1880.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



857 



proper. This I tried on one-half my bulba, with 

 the result that they were nearly two months 

 earlier than those planted the same time that I 

 did not cut. Although this seems to be rather 

 severe treatment of the bulb, it has given such 

 good results that I propose to continue the 

 practice. " 



Perhaps this article may open the way for 

 others to testify on this point. My own experi- 

 ence is that of late blooming. Of the dozen I 

 planted in the border in June, five were finely 

 budded when taken up in September, and have 

 since bloomed. Two others had just begun to 

 spindle, and on one fine buds are developed ; 

 the others, with one exception, look as though 

 they would not stalk. Next year we purpose to 

 try this new method. 



THE AMERICAN BANNER ROSE. 



BY EDWIN C. JELLETT. 



In the introduction of new plants, there has 

 been none of late years which excited more in- 

 terest than the above-mentioned rose. And if 

 we were to regard the various opinions which 

 we have heard expressed, it is considered one of 

 the most beautiful and marvellous of flowers by 

 one side, and the other .side pronounce it abso- 

 lutely worthless. Concerning this rose I have 

 been told that it is a " beautiful Bon Silene 

 color," marked wich white stripes, "and always 

 appearing true to the markings." Having seen 

 the rose, I must say I could not see anything 

 beautiful about it. Indeed, I thought it as un- 

 attractive as it is possible for a flower to be. It 

 is only the few outer rows of petals in which the 

 " markings" are distinct, and the centre of the 

 flower is so indistinct as to be almost colorless, 

 — botanically speaking. And as to its constant 

 marking, I would say it comes a pure "Bon 

 Silene" color very often. But is this curiosity, 

 so-called, original in this rose? In the "Amateur 

 Rose Book," by Shirley Hibberd, you will find 

 tiie following : 



" In the Revue Horticole, 1870, appeared an 

 article by M. Du Breuil, in which he suggested 

 a definite way for ensuring the production of 

 striped and spotted flowers uf varieties that are 

 normally self-colored." And also he said: 

 " Having visited the garden of an amateur I was 

 shown several standard roses, and among them 

 "Geant des Batailles," of which, on some trees, 

 all the flowers (which were of a fine, deep red). 



were marked with numerous spots of pale rose 

 color. I observed the same peculiarity in other 

 varieties of a light red, such as Gen. Jacquemi- 

 not. All these rose trees in other respects were 

 in a very fine condition of growth, and presented 

 all the other characters of the varieties to which 

 they belonged." The "American Banner Rose" 

 in this latter mentioned respect, most certainly 

 is distinct from all other roses known to me. 

 Indeed, the " thick, leathery " leaves are the 

 only things especially remarkable about it. And 

 it may be distinct, in that it was procured from 

 a "'sport," as M. Du Breuil tells us, that the 

 roses seen by him were pi'ocured by budding, 

 and explained it in ttiiswise: "Being obliged, 

 for want of a better, to take from the bottom of 

 a shoot some shield buds which apparently had 

 no eyes, he obtained from them a shoot which 

 produced a rose bush, the flowers of which pre- 

 sented the peculiarity mentioned, and after re- 

 peated experiments always obtained the result 

 named." The bud being in an immature state, 

 in perfecting itself, partakes of the nature of the 

 parent stock ; this is how we understand it. For 

 explanation by Shirley Hibberd, see page 217 of 

 his Rose Book, and also see "Gardeners' Maga- 

 zine," March 8th, 1873, a few extracts of which 

 are given in the rose book, {page 218). In regard 

 to their roses, will it be a success practically 

 generally, that is, are its merits sufficient to make 

 it a profitable rose to grow ? I think not. The 

 rose is a very free bloomer, but if all the flowers 

 are allowed to open, they will be very indistinct, 

 and many of them, as I said before, without any 

 marking whatever. In my opinion it is only in 

 large towns, where fashion reigns supreme, will 

 this rose be in demand, and then only till the 

 noveltv wears off". 



GLADIOLUS COMMUNIS. 



BY J. M. 



Among hardy plants of attractive appearance 

 which one seldom sees in collections, is the 

 Gladiolus communis. It flowers in June with 

 the roses. It does not generally make such a 

 strong growth as the tender kinds, but yet, in 

 good soil, it pushes up to the height of two to 

 three feet. The flowers are purple outside, with 

 a lighter shading inside, and with a light cream 

 stripe in the centre of the three lower petals. 

 It is not common to see among tender kinds one 

 of such a deep purple as is the color of this 

 hardy one. 



