Class _fLlij=uA_ Book A"\ ^-^ CjQE^^RIGHT OliLPOSQl John Cooa of Baltimore Commercial ROSE CULTURE UNDER GLASS AND OUTDOORS A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO MODERN METHODS OF GROWING THE ROSE FOR MARKET PURPOSES SECOND EDITION HEAVILY ILLUSTRATED WITH THE ' COMMERCIAL ROSES OF TODAY By Eber Holmes NEW YORK A. T. De La Mare Company, Inc. 1919 %t> Second Edition Copyright, 1919 All Rights Reserved A. T. De LA Mare Company, Inc., New York MOV -6 iyi9 (0)CI.A5356;i9 TO JOHN COOK OF BALTIMORE, MD. This work is respectfully dedicated To Mr. Cook the rosarians of America are indebted for the dissemination of much knowledge concerning the Rose as adapted to American culture, and its commercial possibilities. To him, also, we are indebted for many varieties resulting from his skill and years of patient labor and experiment in hybridization, among them. Souvenir de Wootten, the first Hybrid Tea Rose raised in America, Marion Dingee, Annie Cook, Mrs. Robert Garrett, Baltimore, Enchanter, Cardinal, Madonna, My Maryland, Radiance and Mrs. John Cook, one of the latest productions, some of which have become staples in the underglass production of Roses for the require- ments of the great flower markets. The liberality with which his knowledge, obtained at the expense of countless experi- ments and failures, has always been placed at the service of others, has endeared him to all followers of his craft, one which, more than any other, demands the acme of patience and self-sacrifice in order to accomplish lasting results. " The lyfe so short, the craft so long to lerne." ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For photographs from which several of our illustrations have been made, we are indebted to A. N. Pierson, Inc., Cromwell, Conn.; E. G. Hill Co., Richmond, Ind.; Chas. H. Totty, Madison, N. J.; Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C; Thos. Rochford & Sons, Broxbourne, England; Hoopes Bro. & Thomas Co., West Chester, Pa.; F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, N. Y.; M. H. Walsh, Woods Hole, Mass.; Hitchings & Co., Elizabeth, N. J.; Lord & Burn- ham Co., Irvington, N. Y.; Kroeschell Bros. Co., Chicago, 111. We are also under obligations to the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C, for permission to print the subject "The Seedling-Inarch and Nurse-Plant Methods of Plant Propaga- tion," an extract from Bulletin No. 202; to Fred Lautenschlager of Kroeschell Bros. Co., Chicago, 111., for notes on hot water heating; to Albert F. Amling of Maywood, 111., for extracts from his paper on "Growing Costs and Returns," read before a meeting of the Chicago Florists' Club. CONTENTS (For Classified Index, see pages 194 to 198) Chapter Page I. Choosing a Locaticn 12 II. Style of Houses 17 III. What to Plant 22 IV. Propagation — Own Root 27 V. Propagation by Grafting 34 VI. Hybridizing 43 VII. The Seedling-Inarch and Nurse-Plant Methods of Plant Propagation 50 VIII. Preparation of the Soil for Planting 57 IX. General Culture 66 X. Cropping Roses 76 XI. Resting Roses in Winter 82 XII. Insect Pests 91 XIII. Fungous Diseases 98 XIV. Insecticides and Fungicides 103 XV. Fertilizers 107 XVI. The American Beauty Rose 114 XVII. Bunch Roses 120 XVIII. Rambler Roses 127 XIX. Roses Outdoors 136 XX. Cost of Equipment and Returns 146 XXI. Notes on Cutting, Marketing, Exhibiting, etc 149 XXII. General Remarks 155 XXIII. Greenhouse Construction for Rose Growing 165 XX IV. Steam Heating and Engineering 173 XXV. Hot Water Heating '. 185 XXV I. Growing Costs and Returns 189 ILLUSTRATIONS Rose Premier 13 Hoosier Beauty 14 Frances Scott Key 19 Mrs. Chas. Russell 20 Frank W. Dunlop 23 Ophelia 24 Grading Stick 26 A Three-Eye Cutting 28 A One-Eye Cutting 30 A Three-Eye Cutting trimmed ready for the sand bed 31 A Cion Just Cut Off the Plant 36 Manetti Stock Ready to be Cut Down 37 Manetti Stock Cut Down Ready to Receive Cion 39 The Finished Grafted Plant ready for the Case 42 Rose Columbia 45 Ophelia Supreme 46 8 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Rose Seedlings Four Weeks after Germination 51 Rose Seedlings Prepared for Inarching 52 Rose Seedlings Inarched to Stocks of the Manetti Rose 54 Inarched Rose Seedling Showing Growth Made in Two Months After Inarching 56 Rose Mrs. George Shawyer 59 Mme. Paul Euler, or Prima Donna 60 Pilgrim 63 Section of House of Rose Pilgrim 64 Rose Mme. Butterfly 71 Lady Alice Stanley 72 Rosalind 77 Mrs. Henry Winnett 78 Double White Killarney 83 Sunburst 84 Rose Buds in Various Stages of Development 87 Rose Silvia 93 Frau Karl Druschki 94 Mrs. John Cook 101 Dorothy Perkins 106 Ulrich Brunner 109 American Beauty 115, 116 Double Rugosa 119 Cecil Brunner 122 Climbing Lucile 126 Climbing Hiawatha 128 Methods of Training Rambler Roses 131 Rose Baby Rambler in Pot 132 Basket Trained Rose Plant . .' 133 Specimen Wichuriana Hybrid 135 Arbor and Terrace in Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park, Hartford, Conn 137 Rose White Maman Cochet 138 Bed of Rose Ophelia. 141 Rose Climbing American Beauty 142 Commercial Rose Packing 151 Rose My Maryland 160 Hadley 161 Interior View of One of the Duckham-Pierson Co. Rose Houses. . . .166 Greenhouse Range of L. B. Coddington 168 Interior of House of L. B. Coddington 169 Two Houses of Jos. H. Hill Co 170 Rosa Stylosa 171 View showing White House Conservatories 172 Rose Martinet 178 Mrs Aaron Ward ' 182 Tausendschoen 1 87 Jonkheer J. L. Mock ._ . 188 A reference index to all subjects mentioned is given, commencing on page 194 INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION THIS work was first published in response to numerous requests for an uptodate treatise on commercial Rose culture. It did not delve into the ancient history of the Rose or indulge in long descriptions and classifications of varieties. These points had been well covered by previous writers. Herein the author has endeavored to make known the best way to be successful in growing good Roses under glass and outdoors. There is hard work in quantity and much expense in modern Rose growing, but the pleasure and profit derived from the same afford ample compensation. The magnitude of the business as compared with its status of thirty-five years ago, is surprising. Parsons, in his book on the Rose, published in 1881, on page 71, speaking of the ex- travagance of Nero in spending $100,000 for Roses for one feast, says: "It would be no easy matter, even at the present period of abundant cultivation of Roses, to obtain from all the nurseries of England, France and America together, Roses sufficient to amount to so large a sum." Compare these words with present day facts, when there are probably as many Roses handled in any one of our largest cities, on some holi- days, as were ever seen by Nero at any of his feasts! The question has been asked the author, "Why is Rose growing in the hands of a comparatively few men, while Carnations are tried and grown (often successfully) by every beginner in the florist's business ?" The reply generally given to this question is that Roses require more care, are more liable to diseases and pests likely to cause failure, that a night man must be kept by the Rose grower, and that the general expense is such as to bar out the man of limited means. While this may be partly true, it is often exaggerated, as 10 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE there are today many small Rose growers who are eminently successful, and who make more money, in comparison with capital invested, than some of the larger ones. The multitude of diseases and pests may be narrowed down to about half a dozen serious ones, and these, in turn, if understood and taken in time, may be so controlled that little harm will result from them. Neglect of proper care is responsible for the majority of failures. Where Roses are understood and properly treated their culture is as simple as that of other florist's flowers. It is an advantage to any man to take a course in one of our agri- cultural colleges, or to work a few years in one of our modern and fully equipped commercial establishments. Good read- ing is also to be recommended, but the beginner will find he will learn more after a few years' personal experience, with the responsibility on his own shoulders, than he would in a much longer period where he is watching someone else do the work. There is something new and interesting to learn about Rose growing every day. The care required is constant, and the old saw, "Eternal vigilance is the price of success," is perhaps more true of Rose culture than of any other branch of the grower's art. EBER HOLMES. Montrose, Mass., October, 191 1. INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION The many kind words spoken of the first edition have been a source of much pleasure to the author and publisher, and it has been gratifying to know that many young men have been helped by its perusal. I shall not soon forget the com- plimentary words spoken in favor of the book by that eminent authority, the late Mr. Lawrence Cotter of James- town, N. Y., on one occasion in New York City. Considerable additions have been made to the reading matter and to the illustrations in the present edition bringing the work fully uptodate. There is really little new in the art of Rose growing. The fundamental principles do not change. It is the ability of a man to adapt himself to chang- ing conditions of the times and of his environment, that counts most today, improved types of houses, of heating, labor sav- ing devices in these days of scarcity of labor at higher prices, the careful elimination of all waste or unnecessary expense, the knowledge of what may be left undone, as well as what must be done to ensure success. All these things count today as never before and one must study them closely in order to be a successful grower. In some modern establishments of importance, refrigerat- ing plants have taken the place of the old ice boxes, resulting in a considerable reduction in cost at the greenhouses and also giving greater returns by getting the stock to market in a much better condition. Everything that tends to increased production of better stock in a given area should be carefully studied by the grower. If results are not satis- factory do not jump at the conclusion that some one thing is the cause of the trouble (which may or may not be true), but study the case from every point of view, for quite often a combination of circumstances may be the reason for failure as it surely is of success. ^ EBER HOLMES. Agawam, Mass., August, 1919. 11 CHAPTER I CHOOSING A LOCATION THE first essential when locating a Rose growing estab- lishment is good soil and plenty of it. Land that will grow good corn, or any ordinary garden crop, may be made to grow good Roses. Buy as much land as you can afford at the start, for this generally proves a good investment in any case. Small lots of land will do for the town florist who grows for a retail trade and buys a large part of his goods, but for the wholesale grower twenty-five acres is about as small an amount of land as it is wise to commence with. There are successful men with less, but most of them would like to ob- tain more land, as they feel the pressing need of obtaining an unlimited amount of good, fresh soil for their houses. The most ill advised action any man can take is to buy land with a lotof drawbacks in the belief that he can overcome all the ob- jections, later, by hard work. A little foresight in locating is better than a great deal of hindsight later on. An average level field, large enough to build houses east and west, at least 300 feet long, is desirable. If grading on an ex- tensive scale has to be done it will add considerably to the first cost of building, at a time, too, when it is necessary to avoid every possible extra expense. It will be found that the cost of grading will, in ordinary cases, be about one dollar for every hundred cubic feet of material used if the haul is less than half a mile and the filling easily obtained. In some cases all that is necessary is to remove the sod and loam and erect the houses without any filling. The ground should be high enough and have natural drainage so that it will not lie 12 CHOOSING A LOCATION 13 Rose Premier A cross between Ophelia and Mrs. Chas. Russell; the blooms are clear pure rose pink in color 14 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Hoosier Beauty Rich velvety crimson in color with deeper shadings Photo courtesy E. G. Hill Co., Richmond, Ind. CHOOSING A LOCATION 15 under water at any time of the year. A southeast to south- west exposure is the best. If a natural shelter exists on the north and northwest, it is well; if none is there, it is advisable to plant trees, which in a few years' time, will make a windbreak. The water supply is important and should be one of the first considerations. If a stream runs through the property, from which water may be pumped, it will save the expense of driving a well and will possibly give water on which Roses will thrive better than on well water. I do not mean to condemn well water, for it is generally used with good results, but I believe that water from streams is often better for plant life if only from the fact that the wash it contains from the land through which it flows is of some value as a fertilizer. It is generally very soft and the next best article to rain water which old gardeners used to catch and carefully preserve for use when watering their plants. Where there is city or town water to be had at reasonable rates this source of supply is generally adopted. The cost will vary, but might approximate $150.00 per year for every 30,000 square feet of glass. Some people pump their own water from streams or wells but, when everything is figured in from first cost of installing a pumping outfit to labor and fuel in running it, it has generally proved most satisfactory to have the city supply. It is an advantage to have both, in case of a breakdown to either system, for to be without water in any greenhouse establishment is a serious proposition. In choosing a location avoid branch railroads and, if at all possible, get near to a station on the main line. The wisdom of this step, when receiving coal and all other freight, as well as when making the daily shipments of flowers or plants, will soon be apparent. Good shipping facilities are indispensable to any establishment, and proximity to express offices is advantageous. 16 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Cow manure is an item to be considered and, if there are dairy farms in the vicinity where this can be obtained, it will be in favor of the location. Due consideration should be given to all these and other questions which will need to be solved when looking over farms with a view to starting a Rose growing establishment. Having secured the land, the next thing to decide on is the style and size of the house or houses. CHAPTER II STYLE OF HOUSES TN building a house for Rose growing, the most sheltered and ■*■ sunny part of the field should be chosen where there is room to run east and west. A good size for a beginner would be a house 300 feet long and 40 feet wide, although the length and width may be greatly increased if desired. Houses up to 32 feet in width may be built even span; for houses much wider, three-quarter span is better. Iron, or semi- iron construction, is much in favor at the present time, although good wooden houses are built for a little less money and, if taken care of, will last a lifetime. There are a number of reliable firms of builders of green- houses of every description, and it would be well to get esti- mates and specifications from several of these and to compare same carefully before giving out any contracts. If the order is given in due season, these firms will erect a house in short order and have it ready when they agree to, which is worth a great deal when it is considered that every day's delay in planting, after the first of July, means an actual money loss. After the middle of July this loss has been placed at twenty- five dollars per day for every day's delay in planting 10,000 square feet of bench surface. The material may be bought and erected by local labor, from plans furnished, or the builders will erect the house. The latter way would probably be the cheapest in the end for a man with little experience in this work. One point worth remembering is, that the average carpenter who has never 17 18 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE erected an iron frame greenhouse has a very poor idea of how to commence and carry on the work. The walls of the house may be of wood, or of concrete up to the glazing sill, which should be so placed as to allow from two to four feet of glass on the sides of the house. A great many builders use a spliced sash bar on long roofs; there is often more or less drip in a house where this is used, which is objectionable. It is possible to obtain sash bars in one piece, up to thirty-five feet in length, from some firms. Sixteen by twenty-four-inch glass is the size commonly used and this Is generally laid with the long part of the glass up and down the roof. By laying the glass the twenty-four- inch way you save one sash bar in four, but the bars must be made heavier and there is more danger of breakage from snow and ice, so that it is advisable to space the bars about sixteen inches apart to admit of the glass being laid in this way. It is best to have continuous ventilation on both sides of the roof. The ventilators on the north side will not be of use in the Winter months, but all through the warm weather it is advisable to ventilate on both sides and to allow the air to circulate through the top of the house instead of beating down on to the bushes, as it must do where there is only an opening on one side and the wind is blowing in on that side. The house ought to have a good coat of paint before erec- tion and another one afterward. If a natural slope exists on the ground where the boilers may be placed below the level of the houses, without digging a cellar, it is of great help and will save money as well as give good results. There is nothing which is better than a good gravity system where this is possible. If this is not feasible, on account of the cost of excavating, the boilers may be set on top of the ground and the condensation returned by a trap or a pump. STYLE OF HOUSES 19 lU - / ^ /■YH>;fc ^* ^r- %-^' ^^^^ r\^^ ■^^,A ^^ ^ Rose Francis Scott Key One of the finest of red Roses; flowers extra large and full 20 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Mrs. Chas. Russell Pink American Beauty; enormous in size STYLE OF HOUSES 21 Provision should be made for a manure tank, a room for grading and storing the cut flowers, a potting shed and a place for propagating young stock. There should be room, under cover, to store enough loam in the Fall to take care of the potting until March or April. Where any quantity of soil is required early in the Spring, for planting, it may be stacked up in a semi-dry condition in the Fall, in a compact pile; it will not freeze through to any great depth and may be handled at almost any time. CHAPTER III WHAT TO PLANT TO the beginner the question of what to plant may be a perplexing one. As this is such a large country, it is only natural that some varieties are more popular in certain sections than others, or that some varieties are more success- fully grown in one locality than in another. A good rule would be to find out what your market calls for and what kinds are successfully grown in your vicinity, and to com- mence with these kinds. It is too risky for a beginner to launch out on unknown seas. He must follow the beaten track at first, and then, by degrees, he can experiment with new varieties, and should he strike a good thing he will make money. The Killarneys, pink and white, are still grown and are popular. Hadley, Hoosier Beauty and Francis Scott Key are good reds, Columbia and Mrs. Charles Russell are popular pink varieties, while Ophelia is of a somewhat varying color and is grown extensively. Then we have almost a score of others which are largely grown, but not so universally found on the market as the kinds first mentioned. It is not advisable for an inexperienced man to try to grow American Beauty Roses. This crop does not always pay well, even with expert growers, and the tyro would be very likely to lose money if he attempted it. There has been much money wasted in experimenting in a large number of greenhouses and, if you can profit by your neighbor's mistakes, you will get your experience very cheaply. Having decided what you will grow you can figure 22 WHAT TO PLANT 23 Rose Frank W. Dunlop Originated by John H. Dunlop of Toronto A seedling of Mrs. Geo. Shawyer and Mrs. Chas. Russell, having the free growing characteristics of the former and the taking coloring and lasting qualities of the latter 24 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Ophelia Salmon-flesh shaded with rose; fine foliage; wonderfully fragrant , WHAT TO PLANT 25 that you will require about 8000 plants for every 10,000 square feet of bench surface. You will do well to order these ahead from some reliable firm or firms and to specify just when you want them delivered. Then your part will be to hustle everything along and get your houses roofed in on time; your loam on the benches, the water pipes laid, faucets all in position, and everything in readiness for planting. It would be better, too, if the boilers were set, piping done and every- thing in readiness to turn on steam at a few hours' notice, but this is not so important as it is to avoid delay in planting. If the roof is tight, and the sides and ends closed in, you can plant at almost any time after the middle of May, but do not plant until the roof is covered. You can hurry along the steam fitting while the plants are growing; you may not need it for some little time, but it is better to be prepared. When ordering plants you may be in doubt as to whether to order grafted or own root stock. In this you can be guided to some extent by what others are doing in your locality. The own root stock may be bought somewhat cheaper than the grafted, but you will probably cut two crops of flowers in the Fall off the grafted plants before you get any from the own root stock, so that the higher priced are likely to prove the cheapest in the end. If you find it impossible to be ready for planting at the specified time you can generally make arrangements to have your plants held a little while. As soon as you receive them they should be unpacked and planted carefully. Your care of them begins the minute they are landed on your property, and they must not be neglected in the rush of building and other work on a new place, or the returns next Winter will not be what they ought. 26 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE -2V _2I" -18' GRADING STICK This illustration represents the meas- ure designed by Wm. H. Elliott of Brighton, Mass., for use in grading Roses, and is very useful, especially for beginners; it also insures a standard length in all grades. The measure is of wood tapering to 1 in. wide at the top; the bottom has a brass plate screwed on 3J^ in. wide by 1)^ in. deep. Any Rose which measures below the cross (X) marks goes into the lower grade. These grading sticks can be quickly made by any handy man around the greenhouse. .15" -I2* - 9* -6" CHAPTER IV PROPAGATION— OWN ROOT AS we get down to Rose growing proper it may be best to begin with the plants in their primary stages. If you want to produce own root stock, the methods employed are easy and simple. You should have a propagating house; this need not be large and may be situated on the north side of your larger house. It should have continuous ventilation along the top and is much improved if you can admit light and sun through the north wall of your Rose house by means of windows. If these windows slide, you will be able to admit air on days when it is not advisable to open the ventilators on your north side lean-to. These same openings will, at certain seasons, be of use in admitting warmth to the propagating house. The bench to hold the cuttings should be built so as to allow drainage of the sand, no matter whether that structure be of wood, tile or cement. A four- or five-inch edge board will hold enough depth of sand. Two or three steam pipes, boxed in underneath, will provide enough bottom heat. These should have valves so that they may be shut off alto- gether, or in part, as required. The best and cleanest sand you can get is none too good for propagation purposes; the kind masons use for setting bricks is just right. A good whitewashing with a hot lime whitewash, in which a little sulphur has been boiled, is of great benefit as a preservative and sweetener of the bench. Fill the benches with sand, pound down well with a brick or a wooden mallet, water thoroughly and insert a thermom- eter in the sand. The cuttings may be inserted as soon as the 27 28 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE /=^ ^ Fig. 1 A three-eye cutting PROPAGATION— OWN ROOT 29 sand is warmed up to 60° F. or over. The best atmospheric temperature for a propagating house is one about the same as the plants were growing in. The bottom heat may be five degrees warmer. Do not take cuttings from any but healthy, vigorous plants. Early in the morning, or on a cloudy day, when the wood is fresh and comparatively cool, is the best time to take off wood for cuttings. Blind wood, or wood without a flower bud, is generally used for this purpose. It should be plump and clean, not so soft that the point can be pinched out with the thumb, and not so old as to be very hard and dry. Wood of about the same texture as that next to the flower when it is cut, is in the right stage of development. If you can afford to throw away some flowers, or if you can use them short stemmed, you can utilize your wood for propagating. This however, is a slow process and only done on a small scale, often with new or scarce varieties. This wood does not root readily if too hard, or if the stem is large and pithy. I believe in cuttings with two or more eyes (see Fig. i). They may be rooted with only one eye (see Fig. 2), if the object is quantity rather than quality, but cuttings with two or more eyes will make much larger plants in a short time than those with only one. Cut off as much wood as you can handle in a few hours' time, sprinkle with water to keep it fresh, and then proceed, with a sharp knife, to trim the cuttings as shown in Fig. 3. As soon as they are ready, use a narrow board or a lath, for a straight edge, and draw an old table knife or a putty knife alongside it, making a cut in the sand about half an inch deep, insert the cuttings just deep enough so that they will not fall over and place them as close together as possible without crowding them; then, by moving the lath to the other side of the row, and pounding gently on it a little, the sand will be tamped down enough to make the cuttings solid, and the 30 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE knife drawn alongside again to mark the place for the next row. This is a quick way of putting in cuttings when the work is properly done; they must be set in so firmly that the water- ings will not knock them over. Use a sprinkler on the end of the hose and, with a gentle spray, give a good watering A one-eye~cutting^not recommended enough to settle the sand firmly around each cutting. If the, drainage is all right, water every day for ten days, and after- ward as needed. Do not let the sun or wind in on the cuttings to wilt them, but be sure to keep them fresh, as cut- tings once wilted are never so good. The same is true of PROPAGATION— OWN ROOT 31 A three-eye cutting trimmed ready for the sand bed 32 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE young plants in any stage; any check they get is liable to react against them later. In about three weeks' time the cuttings may be examined by inserting a knife and prying them up gently out of the sand. As soon as they have made roots about half an inch long they should be potted. If this operation is long delayed, the plants will suffer as there is no nutriment in the sand to sustain any growth that they may make. The roots also lose their plumpness, become long and brittle, are easily broken off when dug up from the sand and while being potted, and are much injured thereby. The soil for the first potting should contain no fresh ma- nure, nor any chemical fertilizer. Good Rose soil, mixed up the previous Summer with a little cow manure, will be in the right condition by this time, by which I mean anywhere between December first and April first. If this is stored out- doors, or in a cold shed, it should be brought inside long enough beforehand to get well warmed through before it is required for use. Screen and rub all lumps of sod and manure through a three-eighths inch screen; a one-fourth inch or one- half inch one will do if you have not the first named size. This is done to make the plant food it contains available, to avoid breaking the roots by trying to crowd them into a small pot with lumps of earth, and also to greatly increase the speed in potting, for it is well known by growers of small stock that a man can pot into small pots much faster when using screened loam than he can with rough material. A 2-inch or 2i<^-inch standard pot is large enough for the first potting. Pot firmly, not too deeply — and to about the same depth as the cuttings were in the sand. Do not set the roots to the bottom of the pots, nor so near the top that they will not stand firmly upright, and pot them all alike. If you knock the plants out of the pots, after a good man has been at work, you will find every plant just about the same as PROPAGATION— OWN ROOT 33 regards depth, firmness of potting, etc. Water carefully by sprinkling them gently several times and then examine several pots to see if they are uniformly moist. Do not water them enough to make them muddy. It will save much work and care if you can place your young stock near the propagating house; if your potting bench can be located in the propagating house it will save much carting around. In any event, place the stock on the best and sunniest bench you have got, setting them level on fresh screened coal ashes. Shade the stock for a few hours daily, for the first few days, if sunny, reducing and discontinuing this as soon as possible. Water carefully every day or two, as needed, syringe well every fine day, once or twice, ac- cording to conditions, to keep down insects and to induce the lower eyes to break. Never allow the plants to become dry and do not get them too wet as then there is danger of souring the soil. A happy medium, such as will soon make itself apparent to you, will be the right condition to keep your young stock in. Have the foliage dried off before nightfall. Give the best of care and repot into larger pots as soon as the small pots are full of roots. Pot into the same kind of soil that you used at first, with the addition of a sprinkling of bonemeal. A pot one inch larger will be large enough, and then, if necessary, you can give them still another shift later. Although this is seldom done, it is much better than making too large a shift at once or than allowing the plants to remain in one pot to spoil. CHAPTER V PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING '* I ^HE first step toward grafting will be to order the -*■ Manetti (which is the best stock for this purpose) in good season. It is advisable to order in the Spring for Fall delivery. This stock may be imported from the British Isles or from the Continent. French grown Manetti may be bought for less money than the British, but the percentage of loss is greater, as a rule, and the stock is not so carefully graded, so that the difference in first cost is offset by results later. No one need be afraid of French grown stock. It is simply a case of where the lowest priced article is not always the cheapest. The Manetti generally reaches this country about the first of December. As soon as received it should be unpacked. If frozen when received it should be allowed to thaw out gradually, in a cold place, and then should be potted into good soil in small pots; 23^-inch or 23/^-inch pots are large enough for this purpose. If larger ones are used they take up too much room in the case, and the soil is more likely to sour. Soil such as was recommended for potting cuttings out of the sand is good for potting Manetti. Some growers add a sprink- ling of bonemeal to this, when potting, which promotes a more vigorous growth. of the grafted plant. An experienced com- mercial grower tells us that he always top-dresses his young grafted plants with bonemeal which promotes a quick, vigorous growth. If the roots of the Manetti are too large to insert in the pots they may be trimmed with a sharp knife. Shorten back, or cut off altogether, some of the large roots, making a clean 34 PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING 35 cut, leaving on as many of the small fibrous roots as possible. Pot firmly, leaving the top of the soil nearly one-half an inch below the top of the pot. This allows low grafting, which means that the plants may be planted into a shallow bench and yet have the graft covered with soil, which is considered by some good growers as essential to success. However, I have seen grafted stock doing well when planted with the graft exposed above ground. When potted, place the plants on a bench of clean ashes in a cold house, water well once and then, after the first day, spray very lightly, several times daily, to keep the tops moist, but do not keep the roots too wet. Keep the house as near 46° as possible. The stock will be ready for grafting in from three to five weeks after potting, according to conditions. As soon as the buds swell and the roots show, they are ready to graft. While the stock is rooting is the time to get the grafting case ready, if this has not been done previously. This may be built on one end of the bench where you root your cuttings, but will require more pipes underneath, as the bottom heat must be greater. A temperature of 80° to 85° is required for this. For a bench three or four feet wide, from four to six 1 3^- inch steam pipes will be enough to maintain this heat if the sides and ends are boxed in tightly. Every pipe should have a valve on both ends so that the heat may be under control at all times. Use matched boards for building the frame, and make the glass cover thoroughly tight, for on this much of the future success depends. Build the case large enough to accommodate as many plants as you wish to graft and divide it into sections, each independent of the other, and each one tight. Make each section no larger than you can fill in one day's grafting. The case may be the same width as any ordinary bench, but not so wide as to be awkward to work in. It may be twelve inches high outside and eighteen inches high at the ridge. The shape of it does not matter so long as the 36 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE A rion just cut off ths plant essentials are adhered to. The sash and top boards should be painted and the lower parts should receive a good coating of lime wash. About four inches of sifted ashes should be spread on the bottom. These should be packed down and well watered, and the case closed tight the day before being used, which induces the warm, moist condition necessary for best results. If you have 10,000 to graft, a case holding about 3500 will be large enough, for if you commence early you can make three rounds. Each round will take about four weeks in all, although it has been done in less time. If you adopt this method, instead of trying to graft all your stock at once, it would be wise to pot two-thirds of your stock at first, and the remainder about a month later. Stock for later grafting may be left in the cases in a cold shed away from frost. The stock to be worked will be in better shape for handling if it is well watered the day before being used. It will then PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING 37 Manetti stock ready to be cut down where marked and grafted 38 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE require no more water at the root for nearly a week, which makes the danger of getting water in the cut much less. When the days get short in the Fall we light up at about 4.30 p. m., and the boys busy themselves by cutting raffia into lengths of about twelve inches and splitting it up into the required thickness. If this is too thin, it does not work so well, and if too thick it makes a bungling job. When cutting the flowers it is best to leave one or two good eyes with plump buds on the plants, just before grafting time. You can go around with a basket and collect these, when wanted. If you cannot get enough in this way it is best to sacrifice a few flow- ers; a rose worth eight cents, at wholesale, will cut up into four to six cions worth one and one-half cents each. This wood should never be allowed to wilt. Sprinkle it the same as cuttings, but do not soak it in water for any long time. It is a good practice to plant enough plants of the varieties needed for propagation by themselves and keep the flowers pinched off these. Much time will then be saved in taking cuttings when needed. The stock should be picked out and placed in flats and be in a convenient position, always selecting the ones with good roots and plump eyes first. We use two knives, a common shoe knife, or a cheap knife bought from the nurseryman's supply house, for the stock, and a grafting or budding knife, such as florists use, for cutting the cions. Use nothing but the best, healthy wood, with plump eyes, for this work. Some growers use a rack for holding the pot, which leaves both hands free; others take up the pot in one hand and work with the other. There is no diflference in the time it takes; it depends altogether on the operator. Make a slanting cut, as low down as possible on the stock, commencing as close to the soil as you can and working upward. Cut the cion to match and fit them together. If stock and cion are both of the same size, and well matched on both sides, it is a perfect piece PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING 39 of work. The inner bark of both must come together on one side at least, and it is better to make a perfect union on one side regardless of the other than to try to match both sides, and fail because stock and cion are of unequal size or the work improperly done. When matched, tie them together by wrapping raffia around, and tying with a loop knot, or passing the end underneath the last lap and draw tight. This operation ought to be done quickly but carefully. The Manetti stock cut down ready to receive cion beginner will have to go slowly at first, but with practice he will soon become expert. In our illustrations Fig. 4 shows a cion just cut off the plant. Fig. 5 shows the Manetti stock ready for grafting; Fig. 6 is the Manetti stock cut down ready to receive cion; Fig. 7 shows the finished grafted plant ready for the case. As soon as a flat is full, the plants should be set into the case and closed tight, being kept shaded all the time if the sun is shining on the house. The stock, when cut with the knife, should look fresh and sappy. If it looks dry and hard it should be rejected. Close up air-tight as soon as the case is full, always keeping the cions from getting dry in the mean- 40 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE time. Keep a thermometer in every compartment and let it stand as near 80° as possible, a few degrees higher is better than a degree or two lower. If the cover of the case does not lit tightly, lay strips of paper in and shut down on to this. If the tops look at all dry, they may be sprayed with a florists' atomizer before being closed. The case need not be opened again for five days. Then open it early in the morning before there is ventilation on from outside and before. the sun is up to wilt the cuttings. Open wide for five to ten minutes and then close again. After two or three days of this treatment, a very little air may be left on altogether, increasing this each day until, in about three weeks from the time you commenced to open first, you can leave the cover off^ altogether. The bottom heat may be reduced at this time also. Very little water will be required the first week in the cases, but afterward, as air is admitted and the plants grow, they will require considerable, as the bottom heat will evaporate much moisture. During the first few days, when they are to be closed in tightly, you can tell by looking through the glass whether they are all right or not as regards moisture. It is possible that the foliage will look dry. If this should happen take off the cover, spray with a fine sprayer, with warm water, and close again immediately. If there is too much moisture in the case mold will appear, in which event a very little air might be carefully admitted to help dispel this. But this tinkering ought not to be necessary if everything has been properly done. If your cases are built in sections, as soon as one end is empty and cleaned out, it is ready for the next round. Watch the plants carefully the first few days after taking them out of the cases. Shade them a little, if needed, but never when you can get along without it. Give the plants the warmest and most sunny bench you have, and they will grow rapidly. After a few weeks they will need to be staked and tied to PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING 41 prevent being broken when syringed with the hose. If the raffia is tight at this time, it may be cut away before it damages the bark. Take good care of these plants and you will have good stock at planting time. Propagation by Seedling and bv Budding Propagation of Roses by seedlings is a slow and expensive process, and is not to be recommended to the beginner. Several thousand seedlings might be raised without getting one worth growing. The men in this country and abroad who are engaged in this work have, in many cases, spent years of time and labor, to say nothing of money, and are deserving of great praise for the results so far attained. But this is not a work for the Rose grower who must make a living, and who is struggling to get established in business. Propagation by budding is simple. It is practiced but little inside, but outdoors it may be sometimes necessary or advisable to use this method of propagation. Manetti makes the best stock to bud on. This stock may be planted out early in the Spring, in rows eight inches apart and three feet between the rows. Bud in July or August as low as possible. There are two things necessary in budding: First, a well established, healthy stock plant; second, a well matured bud. The wood is in the right condition when the bark will peel easily from it. This may be tested by running the knife under the bark. Use a thin and sharp budding knife, make a longi- tudinal incision about three-quarters of an inch long, another short one across the top, making it T-shaped; run the knife under the bark to loosen it from the wood, and cut off the bud you wish to insert, taking with it a thin scale of the wood if the shoot is young. If the wood is old the bark will be sufficient. Cut the bark about one-quarter of an inch above and be- low the bud. Raise the bark on the stock with the budding 42 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE knife, insert the bud carefully as far as it can go, and bind with raffia. This may be cut away in about two weeks. Rather cool, cloudy weather is best for this operation. In hot, dry weather, the buds are liable to perish before the union is eflfected. Break off any shoots which attempt to push out below the bud and, as soon as the bud commences to grow, cut off the old stem above the bud as close as convenient, making a clean slanting cut on the opposite side of the shoot. The finished grafted plant ready for the case CHAPTER VI HYBRIDIZING A CHAPTER on this subject having been asked for, the following has been written: Hybridizing is the art of bringing together individual flowers or plants of different species. Cross breeding effects similar results with individuals of the same species. The average Rose grower has little time or inclination to practice this art and, when we consider that a man might raise thousands of seedlings, which take up valuable time and space for months and sometimes years, only to find them all worth- less at the end of it all, we understand why so few attempt it and feel genuine admiration for our pioneers in America who have done such noble work in this direction. Generally speaking, a man to be successful in this work must follow out a well defined and systematic course when crossing Roses; he must know just what he is striving for and select his parents with that end in view and, most probably, will have to keep this up for years, perhaps discarding 20,000 seedlings before he gets one worth growing. And yet there is another side to this. It is a fact that occasionally, a beginner will make a cross which turns out well and this element of chance is so alluring that it is well worth the attempt. It has been asserted by eminent Rosarians that there is no limit to the diversity or variation of Roses produced from seed. Some have sown thousands of seeds of certain varieties without obtaining one of the same kind. It is commonly thought that the double varieties do not perfect their seed as well as the more single ones, but this has been proved incorrect, and it seems to be of 43 44 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE more importance as to what the shape of the flower is Hke rather than as to how many petals it has. Certain varieties seem to be incapable of forming perfect seed, especially such as have the petals rolled upward. Other kinds, having perfect pistils, will, if the flowers are allowed to remain, form seed pods which dry up before arriving at maturity. Such as these will often perfect their seed if artifi- cial impregnation is practiced. If a large number of chance seedlings is the object, select a piece of good ground, well prepared, and plant on it a collec- ' tion of the best varieties obtainable. Do not prune these too closely but, when the flowers are about to develop, all the poor ones may be removed, leaving the good, well developed ones to flower and seed at will. A better way would be to carefully select flowers for cross- ing and hand-fertilize them, keeping a record of operations. In this case care has to be used that promiscuous crossing, or self-fertilization, does not take place. To guard against the former cover with netting to keep away insects about the time the pollen is ripe and, as a preventive of the latter, pry open gently the flowers to be operated on and remove the stamens with a pair of round-pointed scissors. This may be done just before the flower is ready to open, say the night before; if delayed until the pollen on the stamens is ripe, which is about the time the flower is expanded, it may be too late to prevent self-fertilization. Fragrance is an object which should be sought after in a new Rose; other qualifications are habit, form, color, freedom of bloom, and continuity of growth and bloom in Winter, if for indoor culture, and also hardiness, if for outside planting. It has been asserted that, to obtain double flowers, prefer- ence should be given to double and semi-double varieties for seed bearers; varieties should be selected with broad, thick, well formed petals, with perfect pistils and stamens visible. HYBRIDIZING 45 Rose Columbia A cross between Ophelia and Mrs, Geo. Shawyer. Flowers peach pink in color deepening as the Rose matures Photo courtesy E. G. Hill Co., Richmond, Ind. 46 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Ophelia Supreme Delicate rose, base of petals flushed with chrome yellow- Photo courtesy^Chas. H. Totty, Madison, N. J. HYBRIDIZING 47 An absolutely double flower would not possess these qualifi- cations and so would be incapable of producing seed. Single flowers will bear seed that will never produce more than a semi-double variety. Since American growers have been raising seedling Roses, rapid strides have been made in the advancement of a type or, rather, two distinct types of plants suited to our requirements- — one for outdoors and an- other for Winter forcing. It is best to plant the Roses intended for seed bearers away from others and to select varieties diff"ering in color and habit. The pistils or female organs of one are to be fertilized by the stamens or male organs of the other. A stamen with no anther or pollen bearer is barren. Down in the center of the flower is the ovary or seed pod. This ovary or embryo consists of several ovules. The pistil is composed of two parts, the style, a filament which leads from the ovary, and" the stigma, or rather thickened point at the end of the style. By the use of a microscope, one may observe the stigma pierced by an interceptible opening, the inside of which is hairy. This allows the pollen to adhere for the time being, and later to be carried down through the style to the ovule, which later develops into a seed. Authorities diff"er as to which of the parents the seedlings will most resemble and this question need not much concern the amateur. It would require years of study to reduce this question to a science, and personal experience will probably be the best teacher. When the flower is fully open it must be fertilized with another of a variety from which it is desired that the qualities be largely perpetuated in the seedlings. The two flowers se- lected should be in about the same stage of development. The anthers may be pressed between the thumb and finger and, if the yellow dust sticks to them, it is ripe and ready to use. It would be best to carry a flower of the male parent to the seed 48 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE bearer. It may then be held over the latter flower and, by placing a finger over the bottom flower and striking the pollen bearer gently on it, the pollen will be shaken off and the work done. Or the pollen may be collected on a camel's hair or very fine brush, and thus conveyed from the anthers of one flower to the style of the other. The flower should then be protected so that neither the wind nor insects are able to carry other pollen or interfere in any way with the work done. When the flower has passed away, if the cross has been successful the seed pod will soon swell. If any decayed petals adhere to it they should be removed and the pods should be left on the bushes until fully ripe. Protect from birds or anything that might damage them, if outdoors. The same operations just described, may be carried on in an airy greenhouse, the plants to be grown in pots, as well as outdoors, with the advantage of a longer ripening season. John Cook tells us that 50 per cent of the seeds will not germinate, 25 per cent will come single, and out of the re- maining 25 per cent may be obtained two or three varieties worth growing on. Care must be taken, when syringing, about the time of fertilization, that no water gets into the flowers. The seed may be sown as soon as ripe. It should be rubbed out between the hands before being sown. Hard pods may be crushed and rubbed through a wire screen after which lay in the air to dry. If the seed is old, soak in water over night before sowing. Sow the seed in flats or pans filled with a mixture of loam and leaf mold; well mix in equal parts and see that the boxes or pans are well drained. After the seed is sown, water carefully, and cover with about one-half an inch of the same mixture to which a little sand has been added. They may then be placed in a cool greenhouse and should be kept moist. HYBRIDIZING 49 It will take months for all the seed to germinate. They will require the same care and protection from harm that any other seedlings do. Flowers will probably appear on the seed- lings within a year. Some of the Bourbon and Chinese varie- ties have been known to flower when five or six weeks old. It is best to prevent rather than to encourage flowering at such an early stage, so that a good plant may be built up. As soon as they flower all plants with inferior blooms may be destroyed; preserve the best ones and, to save valuable time, eyes may be budded or cions grafted on to a vigorous growing stock. (See chapter on The Seedling-Inarch and Nurse-Plant Methods of Plant Propagation.) The Manetti is commonly used in America for this pur- pose. The Brier is preferred for certain kinds and other wild or hardy stocks may be tried. The Banksia stock has been proven very good for yellow varieties. It will take several years to test a variety and to try it out properly and decide whether it is worth growing and putting on the market. There are many qualifications a Rose must have and northing hurts a firm's reputation more than to send out a variety that will not prove desirable or profitable to grow. It is suggested that experiments be made in crossing the hardy varieties or, at least, infusing some hardy blood into the crosses so as to raise kinds which will be able to withstand the severity of our American climate. The Rugosa, Wichur- aiana and others of this type, are good to use for this purpose. It would seem that to make the Rose more popular with the masses varieties that succeed outdoors would be in great demand. CHAPTER VII THE SEEDLING-INARCH AND NURSE-PLANT METHODS OF PLANT PROPAGATION TTOR the matter which follows, we are indebted to the De- -*■ partment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, our material being extracted from Bulletin No. 202, Bureau of Plant Industry, by Geo. W. Oliver. In an introductory note therein, David Fairchild, the agricultural explorer, in charge of the Department of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, says: "One of the most important factors in the creation of a plant industry which depends upon a perennial species is the rapid propagation of the plant. The possibility of bringing through the mails from any part of the world a few seeds of some rare plant is of relatively little moment if it is not backed up by adequate methods of quick reproduction from these few seeds, through a sexual propagation, in order to produce large numbers of individuals for experimental trial. One of the greatest drawbacks of horticulture is the time required to test a new variety originated from seed, and any method which shortens the time required to make such tests must appeal to everyone, whether an originator of new varieties or a tester of them, as of the greatest value. "The seedling-inarch method which has been worked out by Mr. Oliver, it is believed, is destined to prove of the great- est importance not only in connection with the propagation of the tropical and subtropical fruits and ornamental plants with which this Bulletin particularly deals (because it has been in his studies with them that he has come to realize its value), 50 THE SEEDLING-INARCH 51 but in a very wide range of plant industries in which the early- fruiting of a variety is very desirable. This shortening by a year or more of the time required for the fruiting of a new variety is believed to be a matter of such unusual importance as to be worthy of the widest publicity among all interested in the cultivation of plants. The discussion embodied in this Bulletin, while it indicates the present stage of our studies of certain tropical fruit industries, must be considered as having a much more general application than to these few new fruit possibilities which are as yet little known to the American public." Fig. 1. Rose seedlings, a cross between two varieties, four weeks after germination. Each seedling is grown close to the rim of a 2-inch pot so as to facilitate an easy approach to the stock plants when inarching Those parts of the Bulletin which will especially interest our readers are here given : While investigating the asexual propagation of some trop- ical fruit trees and other plants, at the request of Dr. B,. T. Galloway, chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, it was dis- covered by the writer that a large number of hard-wooded shrubs and trees are capable of very rapid increase when propagated by processes which may be termed the seedling- inarch and nurse-plant methods. 52 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Fig. 2. The Rose seedlings shown in Fig. 1, four weeks after germination, prepared for inarching These methods are inexpensive and, owing to their sim- plicity, may be used by persons without previous experience in the propagation of plants. By these methods the ever- increasing number of plant breeders will be able to save much time in determining the value of hard-wooded plants raised by means of hybridization. They can be used in manipulat- ing seedlings of rare trees and shrubs intended for crossing, so that each plant will bloom in a much shorter time than if left to grow on its own roots. Seedlings of all hard-wooded plants resulting from collections made by travelers in foreign THE SEEDLING-INARCH 53 countries may thus be brought to the flowering stage and their value determined quickly. The most remarkable feature of the new methods lies not only in their simplicity but also in the certainty of the unions which result. The writer has had very few unsuccessful unions and none among those classes of plants where the most suitable stocks are known and in common use. Not only is it possible to inarch a seedling a few weeks old to a large stock, but a moderate sized seedling stock can be inarched to a shoot of a rare shrub or tree having the same diameter as the stem of the seedling. A satisfactory union may thus be induced where other methods of asexual propagation have invariably failed. Rose seedlings resulting from crossing varieties have been inarched on Manetti stocks when the seedlings were from three to four weeks old, and they produced maximum sized flowers long in advance of those on seedling plants growing on their own roots. The rare Finger Lime, Citrus Australasica^ sometimes seen in a dwarf, sickly condition in greenhouse collections, has borne fruit two years after inarching on one of its congeners; and within nine months after flowering, hybrid seedlings between this Citrus and a cultivated Orange were in their turn inarched on two-year-old Lemon seedlings. Very young seedlings of hundreds of other rare hard- wooded plants may be worked on the same or allied species or genera, and their value determined much in advance of the time when they would flower on their own roots, or on plants obtained by grafting or budding from the mature shoots of the seedlings. Hard-wooded seedlings which need to be flowered in the shortest possible space of time, in order to determine their value, are used for inarching as soon as the first leaves attain a fairly firm texture, as, for example in the case of the Mango- 54 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE steen. But when seedlings are used as stocks for the vegeta- tive propagation of established varieties by uniting the stocks to small branches, then larger seedlings are used, as for ex- ample, in the case of the Mango. M h^i ^^S ^Ht -"^v.iTr^^lH feg H u ^tf^^^^H 1 Fig. 3. Rose seedlings, four weeks after germination, inarched to stocks of the Manetti Rose. During the process of uniting the seedlings are kept in a moist and growing condition by the soil held around the union by burlap. A good union is effected in three to four weeks Inarching Rose Seedlings Seedlings of some of the Rose groups resulting from cross- ing distinct varieties or otherwise take more than one season to produce flowers of maximum size to enable the breeder to judge of their merits. They take much longer to develop when budded on Manetti or other stocks, because in thaf case a considerable time has to elapse before the growth of the seedling is strong enough to give buds and wood fit for propa- THE SEEDLING-INARCH 55 gation by budding or by grafting. Rose seedlings three to four weeks old, or after the first few character leaves are developed, lend themselves very readily to the seedling-in- arch method of propagation. Tea and Hybrid Tea seedling Roses will give flowers of maximum size very quickly after the tiny seedlings are inarched to strong-growing Manetti or other stocks, thereby saving much time in preliminary tests. The operation of inarching is simplified if each seedling is pricked off into a 2-in. pot shortly after the cotyledons are developed. The seedling should be placed as near the rim as possible (Fig. i). In two or three weeks the seedling makes sufficient growth to be removed from the pot, when a little fresh soil is held in place around the root by a piece of cloth about 5 in. square (Fig. 2). The ball containing the roots of the seedling is secured to the stock, the stem of the seedling being placed close to it, so that the inarch may be easily accomplished (Fig. 3). The union is a rapid one and becomes perfect some time before the cotyledons decay. It is well known that many seedling Roses on their own roots produce flowers before the cotyledons decay, but the flowers are necessarily small and have little to indicate their eventual value. The seedling-inarch system shortens very considerably the period between germination and the pro- duction of flowers of maximum size — a material aid to the breeder in determining the value of the seedling within a few months after germination (Fig. 4). Seedlings raised from seeds of new and rare trees, shrubs, and vines may be induced to grow very quickly if used as cions when a few weeks old, by inarching to strong-growing plants of other species of the same genus, or in some cases on species of other genera of the same family. This has been done recently with such plants as Chestnuts, Walnuts, Haw- thorns, Oaks, and many others. It is not necessarily done for the purpose of hastening the flowering or the fruiting of 56 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE new plants, but to give quickly an abundance of material for propagation by budding or grafting when the new material is assumed to be valuable. If a hard-wood seedling of hybrid origin is tied to a large stock and they fail to unite, there is little or no danger of losing the seedling, provided its roots are kept damp during the period of making the attempt. If the inarch is not suc- cessful, the seedling can be repotted and grown in the usual way. Fig. 4. Inarched Rose seedling, showing the growth made in two months after inarching. (One and one-fourth times natural size) CHAPTER VIII PREPARATION OF THE SOIL FOR PLANTING THE best soil for planting Roses is that taken from the top of good pasture land out of the open field. Avoid hedgerows, and loam from under trees, as it is liable to be either full of insect pests or sour. Plow up as much as you need in the Fall or in early Spring. Sod is easier to work after Fall plowing. If you wait until Spring, plow early and take off the loam before the grubs come up from their Winter quarters. For small growers, the old-fashioned loam pile may be the best method. Commence by laying out the shape and size desired by placing the sod and loam about a foot thick. On this spread four inches of good fresh cow manure and keep this up until you have a pile about six feet high which, when covered with loam, will consist of one-fourth or one-fifth good cow manure. Turn the top layer of sod grass down. Do not take off more than six inches of loam from the field. In two weeks this loam pile may be chopped down, well mixed and turned over, choosing good sunny weather for this work. After two weeks more it may be turned over again and is ready for use. This is the old-fashioned method. On most large places today, a pair of horses and a disc- harrow are put on to a piece of ground to cut up the sod after plowing. The top loam and sod are then scraped into rows about a foot deep and as wide as can be worked with the har- row. The manure is spread on and mixed with the harrow. On some places, lime or bonemeal is mixed in at this time. This way is much quicker than piling up loam and chopping down by hand, and has the advantage of exposing the soil to the sun and air all the time. This is still true. 57 58 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Benches or Solid Beds Roses may be successfully grown on benches or in solid beds. On some of our largest places benches are used alto- gether; on others we find all solid beds. Whatever style is used good drainage is essential. On most places there is little difference in the results at the end of the year, providing all the essential details have been carried out. If the benches give a little better result in Midwinter, the solid beds will ■ probably make up the difference in the Summer. Benches should be built rather narrow than wide, as the former are easier to work among and give better results. The best Roses are grown on the outside of the benches, where they get the maximum amount of air and light; those in the middle of a very wide bench are always the poorest. Five feet is the widest a bench should be built. We prefer one four feet wide, and plant four rows of plants sixteen inches apart in the row. Other growers get good results on benches four feet three inches wide and plant five rows sixteen inches apart. The sides of the benches may be six inches deep, which allows for top-dressing, and plants may be grown success- fully several years in such a bench. When the benches are filled with loam, the top of the soil should be level with the bottom of the glass in the sides of the houses. Solid beds are best made by building a wall of cement, brick, or tile, of the required height, and filling in the bottom with any good drainage. These walls need not be more than 1 inches thick if good material is used. These need not be built as high as the benches, on account of the expense, but should be well up into the light. Give the benches a good coating of lime wash and fill the house with the loam as quickly as possible. Never handle the loam when it is wet if it can be avoided. Put on as large a gang as possible, for this is the hardest work of the year, and the mutual benefit PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 59 Rose Mrs. George Shawyer Bright clear rose; high pointed center 60 Rose Mme. Paul Euler, or Prima Donna Brilliant rose pink; fragrant and free flowering PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 61 the men get from having a crowd able to handle the work well and quickly, when all are doing their best, will mean better work in a shorter time. And time is money In planting Roses for, as soon as they are planted, they begin their work and never cease until they are thrown out or dried off for the following Summer. Filling the Benches with Soil The easiest way to fill houses is to have a movable sash on the sides of the house, then to draw the carts alongside and to throw the loam inside to the men, who pass it along and spread it on the benches. This is a much quicker way than the old-fashioned wheelbarrow method, although, in extra wide houses, it might be wheeled inside to advantage. On uptodate places a movable track and trucks on four wheels are used. These trucks will hold from four to six times as much as a wheelbarrow and may be easily operated by two men. Six men will do as much with these as twelve men can do without them on long hauls. Level off with a rake, as you go along, so as to make sure of getting the benches filled evenly. Tread down after filling, unless the loam is wet or of a clayey nature. It may then be raked lightly to give it the final leveling, then marked off. Marking off the Benches We use a marker, made of light wooden strips, after the style of a tooth harrow. It is just wide enough to fit inside the benches so the plants can never get out of line. Com- mence by setting it down on one end of the bed, pressing it into the soil so as to leave the marks where the plants are to be set. Twenty-four holes can be marked off at one time, when lifted by one man (or by a man on either side, for more 62 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE rapid work); it is set down again with one row of pegs in the end holes; in this way every place must be accurately marked and the time saved is considerable. A line is often in the way when planting, and time is lost in moving it from one place to another. With the marker the full width of the bed can be planted at once if necessary. On many places the simple expedient of using a light square pole, as long as can conveniently be handled, having marks upon it the distance apart that the plants are to be set out, laying this on top of the bench and making pencil marks on the bench board the entire length, corresponding to the marks on the pole, and then planting by these marks, using the eye as a guide. Planting the Rose Bushes Let a good man pick out the stock; all poor plants should be rejected. It costs no more to care for good ones and the returns are much larger than from the inferior plants. It will keep two men busy carrying in the plants and setting them out on the benches, two more to dig holes, and two of the best men to plant. As soon as planted the soil around each plant should be pounded down with a piece of hard wood, making it firm and leaving a slight hole around each plant so that it may be watered without wetting all the soil in the bed. Give the plants a good soaking to settle the soil well around them; no more water is then to be given until the plants are on the dry side, but syringe well several times daily and damp down the walks and beds to maintain a growing atmosphere. There is little fear of too much damping down in the scorching days of Midsummer; with the houses wide open evaporation is rapid, and the plants will not make a good growth unless well damped down; but avoid soaking the loam in the benches or it may sour. Cultivate the ground by PREPARATIOiN OF THE SOIL 63 Section of a house of Rose Pilgrim Photo courtesy A. N. Pierson, Inc., Cromwell, Conn. PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 65 scratching over the top once a week for a few weeks. This will kill the weeds, aerate the soil and conserve the moisture. As soon as the roots spread through the benches, discon- tinue the cultivating, or be very careful to go lightly on top so as not to injure the roots. Keep the young plants tied up and keep them clean in every way. Increase the water given as the plants grow, but always be careful in the Fall not to overdo it. As the nights lengthen and get cooler, reduce the syring- ing and damping down processes and always have the foliage dry before sundown. Before leaving the subject of planting I might mention that a cloudy day is much the best for this work — best for the men, and also for the plants. On at least one of the largest commercial ranges I know of a gang is put on at 4 a.m. old time and the planting for the day is finished by 9 a.m. Plant the varieties subject to mildew away from others not so liable to be affected, and plant some Richmond, Killarney, and similar varieties, in solid beds, if possible, as these come with more substance in the hot weather on solid beds than on benches. Disposal of Old Loam The old loam from the houses may be spread back on the land, reseeded, and in a few years' time will be good to use over again, if needed. There is nothing better for top-dressing grass land than old soil taken out of the Rose benches. CHAPTER IX GENERAL CULTURE 'T^HE work after planting will consist of careful attention -*- to detail as regards the culture of the plants and in pushing ahead all unfinished construction work as quickly as possible. The time passes very quickly and the sooner everything is in good shape the better it will be. The heating apparatus should be tested and kept in readiness for use as soon as needed. Cutting off the Buds The object, at first, is to get the beds filled with roots and to get good healthy plants of a fair size. The flower buds are cut off" through the Summer and thrown away. Some growers take off the buds when about the size of peas, while others leave them until the flower is open before removing them. I would advise taking them off as soon as they show color. We are guided by the size and condition of the plant when disbudding. Take off any useless wood with the bud, but leave on every good leaf and eye; generally one or two of the top leaves only are taken off when throw- ing away the buds. After the plants have attained some size, say in September, a few of the best buds on each plant may be allowed to de- velop, still pinching off the buds from the smaller wood. This helps to build up the plant and, when the flowers are removed, there is not such a shock given the plant as when all the flowers are removed at once. The smaller plants may be dis- 66 GENERAL CULTURE 67 budded up to the time that they catch up to the larger ones when they will be in good shape to work all through the Winter months. If flowers are desired for special occasions, eight weeks should be allowed, in Midwinter, after the final pinching, and six weeks in Midsummer. This time is approximate; it could not be given exactly, as time varies with the ever changing weather conditions, and what is just right this year may be a week or more wrong the next. Where a succession. of bloom is desired, which is really what every man needs, a good plan is to start the plants flowering at intervals of two weeks, dividing them up into as many lots as possible or desirable, according to the size of the place and the requirements of the market. Staking the Plants Staking should be done as soon as possible after planting. We use stakes of No. 9 wire, four feet long. These are fastened with clips at the top, to a wire running the length of the bed and securely fastened and held tight on the ends; No. 18, or bench wire, is used for this. This wire, and the stakes, are galvanized, and last a great many years. These are for Tea and Hybrid Tea Roses. For American Beauty Roses an arrangement of wire and strings, such as is used for Asparagus, Smilax, or Chrysanthemums, is generally used. Tie up all plants neatly and carefully in such a manner that the string will not cut the bark, and avoid bunching the foliage. Never crowd the leaves. Simply tie up the shoots for support, always leaving room for the sun and air to get at the plants and on the beds, and for the water to reach every part when syringing. 68 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Watering Watering must be done carefully, especially in the dark days of W^inter. Generally speaking, this can be done about once a week on light soils, all Winter, but no rule will apply everywhere alike. It is better to err on the under watering side than to overdo it in November and December, although I have seen benches, which would not dry out, which were benefited by having a thorough soaking of warm water applied so heavily that it ran through the bottom and cleared away any sourness which mught have been existing in the soil. After the middle of January, or early February, Roses will take more water, and it is almost impossible, as the season advances, to overdo this if only reasonable care is used. Manuring the Plants W^e commence using manure water on the young stock in the early Fall, giving it lightly and using it weak at first, in- creasing the strength and quantity used as the conditions warrant. Little but the regular weekly application of manure water is used through the Winter, although this has to be governed by conditions. When planting we use nothing but cow manure in the loam. About September or October, we apply a light dusting of bonemeal, using about loo lbs. for every 2000 square feet of bench surface. This may be worked into the soil by rubbing over lightly with the fingers, and then covering with an inch or more of equal parts of good cow manure and loam, and well watering. Be careful after this that the beds do not get too wet with the subsequent water- ings. This mulching will carry the plants through the dark days. If too much is applied, making a heavy blanket on the beds, harm is often done as the beds cannot dry out and the loam gets cold and sour. GENERAL CULTURE 69 Toward Spring, when the sun gets powerful, it is often beneficial to apply a good coating of green cow manure, cover- ing this with a sprinkling of loam to keep the nitrogen from escaping. A little air should be left on the house day and night for two or three nights when applying this, or the foliage may be burned. It is best to apply this manure when the beds are in a condition to take water; then give a good soaking as soon as the manure is on, and cover with loam before night. In this way nothing is lost and the loam cover- ing is not washed down immediately. If the beds do not require water at this time, cover with loam as soon as the manure is applied and let stand for several days before watering; by so doing the beds will absorb some of the nitrogen from the manure, but not so much as when watered in at once. This is considered the best way by some growers. Ventilation Ventilating is an operation so simple, and yet so important that special mention should be made of it. In the first place, sudden changes should be avoided. In Midsummer the houses are wide open at the top and often the end doors are open, in addition to side ventilation in very wide houses. And yet there is not a night in the hottest weather when this air is not reduced, commencing to reduce earlier in the afternoon and to increase later in the morning as the cool weather approaches. There is no set time for this. A cold storm may come in Midsummer, making it imperative to reduce air and start the fires, but, as a rule, the transition is gradual and almost imperceptible, like the changing seasons. Some air is left on all night, excepting in the cold Winter months. When three or four ij^-inch steam pipes will not 70 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE keep up the required temperature in a house 32 feet wide, the night man closes the house for a few hours; and it is the same with houses 50 to 60 feet wide, if five pipes, or six at the most, will not keep up the warmth. In warm weather, in Spring and Fall, the steam is turned on as soon as the temperature commences to fall, which is between 8 p.m. and midnight, according to the season, and left on a few hours, when it is taken off and turned on again in the early morning, about daylight, for two hours more should it have been too warm to keep up the heat all night. We always keep one or two pipes painted with sulphur and use these at this time of the year. This is the best known remedy and preventive for mildew, although there may be no signs of mildew on the plants as yet, it is best to be on the safe side and kill any spores that might possibly be in the house, for during the period of short days and dark weather, mildew once established would spread rapidly and do much damage before it could be checked. Avoid using too much sulphur, for too strong sulphur fumes take the color from both the flowers and foliage. This is especially noticeable on pink Roses. More about the use of sulphur will be found in Chapter Twelve of this book. In the Winter, little air can be given, but in the Spring, as the sun gets stronger, it is most important to commence to ventilate early. A good grower will anticipate the chang- ing temperature, the object of which is to increase the amount of air without lowering the temperature in the houses. Increase the air little and otten, and let the rise be gradual from sunrise to noon; the fall from noon to sunset to be along the same line. Always avoid draughts when ventilating. Where the house has continuous ventilation on both sides of the roof this is easy, as, by opening both sides a little in windy weather, the air passes through the top without beating GENERAL CULTURE 71 Rose Mme. Butterfly ''A glorified Ophelia," being a sport of that meritorious variety. It is even better in growth than the parent, its color being more intense and producing a harmony of bright pink suffused with apricot Photo courtesy E. G. Hill, Richmon'^, Ind. 72 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Lady Alice Stanley Deep rose pink on outside of petal, inside clear shell pink GENERAL CULTURE 73 down on the plants; or the lee side may be opened wide while the side to windward is kept closed. Cleanliness All routine work should be done well and on time, and the houses kept clean and plants free at all times from all pests and diseases. Air slaked lime may be sprinkled occasionally under the benches. The walks should be kept clean and free from muddy places or standing water, although they should be damped down often enough so that they are never dust dry. How Long to Run the Plants Such varieties as Kaiserin, Carnot, and others, used for Summer flowering, may remain for years undisturbed and pro- duce the best flowers in this way. Summer Roses will do well in a house not quite so good as the ones required for Winter, but for Winter work the best houses are required, and, generally speaking, these houses are replanted about every three years. If one-third of the place is planted every twelve months, you have plants in all stages of growth, and can keep up a suc- cession of flowers all the year around. Commence to dry ofl" a part at a time and rest it about a month. Then you can start a few benches every two weeks, which will enable you to start up the last lot in time to bring in a good crop for Christmas. It is advisable to leave Roses undisturbed if they are doing well and are desirable varieties rather than to replant. They may be left much longer in solid beds than on benches. Resting and Restarting the Plants Commence to rest your plants by withholding water grad- ually and syringing but little. Do not let the soil get so dry 74 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE that it cracks apart, or the wood so dry that it will shrivel. More harm is done by too much drying than otherwise, and it takes such plants a long time to get a new start. When ready to start a batch, cut them down about halfway; this is an operation which may be varied somewhat. We have had good results from leaving plants thirty inches high and just as good when they were cut down to within ten inches of the ground. Some growers object to cutting down Killarney. We have had good results in almost every style and would cut back hard any time before the middle of August. After Sept. 1st we would not cut back very much. Some growers tie down their old plants, others prefer to leave them standing upright. There is little difference in the result, perhaps a greater tendency to black spot where tied down, as the air cannot circulate through the bushes so well in this case. As a rule the earlier it is in the season the harder we cut them. As soon as pruned we scrape off the top loose soil, sprinkle with bonemeal, and then apply a good coat of loam and cow manure in equal parts, about two inches thick. The beds are then well watered; this is best done by going over them two or three times, as soon as the covering is on and then repeating the operation the next day. After they are once soaked, no more water at the roots is required for some time, but the tops will require syringing several times daily to induce the plants to make a new growth. As they grow they will require the usual treatment. It is well, when replanting in the Summer, to pot up a few of the best plants before throwing out stock from benches. These will be found useful to fill in any vacant space or to replace poorer plants among the stock carried over. Night and Day Temperature The best night temperature for the general run of Roses is 58° to 60°. Some varieties require more heat, but, as a rule, GENERAL CULTURE 75 these are not profitable kinds for the small grower to handle. The heat should rise to 70° or 75° at noon on every sunny- day in the Winter. On stormy zero days, it will sometimes be impossible, nor is it desirable to increase the temperature more than a few degrees by noon, and in semi-dark weather 68° at noon gives the best results in the long run. CHAPTER X CROPPING ROSES A STEADY supply of Roses is an essential for the grower -^ ^ in order that his customers may look to him regularly fbr their stock. It is a matter of convenience to the retailer and is much more likely to result in a regular customer for the grower than the practice of having irregular crops and, at times, practically no flowers at all. There are two common ways of ensuring this result. The first is to allow the plants to grow along, taking care that there is no well defined crop in any one section of the place, but such a scattering of the flowers as will ensure getting a fair cut each day. The second, is by the use of a system of crops planned so as to produce an even supply, especially during the Winter months. Variations of the latter or "cropping" method are commonly used on the large com- mercial places, and consist of pinching back shoots at definite times in order that flowers may be produced at or around certain dates. In order to do this successfully, the time it takes to grow a flower from a pinched shoot must be known both for the different seasons of the year, and under the conditions obtain- ing at the place in question. During the months of more or less heavy firing, some parts of every house or section will habitually run several degrees warmer than other parts, and this has to be taken into account. The warm parts must be skipped for several days when the plants in the cooler part are pinched if it is desired to bring in the whole section into bloom at a given date. 76 GENERAL CULTURE 77 Rose Rosalind Coral pink changing to apricot pink Photo courtesy F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, N. Y. 78 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Mrs. Kenry Winnett A seedling from Mrs. Geo. Shawyer and Mrs. Chas. Russell; in color almost as dark red as Hadley During the Summer and early Fall, five to six weeks will pass from the time a shoot is pinched until a flower is ready to cut. Later in the season it will be necessary to allow a longer time, until during early Winter seven or eight weeks GENERAL CULTURE 79 will be needed in the case of most of the Roses grown today. If dull weather sets in with little sun heat, eight weeks will not be quite enough to allow. In wide sections the plants on the north side may be backward while those to the south may be about right. This may be overcome by running most of the heating pipes along the north side of the house. Shoots may be pinched any time after the bud shows; the best plant will result if the pinching is done when the bud is ready to show color, and the wood is soft enough to break easily. In order to get a steady supply from different crops it will be necessary to divide the plants into groups, each of which may consist of the contents of a bench or a house, depending on the size of the place. There should be at least eight groups, each containing about the same number of plants, unless it is desired to bring in more blooms on a certain date. In this case the group that is to give this added supply must be made proportionate in size to the cut of flowers desired. Each group should contain its share of the different varieties grown, for the reason that all red one week and all white or pink the following weeks would not, in all probability, suit the needs of the customer, and it is the regular customer that should be taken care of first. That we may see how this will work out we will assume a place of 20,000 plants, divided as to varieties into about 7000 white, 7000 pink and 6000 red. Now since it takes about eight weeks for a shoot to grow and bloom after pinching, during the early Winter, each of our varieties must be divided into eight groups, in order that the first pinched will develop its blooms and start a new crop just after the eighth bed or group is pinched. This gives us in each group a little less than nine hundred plants each of pink and white, and about seven hundred of red. We want flowers at Christmas, and during the succeeding weeks of high prices, in steady supply. Eight weeks before Christmas is, for our purpose, October 80 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE 28th, and shoots pinched on that date will probably flower just before Christmas. To make sure, we will go back a week to October 21st (which will give us nine weeks) and on that date we will take a group each of the different colors and pinch them. One week later another group will be taken and so on until all of the eight groups are pinched. This arrangement will probably bring the first group in about a week before Christmas, followed in order by the other groups. If the weather is unfavorable the growing period will be lengthened a few days; if favorable, a shorter time will be necessary to mature blooms. In the former case, those pinched October 28th for Christmas will be a little late, but we will have in their place those pinched October 21st. In the second case, we may get some of the third group as well as the second, with the others following in order. Whatever happens, there will be a good supply. We will suppose that everything comes along as expected. The first group which began flowering December i6th should be in again about eight weeks later when the last of the eight groups will have produced its crop. The second will follow, and so on until the round is completed a second time. It is necessary for the grower to use good judgment in handling these groups if he desires to keep them well defined. The tendency is for them to run together or scatter. This can be overcome largely by pinching stray shoots at the proper time so that they will flower with the rest of the group to which they belong. On the first round, the last of the eight groups will flower near the first of February and at about that time the first one pinched will be coming into bloom again. This second series of bloom will carry us along until well into March, with groups of flowering plants coming along steadily, provided all of them grow and set their buds, or in other words, provided we get flowering instead of blind wood. If we get blind wood it is no fault of the grouping, but GENERAL CULTURE 81 must be charged to the weather or to some fault in the treat- ment of the plants. About the first of March there comes a quickening tend- ency, and the plants take on a new and livelier appearance. The period of growth will then gradually shorten until, during the warm weather of May and June, six weeks will be the average time between one pinching or crop and the next. This will disarrange any plan used during the Winter and will call for some change if it is desired to continue with a succession of crops. If, in the judgment of the grower, it is not advantageous to use the crop system at this time, some other method may be employed. Replanting old, or planting new, stock will somewhat break up the Summer cut and what houses are to be kept running may be divided into units and one lot after another pinched every six days. By taking off all the weak shoots and leaving the best ones, a steady supply of good flowers may be had all through the Summer. If extra flowers are wanted for Easter a larger block may be pinched about seven weeks before that date, and for Memorial Day, April 15 is about the right date in an average season. When Easter comes very early allow a few days longer. By this time, if not systematically pinched, the different groups will have run into each other, and mixed in such a way that there will be some plants blooming in all the groups at the same time. This of course, will answer the pur- pose by providing a steady supply just as well as the succes- sion of crops could do. At this season of the year the extra time needed to keep a crop system working well is not easily found on many places growing Roses, and opinion is divided as to the merits of either plan. Nevertheless, it has been stated to the writer by growers who have tried out both ways, that the crop system followed all through the year has always been the most satisfactory and has brought in the largest returns financially. CHAPTER XI RESTING ROSES IN WINTER THIS method has been in use for many years on certain places where a number of Roses are grown. It was generally followed or practiced with the oldest or poorest houses, which were planted (generally in solid beds) with varieties that were at their best in the Summer. A notable example is the Rose "Kaiserin Augusta Victoria," of which the name has been changed by some growers and dealers to "Victoria," or "The Victory" Rose. Another is "President Carnot," and other varieties were so treated by different growers. It was found that the plants did much better and gave greater profit during the Summer, after their rest, than they could have, had they been kept at a growing temperature, during the cold, dark months of the year. While being rested they were usually kept at a little above the freezing point, but during the Winter of 1917-18 many houses went below that point. During the European War, when the con- sumption of coal was restricted, this method was more generally followed than ever before, and where intelligently worked out, it was very successful. It is a question for the individual grower to decide whether to keep all his houses going practically all of the year, or to follow some other method where he can arrange his crops to meet his own needs or to fill the requirements of his market. If it is desired to rest a house during the Winter, the drying and cooling off process may begin in October or early November, with a corresponding early start into growth again. Or the plants may be kept producing flowers until after the 82 Rose Double White Killarney Pure waxy white flowers Photo courtesy A. N. Pierson, Inc., Cromwell, Conn. 83 81 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE GENERAL CULTURE 85 Christmas crop has been cut, which is generally about the time that settled cold weather arrives and when the maxi- mum amount of coal would have to be burned to keep up a normal temperature. Commence by gradually withholding the water supply and reducing the fire heat, allowing the night temperature to drop several degrees every few nights, with corresponding falls in the daytime. After a few weeks or a month of this treatment, a night temperature a little below freezing may be reached, and practically all growth will have ceased. Give air as required to keep the houses cool day or night, particularly if a warm spell intervenes, and keep the houses dry. This cold treatment may be continued for a few weeks or longer, as occasion requires, the plants being kept dry in the meantime. When it is desired to start them into growth again, cut them down to within a foot or so of the ground and water the beds thoroughly for several days until the ground is well soaked. Then give the soil a good coating of manure and water this well. No more water is required until the plants are leaved out, when they may be watered regularly, commencing gradually at first, and increasing the amount as growth progresses. While care is required in this operation, do not make the mistake of keeping the plants too dry, for once they start to grow, it is surprising what a lot of water they will need and thrive on. The critical stage is after the buds swell and be- fore the leaves appear and this is when they should be carried a little on the dry side; after this stage is passed, water lib- erally as required. If you wish to break up your crop you can commence at the front of the house and start up those plants first, taking one or more beds at stated intervals. Allow several weeks to elapse before starting those on the north side, keeping this part of the house cooler in the meantime. This is done com- paratively easily in a wide house in Midwinter by using the 86 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Steam pipes to the south, and omitting all on the north side that you can without causing too great a difference in the section. If the house is long and it is desired to rest only one section, a partition may be erected temporarily to divide the cold end from the part being kept in active growth. This could easily be done if at planting time the Roses to be so treated were all at one end of the house. If the contingency was not provided for and these plants were in between two warm sections, of course two partitions would be necessary. Even so, it has been found to be a paying proposition to buy lumber for this purpose since, the same lumber can after- ward be used for other purposes. The partition of boards may be used at the lower part, and cotton cloth, canvas, heavy paper, or glass utilized up above. When the buds first swell it is sometimes advisable to rub off a part of them and allow only from three to five of the strongest to develop on each plant. These are afterward pinched back if quality of bloom and length of stem are the first consideration. One or two flowers might be allowed to develop on each plant on the first break if they were urgently needed for the market, and in this way a few flowers could be cut in March from this stock. However, a better plant will result if all the shoots are pinched back on the first break, and the best flowers are allowed to develop on the second. After the middle of March, with sunny days and a night temperature of 58° or 60°, a crop that is well advanced may be hurried along somewhat if it is late for a certain date (such as Easter) by taking advantage of the sun heat, keeping the steam on rather longer in the morning, giving just a little air during the warmest part of the day, say from 10 a.m. to about I p.m., and starting with the steam again early in the afternoon. A light spraying overhead two or three times daily with clear water during the warmest part of each sunny GENERAL CULTURE 87 day will protect and develop the foliage, and will hurry along the flowers. There is no danger of hurting well established and growing stock by this practice if extremes and sudden changes are avoided. The more sun heat we get every day, combined with active fire heat during the remainder of the twenty-four hours, the more water we can use with good results. It should always be borne in mind, however, that a crop Fig. 1, is a green bud, actual size, which will take at least ten days under the best conditions before it can be cut for market. In three or four days this bud will have advanced to the second stage, as shown in Fig. 2, and will be showing color. Four days later it will be of the size of Fig. 3, and be well colored, and three days after this stage is reached it may be cut. 88 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE of Roses, like a great many other things that we grow, will be of a better quality if it is not unduly forced. If the limit of wisdom is passed in forcing the plants along it will be done at the expense of color and substance of bloom. The illustration on page 87 may be of help to the beginner as showing the time required to perfect flowers after the buds are of a certain size, during the latter part of March, and under the best conditions in regard to sunny days, and a steady supply of steam at night. It applies to the average varieties generally grown today. It would be well for every grower to make notes for himself by tagging certain buds and so get posted on just what happens on his own place. The general care and routine work will be much the same whether the plants were rested early and are started into growth again about the first of the year, or whether they were rested after Christmas, and started about March ist, when less fire heat is needed to bring them along. March ist is a good time to start up plants for Memorial Day. Cut down the plants, and soak the beds thoroughly, promptly put on the top-dressing as soon as possible after this, delaying this step not more than ten days or two weeks in any event. The beds will dry out faster now and the plants will come into action quicker than the ones that were started in Midwinter. These plants may have every shoot pinched back if a large crop of medium grade flowers is wanted for Memorial Day, commencing to pinch about April 14 in the coolest part of the house, and working toward the warmest parts so as to finish up there about April 18, if the whole crop is wanted at one time. During Midwinter, when plants are first started, a night temperature of 42° will suffice. This may be continued for several weeks, and then gradually increased as growth pro- gresses until the flower buds are of good size (which will be about ten weeks after starting), when the maximum may be GENERAL CULTURE 89 reached. If you have plenty of time for any desired date, grow the plants rather cool right along and you will get better flowers. You can hurry them a little toward the finish if it is needed, but do not run them warm early in the process and then drop them down or you will check the growth and may get mildew. You will get poorer results in any case. I am speaking here of sudden or extreme changes. A little cooling off under favorable conditions is permissible when finishing a crop. Plants treated in this way will be stocky and fairly close to the ground, and those of the Ophelia type will require no tying. During the War, when there was acute shortage of help and a scarcity of tying material, a number of Roses were grown with less tying than heretofore, with good all round results. Of course some support is needed for young plants, and for overgrown old stock, but in a number of cases tying has been largely dispensed with. Where Rose stakes are in use, a stout line of cotton twine may be fastened to the supports on one end, pulled tight, and made fast on the other end, making a straight line outside the bed. Then walk along the bench and wherever there are shoots outside the line, pull out the string so as to allow them to fall back into place, then let the string drop into position again. This will give you a clear passageway and hold up the flowers. The line can be looped back to the stakes at intervals of twenty-five feet or so to hold it in its proper place. As the plants grow, straggling shoots will get outside the line. In such cases the loop ties can be cut, the operation of stretching the line out repeated until all the shoots are inside, then the loop put back in place again. A good deal of time and labor can be saved :n this way; when cutting the flowers there is a further saving, since there are no ties to bother with. 90 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE One important thing to remember when starting a crop is to commence with a clean house, syringe well in the early stages of the process, then syringe as little as possible after growth is well advanced until the crop is cut off. When you syringe with a crop coming along, do it very carefully, using a nozzle that shoots the water upward. Avoid driving the shoots over sideways, or knocking them down, which will cauSe a number of bent stems and crooked necked flowers. While carrying out this resting process, houses may, if desired, be shut down altogether for the Winter, pipes drained to prevent their freezing, and the plants covered with salt marsh hay or some similar covering. ' Uncover them in the Spring and start without fire heat for Summer crops. This method has been satisfactorily practiced in cases of accident, of extreme coal shortage, or when the houses were practically unfit for Winter forcing. CHAPTER XII INSECT PESTS Aphis GREEN FLY or aphis is a pest so common that it needs no description. These insects were hard to overcome and did much damage, years ago, when burning Tobacco stems was in vogue to the detriment of the flowers. We have now good proprietary articles advertised in the trade papers which are so effective in killing green fly, and so harmless to the flowers, that there is no excuse for anyone being troubled by these pests; the cost of the remedies, although rather high, is not excessive when the results obtained are considered. In burning the various forms of nicoteen paper, follow the directions given as closely as possible. Do not wait until a house is overrun before applying the remedy, but fumigate lightly and often. If you apply preventive measures and never see any green fly, which is possible, you are better off^ than if you await their arrival and then give a heavy dose. All fumigation is best done on a still night when the air is moist inside. A good, sharp syringing, if the weather is fine the next morning, will clean ofi^ and freshen up the plants. In case of neglect, where the fly is thick and established, two or three fumigations, at intervals of one or two days each, will be necessary to clean them out. Red Spider Red spider is another pest common in some Rose houses, but is easily controlled if the proper measures are taken for its suppression. It is not usually troublesome on Roses out of doors, but under glass they may breed at any season of 91 92 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE the year. These insects are so small as to be scarcely dis- cernible with the naked eye, and their presence is made known by the coloring of the leaf. These insects live on the under- side of the leaf; here they lay their eggs, which they protect with a fine silken web, in consequence of which they are hard to destroy. The best remedy is a good, sharp syringing on the under- side of the leaves, taking care to reach every part to dislodge them all. The water must be forcibly applied; it is ineffective otherwise; a pressure of 60 lbs. to the square inch is good; less than 40 lbs. is not enough. A thin, sharp spray is needed, unlike the soft stream used when watering. Sulphur painted on the pipes in sufficient quantity will kill red spider, but this must be kept up for a week or so, as it does not affect the eggs which hatch out and produce a new crop. The objection to sulphur so strong on the steam pipes is that the color of the flowers is damaged thereby and a few leaves may fall from the bushes, but beyond this, I have never seen any other harm from its use in this way. A very hot, dry atmosphere in a Rose house is conducive to the spread of red spider and the opposite condition has a deterrent effect. There are good articles on the market for use as a spray against this pest which are worth trying; do not condemn them without a careful investigation. Thrips Thrips are small winged insects less than an eighth of an inch long. The havoc wrought among the foliage by them is similar to that caused by red spider; their presence is noted by the pale mottling of the leaf on which they feed. They also feed upon the buds and are partial to American Beauty. All affected buds should be cut off and burned, and all dead leaves and rubbish kept cleaned away. Fumigate regularly with Nlcofume, or similar article, and spray with a good tobacco extract. INSECT PESTS 93 Rose Silvia Sulphur yellow changing to a creamy shading as'flower develops Photo courtesy F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, N. Y. 94 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Frau Karl Druschki Pure snow white; long pointed buds; large full flowers INSECT PESTS 95 Another remedy is to heat iron plates almost red hot; the house must be closed tightly, as it must always be for any fumigating to be effective. Set the plates about 25 feet apart and provide two rows if the house is wide. Commence at the farther end and place a spoonful of cayenne pepper on each plate, working out of the house as quickly as possible. Do not inhale the fumes as they may be dangerous if the pepper is used freely. This is recommended for American Beauty especially, which is so long in perfecting its flowers that much damage is sometimes caused by thrips. If in doubt as to whether you have spider or thrips, it is important to know that the latter causes white spots on the leaves, while the former shows the foliage brown and often curled under at the edge of the leaves. At first sight, the general appearance is the same and the results are similar, in that Roses can be put out of commission in one or two weeks when either pest gains a foothold. Beetles, Grubs and Caterpillars Beetles are sometimes troublesome. There is a weevil of a dull brown color, with a hard shell and a pointed nose with two horns or feelers on the end of it. These weevils eat the foliage. They are about one- third of an inch long; they feed at night and rest in hiding during the day; they may be caught in the early morning easily, as they have no wings. I have seen them in two places recently but, as a rule, they are not a serious menace. If caught and killed when present in small quantities, they are easily controlled. An easy way to catch them is to hang pieces of burlap over the bushes, resting them on the stakes and letting them lie among and on the plants. The weevils will hide in these, and as many as a hundred have been caught in one small house at one time during the past Summer in Massachusetts. A very light jar will dislodge them, and, as they are about the color of the 96 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE earth, and lie still, shamming death, they are sometimes hard to find if they fall to the ground. The weevils lay their eggs in the ground. These change to white grubs with brown heads and without legs. The grubs do their damage to the roots of the plants. Carbon bisulphide is used to kill them. Make holes in the ground, where the grubs abound, with a pointed stick. These holes may be one foot apart or more, according to circumstances. Drop in a teaspoonful of the liquid and cover up the hole at once. This remedy may also be used to kill all other forms of grub. The white grub so common in pasture lands is sometimes troublesome among Roses newly planted. If a plant sud- denly wilts, dig carefully around it and you may find the grub at work, or curled up if at rest, or he may have traveled along to the next plant. Kill him and you may save the plant. Numerous beetles or chafers attack Roses outdoors. They are of various lengths and colors. Hand-picking on cool, cloudy days, or in the early morning, or evening is best. If the grubs in the ground are so numerous as to be a menace to the roots, the ground may be forked up lightly and chickens turned in among the bushes; they will eat the grubs with avidity. Or, pieces of sod may be placed grass side down under the earth where grubs are numerous; these sods will attract the grubs and they may be collected and killed. The carbon bisulphide remedy may also be used. This will kill any and all grubs in the soil without hurting the plants. Perhaps the most destructive pest on Roses grown under glass, and the hardest to fight, is the leaf roller. These are the young of moths or butterflies, which lay their eggs on the leaves. They hatch into caterpillars about three-fourths of an inch long, which envelope themselves in the leaves, curling them up and, where plentiful, which they are liable to become if neglected, will ruin a house. They fall to the ground when full grown, and enter the soil, where they form a cocoon and INSECT PESTS 97 remain until early Spring, at which time they come forth and go through the round of reproduction over again, so that once a place is badly infested it is hard to get rid of them. The best remedies are, hand-picking of the caterpillars, spraying the foliage with poison, and catching the butterflies. For spraying the foUage, Paris green, not more than a tea- spoonful to ten gallons of water, applied lightly every day for a week, has been known to entirely rid a house of these pests. Arsenate of lead in about the same proportion (which must be kept well stirred while being used) is sometimes used on large places, or on any place where there is a steam pump and manure tank these can be util zed to advantage for poison spraying, and a large house may be covered very cheaply in this manner. For catching the moths, a number of pie plates, filled with water, may be distributed through a house. In the middle of these set a lighted kerosene lamp. The flame will attract the moths; they will then fall into the water and may be collected and destroyed. The work will have to be kept up faithfully, as new crops will hatch out and all cannot be killed at one operation. Hydrocyanic acid gas has been tried without success, so far, for this pest. During the past Summer I was on a large place that had been troubled for years with this pest, about April or early May, song sparrows flew around inside the houses in large numbers, catching the moths and cleaning them out in an almost miraculous manner. The trouble practically disappeared with the advent of the birds and up to the present time has not returned. From later observation on other places I am of the opinion that birds entering the houses are of the greatest assistance to the grower in fighting these and similar pests. CHAPTER XIII FUNGOUS DISEASES AS stated previously, the pests and d'seases of the Rose are not so formidable or so dangerous if the proper reme- dies or preventives are applied in time. It is when neglect has allowed the disease or insect to gain the upper hand that serious results follow. Healthy plants are seldom a prey to disease or insects, but the surest way to invite failure is through a weak, unhealthy plant. The old saying, "Pre- vention is better than cure," is as true here as in any other case. Disease and death do not come to the Rose plant in a day unless some gross breach of fundamental law has been committed. A fungus spore may fall on a leaf today, germi- nate and pass into the interior of the leaf, where it com- mences to form a spawn that thrives on the materials which the plant needs for its own use. This process of growth varies somewhat with different kinds of fungi, but generally takes from one to two weeks after infection before the leaf shows any signs of the parasite. When the spawn reaches a certain stage, it shows itself by different colored patches on the surface of the leaf, generally brown or yellow. Later, the fruit of the fungus bursts through to the surface, and it is at this time that it is very infectious. Mildew Every person who has seen mildew in this stage knows that it is almost impossible to check its ravages. A few spots showing in a house today will, if unchecked, in a few days or 98 FUNGOUS DISEASES 99 a week, result in an epidemic which will soon ruin the whole crop. It should be remembered that mildew is ever present, and only waiting for a favorable opportunity to develop, and spread itself. The reason it is so troublesome at times is because of neglect in fighting it when it was present in its weakest, form and could then have been easily overcome. Foliage which is soft, caused by improper cultivation, is an easy prey to this disease, while healthy, leathery foliage is comparatively immune. The best remedies and preventives against mildew inside are good, strong, healthy plants, united to cleanliness and careful watching as to detail in cultivation. Avoid over- watering in dark weather, syringe carefully and not too often in the Winter time. Keep a little sulphur painted on the pipes all the time when firing, and dust a little dry sulphur on the foliage in Midsummer when there is no fire. Let this remain on the bushes, with one or two days of hot sun on it, before washing it off. Renew the application as soon as the bushes are dry, if necessary. When the first spots of mildew show in a house, the affected leaves should be picked off and burned. If this is persisted in for a few days the disease may be kept from spreading, if the sulphur remedy is kept up. A muggy atmosphere in a house, induced by too much damping down and too little air, will cause mildew to spread rapidly. When mildew reaches the fruiting stage, the white powder is carried by the wind and spread, or it may be carried on the clothing from one house to another. At this time it may be drowned out by continuous syringings which wash off and beat down the spores, destroying a great many of them before they can get a chance to alight on a favorable place to reproduce themselves. If mildew has been present in the Fall, all the leaves that were affected. Which show signs of its presence, should be removed and destroyed, or an outbreak 100 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE is certain in the Spring. When syringing to destroy mildew, always work to drive it away from (instead of on to) benches that are clean. Black Spot Black spot is a disease confined to the foliage, and mostly troublesome in the Fall and Winter under glass, particularly on American Beauty and Richmond Roses. It appears in the form of black or purplish spots, sometimes almost circular and about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, or the spots will be irregular in outline. The blotches are most distinct on the upper side of the leaf. Although looking black to the naked eye, if examined with a microscope, a delicate white cobweb will be seen covering the patches and stretching toward the outside. This, in time, develops into minute black specks, which is the fruiting stage. It is easily spread around and soon defoliates a house. The precautions necessary call for similar treatment to that prescribed for keeping away mildew as regards air, clean- liness, and water. Overwatering, sudden checks, drip in a house, and all similar conditions, will induce its appearance. As a further preventive, spraying with potassium sulphide, if commenced early and continued every ten days^ is good or any of the regular copper solutions may be used. When the disease appears all affected leaves should be picked off and burned. There is little use trying to check it by spraying when it becomes established, as the infestation is simulta- neous and not progressive. Spraying is done to prevent rather than to cure black spot. Pick off all affected leaves from the plants and also those which may be on the ground, and keep the plants on the dry side until they get a clean start. Sprinkle a little air-slaked lime around and under the benches, and, with a bellows, apply air-slaked lime mixed with an equal quantity of Grape Dust, on the foliage. FUNGOUS DISEASES 101 Rose Rust This form of rust is mostly troublesome on Roses outdoors, on hardy hybrid varieties, but none is immune from it. Ail affected leaves should be collected in the Fall and burned and any affected wood cut away. Before growth commences in the Spring, spraying with a copper solution should be started, and kept up regularly until the growth has matured. Rose Mrs. John Cook The ground color is white, the center, when open, a delicate shade of pink 102 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Black Mildew This is a disease which, fortunately, is little seen on Roses. It causes young, vigorous leaves to suddenly wilt and fall off, the young shoots will droop and die back and, if not checked, the whole plant will become affected. The spread of this dis- ease is very rapid and whole houses are quickly ruined where it has gained a foothold. The general appearance of the foli- age, when affected, is similar to that caused by a very bad dose of red spider. Sulphur, painted on the pipes strong enough to leave a deposit of sulphur on the plants, will eradicate this disease. Rose Canker This may be divided into two parts, and we will first con- sider this disease as found on plants which have been grafted or budded. The cause is an accumulation of food material at the junction of stock and cion induced by the unequal ac- tivity of the same. If the sap is flowing from the stock faster than the cion can use it, or if the opposite is the case, a mori- bund or hidebound condition of the tissues results, and canker or rupture supervenes. We have a very recent illustration of this in the Rose My Maryland and others, which do not al- ways succeed well on Manetti. It is simply because some kinds do not hitch up well together, to use a homely phrase. Another form of canker is found on outdoor Roses, com- mencing on wood of the second year's growth, in the form of red patches scattered over the bark. Sometimes little injury results from this other than the seamy appearance of the bark which, later, disappears in warm latitudes. But, where frost is. common, the affected parts crack during the Winter. As the bark commences to grow over these cracks to heal the wound,, the callus is affected with the disease, and large, rough out- growths of callus are formed. All diseased branches should be removed, and burned; and the spotted parts painted witk creosote. CHAPTER XIV INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES np^HERE are a number of proprietary articles on the market ■*- which are valuable for killing insect pests. When these are used the directions should be followed carefully, and if in doubt as to the results, as with a new article, try it on a small scale at first. Where tobacco stems can be obtained cheaply they may be steeped in warm water and the liquid used when fresh as a spray. Use it full strength after first making a test on a small scale. Stems of tobacco may be burned when no flowers are being cut, but this is not recom- mended; it Is dirty in its operation, makes a lot of work, and often does harm to the flowers. Tobacco dust may be used by burning, or by being dusted on the plants; it is a remedy for thrips, green fly, etc. Kerosene Emulsion Is made by first shaving fine one pound of hard soap. Dis- solve this in two gallons of boiling water, stir well, and while hot add four gallons of kerosene. Churn this well with a spray pump until an emulsion is secured; when this takes place it will be readily noticed. Dilute this stock mixture, when used, as the conditions require, adding at least ten parts of water to one part of the emulsion. This is a good spray for red spider, thrips, etc., and imparts a leathery texture to the foliage which some growers claim is mildew- resisting. 103 104 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Hellebore May be dusted on the flower buds and foliage for thrlps and kindred troubles. Apply this on the under side of the foliage when damp so it will adhere. There are a number of poisons which may be used for killing insects, but their use is not often necessary and there- fore is not recommended except in extreme cases. Mention has been made of Paris green and arsenate of lead in another chapter. Sulphur' Is too well known and commonly used to require much de- scription. It is inslouble in water, but fusible with heat. When made into a paste and painted on steam pipes it is melted at once if the pipes are full of live steam. Large deposits of crude sulphur are found in certain parts of the world; after different processes of manufacture, which include distilling and sublimating, a fine yellow powder like flour is the result, which is commonly called Flowers of Sulphur. This should never be evaporated over a lamp or an oil stove, or over a fire of any description as, if it burns, a gas will be created which will take all the foliage off the plants. Place the quantity required in a small pail, add water to make a paste, and crush the lumps with the hand. Then add enough water to make a paint, which is easily applied to the steam pipes with a large paint brush. One pipe painted in a narrow house is enough, two or three will be required in the wider houses. A lump of lime may be added, when mixing, to help it stick on the pipes. Some growers make a paste of pure linseed oil and sulphur and paint this on the pipes, but this is unsightly and creates a bad odor; however, it saves sulphur and is lasting. Sulphur continuously applied to an iron pipe will eat it away in time sufficiently so as to impair INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES 105 its lasting qualities. It is best to always paint the same pipe and then, if damage is done, that particular pipe may in time be replaced. Dry sulphur may be dusted on the foliage with the bellows and allowed to stay on in the hot sun for a few days before being washed off. Sulphide of Lime May be easily made with a peck of lime and ten pounds of sul- phur. Place the lime in a half barrel, sprinkle with water, then with sulphur, until all is slaked. Do not use too much water at first or it will drown the lime, nor too little or it will burn it. Stir well, cover and let boil for two hours. Then fill with water, cover and let stand over night. In the morn- ing a thin scum will be formed; take this off and throw it away. You will then have several gallons of clear, amber colored liquid. Bottle this up and use as required; for mil- dew on foliage using one part sulphide to thirty parts of water. After taking off the first lot of liquid you can fill up the barrel with water, stir well and proceed as before, when a second lot may be obtained. After this the refuse is good for whitewashing the bottoms of benches. Sulphate of Copper, or Blue Vitriol Is found among veins of copper. It is manufactured on a large scale by being gently roasted. During this process dioxygen is absorbed from the air, the product is then dis- solved in water and the remaining salts crystalized. It is used in Paris green, Bordeaux and other mixtures. Carbonate of Copper Also used in spraying solutions, is the result of slow and various processes of refining, and is useful in fungous diseases. 106 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Copper, sulphur, and lime are principally used in the various mixtures used for the spraying of trees. Soot is valuable on the foliage and on the ground as a preventive of fungous diseases, but must not be dusted near flowers, or it will disfigure them. Rose Dorothy Perkins CHAPTER XV FERTILIZERS Cow Manure the Best AS fertilizing material in which to grow Roses there is nothing to beat good fresh cow manure, if properly ap- plied; when thoroughly incorporated into the soil it is safe to use at any time. If used fresh, as a top-dressing, it should always have a light covering of loam on top. It is not wise to mix lime with cow manure when used for top- dressing; too much nitrogen is released at first when this is done, then it is either wasted or, if too strong, is liable to injure the plants. Manure from well-fed dairy cows is best, manure from cows which have been fed on brewers' grain has been con- demned as poisonous to Roses under glass. Cases have been placed on record where Roses were said to have been killed by this manure. It is possible, however, that other causes may have contributed to the disastrous results obtained by some growers. One of our best Rose growers has recently used such manure with good results and has never been able to trace any injury due to its use. Another theory is that manure from cows where sawdust or shavings form the major part of the bedding is injurious to Roses grown under glass. This notion was exploded by tests extending over three years at the experiment station of one of our agricultural colleges. Good cow manure contains all the essential elements re- quired in about the right proportion to produce good Roses, 107 108 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE and some large growers who have tried various fertilizers have abandoned them all in favor of it. One grower went so far as to state that if a man cannot grow Roses with plenty of good cow manure at his command he had better give the attempt up; while there is a lot of truth in this, the statement may be modified somewhat for soils differ a great deal. Rotted or partly decomposed cow manure is good but has lost a portion of its strength. Buy from a large barn to insure freshness. One part of good cow manure to five of loam will be about right when preparing the compost for the houses. BONEMEAL Is A GoOD FERTILIZER Bonemeal is used principally as a top-dressing and applied several times yearly as occasion requires. It is not necessary to mix it with the soil at planting time unless barnyard manure cannot be obtained, for good rich soil will carry the young stock along until September without any additional fertilizers. Bonemeal at forty dollars or less per ton is not an expensive article, results cons'dered. It is easy to apply and, if kept dry, may be stored and kept indefinitely. Scientists claim that it is a complete fertilizer, being rich in phosphates, limestone, mineral salts, etc. It is a lasting one and, for beds which are to be left for years undisturbed, might be used in a rougher form, mixed n the soil. For the quickest results bonemeal or flour is applied. It is important to obtain fresh ground raw meal if possible. Bones which have been subjected to a steaming process have lost a part of their value; bones which have been treated with acid to facilitate manufacture are condemned as injurious to plant life under glass. For Roses which show a tendency to make blind wood a light sprinkling of bonemeal will help produce flowers. Use ten quarts for every 500 square feet of bench surface. FERTILIZERS 109 110 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Wood Ashes Rich in Potash Wood ashes from good hard wood are especially good for Rose growing. They are rich in potash and lime and contain a fair amount of phosphoric acid, also a small amount of nitrogen. They are a good corrective of acid soils. They may be applied rather more frequently than bonemeal under general conditions. If the crop is off color wood ashes will improve it although the time to apply is when the growth is being made. A longer stem will then result from its use. For top-dressing use in the same quantity as bonemeal. The Value of Soot Soot is one of the richest fertilizers known. It contains sulphuric, nitric and phosphoric acids, ammonia, potash, lime, etc., and may be obtained from the chimneys and boiler flues, but the burned out scrapings from boiler tubes are of no value. They should all be saved when cleaning out flues, etc., and stored away for use. Imported Scotch soot is a good article to buy and is a good fungicide as well as fertilizer. For a top-dressing, mix soot with about twice its bulk of good fre,sh soil which will make less dirt when using it. Spread thinly on the bench, using about one bushel to 500 square feet of bench surface. For liquid feeding, mix with soft water, using one peck of soot to one hundred and twenty gallons of water. This may be enclosed in a bag with a string on the end and shaken around the tank occasionally, or soot may be used as a top-dressing in the same quantity as bonemeal. Apply this when the plants are growing. It will greatly increase the vigor of stems and foliage and improve the color of the flowers. As a preventive of fungous diseases soot has been found valuable under glass and outdoors. Dust over the foliage the same as sulphur. If used when the growth is FERTILIZERS 111 being made, it can be well washed off before the flowers develop. The Uses of Lime Lime is a fertilizer and sweetener of the soil that has been used for ages, not so much as a direct fertilizer but as an agent by which insoluble potash is changed into available food. It Is possible to use too much lime, for then the soil is depleted of potash and clay, soils may be cemented by its exclusive use. Light, sandy soils, as well as clay soils, are benefited by the use of lime. It should always be applied on top of the ground and lightly raked in as it will work downward. Agricultural, or land lime, can be bought fairly cheap and is better to use than air-slaked lime from the fact that the action of the carbonic acid of the air converts the lime into carbonate of lime (the form in which it existed before being burned). Hydrated lime, sold as land lime, is fresh burned lime slaked and pulverized by machinery. Less of this is required than when air-slaked lime is used. Numerous Government experiment stations have demonstrated the value of lime, and its value to florists has been clearly proved. A light sprinkling on top of the bench is all that is required. An easy test to determine whether lime is required is to take two tablespoonfuls of soil. Place them in two glasses, fill the glasses two-thirds full of water, add to one of the glasses three teaspoonfuls of dilute ammonia water (which may be obtained from any druggist), stir each glass with a separate spoon; if the one to which the ammonia water was not added shows an almost colorless liquid, while the one which did receive the ammonia shows a dark brown or black liquid, it may be concluded that lime would be of benefit, for the soil is more or less sour. 112 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Perhaps a more common test is to place a few tablespoon- fuls of soil in a glass and moisten with water to form a thick paste. A strip of blue litmus paper is then introduced; avoid touching with the fingers the end that is placed in the soil. The soil is parted with a knife and then pressed firmly about the paper. Having allowed it to stand at least half an hour, carefully remove the soil from around the paper. Then re- move the paper and carefully rinse by dipping in water to a point just below where the soil reached. Do not dip or wet the paper above this point or the blue may be washed down to the lower part. If the blue has disappeared from the part where the soil was in contact and a red color has taken its place the soil will be benefited by lime for Rose growing. Other Fertilizing Material Sheep manure is often used where cow manure cannot easily be obtained. It may be bought in bags, pulver- ized, and, applied fairly thick, is valuable. It is much more bulky than the articles previously mentioned and can be spread on four times as thick as bonemeal and similar articles. Nitrate of soda will promote a rapid and soft growth. It should be used with care until you are thoroughly acquainted with it. For liquid feeding use a small amount and note the results before going too far. If for a top-dressing crush out all the lumps until it is very fine and mix with fresh, rather dry loam and spread thinly on the benches. Sulphate of ammonia is used in much the same way as the nitrate of soda. Very quick results may be looked for when this is used. It will impart a very rich, dark color to the foliage of Roses and other plants. This and the nitrate may be bought in lots of anywhere between five pounds or as many tons. FERTILIZERS 113 There are other articles which may be used, but these cover the requirements of the average grower. They are all very valuable when used correctly and applied in the proper season, but, if improperly applied, serious results will follow. The beginner had better pin his faith on good barnyard manure which contains all the essential elements generally needed and in about the right proportion for the plant's requirements. CHAPTER XVI THE AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE Its Culture GOOD American Beauty Roses are being grown in both even span and three-quarter span houses. A medium heavy loam, taken from good pasture land, and mixed with one-fifth cow manure, is best for their needs. They may be grown in the same house with other Roses ordinarily grown, but require more headroom than other kinds. Hints on Propagation When cutting off wood for propagation (and these Roses are grown on their own roots), pass by those plants whose foliage is at all off color, as these will be likely to lose their leaves before making roots, and, in such cases, are never so good for future use. Avoid also the extra strong growth which often runs to wood rather than the production of flowers. Select all the wood possible from plants which pro- duce the most good flowers. Choose well ripened, short jointed wood, trying to select them all in the same degree of hardness that they may all root together and make an even lot. Then they may be all potted up quickly, and the re- sults, of course, will be much better than when a batch is straggling along for weeks, as in this case some of them will lose their leaves. The cuttings should have at least two eyes, and should not be crowded in the bench so that the leaves interlap or they 114 AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE 115 Rose American Beauty 116 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose American Beauty Showing habit and length of stem AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE 117 will not dry after the frequent waterings or sprayings. Fun- gous diseases are likely to develop in this case. Avoid over- watering. Shade during the first two weeks, and then grad- ually expose to the full sunlight. For early planting in May, cuttings should be rooted in December. January stock will be early enough for June planting. It is not profitable to plant American Beauty Roses from late rooted cuttings. The plants may be set out in solid beds or on benches in the same depth of loam as is used for Hybrid Teas, and they may be planted about the same distance apart. From sixteen to eighteen inches apart is a good distance, although some growers do not allow them quite so much room, planting two inches closer. This refers to the distance apart in the row. The number of rows in a bench is the same as for Killarney and similar varieties. It is not wise to plant anything but the best stock for the results will be unsatisfactory if you do. After planting in the early Summer, when evaporation is so rapid, frequent damping down and spraying will be re- quired. As soon as the plants get established this should be reduced as much as possible or a very soft growth will be induced which will make trouble later on, and will make the stock an easy prey to diseases of all kinds. One good syring- ing daily, after the first three weeks or so, will be enough. Early stock, flowering in the Summer months, may have a fair top-dressing of rich manure and will require liberal watering at the roots. To avoid any check to the plants it is best to pinch out a part of the buds and only allow the best to mature on the young stock. After cutting away wood care has to be used in watering until the plants are again in active growth. Toward Fall great care must be taken in the use of water both on the foliage and at the root, or black spot will be likely to gain a foothold. Aim to have the foliage dry by evening. Keep 118 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE the benches and walks clean and free from rubbish, and the walks free from standing water, but not dust dry. Do not allow the beds to get dust dry before watering, but when they are on the dry side give a moderate amount of liquid manure during the growing season, alternating this occasionally with clear water as the plants require. Avoid any conditions in the house which will cause drip. Keep a little steam and air on every night and stormy day, and spray with a copper solution about every ten days if there is any tendency to black spot; if this latter shows up it must be faithfully picked off and burned. Old plants may be cut back and replanted after being dried off a little. Replant in good new loam, give a fair watering, and then spray the tops occasionally to cause the young shoots to break well and come strong. Then, as the plants advance and take hold of the soil, more water at the root may be given. Old plants may be dried off a couple of weeks and then pruned and started up the same as the Hybrid Teas. Yellowing of the foliage is the common result of this operation caused by overwatering. A good plan is to water the beds after scraping off the old loam. Then, after the top-dressing, no more water is given, as the moisture received is sufficient to keep them going until they are well started into growth. Then they may receive a careful watering. American Beauty Roses, grafted on Manetti, are the best for carrying over and starting up in this way, is the report of Mr. Alexander Montgomery, as there is not the same danger of yellowing, but otherwise there is no advantage in grafting this variety. The Winter treatment is much the same as for other Roses; 60° to 62° is a good night temperature. So long as the tops look red you can be reasonably sure that you will get a flower. In the vicinity of Philadelphia they say that if the buds are formed by Thanksgiving they will be in time AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE 119 for Christmas. In the neighborhood of Boston it takes about ten days longer. About six weeks is required, generally speaking. No two places or seasons will be exactly alike. Careful watch must be kept for thrips. If this gets a foot- hold, it will very soon do a lot of damage. Tobacco stems, burned often enough, will destroy it and will not hurt the plants, but care must be used in fumigating when the buds show color or the flowers will be damaged. Up to that time tobacco smoke, reasonably applied, will not hurt them. Double Rosa rugosa, or Rosa rugosa fl. pl. CHAPTER XVII Bunch Roses THE culture of this class of Roses varies but little from that of the general run of greenhouse grown kinds. As a rule they are somewhat dwarfer and do not require so much headroom; neither do they require much tying, nor so much disbudding. They may be planted at the same time as the others, and cultural conditions in regard to watering, temperature, feeding, drying off, restarting, etc., are about the same, as is also the practice of pinching to regulate the crop. A few plants of these varieties will be found very profitable, either for the grower who retails his own product, or for the wholesaler. As a rule, perhaps from lo to 2,0 per cent of the area to be planted with Roses might be devoted to them. The most popular and important of the so-called bunch Roses is Cecile Brunner, which might occupy about half of the space to be devoted to these kinds, with the others divided in about equal proportions. Brunner or "Sweetheart" needs practically no disbudding. The flowers are produced in clusters and if well grown, and if care is exercised in cutting, each bud or small group of buds may be cut with a stem from six to twelve inches in length. These are cut when of good size and well colored before they expand, always cutting without waste and leaving as many buds on the cluster as possible for future cutting until all have been cut from that shoot or branch. These plants will produce a number of vigorous shoots, each with a large number of buds, and on 120 BUNCH ROSES 121 these shoots it is often advisable to pinch out some of the buds to allow the remainder to develop to better advantage and to assure all a reasonable length of stem. The buds of this variety are tied in bunches of twenty-five, and are marketed in this way. There is really less work attached to growing them than to the culture of the larger kinds, and they are easier to handle and market, especially if tied in bunches as they are cut. This variety is very pretty either in the bud or when fully open, and is a splendid keeper and an easy, vigorous grower of dwarf habit. There are several good singles that are profitable to grow. These may be cut and tied in bunches for market like the variety just discussed, or they may be laid out on papers twenty-five at a time in the same way that the larger kinds are handled. Irish Fireflame is a vigorous grower and produces flowers freely. It is a little subject to mildew but no more so than many other kinds. It needs disbudding on the strong shoots, and care must be used in cutting as the buds open quickly in warm weather. These singles have only five petals and while they are very pretty when open, they must be cut and shipped for the wholesale market when in the bud. It is not necessary, however, to cut them more than twice daily, even in warm weather, if the work is carefully done. Old Gold is another variety of a pleasing color. It is a vigorous grower, doing well either on its own roots or grafted and should be grown where a good single is wanted. Other varieties, of which a list may be obtained from the various dealers in young stock, may appeal to different culti- vators. All of them will be more or less acceptable to their customers and consequently more or less profitable. It is always good policy to order necessary stock in this line early to avoid delay and disappointment. But if you can grow your own, so much the better. 122 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Cecil Brunner (also known as Su'eetheart, Mignon, etc.) A dainty miniature Rose, light pink in color ROSES l23 Cuttings of the hardy varieties may be taken in the Summer months, inserted in pans or flats of sand and placed in a gentle hotbed, where kept close and shaded from the strong sun they will root quickly. They should be potted as soon as rooted and with careful treatment will make nice plants for the following year. Or a hotbed may be prepared and covered with a little good loam with several inches of clean sand on top. Firm this down carefully and insert the cuttings in it not too thickly. If desired they may be left here until late Fall, or even over Winter, as they will root down into the soil below. Propagation of the greenhouse varieties may commence in early Fall when there is generally plenty of wood available. The cuttings may be put in the propagating bench, which is often empty at this time, and will make large plants for benching early in the Spring. Any stock left over from the Spring planting may be carried over through the Summer in 31^-inch or 4-inch pots in a cool, airy house, or out in frames. If kept in frames during the Summer, take the plants back into a cool house before Winter and carry them along rather dry until early in the new year, when they may be repotted and grown along. They can then be planted out in the first available house that becomes vacant, where they will soon give a good account of themselves. While speaking of young stock for benching in the Summer I should like to mention the method of handling it which was originated by Mr. W. H. Elliott of Brighton, Mass., and Madbury, N. H., and practiced by him for a number of years. Instead of growing the plants through the Spring months in small pots they are planted out as soon as they are ready after the first potting, in the following manner: As many benches in the Rose house as are required are cleared out and a very shallow layer of well prepared Rose soil is spread in them; not more than enough to cover 124 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE the ball from a small pot should be used. The young plants are then set almost on the bottom of the bench, only enough soil being used to cover the roots as just directed above. The plants are set out about six inches apart each way, although this distance may be varied somewhat, according to conditions; the size of the young plants and the length of time they are to remain here will govern this to a large extent. These plants may be watered freely without danger of souring the soil. At the same time, although they should never be allowed to become too dry, there is not the same danger of their suffering in case they do become rather dry at times, as when they are dried up in small pots. All growers know what careful watching plants in pots require during the hot Spring months and how frequently those in the out- side rows of pots dry out. With proper pinching, large, bushy plants can be built up in a few months in this manner and one bench will hold enough plants to fill from six to ten benches when trans- ferred to their permanent quarters. The best time to move them is when the growth is a little ripe and before they start out with soft new growth. Keep them just a little on the dry side before transplanting them, but do not attempt to move them when the soil is so dry that it will not hold to- gether in good shape. A good watering the day before they are moved will probably put them in about the right condi- tion for the operation. When ready to move the plants take a large butcher knife and draw lines midway between them, both lengthwise and crosswise of the bench. The plants may then be lifted out with perfect squares of earth about their roots and be at once planted in their permanent quarters. If the work is carefully done they will suffer no check and will commence to make new roots and to grow at once. Such plants will be much larger at the start than anything you could produce in a small pot and the roots will be in a healthier BUNCH ROSES 125 and more active, working condition, and not matted or cramped up, as they become in small pots. To this same gentleman belongs the credit of originating the field method of preparing loam for filling Rose houses. Mr. Elliott has proceeded for many years in about this manner: The area to be used is plowed in the Fall and the top soil carted on to a level, well drained space near the houses, reserved for this purpose. If the ground slopes slightly to the south so much the better. Here the new loam is dumped, leveled off to about one foot in depth and left out over Winter. In the early Spring a good coating of manure is spread on the soil, care being taken to keep it far enough from the outside edge so that it will not be thrown off in the course of the subsequent harrowing. A pair of horses and a disc harrow is then put on and run over the piece back and forth until soil and manure are thoroughly cut up and mixed. A plow is also run through the piece to turn it over, then a leveling board similar in action to a road scraper is used to level it, after which it is again gone over with the disc harrow. When thoroughly leveled, a good coating of bonemeal is spread on and worked in with the harrow. Then the loam is left to bake in the sun until wanted when it is carted to the houses in a sweet, fresh condition. It is safe to assert that one man with a good pair of horses will prepare as much loam in a day in this manner as two men would in a week by chopping down and turning over a loam pile in the ordinary manner. The man with ability to adapt himself to changing con- ditions and to work out new methods in saving labor or in producing better stock than his neighbor, is the most likely to be successful in Rose growing, as in every other line of endeavor. Climbing Rose Lucile Very vigorous and free; bright carnation pink Photo courtesy M. H. Walsh, Woods Hole, Mass. 126 CHAPTER XVIII RAMBLER ROSES THIS class of Roses has come into great prominence dur- ing the past few years, and, thanks chiefly to American hybridizers, we now have a large and varied collection of good kinds, suitable for outdoor planting, and good also to force for Easter and Spring sales. In addition, we have the dwarf, or Baby Ramblers, which are excellent for bedding outdoors. These are very desirable and will flower all Summer. Among the best of these are crimson, pink, and white. Baby Dorothy is a good pink. One of the newer ones, Jessie, originated by Merryweather of Southwell, England, is de- scribed as one of the best, commencing to bloom in June and continuing until killed by frost. These grow to a height of about i]/2 feet, branch freely, have bright, glossy green foliage and flowers of a bright cherry crimson color, borne in large clusters. These dwarf Ramblers are a decided acquisi- tion, and add charm and variety to any Rose or flower garden. Among the Climbers, or Ramblers proper, some of the best are, first, the original and reliable Crimson Rambler; Philadelphia Rambler, similar to the former, with brighter and larger flowers; Dorothy Perkins, a beautiful shell pink; White Dorothy, a sport from the pink; Debutante, light pink; Hiawatha, crimson; Lady Gay, cherry pink; Yellow Rambler; American Pillar, a valuable Climber with s'ngle rosy pink flowers, and a kind possessing a vigorous constitution. This Rose has been used successfully on embankments and, in addition to other good qualities, has splendid foliage and grows freely. 127 128 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE ? ■ J¥.^.- ■■',-• *' -J -»:-> ':-**--*^-.^ S - ■'^x .'•"*-. -f^^K -.■■*'H-'*!-. " ■< - .^' >,' ^5*% '-'..:■ ■ ■ ^.. *^' ' -'-'- ; ■C-^ %^-''1^ •^ <.'.--*^*' ^^S "c% ■^■'^:W^^' 4» ;.'! % ■•' .» 'v. .„.- ■^^'fn^ Climbing Rose Hiawatha Deep crimson shaded white at base of petals Photo courtesy M. H. Walsh, Woods Hole, Mass. RAMBLER ROSES 129 Silver Moon, clear white; Excelsa (Red Dorothy Perkins) ; Climbing American Beauty; Pink Roamer, rich pink single flowers with white centers; Gardenia, a very vigorous grow- ing bright yellow, and Tausendschon, a soft pink color which has proved invaluable as an outdoor Rose, or as a pot-grown plant. Stock of these Roses may be bought from any nursery- man or may be raised at home. To gain time when propagating Ramblers, cuttings of half ripened wood may be inserted in the late Summer in a hotbed, potted up as soon as rooted and grown on in the greenhouse. These will have quite a start over the Spring rooted stock. The Spring stock may be obtained by taking cuttings from plants started into growth inside after New Year. Some growers of forced Ramblers allow one or two strong canes to start and, by pinching these, a number of good cuttings may be obtained. These are rooted in the sand and grown on in the usual manner. They may be planted outdoors in good ground and should be carefully cultivated to get the best results. This Spring rooted stock will not make very large plants the first year. The Fall rooted would have the advantage here, but either kind could be used as small stock for forcing. By leaving the plants out two or three years, large plants may be obtained. In this case it would be wise the first year or two to shorten back the canes to produce a bushy growth; the last year the long growths should be tied up to stakes, or to a fence, to allow the wood to thoroughly ripen, which is essential to success in forcing Ramblers. Plants dug up from the field in the Fall have been potted and forced with good results, cases being on record where the percentage of failure with this stock was very small. A great deal de- pends, however, on where the stock is obtained and the condition it is in when received. It is generally agreed that 130 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE pot grown stock is the most reliable and gives the best results. In this case stock may be dug from the field and potted in the Spring, grown on inside for a time and may then be plunged outside in coal ashes. They should be well fed and watered all through the growing season and receive all the sun and air possible. Withhold water gradually in the Fall and, if heavy rains occur, lay the pots on their sides to prevent the plants becoming too wet and starting into growth. When wintry weather occurs the plants may be stored in a frame until time to force. This will be about the first of January, depending somewhat on the date of Easter, which is the time when large quantities are disposed of. It takes about ten or twelve weeks from the time they are brought inside until they are ready for sale, depending on how they are ripened, established, the heat applied, etc. As soon as the plants are brought inside the long canes should be tied into the shape desired. Wire stakes are very useful for this purpose as they may be bent into any shape and, when covered with foliage and flowers are not noticeable. The illustration on opposite page shows the methods of training employed by an English grower which vary little from our own. The temperature at first should not exceed 45° at night. Water should be applied moderately at first; after the balls are once wet to the bottom, syringe the plants several times daily to help start the buds. The object is to get all the buds started and all to flower, or the fine eff"ect of the trained specimen is lost. After two or three weeks the temperature may be raised to 50°. Later, when the buds are formed, to 55°, and finally to 60°. It should be remebered that a little extra heat may be applied to hurry them along if late, or they may be slightly retarded if too early. The ones grown in moderate heat will be the best and will keep the longest. No forcing should be attempted until after the buds are formed. RAMBLER ROSES 131 Methods of training Rambler Roses Photo courtesy Thos. Rochford & Sons, Broxbourne, England The treatment during the forcing period is much the same as that required by other Roses^ Air carefully; feed and water freely during the growing period; harden off gradually before sending to market, but never leave in a dark, draughty place. It will take one month from the time the flower is formed until its development. The Baby, or Dwarf Ramblers, may be forced in the same way as the others. As these flower all Summer, and 132 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Baby Rambler in Pot A gem for forcing or bedding. Try a bed instead of ueing tender plants RAMBLER ROSES 133 Basket Trained Rose Plant may be sold at almost any time they do not require such careful timing as the Climbers to get into flower. Houses that are not quite the best, work in well for these Roses the first six weeks, when they may be moved into the flowering house. Most plant growers have a number of small houses which allow of constant changing around of stock as some have to be hurried and others held back. 134 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE The best demand for large forced Ramblers is at Easter. For the smaller and cheaper plants there is an excellent sale all through the Spring months and especially for Memorial Day. All plants left over from Spring sales may be grown on through the Summer and will make good plants for the following year. Unless they were potted in early Spring they will probably need repotting in good rich loam. This may be done right after flowering and the plants grown on in the usual manner. Or these same plants may be used for out- door planting with the advantage of being safely transferred and planted at any time during the Summer. Besides the varieties mentioned at the commencement of this chapter, there are a number of others that are good, and new kinds are constantly appearing, making this class a most interesting and useful one. RAMBLER ROSES Specimen Wichuriana Hybrid Photo courtesy M. H. Walsh, Woods Hole, Mass. CHAPTER XIX ROSES OUTDOORS IN choosing a location for Roses outside an exposure from southeast to southwest makes an ideal garden. The early morning sun is of greatest value as most of their growth outdoors is made before 8 a.m. every day. Shelter from the north and east or west, whichever way strong winds may blow from, according to location, is necessary for the best results; the main point is that the plants should be exposed to the full sunlight. The ground should be rich and well drained. If the soil is of a cold and clayey nature, plenty of good horse manure, well worked in, will be of advantage. For ordinary soil nothing is better than cow manure. The land should be well cultivated and in good condition to receive any crop before planting Roses. These plants are gross feeders and, after they become established, will be benefited by applications of manure water in the growing and flowering season, and by top-dressings of manure. Hoeing and cultivating will have to be attended to, and all weeds and insect pests kept down. These conditions observed, an abundance of good blooms will be the result. It is remarkable how Roses will exist and blossom even where neglected, but when proper care is given there is no flower that responds more readily to the attention given it. There is no secret in the growing of good Roses. The proper location, rich, well drained and well cultivated soil, and safeguarding against fungus and insect pests, will all con- tribute to the health and vigor of the plants. 136 ROSES OUTDOORS 137 W W H Q Z <: o M Pi < H 138 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Tea Rose White Maman Cochet A splendid garden Rose. Free habit and good blooming qualities ROSES OUTDOORS 139 Roses may be planted in rows three feet apart and eighteen inches apart in the row. If cramped for room they may be set closer, but should never be planted so close together as to interfere with cultivating or with their proper development. As early in the Spring as the ground can be worked is the best time to plant, although the plants may be set out up to the first of June with fair success. I once saw a lot of imported stock delayed in shipment, planted out the last week in May which, thanks to a cold June, did remarkably well. For late planting, plants from pots or benches can be relied upon for good results, or plants may be set out in the Fall. Roses on their own roots may be planted just below the surface of the ground, but grafted Roses should be set out deep enough so that the point of union between the stock and the graft or cion will be two or three inches below the surface of the soil. Hybrid Teas from under glass may be planted out at any time in the Summer. These delight in a warm, dry soil, unlike the heavier and moister soil required for Hybrid Per- petuals. If the stock taken from the benches is cut down halfway, or even lower, it will break strongly and give good flowers during the Summer. Never allow any stock to lie around so that the roots become dry before being planted; if at all dry, soak the roots and prune off any broken ones before planting. Tread down firmly, after planting, and cultivate to keep the ground from caking on the top. The Spring work will consist of, first. Pruning This is generally done in the Spring in latitudes where the plants are dormant all Winter. The weak growing varieties should be pruned to three or four eyes from the ground, but 14U COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE the strong growing kinds may be left twice that length. The harder they are cut back the more vigorous will be the new wood and the larger the flowers on the Hybrid Perpetuals. Varieties like the Banksia, Crimson Rambler, and others which flower from the shoots produced the previous year, re- quire little pruning. They may require to be shortened back a little, but, if cut down, they will produce an abundance of strong new wood but no flowers. Any pruning necessary on these is best done right after flowering. The Hybrid Teas may be pruned about the same as the hardy garden kinds outdoors, but not cut back so hard. If any strong shoots come up from below the graft they must be rooted out or they will in time destroy the upper part of the plant. This is the wild stock and grows strong, is rather red when young, has more thorns than the other kinds as a rule, and has seven leafstalks, while the cultivated kinds have mostly five, although under glass, growing very luxur- iantly, we have seen them with seven and also with nine leaf stalks. In any case they will look foreign to the rest of the plant. If they come from below the graft there is no doubt of what they are. Such varieties as Bridesmaid, Richmond, Madame Abel Chatenay, Killarney, and others, have been safely wintered outdoors in the New England States. Wm. R. Smith, My Maryland, Wellesley and Mme. Caroline Testout do splen- didly out of doors. In fact nearly all the Hybrid Teas may be grown outdoors. (It is impossible to guarantee results in such a large country as this with such a varying climate, but all are worthy of a trial.) Killarney mildews badly outdoors in some places. When pruning outdoor Roses keep a sharp lookout for any disease; and if any is found at once apply the remedy. Pick up or rake off" all clippings and take off" any Winter covering and commence the stirring of the soil as soon as needed. ROSES OUTDOORS 141 142 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Rose Climbing American Beauty No garden is complete without this splendid variety Originators, Hoopes, Bro. & Thomas Co., West Chester, Pa. ROSES OUTDOORS 143 Spraying Roses Outdoors Spray for insect pests and fungous diseases, if any have been noted. Whale oil soap, or Ivory soap, one pound to eight gallons of water, makes a good spray for green fly, or it may be dislodged with the hose if the water pressure is great enough. For the leaf roller, dust hellebore on when the foliage is damp, and, if washed off by rain, repeat the applica- tion; or spray with Paris green, using a weak solution when the foliage is young and tender. Do not use more than one teaspoonful for eight gallons of water. For thrips dust hellebore on the under side of the leaves, when wet; these pests attack the plants in a hot, dry time and a thorough drenching of the plants and soil will help drive them away. Hand-picking will have to be resorted to for rose bugs and grubs of all descriptions. For mildew dust with sulphur, and spray in the Spring and Fall with the sulphide of lime de- scribed in Chapter XII. Always make a test of all spraying materials on a few bushes if the exact strength is not known. For rust, the spraying may be done with a copper solution. To obtain good flowers, disbudding must be practiced as soon as the buds are large enough to be taken off. If the weather is hot and dry at this time, the crop will be much improved by mulching and copious watering with both clear and manure water. If no mulch is applied, stir the ground frequently so as not to allow it to cake. If any suckers appear on the grafted or budded plants they should be rooted out. Other Pointers In the Fall, all dead leaves and rubbish should be cleaned up and burned. In this way a lot of trouble will be saved the 144 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE following Spring. Climbing Roses, or tall growing varieties, should be securely fastened so that they will not get broken during the Winter storms. During the first half of November the soil may be hilled or drawn up to the plants to the height of eight or nine inches and the space between the rows filled in with manure. This will protect enough of the lower part of the plant so that if the tops Winter-kill, there will be enough remaining to pro- duce strong breaks. Tender varieties should have pine needles or coarse hay placed among the bushes which may, in turn, be covered by some evergreen branches to keep away strong winds or sun. The strong sun in early Spring, combined with zero nights, is harmful to Roses. If field mice are abundant, they sometimes work havoc with the bark underneath the covering. For this reason earth alone is the best and often is all the covering required. Pine needles make the next best covering for the same reason. After removing the covering in the Spring, the earth may be levelled down in the rows, leaving it a little higher than it was the previous season. A bed of Roses will produce good flowers for a lifetime if it is closely pruned every year, and if the plants are dug up and root pruned every seven or eight years. Climbing Roses These varieties have within the past ten years, made great strides in popularity. Since the advent of the Crimson Rambler and its successors, these have come into the front rank and they are worthy of the position that they hold. These may be used in a variety of places and do well even on north walls, but they are prone to mildew if planted in ROSES OUTDOORS 145 draughty or shady places as we often see them on the sides of houses. These flower about the first week in July, thereby pro- longing the season several weeks, and very fine effects may be produced with them. Their culture is the same as for ordinary garden Roses, except that they require little pruning. There are a nurnber of these Roses worthy of a place in every garden and, by consulting the growers' catalogues, a variety of colors will be found. In the Hybrid Teas Wellesley is said to excel outdoors. There are almost a score of good ones. In addition to the ones previously men- tioned in this chapter we have La France, Caroline Testout, Maman Cochet, white and pink, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, President Carnot and others. CHAPTER XX COST OF EQUIPMENT AND RETURNS Cost of Building and Equipment THE cost of commencing as a wholesale or retail Rose grower depends somewhat on circumstances and style of houses. Good, serviceable houses of the proper type will probably cost, when planted and completely installed, in the neighborhood of ^10,000.00 for every 10,000 square feet of ground enclosed. Allowing about one-third of this enclosure for walks, we have ground left which would hold probably 6000 plants, de- pending somewhat on how the house was laid out and how close together the plants were set. If these plants produce an income of one dollar and a half each per year, they are doing well. A great many growers get less, but this amount and more has been obtained. One grower, through a careful system of pinching his plants, and manipulation of his crops to bring in a steady supply of flowers at all times, and especially for the holidays, added seventeen thousand dollars to his sales in one year. A Rose plant, doing well, will produce about fifty flowers per year Some growers get an average of four cents per flower the year round. I have on record the cut of one estab- lishment where My Maryland produced, from young stock planted in May, 1909, an average cut of sixty-five flowers per plant for the twelve months ending July first, 19 10. The cut in December and January, combined, amounted to nearly 146 COST OF EQUIPMENT AND RETURNS 147 four thousand flowers. The Killarneys will average as well for the year and may be more easily manipulated by the small grower, so that they will produce a larger percentage in the Winter time. Hadley, as mentioned in another chapter holds the record so far as I am informed, with an earning capacity of between five and six dollars per plant per year. It seems unnecessary to mention varieties. There are at least a dozen that do better with some growers than they do with others. The cost of operating also depends largely on the owner or manager. Labor and coal are the principal items. After you have figured these, you must add a reasonable amount for incidentals and other expenses, all of which multiply at an alarming rate. Taxes, interest, depreciation of stock, etc., all have to be considered before you can count the profit. But, after all, Rose growing is a profitable business if it is properly carried on. If you cannot do it right it is the wisest plan to let it alone. In addition to the revenue derived from the ordinary sales of cut flowers and plants (and the old plants from the benches may sometimes be turned into a little cash at replanting time), there is the possibility of a plant sporting on your place which, if it is an improvement over existing varieties, may prove of value. In this case, watch it carefully for a couple of years to make sure it is a good thing. Propagate a good stock from the best wood and sell it as soon as you can get a good off'er from a reliable firm unless you have the facilities for growing and shipping young plants yourself. You will probably be better off in the end if you pursue the former method, for the cost of sending out a new variety is considerable. In any event, avoid keeping a sport too long as there is always the possibility of another grower having one as good as yours and getting it on the market ahead of you. 148 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Poisoning with Fertilizers and Insecticides There has often been a cry raised that growers are using dangerous chemicals on their bushes as fertihzers or insecti- cides. People handling flowers in the markets and in stores have had badly swollen hands and arms at times and the growers have been blamed for it. I never believed that this was right and have asked several doctors who quite agree with me. Presumably healthy people have died before through the prick of a pin, the scratch from a nail, and from other apparently insignificant causes. The trouble with Roses is that the thorns prick and break the skin. If, at this time, there is any dirt or impurity on a person's hand, as is often the case when engaged in his work, these impurities enter the blood, and serious results may shortly follow, especially at certain seasons of the year when particular subjects may be more readily inoculated. I do not know of a single case where the trouble can be traced to anything the grower used, no matter what has been said to the contrary. Growers are very careful in this matter and poisonous compounds are used but little under glass in general practice. CHAPTER XXI NOTES ON CUTTING, MARKETING, EXHIBIT- ING, ETC. Cutting IN the hot Summer months Roses should be cut early in the morning and placed at once in fresh, cool water, in a cool, dark room. After remaining there for a reasonable length of time they may be assorted into the different grades required and are ready for shipment to market. The sooner they are sold after being properly cooled off, the better will be the re- sults. Twenty-four hours is as long as they should be kept, although they may be and often are kept much longer, for various reasons. In the Winter time it is best to allow the flowers to re- main longer on the plants before being cut as they develop very s'owly, especially in cold, dark weather. They make a much better appearance when being sold if they are not cut too soon in Winter, but as the hot Spring and Summer sun advances it is necessary to cut early in the morning and again carefully in the late afternoon. Grading When grading, care must be taken to assort carefully and to put nothing but the best in the higher grades. Fine foliage, long stems, and other good points count for nothing if the flower is deformed or off color. Every part must be perfect. Keep everything true to grade and see that the count is always 150 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE correct, and you will build up a reputation for right dealing which will be worth much in getting and holding the best trade. There is always a market for the right goods. It is true that at times prices are low, but it :s also true that a good salesman can nearly always find an outlet for good stock. Prices for the shorter grades are as good sometimes in August as they are at Christmas, because of the fact that everybody is growing immense quantities of all kinds of flowers for the Christmas trade and the market is glutted if anything happens to unbalance things, such as bad weather, hard times, etc., while, on the other hand, there is always a shortage in August, which is between seasons in a measure. The June glut is past. Some growers, disgusted with their returns, have ceased shipping and are drying off their stock, while the man with a few good Roses can make a few dollars very easily. Marketing The flowers should be laid out carefully and evenly, on stout wax paper, which may be bought ready cut into con- venient sizes (15 in. by 20 in. is a good size for ordinary grades). For longer stems, a double sheet of newspaper may be laid underneath the wax paper. A little chopped ice should be sprinkled on the foliage of every bunch if the weather is warm or they have to travel far. The finer the ice is chopped up the better will be the results obtained. Keep the flowers dry and cover with tissue paper. Lay on the papers and place in the boxes in such a manner that the heads cannot get broken, and always lay the white flowers on the top (or as much as possible) as they are the most likely to get bruised and discolored. But always remember if the white flowers are on top not to pack the box so full that the flowers are crushed down with the cover, or the opposite effect is obtained. Line the boxes carefully with NOTES ON CUTTING 151 clean paper and use boxes of a uniform size and not over eight inches deep. By visiting the markets and making a few notes of the way Roses are shipped in you will soon see how the packing should be done, and you will find that the growers who ship in the best manner invariably get the most satisfactory results. It pays in the Spring months to double the number of shipments to insure fresh goods. It is also found advantageous, when Commercial Rose Packing A box of Roses as packed by Robert Simpson, of Clifton, N. J., ready for shipment to the wholesaler grading certain kinds, to have the feet and inches marked oflf on the table so that you can tell at a glance how long the stems are; customers often want to know this point when ordering. To get the best prices the market must be closely watched and followed up every day. The men with the steady sup- ply are the ones who will be looked to for the goods, and these men can sell Roses at all times. 152 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE RECORD OF DAILY CUT , (Tack this on a board and hang up in the Greenhouse) Month House No — East or West 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Total sfa'ty I Killarney 75 56 110 84 97 69 120 75 686 Hadley Mrs.Chas. Russell Columbia Other Varieties TOTAL SALES SHEET FOR OFFICE Month . Year- The first column under each grade indicates the quantity sold, second column, which may be in red ink, shows the price obtained each day The OPHELIA SPECIAL FANCY EXTRA No. 1 No. 2 Price Price Price Price Price 25 25 25 25 25 50 50 50 25 50 50 75 75 50 75 75 100 75 75 125 100 50 150 125 125 150 100 150 25 125 50 I 300 50 450 100 625 125 925 153 154 COMMERCIAL ROSE CULTURE Preparation for Exhibition Roses intended for the exhibition table are often taken from the ordinary cut intended for market, but, if especially large and fine flowers are desired, a little extra care should be given. Extra good shoots should be picked out and marked by tying a piece of string or raffia on them. They should then receive special attention as regards food and water, and should be cut so that they will be in the best condition possible when they are exhibited. If they are rather late in flowering they may be hurried along with extra heat, but they are never so good in this case as they are likely to be soft and so wilt. It is preferable to have them a few days early. They may be cut one week ahead when in the bud and placed away in a cold room in clean water. If you have no ice chest it is advisable to set the jars in a bank of snow or on ice in your flower room if it is at all warm. This will retard them. They will require careful watching every day as they must be de- veloped enough to make a good show and at the same time not be past their best. A few undeveloped or old flowers will spoil the entire bunch. When staged the general effect should be good. This is most important of all, and if, on close inspection, it is found that the quality is there and the details are correct, the exhibit will be very like'y to favorably impress both judges and pub- lic. CHAPTER XXII GENERAL REMARKS Examine New Stock Carefully WHEN new stock is being bought it should always be examined on arrival and quarantined if any sign of disease is found on it. Complaint should be made at once, if any is in order; it is useless to wait several weeks or months before doing this Hybrids for Forcing in Pots or Boxes Roses to be flowered in pots will give better results if they are carefully grown in them the previous Summer so as to become established; they should then be dried off. The earlier they are rested the sooner they can be forced. The main point to -be obtained is strong wood, well ripened the previous Summer. Prune as advised in a previous chapter. Tie the Rambler type into the shape required as soon as possible after they are brought in for forcing. It will take twelve or fourteen weeks in Midwinter to bring these varieties into flower from the time they are brought into heat. Start cool at first, spray to induce a good break, and feed liberally as they advance. When Easter comes rather late, Crimson Ramblers may be forced in ten weeks. Allow a temperature of about 45° at night at first, raising this by degrees to 58° later, after the buds have started and 155 Q z I Q O u w ^ z ^ n •^ W Oh ffl W H H O CO o CO 05 00 (S W CO »0 (N CO (M ?4 g 05 00 t^ CO lO '^ CO (N - OOO1C1030505O300 0000050 E i;Dt^OOOiO'-i (V 10 C d *-^ D. g C! X "S W 'o m "rt N OJ u u ;-! > Rose Seedlings Inarched on 54 **« American Beauty Rose Grafted on 118 Manure: Cow 14, 69, 107 Sheep 1 12 Marketing Roses 150 Measure for Grading Roses 26 Mildew 98, 102 Nitrate of Soda 112 Outdoor Roses: Choosing Location, Soil, Fertilizer, Planting. . . 136, 139 \ Planting Own Root and Grafted Stock 139 Z2 Hybrid Teas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Pruning 139 ' _ Diseases 140 ' : Spraying 143 ■ Disbudding 143 Own Root Propagation 27-33 Packing Roses 151 Pinching Off Buds 66, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 143, 164 Piping for Hot Water Heating 185 Plant, What to: Popular Varieites 22 Number of Plants 25 Plant, When to 25 Planting, Method of 62 Poisoning with Fertilizers and Insecticides 148 Propagation : By Seedling and by Budding 41, 42 Seedling-Inarch and Nurse-Plant Methods of 50- 56 Propagation, Own Root: Selection of Cuttings, One, Two, and More Eye Cuttings, Method of Trimming 29 196 INDEX Propagation, Own Root: Page Watering 29, 30 Potting Rooted Cuttings 32 Soil, Fertilizer, Size of Pots 32 Repotting into larger pots 33 Propagation by Grafting: Selection of Manetti Stock, Potting, Soil, Fertilizer 34 Treatment and Temperature 35 Grafting Case, Construction of 35 Grafting, When, How and Treatment of Plants 36, 38, 39, 40 Propagating House: Size, Situation, Ventilation 27 Construction of Benches, Sand, Temperature 27, 29 Pruning Rose Plants 74, 139, 140 Rambler Roses: Best varieties 127, 129 Propagating Rooted Cuttings 129 Methods of Training, Feeding, Watering, Forcing 130, 131 Forcing Baby Ramblers 131, 133, 134 Red Spider 91 Resting and Restarting Plants 73, 74 Resting Roses in Winter 82, 85-90 Repotting Roses 161 Root Galls 157 Rust 101 Safety Valve 180 Sales Sheet for Office 153 Seed, Raising Roses from 48, 49 Seedling, Propagation by 41, 42 Seedlings, Inarching 50 Sheep Manure 112 Shipping Roses 151 Soil 21, 57, 61 Solid Beds, Construction of 58 Soot 110 Staking 67 Steam Heating and Engineering 173-177, 179-181, 183, 184 Sulphate of Ammonia 112 Sulphate of Copper 105 Sulphide of Lime 105 Sulphur 104 Syringing 92 Temperature: For Hybrids for Forcing in Pots or Boxes 155 Night Record 156 For General Run of Roses 74, 75 Thrips 92 Valve, Safety 180 Varieties, Popular, to Plant 22 Ventilation _ 18, 69, 70 Water, Composition of 174 Water Glass 180 Water Supply in Greenhouse 12 Watering 68, 158, 159 Wood Ashes 110