216 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 18, 1666. 



Duke of Wellington.- — The only fault of this, I think, is that 

 it is too thin. 



Dr. Andry. — A capital Rose, though the colour is not very 

 different from that of many other accepted OBes. 



Xaiier Olibo. — If he had but a few more petals his glorious 

 colour would give him a leading and lasting position amongst 

 Roses. He opens well enough in these districts. 



Monsieur Bonccnnc is with me a shy bloomer, though, of 

 course, good. 



Mademoiselle Amilu Halpken is a beautiful Rose. 



Bushton Iladchiffe. — " D., Deal," I think, has hit the weak 

 point, delicacy of constitution. 



For my part I have others to add, if only suggestively ; some 

 not even admitted by Mr. Kent ; and if, as Mr. Kent says, 

 " the respected name with which it is associated " gives the 

 Rose Rushton Radclyffe, " a claim to consideration," may I not 

 say the same for John Keynes, H.P. ? and the Rose is a good 

 one indeed withal, though not so even as one could wish. 



Seuvcnlf de W. Wood is a good dark variety. I had ei^lit 

 blooms all at once that were each what I may call " three-point " 

 Roses. With more plants I cannot say the same of Prince 

 Camille de Rohan. 



Trii'inplte de la Tern des Roses. — (Why such names? We 

 only cut them short in England.) I have only seen two blooms 

 of this ; both were shown by Mr. J. Keynes at the Crystal Palace 

 Exhibition, June 23rd, 1866, and both were unquestionably 

 fine and distinct. And here I may say parenthetically, that, 

 although, no doubt yellow Roses are great acquisitions, I, for 

 one, wonder with the French raisers why we English growers 

 do not set more store on that suffused slate colour which they 

 so admire. I think it a delightful change from the red, redder, 

 reddest style. 



Madame Bousset may be rather late to bloom, but I shall 

 wish her to be in my garden when she does. 



Michel Bonnet is surely worthy of our notice, though even 

 Mr. Kent's leniency has not included him. Thus much for 

 the Roses of 18C5. 



Good news for amateur rosarians. I think we may safely 

 say that the Roses of 1806 include many that are likely to 

 repay early purchasers. 



Alfred Colomb, Exposition de Brie, Josephine Beauharnais, 

 Marcella, Madame Fillion, Mademoiselle Marguerite Dombrain, 

 Mademoiselle Marie Rady, and William Rollisson, I think will 

 prove welcome additions for some time. I say " for some 

 time," for I verily believe that before many years we shall 

 have such an improvement, that Charles Lefebvre will be barely 

 tolerated. Why should we not photograph our present Al 

 standard, and take micrometric measurements, and spectrum 

 analyses of our best Roses ? 



I may add that I think the following list will contain a goodly 

 proportion of excellent Roses, and there may be others, for 

 every Rose has its season, and it is not fair either to the credit 

 and satisfaction of raisers, or right for the guidance of growers, 

 to speak with certainty of any new varieties from the ex- 

 perience of a single season, and that the first. I venture, then, 

 to mention, as promising enough for enthusiastic rosarians to 

 purchase, whose ouly limits are purse strings, and garden sides, 

 the following candidates for popular favour: — Abel Grand, 

 Aurore Boreale, Camille Bernardin, Charles Ronillard, Chevalier 

 Nigra, Fanny Petzold, Frederic Biborel, Fisher Holmes, Gloire 

 deDucher,HippolyteFlandrin,.Tean Lambert, Jean Cherpin.La 

 Tendresse, Laccpede, Madame Hoste, Mademoiselle Berthe Le- 

 vi-que, Prince de Porcia (if it will fill up in the centrel, Souvenir 

 de Dr. Jamain (if large enough), and Mademoiselle Jenny Gay. 



Let us hope also that our English seedlings may, in increasing 

 numbers, prove themselves worthy of more extensive purchase 

 by being rather more frequently exhibited in good condition. 



I shall be told that I have mentioned twenty-eight, besides 

 possible English Roses, and that it is improbable to a very high 

 degree, that we can have so many good ones in one season. I 

 do not say they will all prove good, but I do say that I have in- 

 cluded none which have not a recommendation from the very 

 first growers and judges in the land, including Messrs. Rivers, 

 Keynes, Paul & Son, Wm. Paul, Dickson & Co., "D., Deal," 

 " S. R. H.," Mr. Kent, Mr. Prior, " S. H.," and many good, 

 though small growers, whilst some are omitted which h;;ve 

 been favourably noticed even by reliable critics, as for in- 

 stance Alba mutabilis, which has now thrice been selected by 

 " D., Deal," himself, and which, therefore, I suppose, I must 

 admit as my twenty-ninth. There are some I mention, even 

 against my own judgment, because they are favourably spoken 

 of by more than one, who have better opportunities than myself 



for forming an opinion. There are conflicting opinions be- 

 tween good critics on others, which I can only solve on the 

 grounds of situation, or *' catch blooms." 



I have spoken of Roses as if they were living beings, and to 

 me they have a certain personality of existence. I think of 

 them with a tort of identity with their names, and although 

 they do not " walk and ;«//. half an hour after their heads are 

 cut off," still they are very. telling flowers, and every really ex- 

 cellent new Rose is sure to have a good " run." 



Since writing the above, I have read " D., Deal's" sequel 

 to his selection of the Roses of 1865, in his selection of those 

 of the present year, and I would end as I began, by thanking 

 him for his trouble taken, in unselfishly making known the 

 results of his own observation and experienced judgment. I 

 scarcely think he can have seen some that I have mentioned, 

 or he would have been constrained to have noticed them favour- 

 ably, as he yet, perhaps, will do, after the autumn exhibitions. 



Will a list of new Roses ever include a spirally-cupped im- 

 provement of the old "York and Lancaster" Rose? Surely 

 it would be a pleasing novelty. — Edward N. Poems, S. 

 I tearage, Loughborough. 



BATTERSEA PARK IN 18C0. 



A courteous invitation from Mr. Gibson, coupled with a- 

 promise that he would accompany me over the Park, and a few 

 hours to spare on a fine afternoon in the beginningof last month, 

 were a combination of circumstances so favourable, that I had 

 no hesitation in doing as I was asked, and accordingly have now 

 to report progress. 



Whatever anticipations might have been formed as to the 

 probable failure of the sub-tropical department, owing tc the 

 \ cry unfavourable character of the season, were quite dispelled 

 on the very first glance of it. Of course things did not look 

 quite so well as they did in the last brilliant summer; the 

 violent alternations of temperature, the drenching rains, and. 

 above all, the very cold nights have to some extent told every- 

 where ; but having seen many places this summer. I can 

 honestly say that I have seen less effects from it at Battersea 

 than in any other spot that I have visited, and one could hardly 

 believe on looking on the glowing masses of some of the beds — 

 the Coleus, for instance — that they had had so much to contend 

 with. I believe this is to be accounted for not by any special 

 conditions of situation or soil, but by the constant care and 

 attention given, and the thoroughly scientific as well as practical' 

 principles on which everything is cultivated. 



We were met by Mr. Gibson at the entrance near the re- 

 freshment-room. The first bed that attracted notice was one 

 composed of a star of Coleus Verschafftlti, the spaces between 

 the points of the star being filled in with Golden Fleece Pelar- 

 gonium. This has a very pretty effect, and Golden Fleece is 

 found a much bette* variety for bedding-purposes here than 

 Cloth of Gold. The bed was edged with dwarf plants of Salvia 

 argentea ; and I should add with regard to the Coleus that the 

 bed is not flat, but that gradually the surface slopes upwards, 

 so as to give it a convex appearance. This is effected by pinch- 

 ing off the shoots according to their position in the bed. An- 

 other, a circular bed, had Coleus round it, and the centre filled 

 in with Chrysanthemum Sensation. This plant was somewhat 

 run down last year, but it is a very nice dwarf variegated 

 plant. Here, too, were some long narrow beds, in which the 

 Alternantheras, of which so much has been said lately, were 

 planted; andEcheveria secundaglauca, used singly as an edging, 

 had a very pleasing effect. Near the refreshment-room were 

 some beds, in which silver-variegated Pelargonium Daybreak, 

 Lucius, a rosy orange, Stella, Rose Rendatler, and Gaines's 

 Dwarf Calceolaria were used with much effect. Lucius is a 

 very excellent variety sent out by Mr. Bull, and ought to be 

 more used than it is. 



We entered the sub-tropical garden at, I suppose, the south 

 end, although my ideas of the points of the compass were 

 somewhat confused. On the left-hand side as we entered were 

 several fine specimen plants of Cycads, Ferns, &c. ; among 

 them Seaforthia elegans, Cordyline australis, Latania borbonica,. 

 Dracama terminalis. Dracena longifolia, and Alsophila elegans. 

 Here again Coleus Verschaffelti comes out in great force. A 

 round bed with Coleus in the centre star, filled in v.ith Golden 

 Fleece, and an edging of Lobelia Paxtoniana, was exceedingly 

 fine ; although I think the best combination, as it was last 

 year, is that of the Coleus in the same star shape, filled in 

 with Centaurea ragusina. On the right-hand side I noticed. 



