December 2, ISSO. ] 



JOURNAL OF nORTICULTDKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



isr 



Alfred Colomb is always bright and full ; Bummer and 

 antamn alike it never fails to show itself a tirst-elass Rjse. 

 What a triumvirate it, Charles Lefebvre, aud Marie Baumann 

 make ! and who will dare to say which is the foremost ? I think 

 the Comtesse de Jaaconrt must no longer be catalogued as a 

 first-class Rose. It is just worth a place in every rosery, and | 

 that is all that can be Eaid in its favour. Madame Furtado, 

 during the intense heat of 1968, bloomed incessantly with me, 

 and those who have seen a good specimen of this Rose know 

 what a ravishing beauty it is. During the past season the 

 blooms have been miserably bad. Such are the eiteota of 

 different seasons ! 



Ophirie, a Noisette, is a singular Rose, of a peculiarly b;igh.t 

 salmon tint. It is hardy, and although not full, makes a pretty 

 buttonhole flower. 



I had grown Semiramis for two years without knoM^ing its 

 beauty until this season. When planted in strongly-manured 

 ground it is really a free bloomer, and very full ; its colour is 

 pure pink. As a matter of course it is far surpassed by Mar- 

 guerite de St. Amand, and especially by Monsieur Neman, in 

 my humble opinion the best pink Rose in existeuce. Chevalier 

 Nigra and Centifolia rosea surprised me this autumn with fine 

 blooms ; the latter is only wanting in fullness to make a good 

 Rose. Lord Ruglan and Madame Moreau have done no good. 

 Mildew settled upon them early in the season, aud stuck to 

 them until the last. I find that others have had a like 

 experience. 



Climbing Devoniensis has disappointed many by reason of its 

 rampant growth unaccompanied with flowers. I notice (hat a 

 contributor to one of your contemporaries states that even 

 when the leading shoot is stopped the growth of flowering 

 laterals is not thereby induced. If this be its general character 

 it is much to be regretted, for a lovelier haidy Rose does not 

 exist. Not only is its shape a fine deep one, and its colour 

 pure and lovely, but its perfume is exquisite. In stating this 

 much I speak from experience, for during the past tix weeks 

 a single shoot of this noble Rose has afforded me a flower for 

 my buttonhole at least twice a-week, and there are still nine 

 buds to expand. It is budded on a rampant climber, called in 

 Yorkshire "Wood Superb," and has this season thrown up a 

 single shoot without a lateral, 8 or 9 feet high, and crowned 

 with buds. I did not cat away the other wood of the stock, 

 but let all grow : the result is that the Devoniensis shoot is 

 only one of a dozen equaliy thick but not so long as it is. I 

 shall try other Tea Roses on this stock. 



A week ago I bought about fifty Roses, among them was 

 Marie Banmann, the most highly prized of the lot. Although 

 I had not previously possessed it, I knew it well— literally by 

 heart, and therefore planted it with extreme care, looking for- 

 ward through many dreary months to the time when she wonld 



" Greet uic with a smile at mom ;" 

 but, alas ! while I slumbered some dainty rascal robbed me of 

 my treasure, and the morning after it was planted I looked in 

 vain for my pet lamb. I cannot even supply its plaee, so great 

 has been the demand for this gem. 



My standards ceased to bloom upwards of a month ago, but 

 the Manetti-stooked Roses are blooming still. Altogether my 

 experience of the season passing away has added strength to my 

 previous conviction, that the Manetti Rose stock is alone worth 

 cultivating in this part of the country. This opinion I have 

 freely expressed to those who have consulted me on the subject 

 of stocks, and as a result, my neighbours have bought standards 

 merely when required for ornamental purposes. — C. W. M., 

 Wijlde Green. 



HOW WE GOT OVER OUR PEACH FAILURE. 



As with many other?, our Peach crop was almost a total 

 failure. How we were to tide over September, and especially 

 " t' Leger week," was a problem disagreeable to contemplate. 

 Grapes, &c., we could furnish in quantity, but the absence of 

 Peaches and Nectarines would be too conspicuous. 



Our first and second early crops were plentiful and ex- 

 cellent, and we were congratulating ourselves on this, and 

 thinking it would to some extent compensate for the scarcity in 

 antumn, when just as the first house was about finished, and 

 the second and best house about coming in, it was intimated to 

 us, that in consequence of the movements of the heads of the 

 establishment, the fruit would not be required for home con- 

 sumption. This was mortifying; selling was unsatisfactory; 

 but how could we keep them from the middle of July till the 

 end cf September ? Could we put them in ice ? No sooner 



said than done. The same circumstances which had neces- 

 sitated this step had also set our London tin packing boxes at 

 liberty, and they were put in requisition directly. A sheet of 

 cotton was laid in the bottom of each box, and the Peaches and 

 Nectarines were pulled as they ripened, and laid in the boxes 

 without packing, but as closely together as they would go 

 without touching each other. The boxes were then shut down 

 closely, and conveyed to ths ice house, where a level trench 

 about 2 feet deep had been prepared for them, on the top of the 

 ice, in which they were set, also several boxes of Pines that 

 had already been standing ripe for three weeks in a cool house. 

 Farther than an occasional look to see if all was right, the 

 fruit was left undisturbed till the end of August, when the first 

 demand was made upon it. The Peaches were then as sound 

 as when pulled off the tree, and the flavour as perfect ; Pines 

 also were quite sound. The last of the Peaches and Nec- 

 tarines were used about the '20ch of 'September. The Peaches 

 wire a little tender in the skin, but otherwise excellent; the 

 Nectarines (Victoria) were perfectly fresh, and to all appear- 

 ance would have kept till Christmas. I may mention that to- 

 wards ihe middle of September I exhibited some of the same 

 Peaches and Nectarines, and obtained first prizes for them 

 against antumn-grown fruit. Hitherto we have kept our Lady 

 Downe's aud other Grapes on the Vines, but if needful wonld 

 resort to the same plan with them, only we would hang them 

 in boxes set on edge. 



Now, this is one advantage of an ice house which I do not 

 suppose your readers to be ignorant of, nor do I claim origi- 

 nality in' the plan, but only state my experience in the matter, 

 as a reminder to those who may be similarly circumstanced. — 

 J. S. W. 



DAHLIAS FOR A SMALL GARDEN. 



I HAVE read Mr. Witherspoon's letter in No. 450 on the ad- 

 vantsges of small gardens, and I may say that I am always 

 thankful for any information respecting the culture of flowers 

 and vegetables, a mixture of which it is pleasant to cultivate. 

 He asks for somo information about the Dahlia. I have grown 

 Dahlias and exhibited them as an amateur at many of the 

 principal shows iu the north with varied success forthe last 

 ten years, growing about eighty plants yearly, consisting of 

 from thirty-six to forty-four varieties. I think that no amateur 

 can grow more to do justice to them unassisted, which all 

 amateurs should be. To have any chance of showing twelve 

 dissimilar blooms fit for exhibi lion, I imagine he shouldnot 

 have less than sixty plants. I should divide them into thirty- 

 six varieties, growing three plants of each of the best sir. 

 varieties, two plants of each of the twelve next best, and 

 eighteen single plants of different kinds, altogether sixty plants. 

 I do not think that an amateur can have any chance of success 

 with less than this number, as nurserymen's assistants show 

 flowers only a shade inferior to their masters, and flower-show 

 commiUees take little notice of them, for I know some com- 

 mittees which have had information about nurserymen's 

 assistants exhibiting Apples, Pears, Plums, Roses, Hollyhocks,, 

 and Dahlias, although growing nothing in their gardens but 

 about three dozen Dahlias and a few Potatoes. These men 

 always take the head prizes at the shows, and genuine ama- 

 teurs, who grow for pleasure, have to be content with prizes 

 lower down the list, or nothing at all — a state of things that 

 will soon work its own cure. 



I shall now give a list of the best thirty-six varieties of 

 Dahlias that I have grown, all old ones, as I seldom purchase 

 the new sorts till the second year of their being in commerce, 

 consequently I cannot speak for them till I have grown them ; 

 although there are six varieties which came out this year that 

 I intend to procure — viz.. Emperor, Memorial, Annie Neville, 

 King of Primroses, Golden Fleece, and another sent out by Mr. 

 Turner, of which 1 forget the name— all good sorts, from what 

 I have seen of them when exhibited by nurserymen this year. 

 My list of old sorts is as follows : — 

 Vice-President Lady J. Ellis John Kirby 



Lord Derby Bob Eidiey Flambeau 



Miss Henshaw Yellow Perfection Andrew Dodds 



Criterion Mrs. Dorling Rosy Qticcn 



Harriet TettereU Delicata Alexandra 



Leah Favourite Lord PalmerEfon 



Imperial BnUion Lady Gladys Herbert 



Chairman Princess of Wales Earl of SLaltesbury 



Autocrat Miss Roberts Lady of the Lake 



Vidctto Mrs. Thornhill British Triumph 



Adonis Hugh Miller Valentine 



Purple Gem Lady Derby Mrs. Boston 



Mrs. Boston is one of the best, if it can be had as good as 



