De cember 16, 1869. } 



JOUKNAL OF HOBTICDLTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



481 



those that I have named, there are the Marrow-stemmed, 

 Thousand-headed, Palm-formed, ito. 



Ctirhj Gnens also want looking to a little. I do not see the 

 true Dwarf Curled Kale of my boyish days amongst all the 

 varieties I have, nor yet that strong-growing tall Kale, which 

 the lads and lasses used to steal blindfold, to see what sort 

 of husband or wife they were to have, and which was 

 always enough for a good strong boy to carry on Hallowe'en 

 night. 



The varieties in this way of English or Scotch that Mr. Barr 

 has, are mostly intermediate and from France ; they are so 

 dwarf as to lay quite on the ground, indeed, they squat them- 

 selves on the soil. Then there is the Canadian, which has a 

 drooping, arched foliage, and some others. One firm for Chou 

 de Milan supplied Savoy seed one year, and when it was 

 mentioned to them they persisted they were right, and so 

 they were to a certain extent. Chou de Milan, according to 

 Tilmorin's " Plantes Pofagere?," is the generic name for Savoy ; 

 but Chou de Milan in the London trade is a different thing. 

 Now, here is a field, and dealing with a subject of this kind 

 we ought to briog ourselves somewhat in harmony with our 

 French neighbours, for anyone sending to Vilmorin for Chou 

 de Milan would no doubt get Savoy seed. — F. 



ROSES AND THEIR STOCKS. 



Much has of late been said on the various stocks on which 

 to cultivate "the queen of the garden." Everybody loves 

 Eoses, and, as in other cases, so with the Eose, we cannot 

 accept or adopt one universal mode of culture. Circumstances 

 have much influence over the successful culture of Eoses, and 

 respecting stocks for them much practical information has of 

 late been advanced, and much light has been thrown on the 

 subject, which no doubt will prove useful and acceptable. We 

 have one extolling the Briar as a stock, and as deliberately 

 condemning the Manetti, and the contrary ; others advocate 

 different kinds of Eoses for stocks — all useful in their way 

 no doubt, and perhaps suitable to the circumstances under 

 which each advocate is placed ; but, at the same time, it should 

 be borne in mind, that the vendor is supposed to have some- 

 thing of all kinds to meet the requirements of those who may 

 give him a call. 



Much has also been said respecting the merits of both old 

 and new Eoses. There can be no question about many of 

 what are termed "old Eoses," holding their own against all 

 comers. There is also a wide difference between growing 

 Eoses for exhibition and for decorative purposes. This should 

 always be borne in mind, so that under these circumstances 

 there must be a resort to different binds of stocks ; all Eoses 

 will not in all places succeed under the same treatment, so 

 that neither one stock nor any one mode of culture can be 

 adopted — let each under his or her peculiar circumstances take 

 notes and act accordingly. 



From past experience I long ago discarded Briar stocks and 

 standard Eoses, but I would not advise others to do so, if such 



them, whilst very distinct in colour, are in form not to be 

 despised. 



While I commit these few remarks to paper, under a cloudy 

 dull November sky, what can be more charming than the 

 display of the China Eoses of various colours ? But, why are 

 they neglected? Did not one of our contributors recently 

 say something about their worth in the shrubbery border ? I 

 add, they are worthy of that, and better places too. I need not 

 say one word about properties, their qualities, or the mode 

 of propagation, because they can be readily increased. 



While on this subject, I would ask why that gem is so seldom 

 met with, which ought to be in every garden — the double 

 yellow Eose, called the Persian Briar? When well grown (and 

 it is very accommodating), there is not its equal in colour. I 

 have had it succeeding well on the Briar, on the Manetti, and 

 on its own roots. Though its flowers are of short duration, it 

 well repays any amount of labour, and for aught I know, it will 

 succeed everywhere. — M. H., A'cklam Hall, Middlesbrough- on- 

 Tecs. 



FORCING PLANTS.— No. 5. 



EnoDODESDKONS must be admitted to be the princes of ever- 

 green flowering shrubs. They are easily forced, but to flower 

 well ought not to be subjected to great heat ; indeed, they 

 ought to be brought forward slowly. A greenhouse with a 

 night temperature of 40' is sufficient excitement for the first 

 three weeks ; then afford a steady increase of temperature to 

 43° and .50', which is sufficiently high for bringing them into 

 bloom. The house cannot be too light and airy, but a moist 

 atmosphere must be maintained until the blooms expand, when 

 a drier and cooler atmosphere is more suitable. 



The plants need no previous growth or preparation in pots, 

 only for forcing it is desirable to make an early selection in 

 order to secure those which have the growth and buds formed 

 earliest, as they will be most suitable for early forcing. They 

 ought to be in pots at the close of September or beginning of 

 October, and should be at once placed in a cool airy house. 

 They wUl be very suitable for forcing early in December, for 

 flowering in the middle or end of January. They move, how- 

 ever, with such excellent balls that they may be lifted as re- 

 quired, potted, and placed in the forcing house at once, but it 

 is desirable to let them remain at least a fortnight or three 

 weeks in a cool house before being placed in artificial heat. 

 The balls are sometimes inconveniently large; they may be 

 reduced so as to fit a moderate-sized pot, but this must weaken 

 the plants, and, it carried too far, will result in a weak bloom ; 

 it is well, therefore, to preserve as many of the roots as practi- 

 cable. Peat soil alone is a suitable compost, though a mixture 

 of turfy loam, leaf soil, and old cow dung answers very well. 

 Good drainage must be provided, and care should be taken in 

 potting not to leave any vacancies round the ball not filled-in 

 with soil. Good supplies of water are needed, and a gentle 

 ! syringing morning and evening will do good, discontinuing it 

 when the trusses show colour. 

 After flowering the plants should be continued under glass. 



answer their purpose. j and be kept safe from frost until danger from it is past, when 



I find, where I am situated, that the Manetti stock when pro- i they may be planted out, or continued in pots, plunging them 



perly treated acswers my purpose better, on the whole, than | in an open situation, and giving a top-dressing or mulching of 



any stock I have tried ; but notwithstanding all the stocks and 



modes of culture advanced, I prefer all Eoses that will succeed 



on their own roots. By frequent transplanting they form almost 



a mass of roots, and it is astonishing to see the growth some 



of our best Perpetuals make on their own roots. This season 



we have had shoots of Charles Lawson, one of the very best of 



Eoses, from 6 to 8 feet in length, likewise Princesse MathUde 



and the Kev. H. Dombraiu, besides many others of equal 



growth. Acidalie. a Rose that is not much known, but one of 



our very best white Eoses, has yielded us a profusion of beau- 

 tiful bloom. This I attribute to stopping the early summer's 



growth, which was unusually strong. 



During the Eose season tlaat has just past, very many of our 



best Roses have rewarded us with a profusion of blooms which 



in quality and richness of perfume could not be surpassed ; but 



while those which are called new and exhibition Eoses are 



brought so prominently before us, and shown in all their 



beauty (and they are worthy of all the praise), I would ask. 



Is there not a culpable neglect of others of the same race, which 



deserve some share of our admiration and attention ? I mean 



those glorious old favourites, the China Eoses, which are well 



adapted to every place, though they have to be remembered as 



the neglected ones. They are a numerous race, and many of 



cow dung, with abundant waterings in dry weather. The 

 earliest-forced plants seldom form flower-buds, but those which 

 have been but gently forced will for the most part do so, and 

 they are the best plants possible for early forcing. Most of 

 the plants will be again available for forcing after a year's 

 rest ; but they come in so well for filling gaps in shrubberies 

 that they are mostly planted-out, and others selected in autumn 

 for forcing. Plants wintered in a cool house and allowed to 

 bloom naturally without fire heat may be grown year after 

 year, and a selection of Ehododendrons in pots affords a fine 

 display during March and April, and ought to have a place in 

 a cool house or an orchard house. There protection could be 

 afforded to this class of plants, whose flowers are subject to 

 injury from the spring frosts that in our climate are accom- 

 panied with such an amount of moisture as to vastly impair 

 the beauty of the bloom. Some of the best sorts for forcing 

 are : — 



Dwarf or Small growing lUtododendroiis. — Azaleoides odora- 

 tum, white, shaded with purple, veiy fragrant ; Ciliatum, white, 

 delicately shaded with rose, sweet-scented ; Daphnoides, waxy 

 rose ; Danricum atrovirens, purple, very early, forcing well in 

 November for Christmas bloom ; Gemmifernm, shaded crimson 

 with white centre ; Myrtifolium, rose. These sorts are splendid 



