Febrnary It, 1867. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAIiDENEH. 



129 



(fee, " Manure will never bring satisfactory produce without a 

 quantum of science, and tie combination of practical know- 

 ledge how to apply it." 



I will conclude this paper in agreement with your (nnd I feel 

 proud to add my), excellent correspondent " Solandm," at 

 page G. When " science and practice are alike baffled we must 

 bow to that which no man can comprehend, the will of the 

 great Kuler of All." In the meantime, I will add, let us fulfil 

 to the best of our power, that extra degree of exertion which 

 Providence for wise purposes has entailed upon us, — Ui'Wauds 

 a:jd Onwakds. 



NOTES OF AND ABOUT ROSES. 



{Continued from page 84.) 



The rules to be observed by exhibitors, and for the guidance 

 of judges, should be strictly adhered to. Some of *.he rules laid 

 down never have been conformed to ; the size and forms of the 

 boxes or stands are noticeable instances of this. A glance 

 along the exhibition-table reveals some curious discrepancies 

 in this respect, remicding one of the older streets of London, 

 where the proprietor of each house built according to the de- 

 sign his fancy or convenience suggested. Eighteen inches is the 

 usually required width of a stand, the height in front 4 inches, 

 and at back G inches ; but stands of different dimensions from 

 these are placed on the table, and propped up behind to any 

 height. These stands are also directed to be painted green, 

 and surfaced with green moss ; but the wear and tear, chiefly 

 arising from conveyance over long distances to and from the 

 places of exhibition, and the scratching and rubbing to which 

 they are always Uable. make them look anything but green, 

 or any other colour that is respectable. As for the moss, it has 

 as frequently the appearance of a door mat picked to pieces, 

 as of the verdant colour intended. 



We should not quibble about trifles. I will assume that the 

 boxes were made prior to the rule, and the owners not unreason- 

 ably refused to alter or to have new stands made in com- 

 pliance. Green moss cannot be obtained everywhere, and the 

 managers of the exhibitions have yielded to the logic of facts. 



In the course of time unjustifiable divergencies have crept in. 

 If one party complies with a rule laid down for judges and exhi- 

 bitors, and another diverges from it, be the divergence ever so 

 trifling, the conforming party is not to be blamed for noticing it. 

 For instance, if the rule states, as it does in the Crystal Palace 

 schedule, that (he truss must be shown with its bud and leaves 

 as cut from the tree, any addition, t'ii n of a leaf, iriH riisqnalifij , 

 the last clause being in italics, is it a violation of the rule if, 

 supposing no leaf or anything pertaining to a Rose be added, 

 the flower is tied neatly to a stick to keep it in place, or to give 

 a uniformity of appearance to the collection in the box? Dif- 

 ferent kinds have different habits. Senateur Yaisse, Pierre 

 Notting, and some others of our best Eoses do not hold them- 

 selves up so erect as the stately Comtesse de Chabrillant and 

 Duchesse d'Orleans, and most Tea Eoses are a little penduloiis 

 under these circumstances. Is au exhibitor justified in giving 

 the aid of a pair of crutches to put them in an unnatural 

 position, in order to make them stand out stiff and erect like 

 others that have that habit naturally ? It would be well if the 

 rule were made distinct on this point. I refrain from furtlier 

 remarks on this subject, for it is not pleasant to be detecting 

 others' faults. 



a b. Width 18 inches, b c, length 24 inches, a in, height 

 12 inches, t- a, height in front 3 inches. <•/, i; /(, each 3 inches, 

 the height between each ledge or flat. (' », 3 inches, forming a 

 back to the upper leJge. d e, f g, h i, each 6 inches, minus 

 the thickness of e f, g h, the width of the ledges. 



I never did like the boxes or stands at present in use ; the 

 long line of these unsightly objects on the exhibition- table ex- 



cites a feeling that ill-usage is designed to the Queen of Flowers 

 by the shutting-up and then exposing her in a clumsy ex- 

 pedient unworthy of her. Something might be done to im- 

 prove this state of things. I have not the good fortune to 

 possess any inventive faculty, but by way of a practical hint I 

 have ventured to give a rough outline of a stand for twelve, 

 which is free from some of the objections attending the stands 

 at present in use. 



As the sketch indicates, the stand consists of three flats or 

 ledges, each pierced with four holes for the insertion not of zinc 

 tubes, but of glass phials, which are to rest on a strip of wood 

 beneath the holes, so that the rim of each phial may project at 

 least 1 inch above the ledge ; this will allow the stem and foliage 

 of each flower to be seen clearly and to advantage. No moss 

 should be allowed, and the judges as well as the spectators will 

 see the truss or flower as cut from the tree in its integrity. 

 There is nothing better for setting off a Eose than its own 

 foliage, which varies in different kinds, and inmany of them is of 

 itself beautiful. Some method of exhibiting like the above will 

 bring out this point far more clearly than the boxes at present 

 in use. For convenience in carrying flowers to exhibitions, the 

 stand may be fitted into a box or case of rough boards, orother- 

 wise, that while holding the flowers as safelj' as the ordinary 

 box, it can be taken out of its case to be placed on the exhi- 

 bition-table without being disfigured or scratched during con- 

 veyance. Nor will the stand, together with the case containing 

 it, occupy much more space, or be much more expensive in 

 construction, than those now in use. On the exhibition-table 

 this kind of stand will afford the judges and visitors a more dis- 

 tinct view of the flowers placed in it, and when the attenJance 

 is expected to be large, tljere will be an advantage rather than 

 otherwise, in not placing the stands too closely together. 



In showing a large number of cut flowers in single specimens 

 there must be a kind of monotony in the general appearance 

 of the exhibition, and the suggestion now offered would not 

 tend to diminish it. Will correspondents kindly give their 

 views on the subject, and improve upon the hints now thrown 

 out ? — AnoLPHUs H. Kent. 



THE INTENSE COLD AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 



Sxor.NOWAY, Scotland. — You may like to hear how we have 

 fared in our latitude of 58' N. during the severe snowstorm 

 of last month. The snow and frost were quite unprecedented. 

 The readings of the minimum thermometer, protected in the 

 shade, and 4 feet above the ground, on the coldest nights were 

 —January 2nd, 23°: .5th, 18°; Gth, 20°; 7th, 30°; 12th, 19°; 

 13tb, 21°; the rest of the month they varied from 25° to 43°. 



Thanks to the influence of the gulf stream, the injury to 

 plants and shrubs is not so great as one would have expected. 

 Some plants of Rhododendron pouticnm. Laurels, Portugal 

 Laurels, and Escallonias in exposed places have the last-made 

 shoots much browned. Gaultheria shallon and Garrva elliptica 

 in a high exposed place have not been touched. Single Eed 

 Camellias were much browned, also some Golden Holly. Ber- 

 beris intermedia and Darwinii have not been touched, also 

 Eibes speciosum. Common Fuchsias in the shrubbery and 

 plantations are unhurt, except at the points of the shoots. 

 Eoses have not been much affected. Some of the Cabbages and 

 Broccolis have been injured ; also Globe Artichokes. Catkins 

 of Hazel, Alder, Cut-leaved Alder, and Black Willow, though 

 very forward in December, do not seem to be at all affected. 

 The Hybrid Ehododendrons are not injured, and seem to be 

 less tender than E. ponticnm, owing, no doubt, to the latter 

 making a third growth late iu November and Dtcember. Cro- 

 cuses, Snowdrops, and mixed Tulips are making rapid growth. 

 Eibes sanguineuni is very forward in bud ; Primroses, He- 

 patica, and Polyanthus are in flower. — James JIathesox. 



Welton. neap. D.wentpy. — We have escaped almost un- 

 scathed by the frost at Weltnn. The only evergreen touched 

 here has been Crataegus crennlata on a south wall ; even this is 

 only browned. All Broccoli, however, is killed. — E. T. Clap.ee, 

 Welton Place. 



E.AXFFSHir.E. — This place is seven miles inland from the 

 town of Banff, and is in 57° 35' N. latitude. The situation is 

 damp, being only about G feet above the level of the river 

 Devcron. I can scarcely tell yet to what extent Eoses and 

 evergreens are damaged, as we bad about 2G inches of snow on 

 the ground when we had the most severe frost in January. On 

 the 5tli the lowest temperature was 2°, nnd on the 21st and 

 22ud 1" below zero.— J. C. 



