In the German Rosen Zeitung, Dr. Muller, who has engaged in the propagation of new seedling roses for the last six years, gives the following directions for hybridizing and seedling culture: Before the bud to be fertilized has opened, the petals and stamens are removed by means of pincers and a little hook or crochet needle. This operation must be performed with great care in order to avoid injuring the ovary and pistils. The leafless flower is then wrapped with a thin layer of wadding, which is held in place by twisting a few of the fibres together. This covering excludes insects, absorbs the sap which flows in some cases from the wounds, and affords a firm hold for the external protecting envelope, which consists of a strip of waxed paper rolled into a cone and fastened by a pin. The cone is made long enough to project a little below the wadding, and the lower edge is pinched or folded about the stem so that the flower is completely protected from the rain. Within this double covering the pistils keep fresh, even in the hottest weather, for a number of days, and the experimenter can wait confidently for the best time for fertilization.

The stamens of a variety with which a cross is desired are collected in a saucer, which is covered with a pane of glass and shielded from direct sunlight. The anthers soon open and shed the pollen, which retains its vitality for several days.

The best time for fertilization is within a couple of hours before, or after, noon, on a bright fair day. With some varieties the selection of the proper time is very important; others may be operated upon in less favorable weather with success. The pollen is applied to the stamens with a fine, soft brush.*

The propagation of roses from seed obtained by cross-ing or otherwise, presents no special difficulties. The seed of the rose, like all seeds provided with hard shells, demands a certain time of preparation, during which it must be kept dry and cool. Attempts to force sprouting by heat and moisture are sure to result in few and sickly plants. It is well to free the soil of the seed pots from insects and other injurious elements by roasting it in an iron kettle until all offensive odor ceases, and drying it under cover. The seeds are sown in November, in pots filled with this earth. The seeds are covered with about three-quarters of an inch of earth, well pressed down, and the pots are sunk to their edge in the bed of a cold-frame and straw laid over the sashes.

The seeds should germinate in the latter part of March. Shortly before this the straw covering should be removed. The sashes are still left as a protection against possible frosts, but should be raised whenever the temperature in the frame rises above 6o° Fahrenheit. Seeds that have not sprouted by the end of April are dug up on a fair day and laid out on a board to dry. In a little while the outer shell springs apart and can be easily removed. The seeds are then replaced in the pots and generally sprout within two weeks. These assisted seedlings frequently overtake the others in growth. Seeds of the tea roses most frequently need assistance. With good soil and care the seedlings grow so vigorously that they can be budded upon small plants of Rosa canina during the first summer. - I. B. F.