PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.
CUTTINGS.
This mode of propagation, although possible with all roses, is more
difficult with those that bloom only once in the season. It is
most applicable to the smooth-wooded kinds, as the Bengal and its
sub-classes, and the Boursault, Microphylla, rubifolia, etc. Many of
the Perpetuals and Bourbons are propagated with facility by the same
mode. For propagation in the open ground, cuttings should be made in
the autumn, or early part of winter. They should be made of wood of
the growth of the season, and about six inches long. The lower end
should be cut square, close to a bud, and they can then be planted
thickly, two-thirds of their length in sand, in a light and dry
cellar. Here a callus will be formed on the bottom of each cutting
during the winter, and on being planted out in the spring, they will
immediately throw out roots. They should be planted as early as
possible in the spring, in a light sandy loam, with one-third of their
length and at least one bud above the surface of the ground. They
should be planted very early in the spring, because, if left until
late, the power of the sun is too much for them. The earth should be
trodden down very tight about them, in order, as much as possible,
to exclude the air. If the weather is dry, they should be carefully
watered in the evening. Where it is inconvenient to make the cuttings
in the fall or early in the winter, they can be made in the spring;
but in consequence of having to form the callus, they will require a
much lighter soil than will afterward be desirable for their growth,
and they will also be much later in coming on. This mode of open
propagation answers very well for some of the smooth-wooded roses of
the more robust growing varieties, like the Boursault and Rubifolia;
but for the delicate Bengals, the best mode is pot propagation. For
this purpose, small pots can be used, filled with equal parts of mould
and sand, or peat and sand. About the middle of autumn, cuttings of
the same season's growth are taken off with two to four buds, cutting
off one or two of the lower leaves, and cutting off the wood smooth
and square close to the eye, as in figure 8. These cuttings can be
inserted in the pot, leaving one eye above the surface. It should then
be slightly watered to settle the soil firmly around the cuttings, and
then placed in a cold frame, or on the floor of a vinery, in which
no fire is kept during winter. Early in the spring the pot should be
placed in a house with a moderate temperature, kept perfectly close,
and sprinkled every morning with water a little tepid. Now, as well
as during the autumn, they should be shaded from the too bright glare
of the sun. In about a fortnight, and after they have formed a third
set of leaves and good roots, a little air can be given them; and
after being thus hardened for a week, they can be repotted into larger
pots. In order to ascertain when they are sufficiently rooted, the
ball of earth can be taken out of the pot, by striking its inverted
edge lightly against some body, at the same time sustaining the ball
of earth by the hand, the cutting being passed between two of the
fingers a little separated. If well rooted, the fibres will be seen on
the outside of the ball of earth. They can then be placed in a cold
frame, or anywhere under glass, to be planted out the latter part of
spring, or retained for pot culture. Where hot-bed frames are not
convenient, or the amateur wishes only to experiment with one or two
cuttings, he can use a tumbler, or any kind of close glass covering.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.--A ROSE CUTTING.]
Where roses are forced into bloom the latter part of winter, cuttings
can be taken from them immediately after the bloom is past; and they
will also succeed if taken from plants in the open ground immediately
after their first bloom. Cuttings of the Everblooming Roses will all
strike at any time during the summer, but they succeed much better
either in the autumn, or after their first bloom. The heat of our
midsummer sun is so great upon plants forced in the house, that
cuttings often fail at that time. When a cutting is made near the old
stem, it is better to take with it a portion of the old wood, which
forms the enlarged part of the young branch. Where the cuttings are
scarce, two buds will answer very well--one below the surface; and,
in some cases, propagation has been successful with only one eye.
In this case they are planted up to the base of the leaf in pots of
sand, similar to that used in the manufacture of glass, and the eye is
partially covered. They are then subject to the same treatment as the
others, and carefully shaded; they will thus root easily, but require
a long time to make strong plants.
Some years since, Lecoq, a French cultivator, conceived the idea of
endeavoring to propagate roses by the leaf. He gathered some very
young leaves of the Bengal rose, about one quarter developed, cutting
them off at their insertion, or at the surface of the bark. He planted
these in peat soil, in one-inch pots, and then plunged the pots into
a moderate heat. A double cover of bell glasses was then placed over
them, to exclude the air entirely, which course of treatment was
pursued until they had taken root. The shortest time in which this
could be accomplished was eight weeks, and the roots were formed in
the following manner. First, a callus was formed at the base of the
leaf, from which small fibres put forth; a small bud then appeared on
the upper side (figure 9); a stalk then arose from this bud, which
finally expanded into leaves and formed a perfect plant.
[Illustration: Fig. 9.--LEAF CUTTING.]
An English writer remarks, that "the leaves or leaflets of a rose will
often take root more freely than even cuttings, and in a much shorter
time, but these uniformly refuse to make buds or grow."
This experiment is certainly very curious, and evinces how great, in
the vegetable kingdom, are the powers of nature for the maintenance of
existence, and is one of those singular results which should lead us
to make farther experiments with various parts of plants, and teach us
that in Horticulture there is yet a wide field for scientific research.
A favorite mode of propagation with some nurserymen is from soft
wood of plants forced in the winter. Many fail entirely in this for
want of knowledge of the right condition in which the wood should be
before cutting, a condition which cannot be described on paper. Some
varieties, like Persian Yellow, will not strike at all, or with great
difficulty in this way.
The plants from which these cuttings are to be taken should be
prepared and treated as in the preceding chapter. In February and
March the cuttings are made and inserted in sand, either in pots or
benches, in a house of the same temperature as that in which the
parent plant has grown. These pots or benches would be better covered
with glass, but it is not essential. After the cuttings have rooted,
they can be potted into small pots, and placed in a house of moderate
temperature. About the middle of May they can be taken out of these
pots and planted in the open ground.
BY LAYERS.
This mode is more particularly applicable to those roses that bloom
only once in the year, and which do not strike freely from cuttings,
although it can be equally well applied to all the smooth-wooded
kinds. It can be performed at midsummer and for several weeks
afterward, and should be employed only in those cases where young
shoots have been formed at least a foot long and are well matured.
The soil should be well dug around the plant, forming a little raised
bed of some three feet in diameter, with the soil well pulverized and
mixed with some manure thoroughly decomposed, and, if heavy, a little
sand. A hole should then be made in this bed about four inches deep,
and the young matured shoot bent down into it, keeping the top of the
shoot some three or four inches above the surface of the ground; the
angle thus being found, which should always be made at a bud and about
five or six inches from the top of the shoot, the operator should
cut off all the leaves below the ground. A sharp knife should then
be placed just below a bud, about three inches below the surface of
the ground, and a slanting cut made upward and lengthwise, about half
through the branch, forming a sort of tongue from one to two inches
long, on the back part of the shoot right opposite the bud; a chip
or some of the soil can be placed in the slit, to prevent it from
closing, and the shoot can then be carefully laid in the hole, and
pegged down at a point some two inches below the cut, keeping, at the
same time, the top of the shoot some three or four inches out of the
ground, and making it fast to a small stake, to keep it upright. Care
should be taken not to make the angle where the branch is pegged at
the cut, as the branch would be injured and perhaps broken off; the
best place is about two inches below the incision. The soil can then
be replaced in the hole, and where it is convenient covered with some
moss or litter of any kind. This will protect the soil from the sun
and keep it moist, and will materially aid the formation of new roots.
These are formed in the same manner as in cuttings; first a callus is
produced on those parts of the incision where the bark joins the wood,
and from this callus spring the roots, which, in some cases, will have
grown sufficiently for the layers to be taken from the parent plant
the latter part of the following autumn; in some cases, however, the
roots will not have sufficiently formed to allow them to be taken up
before another year. The summer is the best period for layering the
young shoots. Early in the spring, layers can be made with the wood
formed the previous year. Where it is more convenient, a shoot can
be rooted by making the incision as above, and introducing it into a
quart pot with the bottom partly broken out. This pot can be plunged
in the ground, or if the branch is from a standard, it can be raised
on a rough platform. In either case, it should be covered with moss,
to protect it from the sun, and should be watered every evening. We
recollect seeing in the glass manufactories of Paris, a very neat
little glass tumbler, used by the French gardeners for this purpose.
It held, perhaps, half a pint, and a space about half an inch wide was
cut out through the whole length of the side, through which space the
branch of any plant was inserted, and the tumbler then filled with
soil. When the roots were formed and began to penetrate the soil, they
could be easily perceived through the glass. Although an incision is
always the most certain, and it is uniformly practiced, roots will in
many varieties strike easily from the buds; and a common operation in
France is simply to peg down the branches in the soil, without any
incision; in some cases, they give the branch a sudden twist, which
will break or bruise the bark, and facilitate the formation of roots.
Some Chinese authors state that very long branches may be laid down,
and that roots may be thus obtained from all the eyes upon them, which
will eventually form as many plants.
Vibert, a well-known rose cultivator in France, remarks upon this
point: "Upon laying down with the requisite care some branches fifteen
to twenty-four inches long, of the new growth, or of that of the
previous year, and upon taking them up with similar care, after twelve
or eighteen months, I found only the first eyes expanded into buds or
roots, while the rest had perished. I have seldom seen the fifth eye
developed, while I have frequently known the whole branch entirely
perish. I speak in general terms, for there are some rare exceptions,
and the different varieties of the Four-seasons Rose may be cited as
proof that a great number of eyes of the same branch have taken root."
This is the opinion of an eminent rose grower; but if, as he states,
the Monthly Damask Rose will root freely in this way, many of the
smooth-wooded roses would undoubtedly root still more readily, and
our rapid growing native rose, Queen of the Prairies, would very
probably throw out roots readily, when treated in this manner. It is
worth repeated experiment; for, if rapid growing roses, like some of
the evergreen varieties, the Greville, and the Queen of the Prairies,
could with facility be made to grow in this way, rose hedges could be
easily formed by laying down whole branches, and a very beautiful and
effective protection would be thus produced, to ornament our fields
and gardens.
SUCKERS.
Many roses throw up suckers readily from the root, and often form
one of the principal causes of annoyance to the cultivator. For this
reason, budding and grafting should always be done on stocks that do
not incline to sucker. The Dog Rose--on which almost all the imported
varieties are now worked--is particularly liable to this objection,
and it is no unusual thing to see half-a-dozen suckers growing about
a single rose-tree. When the health and prosperity of the plant are
desired, these should be carefully kept down, as they deprive the
plant of a material portion of its nourishment. When, however, they
are wanted for stocks, they should be taken off every spring with a
small portion of root, which can generally be obtained by cutting
some distance below the surface of the ground. They should be planted
immediately where they are wanted for budding, and will soon be fit
for use. Many fine varieties of the summer roses will sucker in this
way, and an old plant when taken up will sometimes furnish a large
number of thrifty stems, each with a portion of root attached.
BUDDING.
Fifty years ago, budding and grafting were very little practiced,
excepting with new varieties, that could with great difficulty be
propagated in any other way. Within that time, however, the practice
has been constantly increasing until now, when it is extensively
employed in Europe, and roses imported from France and England
can very rarely be obtained on their own roots. To this mode of
propagation, there is one great objection, while the advantages
in some varieties are sufficiently great to counterbalance any
inconveniences attending the cultivation of a budded or grafted rose.
It is generally the case, that the stock or plant on which the Rose
is budded is of some variety that will throw up suckers very freely,
which growing with great luxuriance, will sometimes overpower the
variety budded upon it, and present a mass of its own flowers. The
purchaser will thus find a comparatively worthless bloom, instead of
the rare and beautiful varieties whose appearance he has been eagerly
awaiting, and upon the head of the nurseryman will frequently descend
the weight of his indignation. This difficulty can, however, be
avoided by a very little attention. The shoot of the stock can very
readily be distinguished from that of the budded or grafted variety by
its growth and foliage, even if the age of the plant will not allow
the point of inoculation to be recognized. In passing the plant in his
walks, let the owner simply cut away any shoot of this character that
may spring from the stock or root. The budded variety thus receiving
all the nourishment from the root, will soon grow with luxuriance, and
present to the eager expectant as fine a bloom as he may desire--at
the expense only of a little observation, and the trouble of
occasionally taking his knife from his pocket.
This trouble, however, is such that the plant is in most cases
neglected. Budded or grafted roses are thus very unpopular in this
country, and those on their own roots are deemed the only ones which
it is safe to plant.
The practice of budding has brought into cultivation a form of the
plant which is highly ornamental, but which can never become very
general in this country. The Tree Rose is an inoculation upon a
standard some four or five feet in height, generally a Dog Rose
or Eglantine. The tall, naked stem, a greater part of which is
unsheltered by any foliage, is exposed to the full glare of our summer
sun, and unless protected in some way, will often die out in two or
three years. Its life can be prolonged by covering the stem with moss,
or with a sort of tin tube, provided with small holes, to allow the
air to enter and circulate around the stem. This is, however, some
trouble; and as many will not provide this protection, a large part of
the standard roses imported to this country will gradually die out,
and rose _bushes_ be generally employed for single planting, or for
grouping upon the lawn.
In budding, there are two requisites: a well-established and thriftily
growing plant, and a well-matured eye or bud. The operation can be
performed at any season when these requisites can be obtained. In the
open ground, the wood from which the buds are cut is generally not
mature until after the first summer bloom.
[Illustration: Fig. 10.--BUDDING THE ROSE.]
[Illustration: Fig. 11.--BUDDING IN THE BRANCHES.]
[Illustration: Fig. 12.--BUDDING A POTTED ROSE.]
Having ascertained by running a knife under the bark, that the stock
will peel easily, and having some perfectly ripe young shoots with
buds upon them, the operation can be performed with a sharp knife that
is round and very thin at the point. Make in the bark of the stock a
longitudinal incision of three-quarters of an inch, and another short
one across the top, as in _a_, fig. 10; run the knife under the bark
and loosen it from the wood; then cut from one of the young shoots of
the desired variety, a bud, as in _b_; placing the knife a quarter to
three-eighths of an inch above the eye or bud, and cutting out about
the same distance below it, cutting sufficiently near the bud to take
with it a very thin scale of the wood. English gardeners will always
peel off this thin scale; but in our hot climate, it should always
be left on, as it assists to keep the bud moist, and does not at all
prevent the access of the sap from the stock to the bud. The bud being
thus prepared, take it, by the portion of leaf-stalk attached, between
the thumb and finger in the left hand, and, with the knife in the
right, open the incision in the bark sufficiently to allow the bud
to be slipped in as far as it will go, when the bark will close over
and retain it. Then take a mat-string, or a piece of yarn, and firmly
bind it around the bud, leaving only the petiole and bud exposed, as
in _c_, fig. 10. The string should be allowed to remain for about two
weeks, or until the bud is united to the stock. If allowed to remain
longer, it will sometimes cut into the bark of the rapidly growing
stock, but is productive of no other injury. It is the practice
with many cultivators to cut off the top of the stock above the bud
immediately after inoculation. A limited acquaintance with vegetable
physiology would convince the cultivator of the injurious results
of this practice, and that the total excision of the branches of the
stock while in full vegetation must be destructive to a large portion
of the roots, and highly detrimental to the prosperity of the plant. A
much better mode is to bend down the top, and tie its extremity to the
lower part of the stock. Several days after this is done, the bud can
be inserted just below the sharpest bend of the arch. When the buds
are to be placed in the branches of a stock, as in fig. 11, the top of
the main stem can be cut off, and the branches arched over and tied
to the main stem, as at _f_; the bud is then inserted in each branch,
as at _c_. The circulation of the sap being thus impeded by the
bending of the branches, it is thrown into the inoculation, and forms
then a more immediate union than it would if the branches were not
arched. After the buds have become fairly united to the stock and have
commenced growing, the top can be safely cut off to the bud, although
it would be still better to make the pruning of the top proportionate
to the growth of the bud; by this means, a slower, but more healthy
vegetation is obtained. When the buds are inserted very late in the
season, it is better not to cut off the top of the stock or branches
until the following spring, and to preserve the bud dormant. If
allowed to make a rapid growth so late in the season, there would
be great danger of its being killed by frost. European cultivators
are very fond of budding several varieties on one stock, in order to
obtain the pretty effect produced by a contrast of color. This will
only answer where great care is taken to select varieties of the same
vegetating force; otherwise one will soon outstrip the others, and
appropriate all the nourishment. It is also desirable that they should
belong to the same species. When a bud is inserted in a plant in pot,
as in fig. 12, the main branches are left, and a portion of the top
only cut off, in order to give the bud some additional nourishment.
GRAFTING.
From the pithy nature of the wood of the Rose, grafting is always less
certain than budding; but it is frequently adopted by cultivators, as
budding cannot be relied upon in the spring, and as there is much wood
from the winter pruning which would be otherwise wasted. It is also
useful for working over those plants in which buds have missed the
previous summer.
There are several modes of grafting, of which the most generally
practiced is _cleft-grafting_. For this mode, the stock is cut off
at the desired height with a sharp knife, either horizontally, or
slightly sloping. The cut should be made just above a bud, which may
serve to draw up the sap to the graft. The stock can then be split
with a heavy knife, making the slit or cleft about an inch long. The
cion should be about four inches long, with two or more buds upon
it. An inch of the lower part of the cion can be cut in the shape of
a wedge, making one side very thin, and on the thick or outer side,
leaving a bud opposite to the top of the wedge. This cion can then be
inserted in the cleft as far as the wedge is cut, being very careful
to make the bark of the cion fit exactly to that of the stock. In
order to exclude the air, the top and side of the stock should then
be bound with a strip of cloth covered with a composition of beeswax
and resin in equal parts, with sufficient tallow to make it soft at
a reasonably low temperature. In the course of two or three weeks,
if every thing is favorable, the cion will begin to unite, and will
be ready to go forward with advancing vegetation. When the stock is
sufficiently large, two cions can be inserted, as in fig. 13.
[Illustration: Fig. 13.--CLEFT GRAFTING.]
[Illustration: Fig. 14.--WHIP GRAFTING.]
_Whip-grafting_ is performed by cutting a slice of bark with a little
wood from the side of a stock about an inch and a half long, and then
paring a cion of the usual length down to a very thin lower extremity,
as in fig. 14. This cion can then be accurately fitted on to the place
from which the slice of bark and wood is taken. The whole can then be
bound around with cotton cloth, covered with the composition described
before. In all grafting it should be borne in mind, that it is
essential for the bark of the cion and that of the stock to touch each
other in some point, and the more the points of contact, the greater
will be the chance of success.
_Rind-grafting_ is also sometimes practiced, but is more uncertain
than the former, as the swelling of the stock is very apt to force
the cion out. This mode must be practiced when the bark peels easily,
or separates with ease from the wood. The top of the stock must be
cut off square, and the bark cut through from the top about an inch
downward. The point of the knife can then be inserted at the top, and
the bark peeled back, as in _a_, fig. 15. It is desirable, as before,
that a bud should be left on the other side of the stock, opposite
this opening; and the French prefer, also, to have a bud left on the
outside of the part of the cion which is inserted. The cion should be
cut out and sloped flat on one side, as in _b_, fig. 15; then inserted
in the stock between the bark and wood, as in _c_, and bound with
mat-strings, or strips of grafting cloth.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.--RIND GRAFTING.]
The French have another mode of grafting stocks about the size of a
quill or the little finger. It is done by placing the knife about two
inches below a bud which is just on the point of starting, and cutting
half way through the stock, and two inches down, as in fig. 16. The
cion is then placed in the lower part of this cavity, in the same
manner as with cleft grafting. This mode is called _Aspirant_, from
the bud above the incision, which continues to draw up the sap, until
the development of the cion. When the cion has grown about two inches,
the top of the stock is cut off and covered with grafting wax. This
mode is not always successful, as the sap sometimes leaves the side of
the stock which has been partly cut away and passes up the other side.
[Illustration: Fig. 16.]
The French have also a mode of grafting, which they call _par
incrustation_, and which is performed in the spring, as soon as the
leaf-buds appear. A cion with a bud adhering to the wood is cut in a
sort of oval shape, and inserted in a cavity made of the same shape,
and just below an eye which has commenced growing. It is then bound
around with matting, as in budding. This is a sort of spring budding,
with rather more wood attached to the bud, than in summer budding. It
is very successfully practiced by various cultivators in the vicinity
of Paris. There is still another mode sometimes practiced in France,
which owes its origin to a cultivator named Lecoq. A small branch is
chosen, which is provided with two buds, one of them being on the
upper part, and the other near its larger end. A sidelong sloping cut
is made all along its lower half, the upper being left entire. When
the cion is thus prepared, its cut side is fitted to the side of the
stock under the bark, which has been cut and peeled back. It is then
bound around with mat-strings or grafting cloth in the usual way. This
mode has a peculiar merit; should the upper bud not grow, the lower
one rarely fails, and develops itself as in common budding.
Cleft and whip-grafting is also practiced occasionally upon the
roots of the Rose, and succeeds very well with some varieties.
These modes of grafting can all be more successfully practiced on
stocks in pots in green-houses with bottom heat and bell glasses. We
have given thus concisely, and, we hope, clearly, the various modes
of budding and grafting with which we are acquainted. They may be
sufficient to enable the amateur to amuse his leisure hours, though
his success may not entirely meet his expectations. Simple as these
operations are, they require a kind of skill, and, if we may so call
it, sleight-of-hand, which is only attained by constant practice upon
a great number of plants.