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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1886. 



another. They do not foolishly compete with each 

 other, bit help one another as much as possible. Owiag 

 to the bad weather, I was prevented from seeing the 

 wonderful work wrough by the Deli Company, whose 

 successful opei-afions are borne witness to by the large 

 dividends distributed. Other e-^tates held either indivi- 

 dually, or on the joint stock priuciple are also doing 

 well. Oae remarkable characteristic that strikes the 

 eye ill Deli is the total absence of lavish display of any 

 kind. Jirtolling houses and tobacco sheds are fi'ted up 

 hiuipiy just em>ugh to meet practical requirements. 

 Lvnd after being crip^d OQCe is allowed to lie fallow 

 for several yearK, Sorting operations are carri'd through 

 by CdinesB only wtio do the work very quicikly, it 

 being greatly fuci'ltated by the circumstance that the 

 rains wh'ch usually fall at the season make the tobacco 

 pliant and easy to handle. Everythiwg seems to work 

 together to render the count y fit for tobacco grow- 

 ing. However hrilliaatly auc.-essful many planters 

 have been in Deli, I would not advise any one to go 

 there at a voulure trusting to luck, from the slender 

 chances of his doing well in that quarter. There ire 

 more applicants for employment than there are situ- 

 ations available. I met with many young men tramp- 

 ing through the country vaiii'y seeking for somethi;g to 

 do. Oeueratly speaking, the assistants there are of a 

 superior stamp to those i a Java fiom their being men 

 of a determined and fearless cast oi mind. Many of 

 thm are highly educated aad th -y coniprise a great 

 nnmber of foreigners Livin^' in Deli is not cheap. 

 SiTvants in particular are expensive there. Matters 

 however in this respect show signs of improvement. 

 The Deli Oomfjany ko--ps a store of its own where 

 ordinary food supplies are obtainable by its employees 

 at low r%tt<s. In cmc usion, I h artly wish that the 

 idanters may do Well and miv be amply rewar ieil for 

 iheir toilsome excrti n- to d velop the resources of the 

 country. — SamSirOi.vg Locomotief . 



EOCKHAMPTON BOTANIC GAEDENS. 



THE EOSE. 



Most people are tond oi a good rose, but only a 

 few take the troub'e to grow plants so as to get 

 blossoms worth 1 lok ng at. Numbers of plants are 

 annually put in the ground something after this fashion. 

 They are Vought from some nurseryman, and a small 

 hole is dug, very likely about a foot square. Into 

 this th'? , Ian-, is put, the soil filled in and watered. 

 Possib.y the plants thus dealt with are watere i every 

 day. A good deal of the soil in town, which has not 

 been previously dr.aned, when holed in this way wii; 

 hold the water until it is dried out by evaporation. 

 I have seen hoies two feet deep that have been full 

 of water for months at a time. Is it any wonder 

 then that so many plant* die. A mo.st amusing thing 

 is that when ail has been done inadvertently that 

 could be reasouablj expected to try and kill the 

 plants, the climate of Queensland gets the blame and 

 hard words are used by the wuuld-be rose grower. 



My experience is, there is a great number of varie- 

 ties of roses that can be grown here to prefection, if the 

 ground has been properly prepared, and this is re- 

 quisite in any country. Almost any good .soil will 

 .suit roses. Experienced growers prefer a rather strong 

 loam, but very good roses are produced here on a 

 light sandy loam. Wh.atever the soil may be, it is 

 indispensable .that it be trenched and drained, and if 

 bones are avi-.ilable a layer should be put in the bottom 

 of each trench, and plenty of rott<^n manure spread 

 on the surface, w^•ll dug in, and forked over two or 

 three times to thoroughly mix it with the soil, iioses 

 should always be grown in a bed or border by th"m- 

 selves, unless in cases where ground has been prepared 

 for fruit trees. For three or four jears they will do 

 very well in the spaces betweBU the trees if the 

 ground is specially manuri.d for them. When the 

 ground has been prepared the next thing is planting. 

 If a border, the climbing and tall-growing varit-ties 

 should be "et at the back, and the dwarf varieties 

 n front. Tlie climbers c/\n be either trained as pillars. 



or on a trellis. If in a bed, put all the tall sorts 

 in the centre. 



Now, about the varieties to plant in this district. 

 The nurserymen are offering from two to three hun- 

 dred varieties in their catalogues for this year, so 

 that it is easy to get a large collection if anyone 

 wishes it. For my own part, I prefer a dozen or 

 two of well-defined varieties, well cultivated, to having 

 a larger number not skillfully and properly taken 

 care of. For the benefit of those who may contem- 

 plate planting I will give the names of a few varieties 

 which have done well in our gardens:— Acidal, Adam, 

 Aimee Viuert, Baronne Hallez, Beauty of Waltham, 

 Cehne Forcstier, Charles Lefebre, Cloth of Gold, 

 Comtesse de Bertha. Cramoisie Superieure, Devoniensis, 

 Eclair de .lupiter, Gloire de Dijon, Glorie de Lyons, 

 Victor Yerdier, Paul Xeron, Triomphe de Lyons, 

 Souvenier de Dr. Gommes, Lyonaise, Dr. Ardre, 

 Robin Hood, lord Raglan, Marie Guillot, Madam 

 Moreau, Marechal, Neil, Solffateur, White Banksian, 

 Yellow Ban ksian, Souvenier de la Malmaison, Souvenier 

 de un Ani, Gloire de Ducher, Madam de Vatry, 

 Aeturios, Amelia Hoste, Duke of Oonnaught, Mrs. Baker, 

 President Thiers. Mast of the above varieties are 

 free growers, and are of easy cultivation. 



Those who wish to propagate any favourite variety 

 have three methods open to them; first, budding, 

 which is very little practised in this country, and is 

 rather a difficult operation to be performed by 

 amateurs. I don't think it is necessary to describe 

 how it should be done. Second, by cuttings which 

 is easy if the .season is a good one, and the cuttings 

 are put in during the month of .July. The cuttings 

 should be made of well matured wood of the last 

 season's growth, cut off square just below one of the 

 eyes. Six inches is quite long enough for rose cuttings, 

 and a very small portion should be left above the 

 surface. The bed is best!made of nice sandy loam, 

 and shaded slightly. Thirdly, comes the easiest plan 

 I can recommend, which is layeri 'g. All that is 

 necessary is to carefully bend down the branches, 

 and make a small hole three or four inches deep 

 beneath where the middle of the branch touches the 

 ground. Bend the branch until it is well down on 

 the bottom of the hole. Cut it half through with 

 a sharp knife; fill in soil; cut the point of the branch 

 off to within a few inches of the grouud ; water 

 occasionally, and the following Autumn the plants 

 can be taken up, and put in a nursery bed, or planted 

 out permanently. If the season is good layering can 

 be done at any time from March to the beginning 

 of August. It is very little use trying to propagate 

 roses or anything else iw such a sea. sou as the present 

 unless there is a good supply of lagoon water to be 

 bad. It is not easy in au article like this to explain 

 how roses ought to be pruned a.s this needs to be 

 done according to the strength of the growth of the 

 diffe-eut v<irieties. As a general rule it is safe to cut 

 back all tall straight growing varieties to one third 

 of the season's growth. Those that form compact 

 heads do best by cutting off the ends of the branches 

 so as to mike the hearl as symmetrical as possible, 

 and removing all dead and useless brush out of the 

 centre. Climbing roses require different pruning to 

 all other varieties. They require stakes or trellising 

 to support them. Train in the young shoots as they 

 grow, in the spring. Take the -shoots off the trellis 

 or stake, and shorten them by about one-fourth 

 of their length; cut oft" all dry or weak branches, 

 and tie them up again neatly. I have found that 

 from the middle of July to the middle of August is 

 the best time to prune most varieties. — J. S- Edgar. — 

 Rockhimptmi BuUetin. 



TEA. 



We took occasion, some months ago, in commenting 

 on the relief afforded to Java tea in the Netherlands 

 budget, to remark that Chinese statesmen also would 

 do well to realize the fact that Indian tea is a 

 suflBciently dangerous competitor on its merits, with- 

 out being helped by a handicap on its rivals. There 



