478 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ Jans 28, 1877. 



point than Mr. Gilbert's terse article on " Apricot Failure — 

 Pruning," at page 419 ' Close pruning has enabled him to 

 rpoord a suoeess when a majority have nothing to tell of but 

 failure. No better evidence could possibly be given in favour 

 of the " ehort-spur yonng-shoot system of pruning Apricots." 

 Those who have practised the two systems — i.e., long-spur 

 and short-spur practice in respect of Apricots, will coincide 

 with Mr. Gilbert's excellent remarks. I thank him. The best 

 possible means of preventing failure iu setting fruit blossom 

 and the incipient fruit dropping is to secure tbe thorough ripen- 

 ing of the wood. It is of more coneeqaence than protection 

 from frost in spring, for, however good in itself, protection in 

 spring can hardly make good the defects of last season — im- 

 perfectly ripened wood. I remember a Peach wall being 

 covered with glass in winter iu the hope that the blossom 

 would set safely. Tbe chagrin of the owner was great — the 

 trees set fruit badly ; but the increased warmth and immunity 

 from autumn rains secured the well-ripening of the wood, a 

 heavy crop being the result in the following year. 



Too much stress cannot be placed upon the injunction to 

 keep o£f insects. If tbe foliage be kept healthful it will better 

 cater for the buds and spurs that bear blossom in the coming 

 season. Nothing short of this can be expected to give well- 

 ripened wood and plump well-developed buds. 



Another very important consideration is that of admitting 

 light and air — exposing thi foliage to the sun's influence, not 

 keeping the spurs of pyrumid trees any more than trees against 

 a wall crowded and overshadowed with useless spray, but by 

 early and constantly attending to stopping seonre for the pro- 

 spective fruiting parts full exposure, so that the leaves which 

 cluster around the base of a bud may have the sap duly 

 elaborated, the wood rendered firm, and the buds perfected. 

 A tree may of course be closely pinched, and yet from over- 

 crowding of the spurs or shoots be in a worse plight than an 

 unpruned, unaided tree — a very common case with Peach and 

 Nectarine trees, the shoots being !aid-in so thickly that the 

 leaves overhang others beneath them. Some leaves are ex- 

 posed partly or fully, but a majority are shaded; hence the 

 sap is imperfectly elaborated, and the consequence is that the 

 blossoms drop without setting, or fall when in the incipient- 

 frnit state. When the wood is thin, every leaf receiving a full 

 share of exposure, the buds attain to an equality of develop- 

 ment, and scarcely any blossoms fail to set. — G. Abbey. 



JUDGING BOSES. 



The Bubject of judging Roses is a difficult one to define on 

 paper, nevertheless it is one of great importance to exhibitors, 

 and should be more accurately defined than it has been of late 

 years. Under the old method of judging Roses by the points 

 of shape, size, and freshness I have found it difficult to give 

 the true numerical value to these single points or qualities, so 

 dependant are they upon each other when in the exhibition 

 stand. For instance, size might be counted by two points, 

 but unless combined with shape it is not of that value, being 

 coarse and worthless; then, again, shape if valued by three 

 points would be incorrect without size ; while freshness must 

 he everywhere present, or all the other points would be 

 marred. 



The way in which I have been accustomed to judge Roses 

 for many years, though savouring a little of the rule of thumb, 

 will, I think, be found useful to beginners in the art and 

 mystery of judging the queen of flowers, therefore I will en- 

 deavour to give the value points. 



Every good exhibition Rjse must have three qualities — 

 shape, size, and freshness; these maybe represented by the 

 one term " good." Now, yon may often see at a glance over 

 tbe stands about to be judged which is first; but it is, never- 

 theless, best to go over your stands, roughly noting down those 

 which have the greatest number of good flowers, and bringing 

 two or three of the stands tof^ether for general comparison as 

 well as for closer judging. You will then critically examine 

 the good flowers in these best stands, dividing them into three 

 classes, which for convenience may be noted as : — Good or X, 

 two points ; extra good or XX, four points; and XXX, or six 

 points. The first I have described ; the second class, or XX, are 

 selected from among these good flowers as possessing superior 

 outline with size and quality of petal, high full centres with 

 good colour (not dull or muddy), fragrance, &o. You will then 

 have an easy task to run the eye over the whole and crown a 

 few of the grandest high-centred prominent flowers with XXX. 

 This last effort encourages the prodnction of these grand high- 



centred Rosea, the glory of our stands and the focus of every 

 good exhibitor's eye. 



I have hitherto only treated of the good Roses in these three 

 best stands under censorship. Y'ou will observe there are two 

 other classes, happily small iu our present exhibitions — bad (0) 

 and medium (1). The bad are damaged or stained, often the 

 finest flowers unfortunately : one-sided, ragged with bad outline, 

 showing an eye, too small — under 2 inches in diameter — rough 

 and hollow. These you must blackball. The medium Roses 

 are small, but well shaped ; large, but with hollow centres ; 

 poor dull colour, though good in other respects ; and all under- 

 sized flowers not up to the standard previously given as good. 

 To these one point is given. I would add another remark to 

 help the tyro in difficult cases where a long-trained compara- 

 tive and discriminating eye and memory cannot well be relied 

 on. Provide a number of small strips of card, printing on 



them the letters 



X XX XXX 



Then, as the censors j udge each 



flower by the above rules, place its value card by it. These 

 may most quickly be gathered up and counted by the secretary. 



In the winning stands it is necessary to see that no two 

 Roses of the same kind are staged through incorrect labelling. 

 While a single specimen incorrectly named might be winked 

 at by the judges, the same Base under two different names 

 would disqualify the stand. If the prize is for " distinct " 

 varieties, two Roses named as Exposition de Brie and Ferdi- 

 nand de Lesseps, Climbing Devoniensis and Old Devonieusie, 

 Alba Rosea and Madame Bravy, il'C, cannot be admitted in 

 the same stand. 



Very much more might be written on this all-important 

 subject to the exhibitors, and I hope for their sakes the Grand 

 National Rose Committee will thoroughly take this subject 

 up. I will not tire your general readers more, but subscribe 

 myself — Devon. 



BRITISH QUEEN STEAWBEEEIES IN A COOL 

 VINERY. 



I SENT you last season a note detailing my treatment and 

 suciiess iu growing British Queens in a cool vinery. As I have 

 again succeeded at least equally well I think it may be of ser- 

 vice to my fellow amateur gardeners to give the results of this 

 year's experience. The British Queen is, I presume, admitted 

 at all hands to be the best of our Strawberries when grown in 

 suitable soil and climate. It does well with me in the open 

 ground. I grow berries equal iu size and flavour to any I have 

 ever seen elsewhere ; but it is under glass that my success is 

 greatest. I think I mentioned last year that from eight dozen 

 pots I gathered hundreds of berries — lam sure I may say from 

 two to three hundred, weighing each a full ounce, and not a 

 few that turned the scale at IJ oz., and these of a flavour, 

 colour, and fragrance I have never seen equalled. This year 

 the berries, equally good in all other respects, have not been 

 quite so large, though many weighed a full ounce. This I 

 attribute to the fact of my not having thinned so closely. Last 

 year I left on the average six berries to each plant, this year 

 I allowed to ripen from eight to twelve. I brought in the first 

 on May 6th, I finished June 11th, gathering nearly every alter- 

 nate day from one to four dozen handsome fruit. I observed 

 stated in the Journal that during two weeks of that time 

 Strawberries were selling iu Covent Garden at from Cd. to Is. 

 an ounce ; and as mine were certainly first-rate, had I been 

 within reach of the London markets I might have realised a 

 small fortune. I believe, however, I have been better pleased 

 in affording an occasional treat to half a dozen invalid friends 

 and in feasting my wife. 



Now, though iu the Journal and elsewhere I have seen named 

 different varieties as desirable for cultivation under glass, 

 mention is seldom made of the British Queen. Therefore I 

 send you this statement with the hope of encouraging others 

 to follow my example. The trouble of cultivation is not very 

 great: suitable soil may be formed anywhere; and success, 

 so far as three years' experience can assure it, is certain. — 

 C. A. B,, Sandoicn, Isle of Wiijht. 



[We have grown this good old variety iu a similar manner 

 to our correspondent, and the produce was highly superior and 

 much esteemed. — Eds.] 



EENDLE'S GLAZED HOUSES. 

 Few men in the world of horticulture have worked harde' 

 than Mr. Rendle, and few hortioaltaral buildings have ha 



