194 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



■wintar, that some were much injured hy 

 the frost, and others quite killed ; and the 

 fourth, the result was simihir to the first, 

 with tlie exception of being a little more 

 injured in wintsr. 



It will, therefore, be seen, all points 

 beint^ considered, that in the case where 

 two-thirds turf and one-third manure was 

 used, the roses sueceed-d best, the cause of 

 which appears to ine quite obvious, in the 

 fact of the requirements of the plants beinu; 

 better supplied in this soil than in the 

 others, viz., free access to the roots of atmo- 

 spheric air, and being a soil that would not 

 bind, the roots meet with no check in their 

 propjress, and nourishment is supplied 

 through the most advantageous medium, 

 and from the best source, the soil never 

 containing more moisture than it holds by 

 capillary attraction, 



I must, however, just advert to protec- 

 tion during winter, respecting which I can 

 only give the result of two years' expe- 

 rience, having both seasons' tried about 

 equal numbers by protecting the roots of 

 some with moss about six inches thick, as 

 recommended in Mr. Rivers' catalogue, and 

 others by laying branches of evergreens 

 or fern over them, while others have not 

 received farther protection than merely 

 placing sawdust or cinder-ashes about an 

 inch thick over the roots, and although the 

 roses to which the latter method was 

 adopted appeared to have suffered most 

 from frost, tliey, in reality, were the leist 

 injured, which was clearly proved in the 

 ensuing summer by their growth being 

 upon the whole more vigorous than the 

 others, particularly the bottom shoots and 

 suckers. I account for this latter plan 

 proving best, from the circumstance of the 

 two former harbouring too much damp, 

 which is more destructive to the roots than 

 moderate frost. 



The aspect in which these roses ai*e 

 grown to the best advantage appears to de- 

 pend entirely upon the season. If placed 



facing the south (being so excitable), they 

 are more apt to grow during warm winters 

 and early springs, and which renders them 

 liable to be cut off by frosts ; in such a 

 case the south is a bad aspect, but if, on 

 the contrary, the winter is cold, there can- 

 not be abetter. For average seasons, how- 

 ever, I think against or near a west wall is 

 the best situation, as it is to a great extent 

 protected from the nortli-easterly winds, 

 and catches but little of the early spring 

 sun, and when they do, it is not till late in 

 the day, so that, should a frost have occur- 

 red iu the night, the thaw will necessarily 

 be more gradual than in a southerly or 

 easterly situation, an item to which too 

 much attention cannot be paid. 



These roses seem to receive great benefit 

 from the application occasionally of weak 

 guano water. I have also tried superplios- 

 phate of lime, but upon these soft-wooded 

 sorts it does not appear to have much or 

 any effect, although on the liard-wooded 

 kinds it may be most beneficially used. 



These roses are often grown to great 

 advantage, budded either on the wild briar 

 or tiie Boursault, f)r although they are 

 sometimes liable to failure, still, when they 

 do succeed, they prove very beautiful. 



For pot-culture, the tea China roses 

 cannot be too strongly recommended, as 

 they are so grown with the greatest ease to 

 perfection, taking care that the soil used is 

 rich and open (turfy), and that good drain- 

 age be provided. Indeed, I think many of 

 the more delicate weak-growing varieties, 

 such as Elisa Sauvage, etc., are suitable 

 only for pots, as in the open borders 

 they are often subject to failure. The com- 

 paratively hardy and vigorous varieties, 

 such as Devouiensis, Compte de Paris, 

 Josephine Malton, Bougere, etc., cannot be 

 too numerously cultivated or too strongly 

 recommended for growing in beds or other- 

 wise, more particularly the first-named 

 one. 



Devoniknsis in Gardener's Chronicle. 



ON GRAY-EDGED AND SELE AUEICULAS. 



Respecting the gray-edged section of 

 auriculas, though a very interesting one, 

 it need not occupy a whole paper, and 

 therefore I shall take it and the selfs toge- 

 ther. As far as I can discover from old 

 gardening books, the gray edge seems to 

 be the first form of deviation from the sim- 

 plicity of the wild species, and to have 

 arisen from the force of cultivation acting 

 upoa the habit of th e plant to exude a meal 



upon the thinner parts of its external sur- 

 face. Colour seems to have a tendency to 

 prevent the formation of this meal. Tlie 

 original species appear to e.xist in two varie- 

 ties, the yellow and the coloured, for tra- 

 vellers in its Alpine home have mentioned 

 meeting with both these forms. Choice 

 auriculas cultivated in pots, and much 

 prized, I fiud uotices of nearly 150 years 

 ago ; but the habit of naming varieties 



