THE ESSEX FIELD CI.LM;. 203 



prizes. The hon. sec. of the National Rose Society in 1894 staled tiiat .Mr. 

 Benjamin R. Cant was still the champion.' 



At the gardens Mr. Cant met the members, and conducted them through his 

 beautiful beds. There, in spite of the late season, a profusion of the queen of 

 flowers in all varieties of colouring and form, afforded an hour's delightful 

 inspection. The surprising modifications which the science of horticulture 

 has developed from the original forms ot the wild roses seemed almost limitless. 

 Scarcely a shade of colour can be imagined which will not be fotuid represented 

 in the flowers of some of the modern varieties, which latter are, of course, always 

 multiplying as the result of fresh experiments in cross-fertilisation. One form, 

 which though scarcely notable from an cesthetic point of view, was of special 

 interest botanically, was a rose named in catalogue Rosa viridifolia, in which the 

 growth of the green sepals or leaves of the calyx had been doubled and 

 developed to such a degree as to actually supplant the petals altogether, giving 

 the effect of a green blossom. 



Truly the gardens were a sight worth the viewing. The air was seemingly 

 weighted with the fragrance of the blooms, and the eye was delighted with the 

 range of colour. The technical names of the roses w'ere lightly passed over, the 

 object being rather to gratify the senses than to compile a gardener's dictionary ; 

 but some favourite blooms, of course, came in for particular notice. An old friend 

 was the " Baroness de Rothschild," a very beautiful light pink, of large and fine 

 form. Speaking of the hue, Mr. Cant mentioned that a large proportion of the 

 orders from London this season were for pink roses. A contrast in its snow- 

 white purity was the " Merveille de Lyon," only the centre being coloured, and 

 that with an exquisite rosy peach tint. " General Jacqueminot " was pointed out 

 as one of the oldest and still one of the best, the scarlet crimson being surpassingly 

 brilliant. A newer variety was the " Gustave Piganeau," an exquisitely-shaded 

 carmine. The fields of tea and noisette roses appealed especially to the organ of 

 which the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table has written so much in praise. The 

 bright rose and pink bordering of the salmon-white petals of the " Madame de 

 Watteville " variety gave that, perhaps, a first place in the opinion of visitors, 

 but many others shared the honour in a passing judgment. Several rich, deep 

 yellows were particularly admired. That Mr. Cant has chosen an airy situation 

 for his stock was made evident by the view from the lawn in front of his house. 

 The town of Colchester lay, so to speak, at his feet; in fact, the summit of the 

 church towers seemed to be on a level with the ground. 



After luncheon at the " George Hotel," where Prof. Meldola, \'.P., took the 

 chair, the carriages were re-entered, and the course taken lay through the pretty 

 villao-e of Le.xden, and on by the London Road to Stanway, where a halt was 

 made outside the house of the late John Brown, whose geological researches have 

 won him a niche in the temple of " Essex Worthies," and a portrait and life of 

 whom appeared in The Esse.X NATURALIST for 1890 (vol. iv., p. 158). John 

 Brown was in his early life a stonemason at Colchester, tie retired when he was 



I The " Gardeners Chronicle " thus refers to the excellence of the Colchester roses : " Essex, 

 the writer says, " is a real rose county, especially around Colchester. U hy P:ast .\nglia has 

 obtained such an enviable reputation for the culture of the ' Queen ' has been answered 

 in v.-irious ways. Some have said the nature of the soil has been the chief help, others that 

 the secret is to be found in the air or climate. Either or both of these very important_ cir- 

 cumstances may have much to do with it, but the>e natural conditions have been greatly assisted 

 by the skill, enterprise, and energy that have been brought to bear in the matter jf their 

 culture, such as is only practised in so large a degree by growers who love the plants under their 

 charge." 



