Jane 28, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Louis Van Hontte, Marquise de Mortemart, and other weak 

 growers. My experience proves to me that these sorts will not 

 grow at all unless in some sheltered spot. 



But the longer I grow Koaes, and the more I travel to shows 

 and visit various nurseries and gerdens, the more am I con- 

 vinced that certain Roses of the Hybrid Perpetual class will 

 only succeed in certain soils. The Roses above named will not 

 grow wiih me; even with the shelter I name they only just 

 mannge to exist. I purchased last autumn fifty dwarf plants 

 of Xavier Olibo, and there are now only about six alive, and 

 these are on their last legs ; while such a Rose as Edouard 

 Morren, which so many growers complain will not open with 

 them, does splendidly here. Yet many of the Roses I have 

 named are classed in the catalcgaes as vigorous growers. 



I feel convinced that the beet way we amateurs can hope to 

 succeed at the shows is to find out from experience what Roses 

 do well with us and what do not grow freely, and then to 

 discard the latter altogether and cultivate the former in large 

 numbers. There are always good substitutes to be found for 

 any Rose which will agree in form or colour, and sometimes 

 both. For instance, take Marquise de Mortemart. I had at 

 least fifty or sixty plants of this variety last year, and I had 

 only one bloom all the summer. It is, then, hopeless to grow 

 such a Rose here ; but I have a lovely white Tea Rose called 

 variously Madame Bravy, Sertot, or Alba Rosea, which suc- 

 ceeds splendidly here, and this is quite as good in a stand 

 between a bloom of Charles Lefebvre and Marquise de Gastel- 

 lane as would be the other. I own that dark Roses such aa 

 Horace Vernet, Louis Van Houtte, and Xavier Olibo are diffi- 

 cult to replace, but here Jean Glierpin often gives good blooms. 

 I electrified Mr. Baker with one bloom of this variety last 

 year, and even such a comparatively unknown Rose as Black 

 Prince or the better known Baron de Bonstettiu will sometimes 

 give me a bloom which will answer my purpose. For years I 

 have struggled to grow these lovely but weak-oonetitutioned 

 Roses, and for years I have spent my money and time and 

 patience all in vain ; and now if alter one more trial on a 

 stock which I have not yet made use of — viz., the seedling 

 Briar, they still refuse to grow here, I shall give them up as 

 hopeless. 



This year many of the Teas have done splendidly, particu- 

 larly Souvenir d'an Ami and Rubtns. This seaBon, too, has 

 suited Homfice and Niphetos, but Marie Van Houtte and 

 Catherine Mermet have not been up to the mark here at all. 



Let me warn all your readers against a most arrant impostor 

 — viz., Marie Gnillot. This Tea grows freely, has numbers of 

 buds (I have it here on dwarf and standard with east and 

 south aspect), but not a single bud will expand. 



If ever a seapon was in favour of Roses the buds of which 

 are hard and diificult to open it surely is this. I never saw 

 Monsieur Noman half so fine as he is here this year, and all 

 rosarians know what a fair-weather sailor he is. 



One of your correspondents reminds me that I have not 

 mentioned Gloire de Dijon as a grand grower. This variety 

 rarely gives me a bloom fit to placi in a stand, so that I do 

 not cultivate it largely, but I am bound to say that last Sunday 

 I had one of the finest blooms I ever c-aw in my life ; and I 

 humbly bfg that Rose's pardon, and all those rosarians too 

 whom I have offended by my railings against it, for I see now 

 by experience that sometimes Gluire de Dijon will give you 

 a bloom that you may safely place even in your back row. 

 Though the Rose has been out four days it is as fresh as ever, 

 and I send it you in the hope that it may reach yon so that 

 you may at least Eee the form. It is indeed rare even for 

 Gloire de Dijon to have any form when expandad but flat and 

 coarse, but here you will see there is a real globular form. 

 [Yes, very fine\ The same correspondent asks me a question 

 as to the growth of Duke of Edinburgh. With me that Rose 

 grows freely, not strongly, for the habit of the Rose is some- 

 what slender and pendulous ; but Mr. George Paul's grand 

 Rose is always a good free grower. For colour and the same 

 class of Rose I would recommend your correspondent to grow 

 Mr. Paul's novelty Sultan of Zanzibar. This is a very great 

 acquisition, and so far as I can judge from one Cheehunt plant 

 a grand grower. 



I have been much interested in " A Herefordshire Inccm- 

 best's" letter. It is certainly most true that we rarely eee 

 Charles Lefebvre, or John Hopper, or the old General so good 

 as they nsed to be, and his reason seems the best of any I 

 have heard advanced. I never for one moment thought that 

 the love of Roses was growing cold, but only asked if the desire 

 for Rose shows was not abating with the general public ; and I 



still fear that it is so, and' I think Mr. Balmer of Hereford's 

 experience will bear me out. — Wyld Savage. 



FRUIT BLOSSOM NOT SETTING— INCIPIENT 

 FRUIT DROPPING. 



Although much blossom was produced little or no fruit is 

 to be seen in many gardens. The cause of this may be found 

 in the long-continued cold dull weather, and froet prevailmg 

 during the blossoming period. Projecting copings and canvas 

 or other coverings have been in many oases equally ineffectual 

 in preserving the blossoms, yet I can record instances where 

 protection has bfen useful. I have some Apricot trees against 

 a south wall. Two-thirds of these trees — Moor Park, Royal, 

 and Blenheim — were protected and one-third were exposed. 

 Upon the unprotected trees there is not any fruit, whilst the 

 protected trees are carrying a sufficient crop, the conclusion 

 arrived at being that Apricot blossom is liable to injury from 

 frost much in the same way as shown by " W." in respect of 

 Apple blossom at page 399. Though frost or cold injuriously 

 affects, and in some instances destroys, fruit blossom, yet, aa 

 pointed out by Mr. Douglas, there is some difference in the 

 hardiness of blossom, not only as regards different fruits bat 

 as respects varieties of the same fruit. There is also great 

 difference in the hardiness of blossom of the same kind, due 

 entirely to position. A tree may blossom early from being in 

 a warm situation and have the blossom destroyed, whereas 

 another tree iu a higher more exposed situation may escape 

 injury. Yet apart from the positions they occupy, trees vary 

 much in the hardiness of their blossom and incipient fruit, 

 which I hope to note in a subsequent communication. 



Much of the disaster to the fruit crops this year rests not 

 more upon the cold of the present season than upon the cold, 

 wet, sunless weather of last autumn, which was very unfavour- 

 able to the ripening of the wood. I confess to never before 

 having paid so close attention to the blos?om of fruit trees as 

 this season. The appearance of the blossom of Apricots, and 

 afterwards of Peaches and Nectarines, struck me as singular. 

 Many of the flower buds did not expand but dropped off when 

 showing colour, and these buds were on the front of the branches, 

 and for the most part were confined to the strongest and 

 longest growths of the previous year. Upon dissection these 

 buds had healthy stamens and anthers, but the pistil was very 

 puny, frequently twin, and devoid of ovary. The expanding 

 blossoms, especially those on the front of the branches or 

 furthest from the wall, were very short, the petals small, the 

 stamens twisted and curled outward away from the pistil 

 instead of rising boldly over it, the anthers devoid of pollen, 

 the pistil small and short, its stigma not viscous, and at its 

 base no ovary. They were barren. These remarks apply 

 equally to Apricot, Peach, and Nectarine blossoms. What fruit 

 there is, is borne quite close to the walls, and in the Apricot 

 upon the short spurs only, and in the Peach and Nectarine 

 upon the short-jointed wood only. I anticipate that all the 

 incipient fruit of the two latter will drop, a not unfrequent 

 occurrence when the wood is imperfectly ripened, the fruit 

 falling when the size of a pea or larger, also when the stoning 

 period approaches. 



Very slight climatic change is sufficient to cause failure. 

 The Apricots 1 have on a south wall have fruit — an ample crop, 

 but those on a south-west aspect arc an almost total failure ; 

 yet one tree is notably weak, having made last year very stiff 

 short wood, and this (Kaisha) has most fruit. 



In the matter of Plums and Pears, which with Cherries are 

 tho only other fruit frown against walls, and in every instance 

 the most vigorous fruit trees are those most deficient of a 

 crop of fruit, not that there was a paucity of bloseom, but they 

 suffered most from the cold. Would they have set and re- 

 tained the fruit to maturity if the weather had been favour- 

 aide ■/ I think not, for the trees with etiffer shoots and thorter 

 spurs have set and retain the incipient fruit. The case is not 

 dissimilar with bush fruit. The kinds growing most freely — 

 having made much wood last year — have in the case of Goose- 

 berries dropped the fruit, whilst those having made little wood, 

 but having formed spurs instead, are loaded. Currants are 

 masses of fertility. They made very little wood last year, 

 and when this is the case light and air obtain access to the 

 foliage. 



It is always pleasant to record a suooess. It is equally in- 

 structive, if not more so, to point ont a failure, especially if 

 we see in it means of its future avoidance. What more to the 



