August 21, K66. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



139 



bushes of great beauty ; one plant not far from where I am 

 now writing is upwards of twenty years old, healthy, and 

 vigorous, and although it has scarcely ever been touched with 

 the knife, is now not more than 4 feet high, but as much 

 through. The Ivies, however, are naturally climbers, and as 

 such they are generally planted. The varieties are often the 

 result of sports, and have a strong tendency to return to 

 the normal state, especially some of the variegated kinds. 

 Nearly all the variations in size of leaf and habit of growth 

 may often be seon in woods where the common wild Ivy, 

 with small leaves of a grey colour, having shining veins of 

 white, may be met with along with others of larger and 

 greener foliage in every gradation up to the robust Irish Ivy, 

 which, I may remark, is the most useful kind we have, and 

 that most generally cultivated. I am not positive that it is 

 the best climber, but its rapid growth, and its property of 

 forming fresh leaves when cut-in, render it suitable to most 

 places where it is subjected to some degree of management. 

 Even this Ivy presents a difference in its foliage, leaves 

 broadly palmate being met with at one time, while others 

 almost lanceolate or ovate are formed higher up the plant, and 

 the climbing shoot becomes a short, dense, bushy-headed one 

 when it can find nothing to cling to, or where the plant is 

 stunted in its growth, as may be seen where an aged tree is 

 covered with Ivy, and the laterals thrown out can find nowhere 

 else to travel. The Ivies form picturesque, I may almost say 

 grotesque objects, where they cover a curious-headed pollard, 

 and the most symmetrically-trained pyramidal or conical 

 Azalea has more than its equal in some large Fir trees that I 

 have seen covered with this plant. 



With regard to trimming the Ivy. I by no means agree 

 with some instructions lately given in this paper as to the 

 proper time for doing so in the south and more favoured parts 

 of England, though the ci.se may be different in the north, 

 where the plant is less robust. The plan we adopt here is to 

 cut-in closely the Ivy covering dwelling-houses in the beginning 

 of August, very often scarcely leaving a leaf, and yet the whole 

 plant is again densely covered with foliage five or six weeks 

 afterwards ; and the season being then too far gone, the growth 

 is confined to leaves, which, with us become firm and esta- 

 blished before winter, so as to sustain no injury from frosts. 

 Thus. the Ivy looks trim and neat up to the following June, 

 when the summer shoots begin to elongate. It will be seen 

 that there is with this plan a period of fully eight or nine 

 months in which the plant looks as trim and uniform as the 

 wall against which it chugs, while the remainder of the time 

 may be divided about equally between the period of the shoots 

 growing in early summer and that of the formation of foliage 

 in the latter part of the season. Now, let us see what are the 

 effects of cutting Ivy in March. The formation of fresh foliage 

 or shoots will then take about the same time as in the former 

 case, while the period during which the Ivy forms a close carpet 

 is very short indeed. Shoots of some length are formed, and 

 these, remaining uushortened until the following March, are 

 '.ften in the way when a trim and symmetrical appearance ought 

 to prevail. Observe, I by no means advise the trimming of 

 Ivy in August when there is a danger of the leaves not being 

 produced sufficiently early to withstand the autumn and winter 

 frosts ; but when the operation can be performed at that time 

 with safety, let it be done then. 



As to the propriety of covering a dwelling-house with Ivy, 

 there are various opinions, many contending that appearance 

 is the only recommendation it lias ; but to trees it is very in- 

 jurious ; many an Oak has been strangled in its embraces, and 

 Pinuses suffer still more. Within a very few yards of where I 

 write, a Spruce Fir upwards of 70 feet high has been for some 

 years struggling for an existence, which is gradually drawing to 

 a close. A few small patches of green on the tips of some 

 of its branches are all the signs of life which it exhibits. 

 The tree may survive one more year, while the mantle of Ivy 

 triumphantly takes possession of the whole of the trunk ; the 

 Ivy branches, dense as Box, protrude in all directions, forming 

 an elongated cone of greater symmetry than ever the Spruce 

 did in its best days. The Ivy has not taken possession of 

 any of the dead branches, although many of them are from 

 4 to G inches in diameter at their base ; but the creeper appa- 

 rently disdains to trust them as supports, and confines itself to 

 the trunk. This support, however, will also have an end, for 

 we have lost several trees, which had become quite denuded of 

 branches, and only presented a beautifully tapering Ivy-covered 

 spire. The trunk of the tree, when deprived of its vitality, 

 can no longer resist decay, and when it becomes too weak to 



withstand a high wind, its load brings tin whole down. Even 

 Spruce and Larch trees containing from 50 to 100 or more 

 cubic feet of timber, are not proof against the elements, and the 

 downfall of the structure is only a matter of time. Sometimes 

 such pillars will be blown down by the root, and Bometimi .; 

 broken off in the middle. One which suffered in the latter 

 way was about 18 inches in diameter at tin place where broken, 

 and was not far advanced in decay. Sucdi casualties cannot 

 well be prevented except by bracing up the dead stem, like the 

 mast of a ship, but doing so would mar the effect. — J. RoBSON. 



THE ROSES OF 1865. 



I am sure Mr. Kent is a kind-hearted man. I but oner 

 the pleasure of meeting him, and so he seemed — just the sort 

 of man one would like to see governor of a gaol or director of 

 a reformatory. You would be quite certain that the people 

 would be well looked after, their little foibles overlooked, and 

 every extenuating circumstance possible brought forward in 

 their favour ; for so he seems to have acted in his opinions of 

 the new Roses of 1865. He has passed over defects which 

 will be fatal to some and damaging to others. He has kept 

 others which may linger for a year or two in the lists, and 

 then will disappear, save in the collections of those who care 

 more for variety of sorts than for quality ; and he has exhi- 

 bited that amiability which rather inclines one to say a good 

 word on behalf of what is really good but not super-excellent. 

 " Ah, poor thing ! he (or she) has his faults, but with all that 

 he is a good fellow ! " Now, on the other hand, a critic must 

 be of sterner stuff, something between a relieving officer and 

 a Yankee skipper — two of the hardest and corniest speci- 

 mens of human nature I know. He must be on the look- 

 out for defects, and not for beauties. He must have a large 

 stock of "buts" in his vocabulary, and he must be prepared 

 to use them. It is the misfortune of such that they miss much 

 pleasure ; although, perhaps, their appreciation of excellence 

 is more enjoyable to them than to others, yet is their enjoy- 

 ment continually marred by seeing what others 6ee not, and 

 by having magnifying-glasses on for every defect. One goes 

 into raptures over a new flower, and while he is having his 

 enjoyment, you, alas .' see a wrongness of shape, a deficiency 

 of colour which has escaped the other. I have said all this, 

 inasmuch as my judgment on the Roses of 1866 differs mate- 

 rially from that of Mr. Kent ; and I hope he will pardon me 

 for saying I think he is too lenient. I may be the opposite, 

 but I shall endeavour to clear myself from such a charge by 

 giving my reasons. 



There were sent out by the French raisers in 1865 .' 

 purposely omit English Roses), or rather in the autumn oi 

 1864, nine Bourbons, two Teas, seventy-five Hybrid 1'erpetuals, 

 two Hybrid Noisettes, and four Perpetual Moss — in all ninety- 

 two ! Of these Mr. Kent has selected twenty-one, but this 

 selection must be, I think, still further reduced. First, How- 

 ever, let us see what each raiser contributed. I pass by the 

 Bourbons, not one of which has made, I fancy, any permanent 

 claim on our sympathy. The same may be said of the Per- 

 petual Mosses ; while one of the Teas, glorious Marfichal Niel, 

 has established himself facile prineeps of all the Roses of the 

 last three years — the greatest acquisition we have had since 

 Charles Lefebvre. Of the Hybrid Perpetuals I therefore speak, 

 and the following is, I believe, a correct statement of the num- 

 ber s sent out by each raiser. 



Charles Verdier 2 Portemer 2 



Eugene Verdier 7 Touvais 3 



Margottin 2 Trcmillard 5 



Marest 1 < Iger R 



Levcque 2 Dueller 3 



Lacharme 2 Morean 4 



Guillot pt-rc 4 Foutaine -1 



Guillot fils 3 Damaizin 2 



Gonod a Peruet 3 



Guiuoisseau 1 Baumaim 1 



I>efaim 1 Jauiaiu 1 



Liabaud 1 



There are besides some thirteen or fourteen from growers 

 whose names sometimes are not given, and others are un- 

 known to us. Taking Mr. Kent's list I find he has selected of 

 Guillot fils, 1; Gonod, 2; Oger, 1; Margottin, 2; Portemer, 2 ; 

 Eugene Verdier. 4 ; Charles Verdier, 2 ; Levcque, 1 ; Jamain, 1 ; 

 Lacharme, 2 ; Pernet, 1 ; and on referring to my critique on 

 these when the catalogue appeared, I named the following 

 as likely to be the favourites : — Rushton Radclyffe (Eugene 

 Verdier), Souvenir de AVm. Wood (Eugene Verdier), Due dc 



