For yovvmber, 1921 



775 



Review of French Roses 



By SAMUEL S. PENNOCK 



(As already reported, Mr. Pennock of Philadelphia, 

 was the American representative of the Board of Judges 

 at the big rose event of the year in France, the exhibition 

 at tlie Bagatelle Gardens in Paris. His review of this 

 event is live, interesting and up-to-date, and it is a plea- 

 sure and a profit to read this keen and experienced ob- 

 server's vivid story.) 



IN compaiiy with J. Edward Moon, we left the hotel in 

 Paris, Wednesday morning, June 13th, taking the 



Metro to Porte Maillot, then tramped to the Bagatelle 

 Gardens. Unfortunately, we got off two stops too soon 

 and had quite a walk, reaching the Gardens a trifle after 

 nine, when we should have been there at nine. 



We found most of the jurors assembled and soon met 

 Monsieur Forestier, who introduced us to the jurors, 

 among them the English representatives. 



Paris and the vicinity has had an extremely dry season, 

 with very little rain, if any, since last July, only showers, 

 and of that nature, not really good rain ; consequently, 

 the roses were not quite up to their usual standard, al- 

 though they were well mulched and, no doubt, had been 

 well watered by hand, but this does not take the place of 

 Nature. 



The judging was commenced very promptly and each 

 juror was handed a printed list of all the roses to be 

 judged, this list giving the names of the roses, the parent- 

 age, the class and the introducer. One list was for the 

 roses of 1920-21 with the scores of 1920 marked up 

 against them ; another list was for the roses of 1921-1922. 

 This is a verv excellent way of judging all new roses, not 

 only the fact of giving them two years' scoring, but hav- 

 ing them in printed form with the results of the previous 

 year. 



Probably a good many of the roses would have scored 

 higher, had conditions been more favorable for them. 

 English jurors, like myself, seemed a little more conserv- 

 ative in the .giving of points than the French and often- 

 times a vote was necessary to decide. Ten points was the 

 maximum given and only two roses of 1920-1921 scored 

 ten points, and the highest that scored of 1921-1922 roses 

 was one rose, 8 points, and others ranging from 3 — 7 

 points. A number of them were not in extra good shape, 

 and were put down as reserve, as the French would put 

 it, which is an excellent plan, as next year they may show 

 up in much better shape. 



Each class was judged separately. — first, tlic 1920-1921 

 and then the 1921-1922. To some of us the judging 

 seemed to be in some instances rather hurriedly done, al- 

 though taken as a whole, wc believe each rose was given 

 what it should receive. 



The rose that stood out in the Gardens head and shoul- 

 ders above any other rose was a bed of Pernet-Ducher's 

 H. T. Gold Medal rose of last year. Soinvnir de Claudius 

 Pernet. named in honor of his son, whom he lost in the 

 war. 



There were also a few plants mixed in the bed of Per- 

 nct-Dnclier's H. T. rose. Muir. JViJliam Marcel Dclan- 

 ney, a medium pink, with verv full large flowers. 



Claiidiu.'! Peniel is certainly a wonderful rose, a rich canary 

 yellow, fading out as it sets older to a ligliter .shade ; large, full ; 

 long, well-shaped hud, as large as any H. T. rose in the garden. 

 These flowers were home on fair length stems, well folia.gcd. 

 holding their heads perfectly erect. It certainly was a joy to see 

 this hed and was well worthy of the name it liore. It is too had 

 •that this rose is not a forcer, hut the consensus of opinion 



seemed to be that it was not, and would go to sleep in the Winter 

 time. In fact, I saw it growing at W. T. H. Kordes' father's 

 greenhouse in EIrashorn, Germany, tlic middle of April, and it was 

 just coming into bloom then and had been dormant nearly all 

 Winter. Probably there is too much Pcrnetiana blood in it to 

 make it a Winter forcer. 



The rose that captured the Foreign Gold Medal this year was 

 Howard & Smith H. T. rose, N'o. 252; and Pernet-Ducher's 

 Soiwcnir dc Georges Pernet the French Gold Medal. Howard 

 &; Smith's rose. No. 252, is pronounced Indian yellow color. The 

 outer petals fade out some It is a good size rose, full, very 

 double, shape when more than one-half open not quite as pleasing 

 as when in bud or full open, a good grower, splendid foliage, 

 good stems and a rose that attracted the judges immediately and 

 well worthy of the Gold Medal. 



Pernct-Duchcr's H. T. rose, Soircemr de Georges Pernet, 

 named after his second son whom he lost in the War, large, well 

 formed, fairly dark pink, a very promising rose, good free grower. 

 I do not think it has quite the possibilities as a garden rose as 

 CJaudius Pernet. although a very splendid pink rose it is. Both 

 these roses of Pernet-Ducher are in a class by themselves. 



Each year, four certificates are awarded ; three for H. T.'s and 

 one for climbing or Polyantha rose. The first certificate was 

 awarded to Pernet-Ducher s rose, Etoile de Feu, which scored 

 9J/2 points, very similar in color to Hcrriott. I should think it was 

 an improvement as to growth and size of flower, but not so 

 striking in color. 



The second certificate was awarded to a Hybrid Tea seedling 

 of Chambard, Htiguette Vincent, with a dark green foliage, car- 

 rying on an erect stalk a big fiower, half double, with very large 

 petals, the color carmine. The quality of this rose is its strength, 

 the foliage, the rigidness of the stalk, the striking color of its 

 flower, and the rich and constant blooming of same; scoring nine 

 points. 



The third certificate was awarded to Leender's H. T. As/yirant 

 Marcel Rouvcr, one of the parentages being Sunburst and the 

 other unknown. This to my mind seemed like the best rose of the 

 three that were awarded certificates, .\pparently a free, easy 

 grower, very similar in shape to Mrs. Aaron Ward, flowers much 

 the same color, possibly a shade lighter, much larger and longer 

 bud, and to me it looked like a good forcing rose. If it proved 

 to be a better rose than Ward as a greenhouse rose from a 

 grower's stindpoint, it would certainly be a very valuable acquisi- 

 tion for the commercial man and would fill a gap which is badly 

 needed in .'Xmerica, that of a yellow rose. It impressed me prob- 

 ably far more than any of the rest of the judges and the reason 

 for this was the others were not looking at it so much from the 

 forcing standpoint as I was. 



The fourth certificate, unfortunately was not awarded as there 

 was notliing in either climbers or polyanthas that seemed to be 

 worthy of this certificate. 



Among the 11. T. roses that were scored was Cornelius Tim- 

 mermans one of Timmermans', a shade much like the old Carnot. 

 but quite a little darker, a very attractive flower indeed. Probably 

 a good garden rose, but not so much of a forcer, although could 

 not tell. This variety scored 8 points, a 1920-1921 rose. 



Rev. Williamson, a 1921-1922 rose, moderate flower, red 

 flowering, a shrimp pink color, good form, rather promising, 

 scored 6 points. 



Venus. 1921-1922, a coppery apricot. This variety did not ap- 

 pear at it best, the Dicksons saying that they had seen it in very 

 much better shape. 



No. .-fOiV. a set'dling of Looynians, 1921-1922, had a wonderful 

 new and brilliant color. One would probably describe it as a 

 bright flame cerise, very vivid, nothing very much outside of its 

 color, and that was really very distinct. .\ number of others 

 showed up fairly well, but nothing more that one would call 

 promisin.g. 



Clarice Goodacre, Admiral Ward, P. Bidet Raymond and 

 Madiniie Jules Bouche showed up fine. These are older roses, 

 not of last year's introduction. 



Mr. W. E. Wallace spoke of Ethel ,'^omcrset. a H. T. pink in 

 color that he thought would be a good forcing rose, one of 

 Alexander Dickson's and also Mrs. JVemyss Quin was a very 

 promising yellow that might fill a gap for an American yellow 

 forcer. This is an English rose, one of .Mexandcr Dickson and 

 Sons'. 



In the climbers, Paul's Scarlet Cliviber stood out in the garden 

 hy far the best among the cliinbers, and they said that it had been 



