THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



175 



being equal to others that have been 

 held at the same place. The day hap- 

 pened rather unfortunately for catch- 

 ing the flawers in condition. Glaring 

 sunshine, high winds, cold nights, and 

 driving showers are not the best at- 

 mospheric elements for developing 

 the beauties of the queen of flowers, 

 and such alternations have constituted 

 the staple of the weather since the 

 heats of May. Another feature of 

 the show that struck me was the num- 

 ber of blooms overgrown and out of 

 character, scattered liberally among 

 the boxes. Some kinds, models of 

 form when moderately developed, 

 were scarcely to be recognized from 

 mere monstrosity. Indeed, mon- 

 strosity appears to be considered the 

 paramount excellence by judges of 

 the present day, and, consequently, 

 more sterling properties are sacrificed 

 to obtain it by exhibitors. This is 

 admittedly a sensational age. We 

 have sensation novels, dramas, dress, 

 etc., and, to be in the fashion, it would 

 aj pear to be necessary to have sensa- 

 tion roses. For my own part I would 

 raise a humble protest against roses 

 with discs like a captain's biscuit, and 

 profiles about as deep, especially when 

 accompanied with petals ragged, and 

 few and far between, and colour dull 

 and undecided. As an illustration of 

 this abuse of size, I may mention a 

 cluster of " L'enfant Trouve" in one 

 of Mr. Cant's colleotions, which re- 

 minded me rather of a bunch of some 

 fungus than of beautiful flowers, yet 

 the same kind was excellently shown 

 by Mr. Hedge. The latter gentle- 

 man's specimens, by the way, were 

 better set up and more neatly arranged 

 than, perhaps, any others at the show. 

 Another drawback to the complete- 

 ness of the spectacle was too great a 

 sameness in the varieties exhibited ; 

 many old favourites of unsurpassed 

 merit being " conspicuous from their 

 absence." Of course in collections, 

 representing probably the produce of 

 a million of plants from some of the 

 first rose grounds in the country, and 

 which in a line would have extended, 

 perhaps, the eighth part of a mile, 

 many individual blooms were as fine 

 as could be seen. The following kinds 

 were generally well exhibited, and in 



good condition. Beginning with the 

 darkest tints, Prince C. de Rohan, 

 Vicomte Vigier, Alfred de Rougemont, 

 Monte Christo, 3Irs. W. Paul, Admi- 

 ral Gravina, Souvenir de Comte Cavour, 

 and Due de Cozes, deserve remark. 

 There was also a fine bloom of Vain- 

 quer de Goliath in Mr. Fraser's boxes, 

 and in the same collection, I think, one 

 of Deuil de Prince Albert, a very dis- 

 tinct and remarkable rose. Both of 

 these last will do near town if my own 

 experiments are to be depended upon 

 as guides to others. 



In the various shades of crimson, 

 red, and scarlet, there was an extensive 

 range of superior varieties, the best 

 of which, as I noted them, appeared 

 to be Charles Lefebvre, Due de Rohan, 

 Baron Adolphe de Rothschild, Due de 

 Bassano, Senateur de Vaisse, Souvenir 

 de Lady Eardley (by no means double 

 enough, but colour fine), Jean Goujon 

 (a tremendous grower), the veteran 

 General Jacqueminot, Francois La- 

 charme, Beauty of Waltham, Baron 

 de Rothschild, Princess of Wales (Mr. 

 W. Paul's), Wilhelm Pfitzer, Mare- 

 schal Vaillant, La Brillante, Maurice 

 Bernardin, Olivier Delhomme (four too 

 much alike, La Brillante the best 

 grower), Madame C. Wood, Madame 

 Boutin, and Triomphe de Caen, the 

 most vivid colour, perhaps, of the 

 whole section. 



The crime de la creme of the light 

 crimson and rose-coloured class, were 

 Jules Margottin (as usual unsurpassed) 

 Madame Clemence Joigneanx, a com- 

 panion, in free and robust growth, to 

 Domage and Cambaceres, John Hop- 

 per, Pauline Villot, Madame Knorr, 

 Anna Alexieff, Victor Verdier, Prince 

 Imperial, Bourbons Baronne Gonella 

 and Catherine Guillot. I do not in- 

 clude Col. de Rougemont and others of 

 that type ; they are usually such 

 coarse growers. Of the somewhat 

 lighter tints, Chabrilland was far from 

 good ; there were a fine bloom of 

 Alice Levoy, and several of Duchesse 

 d' Orleans, Mrs. Rivers, La Tour 

 du Crouy or de Croucy, Malmaison, 

 Devoniensis, and Madwne Villermoz. 



The Noisettes Triomphe de Rennet 

 and Celine Forestier — I have been 

 told this is really an old rose named 

 Lysias [such is the case, Ed.] — with 



