824 



THE GARDENERS MONTHLY 



[November, 



Gallica Village Maid. Some of the offspring of 

 the above crosses have from inherent weakness 

 disappeared, and others which have exhibited 

 more or less novel or valuable traits are in the 

 hands of Mr. Charles Turner of the Royal Nur- 

 series. Slough, who will probably in due course 

 and when thoroughly tested, introduce them to 

 public notice. 



Since the above was penned. Mr. Charles 

 Turner has exhibited H. P. the Rev. H. M. 

 Stowers, a seedling from Charles Lefebvre X 

 Prince Camille de Rohan, and has received a 

 first-class certificate from the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society for H. P. Mrs. Harry Turner, a 

 finely formed and very brilliantly colored seed- 

 ling from Charles Lefebvre by Alfred de Rouge 

 mont, which he is now sending out. 



In the course of my operations the anthers 

 only of those flowers were previously removed 

 in which there appeared special risk of self-ferti- 

 lization ; but cross fertilization was generally 

 effected only on such flowers and when in such 

 condition as to be practically safe from self ferti- 

 lization. Since 1868 I have chiefly discontinued 

 the raising of seedling roses from artificialb' 

 fertilized flowers, and have devoted my attention 

 to the selection of heps from naturally fertilized 

 flowers of the best varieties only, having long 

 since arrived at the conclusion that by the latter 

 means more certain results may be obtained, 

 especially where good shape and beauty of flower 

 are desired, as the different types of beauty in 

 the rose are numerous, each being excellent in 

 its own particular character, but when anj^ of 

 these types are combined coarse or heterogenous 

 flowers may be expected to result. Most of our 

 garden roses have also been so much interbred 

 that there is a great tendency in the offspring to 

 revert to one or other of their ancestral types, 

 rendering the results from cross-fertilization too 

 precarious and unreliable to be remunerative. 

 Mr. Bennett, however, is opening-up somewhat 

 new ground in crossing the Teas with H. P 's. 

 and with his appliances, skill and intelligence 

 all brought to bear, some novel and valuable 

 hybrids ought deservedly to crown his exertions. 



It is, however, scarcely credible that such a 

 practical people as the French, who, although 

 they may not always grasp our tastes as readily 

 as they do our purses, but who are at least as 

 prompt and expert in the cross-fertilization and 

 hybridizing of plants and flowers as we are in 

 England, should so universally have neglected 

 to resort to or continue to use similar means 



with the rose unless more certain or remunera- 

 tive results were otherwise attainable ; and I can 

 only arrive at the conclusion that experience 

 has taught our neighbors as it has myself, and I 

 believe others who preceded me in this country 

 (including Mr. Wm. Paul), which is the more 

 profitable mode ; and it must not be forgotten 

 that the immense advance which has been made 

 in the garden rose, especially in the Hybrid 

 Perpetual class, during the last three decades is 

 largely due to French exertions, and has been 

 attained, practically only, by means of self-ferti- 

 lization. The following roses raised by me in 

 1864 were from seed of naturally fertilized 

 flowers — viz., H. P *s Annie Laxton from Jules 

 Margottin ; Marchioness of Exeter, probable also 

 from the same parent ; and Empress of India, I 

 believe from Triomphe des Beaux Arts, and not 

 from Louis XIV., of which it appears to be a 

 vigorous prototype In 1869 I raised H. P.'s Mrs- 

 La xton, probably from Mme. Victor Verdier, 

 Charles Darwin from Madame Julie Daran, this 

 being the dark H. P., Rose of Bourbon blood par 

 excellence, of which I sowed the seed in that year, 

 and Emily Laxton perhaps from Abet Grande. 

 All the above were sent out by Messrs. Paul & 

 Son. The parentage of H. P.'s Richard Laxton 

 sent out by Mr. C. Turner, and Dr. Hogg in the 

 hands of Messrs. Paul & Son, I regret being un- 

 able to identify ; but with a large and continually 

 increasing number of seedlings I have found it 

 impossible to keep even the year's results in all 

 cases distinct. 



Seedling Roses are very uncertain as to the 

 period of showing their first bloom, some flower- 

 ing when little more than two inches high, and 

 within two or three months from the seed being 

 sown, and others, although ofien eventually 

 proving good Perpetual Roses, do not show 

 bloom for several years. I have now seedlings 

 of the current year showing bloom. My crop 

 this season consists of upwards of one thousand 

 seedlings grown on a bed containing about two 

 square yards; most of these are already planted 

 out, and several of them I hope to bud, bloom 

 and primarily test before winter. In the ordinary 

 course at least one-half will probably disappear 

 before next year from delicacy of constitution. 

 These I shall not regret, as a winter's exposure 

 will save an immense amount of anxiety and 

 some labor for the care of what would have 

 proved to be only consumptive and sickly pro- 

 geny. All seedling roses before being distribu- 

 ted should be fairly exposed during one winter 



