THE CLOTH OF GOLD ROSE. 



35 



THE CLOTH OF GOLD ROSE. 



BY THE ASSISTANT BOTANIST TO THE U. S. EXPLORING EXPEDITION, WASHINGTON. 



In several numbers of the Horticulturist, I 

 have noticed that strictures against, and on 

 the other hand, somewhat fav'orable re- 

 marks, have been made on this Eose, by 

 different individuals ; but your intelligent 

 correspondent, Dr. Valk, in the last num- 

 ber, page 574, has endeavored to fix its po- 

 sition or standing among Roses, by defining 

 its character ; and I must confess that the 

 greater portion of his observations are at 

 variance with my own, as also that of seve- 

 ral Rose-growers in this section of the 

 countrj'. 



I would remark, that my observations 

 extend as far back as October, 1845, at 

 which time I came in possession of a small 

 plant of it, about six inches high ; this, the 

 following May, was planted in the open 

 ground in an exposed situation, free from 

 any erection, the soil a stiff' yellow loam, 

 well incorporated with charcoal dust and 

 wood ashes. 'Ry September, many shoots 

 to the height of six feet, had been made ; 

 at this time, some of the lateral ones pro- 

 duced from one to two flowers, but not more 

 than eight or ten on the plant altogether. 

 My protection for Roses during the winter, 

 consisting of a light covering of Cedar 

 branches, not intended to resist the cold, 

 but rather to prevent sudden thawings of 

 the shoots taking place. This plant, with 

 two others, budded in the autumn of 1845 

 on seedling Noisette stocks, had last au- 

 tumn made shoots from eight to ten feet 

 high ; many of these half inch in diame- 

 ter near the base. These plants, in No- 

 vember and October, produced from ten to 

 fifteen flowers each — the color, at this sea- 

 son, nearly equal to Harrisonii, or one 

 shade deeper than w-hat they now are. 



The points of these long shoots, I tongued 

 and laid down in the usual way, on the 23d 

 of September, in a prepared vegetable 

 compost ; and being well rooted by the 15th 

 of November, the layers were potted in 

 eight inch pots, (the plants being now three 

 feet high ;) these were placed in a cold pit 

 during the winter, and this spring (in April) 

 they were garlanded Avith their large yel- 

 low flowers, from the top down to the pot, 

 many of them having six to eight of their 

 flowers expanded at one time, and were the 

 admiration of all who beheld them. 



The slight cover already noticed, was 

 removed from the three old plants towards 

 the close of March ; the tender shoots made 

 late in autumn, were then shortened back 

 a few inches ; no other pruning being 

 deemed necessary or proper. The strong 

 shoots were then tied to stakes seven feet 

 high, which the plants now entirely over- 

 top. Like all other Roses here, the first 

 growth made, was injured by frost, but in- 

 dependent of that mishap, these plants 

 have had, since the 25th of last month, a 

 succession of fine flowers, from ten to 

 twelve in number, constantly in bloom, 

 each blossom having a diameter from three 

 to four inches, w^ith from three to five of 

 such flowers in a cluster. 



S. D. Morton, Esq., of Petersburg, Vir- 

 ginia, a few weeks ago, had a plant of the 

 Cloth of Gold, with from forty to fifty flow- 

 ers on it at one time ; and Mr. Wm. Cam- 

 mack, florist of this city, exposed for sale 

 in market early in March, small plants of 

 it, with from three to five full expanded 

 flowers. A great number of small plants 

 were also brought from Baltimore this 

 spring, and sold at auction here, bringing 



