1869.] TRAVELLING NOTES. 345 



reproduce the beauty of their first-born, they will give you, in return 

 for attentive culture, very valuable help. They will be in bloom at the 

 time of the earlier shows, when the Roses in your budding-ground may 

 not be fully out ; and in some cases they will supply you with better 

 flowers then can be gathered from a "maiden plant." It is so with 

 regard to Teas and Noisettes, and with several other Roses — such as 

 Francois Lacharme, Gloire de Santenay, Louise Magnan, Madame Bou- 

 tin, Madame C. Joigneaux, Marechal Vaillant, Miss Ingram, Monsieur 

 Noman, Olivier Delhomme, &c. Moreover, you should have in your 

 Rose-garden the advantage of a wall on which to grow the more ten- 

 der Roses, those grand Marechal Niels, Devonienses, and Souvenirs 

 d'un Ami, so distinct from the Hybrid Perpetual varieties, and such 

 exquisite contrasts among them. 



Let us now suppose that in both these departments your loving and 

 patient care has brought you the prospect and proximity of such a 

 splendid harvest that you have entered your name as an exhibitor at 

 one of our great Rose-shows. Ah, what a crisis of excitement, to be 

 remembered always, in the glad Rosarian's life ! It is as w^hen the boy, 

 who has distinguished himself in the playing-fields, goes forth from 

 the pavilion at Lord's in the Eton and Harrow match. It is as when 

 the undergraduate, who has been working manfully, enters his name 

 on the list of candidates for honours. What sweet solicitudes ! What 

 hopeful fears ! Look — Mr Grimston is whispering to that Harrow boy, 

 just going to the wicket with his bat, wise words anent the Eton 

 bowling. Listen ; that tutor, with the clever kindly countenance, is 

 speaking cheerfully to his pupil, white as the kerchief round his throat, 

 as he enters those ancient awful schools. So would I aid and abet my 

 amateur — so would I bring a stirrup-cup to my young brave Dunois. 

 Partant pour la Sijrie — that is, for the National Rose-show — he wants 

 information as to boxes and tubes and moss, as to the time of cutting, 

 the method of arrangement ; and he shall receive, in the succeeding 

 chapter, the best which I have to give. 



S. Reynolds Hole. 



TRAVELLIISTG NOTES GIST GARDENS IN THE 

 MIDLAND COUNTIES. 



( Con tinned from page 142.) 



At the conclusion of my last communication I had reached St John's 

 Nursery, Worcester, which ranks among the largest provincial estab- 

 lishments in the kingdom, extending to rather more than a hundred 

 acres. But what of size ? that is nothing — it is the variety and quality 



