July i, 1905 



HORTICULTURE 



and he was the recipient of many lordi 

 expressions of gratitude and good will. 



A'pleasant feature of the convention \\\ 

 the attendance and participation of rejin 

 sentatives of the Secretary of Agriculture i 

 the j)roceedings. 



Mrs. Page and Mrs. Grenell, wives of tl 

 president and president-elect were i^rcsenti 

 with tokens of esteem by the friends and a( 

 mirer.s of themselves ' and their pupuh 

 husbands. 



FUTURE EVENTS 



The North Shore Horticultural Society 

 have postponed the rose show at Manchester, 

 Mass., until July 6. 



The Morris County Gardener's and Flor- 

 ists' Society have prepared an attractive 

 schedule for their tenth annual show, which 

 is to take place on October 26 an<l 27 at 

 Madison, N. J. 



ROSES 



e the 1 '.ardei 

 ston, by M. 



Mr. President and members of the Gar- 

 deners', and Florists' Club of Boston: 



I thank you most heartily for the honor 

 you confer by inviting me to speak a feu 

 words to you this evening on rose growing. 

 The subject is one which you are all familiar 

 with, being either professional gardeners or 

 florists, or both. It will, of course, be old 

 and somewhat dry; so much has been said 

 and written I feel there is nothing new I can 

 speak of, and at most my remarks this even- 

 ing can only recall to your memory what 

 many of you learned in your apprenticeship 

 in other lands. There is no secret in the 

 growing of garden roses. The fundamental 

 principles of growing roses as taught and 

 practised forty-live years ago in England 

 that being as far as my memory serves me, 

 hold good to-day; while we have to modify 

 to some extent owing to cUmatic conditions, 

 the salient and most important essentials 

 apply to rose growing in the open ground 

 here. 



The question of soils, pruning, and all 

 relating to roses at that time was discussed 

 through the Gardeners' Chronicle and Shir- 

 ley Hibbard's Floral World. This book I 

 peruse with a great deal of pleasure. It 

 was comparatively a new subject. Some 

 new varieties had been originated since 1845, 

 when the old rose La Reine was first discov- 

 ered, and this rose was the first break of the 

 new class called hybrid perpetuals or hybrid 

 remontants. This class multipliiil viry 

 rapidly after i860; while at thai d.iir tin- 

 varieties numbered only about twi iii\ Iim- 

 or thirty, to-day they run into the liiiiidrnl.'~. 

 Many which were grown at that time arc 

 displaced by superior kinds. It is a most 

 encouraging sign to see an increased interest 

 throughout the country. While I cannot 

 expect to tell you anything but wliat \i>n 

 already know, it may interest you liy recall- 

 ing pleasant recollections. 



There are several phases and aspects in 

 the successful growing of roses. In order 

 to grow fine roses each one must be i losely 

 observed. Neglect or failure to carefully 

 attend to the requirements of this llower 

 will manifest itself in the appearance of the 

 plants. They will speak for themselves, as it 

 were, and will make evident to the familiar 

 and keen observer whether they have re- 

 ceived the proper treatment and so forth, 

 for their best growth and development. 



Table Decor.^ 



AT Banquet to Rose Society Visitors, Hai 



See page 967, June 24 



The important essentials are soil, location, 

 quality of stock, pruning, watering, guarding 

 against insects, fungus and mildew, hoeing, 

 etc. All these contribute to the health and 

 vigor of the rose plants. Neglect or failure 

 to attend to them will show to a greater or 

 less degree, as they all- combine to make the 

 perfect rose. 



That hardy roses will grow in ordinary 

 garden soil cannot be questioned, providing 

 drainage, location, and so forth are right. 

 The quality of the flowers, however, will be 

 just in proportion to the culture they receive. 



Hybrid perpetual roses deUght to grow and 

 thrive best in a stiff loam. A little clay 

 mi.xed in the soil is beneficial; this retains 

 moisture and keeps the soil cool. Good 

 drainage is an important factor, as roses will 

 not thrive satisfactorily in cold, stagnant 



soil; therefore drainage should be provided 

 if the subsoil is not porous to leach away 

 surplus water. It is not during the growing 

 season, however, with our usually hot, dry 

 summers, that improper drainage affects the 

 health of the plants but in the early .spring 

 when growth should take place; the ]>lanls 

 will show the effects having winter kilKd 

 badly and being loath to start. This is < ,1 iim d 

 by cold, wet ground — probably the n.nis i-iv 

 cased in ice during the past two- months. 

 Therefore, while this seems a small matter, it 

 is one of the essentials which should not In' 

 overlooked as this contributes largely to the 

 health of the plants. Roses do not hke 

 cold toes. 



LiM ation is another important essential to 

 the |iro]ier growth of roses, an exposure from 

 .south-east to south-west being the ideal spot. 

 The early morning sun is most beneficial, as 

 the plants make more growth from sunrise 

 to 8 A. M. in the open than during the rest 

 of tlie day. A spot sheltered from the strong 

 winds and fully exposed to the sun should be 

 ( hosen to get the most satisfactory results. 



It is needless for me to remark that rcses 

 arc gross feeders, and that means good, rich 

 soil. The plants will tell vou the condition 

 nf the soil. If in good soil,\vell cultivated — 

 liy that is meant watered when necessary, 

 kic]iing from insects, fungus, and mildew — 

 the foliage will be luxuriant and strong and 

 a pleasure to look at; if, on the other hand, 

 lb' .'.vth is Weak and the foliage more 



VI ! ' ili.m green, it would denote poor soil, 

 l"ii ii. linage, or both; or lack of sufficient 

 pl.iiii UnA, The keen observer quickly de- 

 ■ondition and, of course, takes 

 jIv the remed\-. 



ts ihi 



(To be conti 



ued.l 



of Nurserymen 



riu- Chicago Florists' Club gave a ban- 

 quet and convention rally at Hotel Bismarck 

 on k'riday, June 3, at 7.^0 P.M. President 

 J. C. Vaughan of the S. A. F. related what 

 h<- saw of interest to flori.=ts on his western 

 tri|i. Special invitations were extended to 

 the club members and their friends. 



