larvee begin to feed on such tender roots as are within their reach.
Like other grubs of the Scarabeians, when not eating, they lie upon
the side, with the body curved so that the head and tail are nearly in
contact; they move with difficulty on a level surface, and are contin-
ually falling over on one side or the other. They attain their full size
in autumn, being then nearly three quarters of an inch long, and
about an eighth of an inch indiameter. They are of a yellowish-white
color, with a tinge of blue towards the hinder extremity, which is
thick and obtuse or rounded; a few short hairs are scattered on the
surface of the body; there are six short legs, namely, a pair to each
of the first three rings behind the head; and the latter is covered with
a horny shell of a pale rust color. In October, they descend below
the reach of frost, and pass the winter ina torpid state. In the spring,
they approach toward the surface, and each one forms for itself a little
cell of an oval shape, by turning round a great many times, so as to
compress the earth and render the inside of the cavity hard and
smooth. Within this cell, the grub is transformed to a pupa,
during the month of May, by casting off its skin, which is pushed
downward in folds from the head to the tail. The pupa has some-
what the form of the perfected beetle; but it is of a yellowish-white
color, and its short stump-like wings, its antennse, and legs are folded
upon the-breast, and its whole body is inclosed in a thin film, that
wraps each part separately. During the month of June, this filmy
skin is rent, the included beetle withdraws from its body and its
limbs, bursts open its earthen cell, and digs its way to the surface of
the ground. Thus the various changes, from the egg to the full devel-
opment of the perfected beetle, are completed within the space of one
year.

Such being the metamorphoses and habits of these insects, it is evi-
INSECTS. 85

dent that we cannot attack them in the egg, the grub, nor the pupa
state; the enemy, in these stages, is beyond our reach, and is subject
to the control only of the natural but unknown means appointed by
the Author of Nature to keep the insect tribes in check. When they
have issued from their subterranean retreats, and have congregated
upon our vines, trees, and other vegetable productions, in the com-
plete enjoyment of their propensities, we must unite our efforts to
seize and crush the invaders. They must indeed be crushed, scalded,
or burned, to deprive thern of life ; for they are not affected by any of
the applications usually found destructive to other insects. Experi-
ence has proved the utility of gathering them by hand, or of shaking
them or brushing them from the plants into tin vessels containing
little water. They should be collected daily during the period of
their visitation, and should be committed to the flames, or killed by
scalding water. The late John Lowell, Esq., states, that in 1823, he
discovered on a solitary apple tree, the rose bugs “in vast numbers,
such as could not be described, and would not be believed if they
were described, or at least none but an ocular witness could conceive
of their numbers. Destruction by hand was out of the question” in
this case. He put sheets under the tree, and shock them down, and
burned them. Dr. Green, of Mansfield, whose investigations have
thrown much light on the history of this insect, proposes protecting
plants with millinet, and says that in this way only did he succeed in
securing his grape vines from depredation. His remarks also show
the utility of gathering them. “ Highty-six of these spoilers,” says he,
“were known to infest a single rose bud, and were crushed with one
grasp of the hand.” Suppose, as was probably the case, that one half
of them were females; by this destruction, eight hundred eggs, at
least, were prevented from becoming matured.

During-the time of their prevalence, rose bugs are sometimes found
in immense numbers on the flowers of the common white weed,
or ox-eye daisy, (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum,) a worthless plant,
which has come to us from Europe, and has been suffered to overrun
our pastures, and encroach on our mowing lands. In certain cases, it
may become expedient rapidly to mow down the infested white weed
in dry pastures, and consume it with the sluggish rose bugs on the
spot. ,

Our insect-eating birds undoubtedly devour many of these insects,
86 INSECTS.

and deserve to be cherished and protected for their services. Rose
bugs are'also eaten greedily by domesticated fowls; and when they
become exhausted and fall to the ground, or when they are about to
lay their eggs, they are destroyed by moles, insects, and other ani-
mals, which lie in wait to seize them. Dr. Green informs us that a
species of dragon fly, or devil’s needle, devours them. He also says
that an insect which he calls the enemy of the cut worm, probably
the larva of « Carabus, or predaceous ground beetle, preys on the
grubs of the common dor bug. In France, the golden ground beetle,
(Carabus auratus,) devours the female dor or chafer at the moment
when she is about to deposit her eggs. I have taken one specimen
of this fine ground beetle in Massachusetts, and we have several other
kinds, equally predaceous, which probably contribute to check the
increase of our native Melolonthians. .

 
87

 

THE,DAHLIA.

INTRODUCTION,

Though gevered from its native clime,
‘Where skies are ever bright and clear,
And nature’s face is all sublime,
And beauty clothes the fragrant air,
The Dahlia will each glory wear,
With tints as bright, and leaves as green,
As on its open plains are seen,
And when the harvest fields are bare,
She in the sun’s autumnal ray,
With blossoms decks the brow of day. f
Marr.

  

f\. BOUT ten years before the close of the last century, this favor-

‘® ite flower was sent from Mexico to Spain, and a few speci-
mens were procured, in the year of its importation to that couutry,
from Madrid, by the then Lady Bute, but. through some mismanage-
ment the species was lost, until Lady Holland obtained seed from the
same city in 1804; while in 1802, another species, (Dahlia coccinea,)
had been brought from Mexico through France; neither the latter
nor the former, (Dahlia frustranea,) seems, however, to have attracted
much attention amongst the floricultural world; and it was not until
88 REQUISITES OF A PERFECT FLOWER.

after the peace of 1815, that it became an object of professional
care, when a supply was obtained in England, from France, where its
cultivation had already been carried to some extent; since which
period, an indefinite number of varieties has been procured by the per-
severing ingenuity of the florist, and a monomania for this flower
existed for many years unsurpassed in inveteracy, save by the extra-
ordinary “Tulipomania” of the seventeenth century. This has in
some degree subsided, and the Dahlia is taking its proper rank asa
deservedly esteemed flower, blooming at a season of the year when
the number of flowering plants in the open garden is very limited.
The name of Dahlia was given to it in honor of Dahl, a Swedish
botanist and a pupil of Linnzus; there was an attempt to change it
to Georgina, and on the continent this has prevailed to a considerable
extent; but in England and this country, it has been entirely rejected.

REQUISITES OF A PERFECT FLOWER.

Tur following characteristics are agreed upon by the London Flori-
cultural Society as necessary to the perfection of the Dahlia :—

Ist. The general form should be that of about two thirds of a sphere,
or globe. The rows of petals forming this globe should describe un-
broken circles, lying over each other with evenness and regularity,
and gradually diminishing until they approach the top. The petals
comprising each succeeding row should be spirally arranged and alter-
nate, like the scales of the fir cone, thereby concealing the joints and
making the circle more complete.

2d. The petals should be broad at the ends, perfectly free from notch
or indention of any kind, firm in substance, and smooth in texture.
They should be bold and free, and gently cup, but never curl or quill,
nor show the under sides; they should be of uniform size, and evenly
expanded in each row, being largest in the outer rows, aud gradually
and proportionately diminishing until they approach the summit, when
they should gently turn the reverse way, pointing towards and form-
ing a neat and close centre.
PROPAGATION. 89

3d. The color in itself should be dense and clear; if in an edged
flower, concentrated and well defined; and in both cases penetrating
through the petal with an appearance of substance and solidity.

4th. Size must be comparative.

PROPAGATION.

Tue Dahlia may be bropageced from tubers, by slips or cuttings, or
from seed.

Propagation from Seed.

This method is now seldom practised, except by those who desire
to obtain new varieties by hybridising between two distinct species
or choice varieties. The proper time for sowing the seed is in March
or April, in light soil in shallow boxes or pans, which are placed in a
moderate hot bed to promote their germination ; though some florists
think that plants as vigorous, if not more so, may be obtained from
seed sown in a -warm and well-sheltered border toward the end of
April, or in the early part of May, provided the young plants are pro-
tected during the night and guarded from casual frosts; or the seed
may be sown in pans in March in the house, and put out in the open
air on mild days, to accustom them to the external atmosphere. In
any treatment, when the seed leaves are fully developed, they must be
allowed plenty of fresh air, or placed in a cold frame, taking care that
they are put as near as possible to the glass, to prevent their being
drawn and growing lanky; they may also be potted singly, or three
or four together, as soon as they will bear handling. When they
have four leaves, they may be treated in every respect as old plants,
and from the twentieth of May to the middle of June, they may be
planted where it is intended they should flower.

Seed Gathering —The seed should be collected in September from
dwarf plants, where no preference exists on other accounts ; and, when
double varieties are principally sought for, from semi-double flowers.
Seeds procured from those florets, which have changed their form, are
90 PROPAGATION.

supposed to have a greater tendency than the other to produce plants
with double flowers.

Propagation by Tubers, or Slips, and by Grafting,

This is the mode most commonly adopted for the propagation of
this favorite plant, and the operation is begun in March or April, by
removing the tubers from the place where they have been deposited
during the winter, and putting them in pots, or in loose earth ona
mild hot bed. The crown of each tuber is left uncovered to permit
each shoot to develop itself, under the full influence of the atmos-
pheric air. When the shoots have attained the length of about three
inches, they are cautiously separated from tie tuber by laying hold of
the slip with the thumb and finger near its base, and gently moving
it backward and forward until it comes out of its socket. Mr. Paxton
recommends that where the shoots are numerous, a part of the crown
of the tuber should be invariably taken off with the shoot, a course
more likely to be attended with success than by extracting the slip.

The following mode of increasing choice varieties of this favorite
flower was discovered by Mr. Blake, of Kensington Gore, and is now
commonly practised :-— c

Select a good tuber of a single sort, taking special care that it has
no eyes; then, with a sharp knife, (for a dull edge would mangle the
fleshy root, make it jagged, and so prevent a complete adhesion of the
scion and stock,) cut off a slice from the upper part of the root, mak-
ing at the bottom of the part so cut a ledge wherein to rest the graft.
This is done because you cannot tongue the graft as you would do a
wood shoot; and the ledge is useful in keeping the cutting fixed in
its place while you tie it. Next cut the scion, (which should be strong,
short jointed, having on it two or more joints or buds,) sloping to fit,
and cut it so that a joint may be at the bottom of it to rest on -the
aforesaid ledge; a union may be effected without the ledge, provided
the graft can be well fixed to the tuber, but the work will not then
beso neat. It is of advantage, though not absolutely necessary, that
a joint should be at the end of the scion ; for the scion will occasionally
put forth new roots from the lower joint; the stem is formed from
the upper joint; therefore procure the cuttings with the lower joints
as near together as possible,
PROPAGATION. 91

After the graft has been tied, a piece of fine clay, such as is used
for common grafting, must be placed round it; then pot the root in
fine mould in a pot of such a size as will bury the graft half way in
the mould; place the pot in a little heat in the front of a cucumber.or
melon frame, if you chance to have one in work at the time; the front
is to be preferred, for the greater convenience of shading and watering
which are required. A striking glass may be put over the graft, or
not, at pleasure. In about three weeks, the root should be shifted
into a large pot, if it be too soon to plant it in the border, which will
probably be the case, as the plant cannot go out before April or May,
so that the shifting will be very essential to promote its growth till
the proper season of planting out shall arrive.

Treatment of Slips—The shoots having been carefully separated from
their parent tuber, they are immediately placed in thumb pots, filled
with light soil, not inserting each more than an inch deep; when this
is done, the pots are plunged in the hot bed. When they have filled
these small pots with roots, they are shifted into others, which may
serve them until the time for planting, unless that be protracted by
unfavorable weather; in which contingency it will be desirable to
remove them again into a size larger, to allow the roots to grow more
freely, and to prevent their becoming a close and compact mass, which
would be highly detrimental to their vigorous development, and the
future health of the plant, when consigned to the open ground.
Numerous shoots are emitted from the same tuber in succession, and
these are treated in precisely the same manner when arrived at the
proper length. They must be shaded from the sun while making
roots, and protected from vapor and frost. The best compost for the
Dahlia ‘in pots is a mixture of sifted decayed hotbed dung, light
virgin loam, and pure white sand, in equal quantities.

Situation and Preparation of the Soil.

The natural habitat of the Dahlia is, we are informed, in a rather
light soil and on open plains. English cultivators recommend a shel-
tered situation; that is, sheltered from high winds, which break and
shatter their lateral branches, however much they may be strength-
ened and supported by stakes; yet fully exposed to the sun, and
where they can have the advantage of a frec circulation of air, the soil
92 TREATMENT.

naturally damp, rich, of good depth, and on a dry bottom. ,The soil,
however, is rarely so good that it cannot be improved for the purpose
for which it is desired, and it is recommended that those who would
grow the Dahlia to perfection should trench the ground in November,
previous to its being required, by first removing the soil to the depth
of twelve inches, and replacing it with equal portions of good yellow
loam and peat earth; and then trenching it again to the depth of two
feet, mixing the original sub-soil and the loam and peat thoroughly
together, with a large quantity of stable manure, thoroughly decayed,
or it will be injurious. This may seem an expensive process, but once
done it will need no further preparation for many years, except the
occasional addition of manure.

N.B.—In a strong clay soil, enriched with well-decayed manure,
the Dahlia produces the largest flowers ; in alight soil, the plant grows
to a great size, but the flowers are comparatively small.

TREATMENT.

Tost who have no hot bed wherein to start their Dahlias into a
growing state, may do so with equal success, and may obtain even
more vigorous and better-blooming plants than those which are
excited by artificial heat, by planting them in March or April in a box
of light soil or decayed leaves, keeping it in a moist state, and expos-
ing them to the full heat of the sun throughout the day, and taking
them in-doors at night. When the shoots are three or four inches
long, they may all, except one, be taken off close to the tuber, and
treated as slips; but if you can divide the tuber into as many pieces
as there are shoots, it is to be preferred.

Planting Out.

There are few situations, in the Middle and Northern States, where
Dahlia plants can be planted out with safety before April, May, or the
early part of June. When the operation is performed, the plants, if on
beds by themselves, which is desirable, should be set in rows not legs
TRE: UMENT. 93

than six feet apart each way. Due regard must be had to the respec-
tive heights of the plants and the colors of their flowers; if on a bed
where they are to be viewed from all sides, the tallest-growing kinds
should be placed in the centre; if to be seen only from the front, the
loftiest must be set at the back; and, in reference to colors, so arranged
that they will produce a harmonious effect as a mass. Your plants,
if well grown, will be from eighteen inches to twenty-four in height,
when planted, and should be supported by stakes immediately ; when
they are full two feet high, the top of the leading shoots, or upright
stem, should be cut off to induce the plant to throw out laterals.

It is a very common error to keep the Dahlia in pots too small for
the quantity of roots the plant has formed, and the evil consequences
of this are increased in seasons when it is most desirable they should
be avoided; for if the weather be so unfavorable as to put off the
period of planting out, the roots have been meanwhile increasing, and
filling up the pot, so that when the plant is taken out to be set in the
open ground, the ball of earth cannot be removed without breaking
some of the fibres; and, fearful of doing this, many persons plant them
without disturbing it, and the result generally is, that the plant does
not begin to grow vigorously until near the time when it ought to be
in flower. It is better, indeed, to break some of the fibres, and get
away the dried and baked earth from around the roots; for though it
seems to Pive a violent check to the growth of the plant, it will, when
it has recovered, thrive far better than those planted with the ball
entire ; it is, however, preferable to avoid the necessity for the latter
plan, or the alternative of breaking the roots, by planting them in pots
of a larger size than those commonly used. The crown of the tuber
should be placed at least three inches below the surface of the soil in
planting out.

Mulching and Watering.

When the plants are two feet high, remove the earth from around
the base of the stems to the depth of three or four inches; supplying
its place with well-decomposed manure, which must be slightly cov-
ered with earth; in dry weather, the plants must be watered through
this mulching twice a week at least, or every other day, according to
the state of the weather; and this should be done in theevening. The
94 AFLER CULTURE.

Dahlia is greatly benefited by this system'of mulching and watering, ;
for, unlike many other kinds of plants, it seeks its nourishment chiefly
from the surface of the soil; and its roots will be found, in favorable
circumstances, to be clustered together near it. Throughout the sum-
mer it is also advantageous to the plants to have the earth around the
roots carefully loosened by the use of a fork, from time to time.

AFTER CULTURE.

Dantras should never be pruned until the bloom buds show, and
then but few branches should be cut out, and only such as are grow-
ing across others. The buds should be thinned, for it is by these that
the strength of the plant gets exhausted: By removing all that are
too near one to be bloomed, and all those that show imperfections
enough to prevent them being useful, much strength will be gained
by the future flowers. So, also, by pulling off the blooms themselves,
the moment they are past perfection, instead of letting them seed.

Winds and sun are both detrimental; and the practice of fixing the
blooms in the centre of a flat board, and covering them with glass or
flower pots, as they may want light or shade, is becoming general.
The more easy way is to use a paper shade for any particular fine
bloom; for however the flowers may be coaxed and nursed under
cover, a stand of blooms, grown finely, and merely shaded from the
hottest sun, will beat all others in brilliancy, and in standing carriage,
and keeping. It is right to go round the plants, and, wherever there
is a promising bud or bloom, to take away all the leaves and shoots
that threaten to touch it as they grow; take off also the adjoining
buds; and if the weather be windy, make it fast to a stick or one of
the stakes, that it may not be bruised or frayed; shade it from the
broiling sun, and it will so profit by the air and night dews, as com-
pared with the bloom under pots and glasses, that if the growth be
equal, the blooming will be superior. Nevertheless people will cover;
and where there is a disposition to a hard eye, it will hardly come out
perfect unless it is covered. As the end of September approaches, or
AFTER CULTURE. 95

as soon as you have done with the bloom, earth up the plants, in
order that when the frost comes it may not reach the crown.

Preserving the Roots.

The plants may be raised without injury, immediately after the
blooms are cut off by the frost, provided that they are hung up ina
dry and ordinarily protected situation, with the roots uppermost, if care
is taken to leave six or seven inches of the stem attached to each tuber ;
this may be done without the slightest fear of their withering from
having been lifted in a green state. As the winter advances, and the
tubers become matured and firm, the ordinary modes of protection
against frost may be resorted to.

Treatment when Flowering.

When the buds of your Dahlias begin to appear, you must take
them off until you think the plants have attained their full vigor, and
then permit only every third bud to grow to maturity; by doing this,
it is true, you will not have so numerous a show of flowers, but those
which you have, will attain the highest state of perfection your plants
are capable of; taking into account their situation and previous treat-
ment, and, what is of paramount importance, the character of the
season. In the treatment of flowers grown for exhibition at flower
shows, it is a common practice to bind down ‘the disk of the flower
towards the earth, by which, it is said, the flowers are rendered more
perfect in form, and richer in color. When in flower, the bloom should
be shaded from the sun, during the hottest parts of the day.

Striped Varieties—The striped kinds have a tendency to “run,” ag
it is termed, into self-colored flowers, if not carefully treated, and
almost invariably do so when planted in rich soil; the best mode of
keeping them “clean,” that is, in their prime estate as striped flowers,
is to plant them in poor soil.

Autumnal and Winter Treatment.

It is the practice with many persons to take up their Dahlia roots
as soon as the shrubs are cut down by the frost; this is not desirable,
because if the tubers are taken up before their vital powers are in a
96 -AFTER CULTURE.

quiescent state, they are more easily injured by the dryness of the
atmosphere into which they are to be removed, and which ‘it is neces-
sary they should be able to bear without shrivelling; as in a moist
atmosphere they are apt to become mildewed and mouldy; therefore,
it is best about the end of September to cover the stems and some
distance round with earth and littery dung, about six inches thick, so
as to protect the crown of the tuber from injury by the early frosts;
and allow them to remain in the ground till November, when they
must be taken up and spread singly in a dry open shed for a few days,
not allowing the sun to shine upon them, and turned occasionally
during this period, so that they may be dried gradually ; as, if dried
too quickly, they shrivel, or too slowly, they become rotten.

When sufficiently dry, clear away the earth from them, and place
them in a dry under-ground cellar, where the frost is not likely to
reach them; and these should be examined throughout the winter
from time to time, and if there be the least symptom of damp upon
the tubers, they should be carefully wiped with a dry cloth, and
receive almost daily attention. Should you not have the convenience
of such a cellar, you must store them ina pit in the garden, which
must be prepared in a dry spot, and be of sufficient capacity to hold
all your tubers. Having dug the pit, cover the bottom. with dry
ashes, then pile the roots thereon, tier upon tier, so as to form a ridge;
then cover them with plenty of straw, and form a ridg2 of earth over
them of the thickness of twelve or fourteen inches,