7° 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[March, 



alba. The bloom is white and continuous, like 

 Schmidtii — a "wee bit" larger than Schmidtii^but 

 not quite so large as semperflorens. The leaves 

 are quite as large as those of semperflorens, and 

 more closely reined. The green leaf is modified 

 by both its parents. Plant, much more dense and 

 dwarf than semperflorens, and a better shape and 

 grower than Schmidtii. 



They are plants worthy of a place in the bloom- 

 ing class of Begonias — but what can I do with them? 

 1 am "too remote " an individual to be the origin- 

 ator of new plants, and I doubt if I could persuade 

 Peter Henderson to give me a good round sum 

 for them, and adopt them as his grand-children. 

 It would be a proud day for me could I see them 

 placed beside his double Abutilon in the cata- 

 logues — they are in near proximity in our green- 

 houses. 



I said I had not found any of the plants men- 

 tioned in the Monthly, but if it first noticed B. 

 Bruante and Goury, I take it back. I have those; 

 and as Mrs. R. B. Edson feelingly remarks in the 

 October number, in regard to Gynura aurantiaca, 

 "I feel it my solemn duty to give them a charac- 

 ter." Said character will be sufficiently portrayed 

 when I say that we have not had the conscience 

 to put them in our Novelty Catalogue. When 

 florists give such exhibitions of conscience as that, 

 there must be good cause for it. 



The plants are alike in growth — long and strag- 

 gling, with now and then a forlorn-looking bloom 

 upon the tip ends of the stalks. One is described 

 as pink, but it is certainly a very faint tinge ; no 

 matter which has the pink bloom, but I really 

 think they alternate. 1 have not done the forlorn 

 side of their character justice — I am incapable of 

 it, but will take my leave of them for the pre- 

 sent. 



I can sympathise with Mrs. R. li. Edson in re- 

 gard to Gynura aurantiaca. The glowing descrip- 

 tions given of it made me ready to overcome all 

 obstacles in the way of obtaining it. I grew it 

 one year, — and buried it with others of my dead 

 hopes. 



I have several other experiences equally as har- 

 rowing. Some of my " dead " are still unburied, 

 and some still not quite ready to make " remains" 

 of ; among those was to have been a Blue Prim- 

 rose, of which you may hear more at some future 

 time. Xenia, Ohio. 



[This chatty letter will be read with much in- 

 terest by many who love flowers. It is particu- 

 larly pleasant to know that Mrs. Bonner has been 

 so very successful in establishing herself in 



business, and it aff"ords a useful lesson to many 

 ladies who are deciding on something to do. 

 But we fancy that all who read her remark, 

 that the enthusiasm in plant culture naturally 

 increases with one's pecuniary dependence 

 thereon, will not subscribe to that sentiment. 

 Facts show that the most successful plant growers 

 are among the amateur classes, who have no 

 further interest in the work than the mere love of 

 gardening, natural to everybody, but which they 

 have wisely cultivated. 



Another point, in regard to the introduction oi 

 new varieties, and their dissemination through the 

 community, will attract attention. When new va- 

 rieties can be easily obtained they soon cease to 

 have any great commercial value. When there 

 is a probability that a striking novelty will con- 

 tinue to be novel and striking for several years, 

 the commercial man will take hold of it. It takes 

 at least two or three years to work up a good trade 

 for anything of this kind. Where new forms are 

 easily produced, and new and perhaps better 

 things may be introduced before one gets hardly 

 started with the other, the florist cannot afford to 

 take the risk.— Ed. G. M.] 



WILLIAM FRANCIS BENNETT ROSE. 



BY WALTER Vi . COLES. 



Probably no rose was ever better known to the 

 public before it was sent out, than the new crimson 

 Tea, " William F. Bennett," known as the " Ben- 

 nett Rose." Having heard so much of it, and 

 being a rose grower myself, I made a visit to Mr. 

 Evans' place to see this celebrated novelty. I am 

 very favorably impressed with it, and I feel satis- 

 fied that it is all that is claimed for it. Mr. Evans 

 very kindly took me through the whole of his 

 houses ; which certainly constitute a very fine 

 range. The first one entered was the propagating 

 house, which was very complete ; and nothing is 

 propagated there but the new " Bennett Rose ; " 

 part of the house being filled with nice young 

 plants, in two and three-inch pots, ready to be 

 sent out March 15th. The next house was also 

 filled with healthy young stock in two and three- 

 inch pots. Another house which contained young 

 plants planted on benches last fall, showed re- 

 markably strong growth and freedom of bloom. 

 In the last house were the old plants received from 

 England ; they were very strong, and showed 

 thousands of buds. The plant is a very strong 

 grower, its foliage is large and bright ; and one of 

 these beautiful buds with a long stem is sure to 



