116 



JOUBNAL OF HOETICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Aogaat 12, lgS9. 



oSaet stlU attached to the old plant by the nmner is fixed and 

 kept steady by means of a peg placed close to the ontside of 

 the pot. The plants are watered daily, and quickly become 

 established ; they are then separated from the old plants, and 

 are at once tnrnod ont in the beds prepared for them. Plants 

 80 treated sustain no chock, as each has its own compact ball 

 of soil ; and as care is taken to turn them into soil as rich as 

 possible, and to give water when necessary, they make a rapid 

 growth, and become stout thriving plants by autumn. 



Of kinds that have produced fair crops this year, I may 

 mention Sir Charles Napier, John I'owell, Alice Maude, New- 

 ton Seedling — a hardy sort, very prolific, the fruit high-coloured 

 and very firm, keeping better than that of most other varieties, 

 bat it is deficient in flavour and juiciness — Ehza, and, most 

 yigorons of all, TroUope's Victoria. Due de Malakoff has pro- 

 duced a fair crop, bat the fruit did not attain its usual enormous 

 size. Amongst newer varieties planted for the first time last 

 season, I like the appearance of Lucas, President, and Cocks- 

 comb ; especially that of the first two, which have proved very 

 robust and prolific. Wonderful is not quite so free in its 

 growth ; its fruit, so far as I have seen, is in shape quite dis- 

 tinct from that of any other kind, but I have not yet seen enough 

 of it to form a fair opinion of its merits. — Edward Ldckhdbst, 

 Egerton House Gardens, Kent. 



A FEW ROSE NOTES. 



I BELIEVE jottings, however few, on this our favourite flower, 

 are always acceptable, and I make no apology for adding a few 

 to tho.'ie I have already given 



Mdlh\ Mtugneritc Dombrain. — It is always pleasant to have 

 one's opinion confirmed by competent judges, and as, when 

 Mademoiselle Marguerite Dombrain was brought out, I gave it 

 a good character, I was very pleased the other day to receive 

 a note from one whom all will acknowledge to be a really good 

 judge, Mr. Rivers, commencing thus — "I have gathered to-day 

 three blooms of Marguerite Dombrain, the most magnificent 

 Roses I ever saw — it is La Reine spiritualised." 



Mareclial Xiel. — It is quite clear that this is a Tea-scented 

 Noisette, and not a Tea Rose, and that like all of that class, it 

 does best on the Briar. Then there is no question of its flower- 

 ing, and no need of a wall, although it succeeds, perhaps, best 

 there. 



Marie Sisle;/. — This is one of the most lovely Tea Roses that 

 we have received of late years, the colour of the petals is a very 

 delicate primrose, with a deep border of rich pink. Even 

 during the hot weather it has been lovely, and when the tempe- 

 rature becomes cooler I can well imagine that its beauty will be 

 increased ; in the meantime I would strongly advise all who 

 grow Tea Roses to get it, and propagate it, for I venture my 

 Rose reputation on its being a general favourite, and I congra- 

 tulate my friend, M. Guillot &\s, on having raised it. It is 

 more rotund than Tea Roses generally are. 



A drienne Cliristnphle. — Another very beautiful Tea Rose. The 

 colouring is very rich ; sometimes the centre is of a beautiful 

 deep peach, at other times coppery yellow, while the outside 

 petals are deep rich yellow. At present there is a slight degree 

 of looseness about the flower, wanting the fine firm petal of 

 Madame Margottin. This may improve, but under any cir- 

 cum.'itinces the Rose is beautiful, and will, I am sure, be 

 generally grown. 



Souvenir de Monsieur Foileau. — The second crop of bloom 

 has shown some very large flowers ; they still retain the pecu- 

 liarity of colouring which marked the earlier ones. It has the 

 defect of being somewhat rough in the centre ; but withal it is 

 a Rose that must be grown. 



Madame ThO-ese Level. — A Rose that was missed when it 

 came out, but is now in the class of deep pink flowers. A most 

 prominent flower. 



Charles Verdier. — I have this year been disappointed in this 

 flower, so very few of the flowers have opened, showing, in fact, 

 too much of the La Keine blood; but a friend who was visiting 

 me the other day, says that with him it is very fine. 



Baroness Eothsehild.—'^o doubt one of the greatest acqui- 

 sitions we have had of late. The flowers are large, of a lovely 

 pink colour, and it is altogether a first-rate variety. 



Monphiisir. — This is, doubtless, a Gloire de Dijon, having 

 exactly the same habit, and foliage, and form of flower ; the 

 colour is different, much paler, more like what Gloire de Dijon 

 is when exposed to the sun. 



La France fully maintains the good opinion I had formed of 



it ; it is especially good early in the season, and late in autamn ; 

 the bnds are at all times most lovely. 



■lean Cherpin. — I have been greatly pleased with this Rose 

 this year. It is not full, I know, but there is a richness ol 

 shading about it that I cannot call to mind as equalled by any 

 other Rose, and as I do not grow for exhibition, but (or my 

 own pleasure, and that of my neighbours, I can afford to have 

 flowers which are not exactly show flowers, if they possess 

 some one good quality. 



Thijra Ilammeriek. — I have again to express a favonrable 

 opinion of this new Rose. It is quite in the Duchess of 

 Sutherland style, but a great improvement on that old Rose. 



.Miss Inriram. — Never was there a greater disappointment 

 than that occasioned by this new Rose. It was hailed by us all 

 as a grand addition, believing as we did that it was a Hybrid 

 Perpetual. It would then have been valuable ; as a summer 

 Rose it is useless, being a reproduction a lectle improved of the 

 old Lady Stewart. 



Mar;iiirita (Noisette). — A regular rambler, but as yet show- 

 ing no sign of bloom ; if it is going to partake in this respect 

 of the qualities of Cloth of Gold, it will not do for ns ; but it is 

 too early yet to judge. 



Duke of Edinburgh. — A splendid high-coloured Rose, deep 

 shaded cnmson, good in habit and constitution, and sure to be 

 in every winning stand. 



I have here mixed together new and old, and have merely 

 given such notes as struck me in looking over my Rose trees, 

 thinking that such notices may be of assistance to others. My 

 locality is a sheltered one, my soil is good, and my Roses are 

 all on the Manetti stock. — D., Deal. 



UNHEATED ORCILUID HOUSES. 



The present unusually unfavourable season for fruit culture 

 seems to have caused owners of unhealed orchard houses a 

 degree of discouragement which is hardly called for. In a 

 former article on the subject I mentioned one cause of failure 

 which I believe to be universal, and that is overcropping, with 

 its concurrent evils of overcrowding, shading, or in any way ob- 

 structing the free access of sunlight and air to all parts of these 

 structures. By any or all of these means the true use of un- 

 healed orchard houses is set aside. I shall here mention very 

 briefly the principal causes of the short crops of this season — 

 in my opinion, at least, for many different theories are afloat. 



And first, in the case of trees in the open air. The.^e could 

 hardly have suffered, even in light soils, from the excessive 

 heat of last summer. We can understand an increase of red 

 spider .ind mildew, but not sufficiently severe to neutralise the 

 good effects of the sun's rays in thoroughly ripening the shoots. 

 At Montreuil, where there are few Peaches this year, the ex- 

 tremely light colour of the calcareous soil is easily remedied by 

 layers of mulching and dark earth. The mild winter which 

 we had was eminently suited to the Peach and other crops ; 

 but there can hardly be a doubt thai the excessive and con- 

 tinuous downpour of rain, with the lowered temperature, com- 

 pletely and mechanically washed away the pollen, so that scorcely 

 a bloom could set. Against this penetrating and prolonged 

 drenching slight screens of tiffany must have been quite useless, 

 and nets of woollen material no better. What we must eventu- 

 ally come to for the open wall, are screens of stout calico, of 

 the same texture as a soldier's " shelter tent," or as the French 

 say, tente d'ahri. Such a tent, when placed at a greater angle 

 than 4.5°, will throw off many hours of rain, but is not to be 

 relied on at a less angle. Having myself made many such, and 

 also used them for sketching, I can speak with certainty. This 

 calico would also prevent tlie lodgement on the young leaves or 

 blooms of fruit trees, of sleet or snow, which, melting nndtr a 

 sudden gleam of sun, are fatal to vegetation. Either rolled up, 

 or with sliding rings, which I think Jlr. Radclyffe, an excellent 

 authority, now uses, these cheap calico screens would have 

 saved niueh of the out-door fruit crops this year. Of course, 

 they require attention to take advantage of casual sunshine and 

 arrest radiation, and give to some extent the same trouble that 

 orchard houses do. 



In the case of orchard houses, it is evident that neither this 

 downfall of rain, nor the low and damp temperature, can quite 

 account for failure, as they can be guarded against in a great 

 measure. I shall, therefore, dismiss these as sole causes of the 

 evil, and endeavour to trace it elsewhere. The chief reason? of 

 ill-success have been already asserted in this paper to be over- 

 cropping aud overcrowding ; and it is evident that an nn- 



