132 



THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



Esmeralda, President Lincoln, Com- 

 tesse de Courcy, and Madame Wm. 

 Paul. I have placed this last because 

 it struck my fancy as a rose of special 

 pretensions in its line of colour, viz., 

 purple crimson with fiery centre, 

 being larger and better shaped, higher 

 in. tbe centre, and of greater sub- 

 stance than that style of flow'er 

 usually is. Of other kinds wortliy 

 of special remark, new if not the 

 newest, I must first note Beauty of 

 Waltham, which appears as much at 

 home in the forcing house as out of 

 doors ; blooming plentifully, and like 

 Senateur Vaisse, keeping its character 

 there, which is not tlie case witli 

 every rose. I remarked also some 

 tremendous blooms of T. President ; 

 Olivier Delhouime, Maurice Ber- 

 nardin, and Madame Daran, were 

 also large and good. 



I next proceeded to the " Old 

 Nurseries " at Cheshunt, which are 

 prettily situate in a rural country. 

 Here I was politely received by Mr. 

 Paul, sen., who committed me to the 

 charge of his son, who appears to 

 have inherited the family enthusiasm 

 for rose culture, and who kindly intro- 

 duced me to the notabilities of the 

 domain. I saw in flower most of the 

 varieties I have already named, and 

 in addition H.P.'s, Maria Alexan- 

 drina, and T. Belle de Bordeaux. 

 (Query, is this really a tea ?) There 

 were also some very fine plants in 

 bloom of B.'s Catherine Guillot, 

 and Modele de Perfeciion, and 

 H.P.'s Alex. Dumas, F. Lacharme, 

 Madame J. Daran. Madame 

 Butin, E, Lebrun, Notre Dame 

 de Fouvrieres, and John Hopper. 

 " Our Lady " struck me as being one 

 of the prettiest and most distinct of 

 last year's introductions ; and some 

 of the plants were the best grown 

 and most compact specimen plants I 

 have ever seen ; noD too large, but 



bushy and full, and requiring no 

 forest of timber to sustain them in a 

 presentable shape. In a house de- 

 voted to large specimens planted out, 

 was a plant of Isabella (xrey, full of 

 buds and clusters of buds, which 

 will be a picture when open, and a 

 little triumph of cultivation, as this 

 variety is verj' difficult to " do." 

 Elize Sauvage, another shy beauty, 

 was also in fine trim. " Lord Clyde " 

 was not in flower, at which 1 was 

 rather disappointed ; but the habit 

 appears to be fiue, aud Messrs. Paul 

 seem to consider that it will make a 

 good garden rose. 



As to which of the novelties to 

 recommend, it would be too hazardous 

 and premature as yet to venture 

 upon a prediction ; and I should ad- 

 vise amateurs to do as I have done, 

 — see and judge for themselves. A 

 holiday in the countrj' air, and a 

 floral treat at the journey's end, will 

 do them good, and increase their love 

 for the beautiful as developed in 

 flowers. Roses, like other beauties, 

 are often capricious, and do not, at all 

 times and under all circumstances, 

 think proper to display themselves in 

 their true characters. It is impos- 

 sible, therefore, to venture more than, 

 a conjecture upon new varieties. 

 Subject to this reservation, the fol- 

 lowing among those I have already- 

 seen appear most likely to repay 

 speculation. H.P.'s Jean Goujon, 

 Madame W. Paul, Alfred de Eouge- 

 mont. Due d'Anjou, Le Khone, Lf 

 Baron Eothschild, and B. Louise 

 Margottin. Certainly if a rose be- 

 haves itself well under such adverse 

 conditions as attend its first appear- 

 ance here, it is not likely to dege- 

 nerate when it has become acclima- 

 tized, and recovered from the effects 

 of distant removal and hard propa- 

 gation. W. D. Prior. 



Jlomerton, N.E., April 10. 



HINTS ON EOSE GROWING. 



The land, if not dry, should be well- 

 drained and trenched one and a half 

 foot deep, and made rich with a good 

 dressing of well-decomposed stable 

 or cow-dung, the upper graft from a 



pasture mixed with a well-decomposed 

 manure makes an excellent compost 

 for roses ; a good shovelful or two 

 each, when planting, will be found of 

 great service. Mr. Elvers justly ob- 



