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JOUENAL OF HOBTICDLTOEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



t May 27, 1875. 



Btill a catalogne in my poBseasion where on the outer sheet 

 the proprietor proudly informs the public that at this show 

 he gained the first prize for " six Roses for smell;" but, alas ! 

 among other changes, notably that of refusing to pay the 

 prize money, tliis is included, and the classes for perfume are 

 withdrawn ; so that there is now no encouragement to growers 

 to cultivate Roses celebrated for their fragrance. 



I remember once, at Hereford, the Marquis of Bute gave a 

 £5 prize for twelve best York-and-Laucaster Eoses, but the 

 competition was so small that the committee persuaded him 

 to transfer his prize to table decorations. So fragrant Roses 

 are left out in the cold, and we live in hopes that some of th'e 

 larger societies or wealthy amateurs will offer a prize for this 

 class at one of the great exhibitions. 



Now as to fragrant Roses. Here, again, by far the most 

 superior is the Tea Rose, and if I am asked to name the most 

 fragrant Rose I should say Devoniensis, and next place my 

 own particular pets — Catherine Mermet and Madame Bravy, 

 or Alba Rosea or Madame Sertot, as she is variously called 

 Souvenir d'Elise, the most lovely of all Teas, has a most dis- 

 tinct and peculiar bouquet ; it is really like fresh tea, and 

 though not so pleasant as the first-named, yet is equally 

 fragrant. 



Waieehal Niel and Triomphe de Rennes possess great fra- 

 grance, while Madame Willermoz reminds one of most delicious 

 fruit. This Rose, though rarely shown in perfection, is for 

 fragrance almost unrivalled. Cloth of Gold is also very fra- 

 grant, and Rubens and Souvenir d'nn Ami delight you with 

 their perfume as well as charm you with their form. In fact, 

 all the above-named Teas are good in every sense, and rarely, 

 if ever, fail to bloom early and late. 



Of the Hybrid Perpetuals it is difficult to give a list, as the 

 great majority of this class possess most exquisite perfume; 

 but I can name a few which are remarkably good. General 

 Jacqueminot among the dark Eoses is pre-eminent for perfume, 

 and La France among the lights. Abel Grand, too, is a most 

 fragrant Rose, and that charming little button-hole Rose 

 (which does remarkably well here), Bonle de Neige, has a most 

 Bweet and distinct bouquet. Beauty of Waltham, among the 

 light crimsons, is very fragrant, and Comtesse de Chabrillant 

 among the light pinks. Madame Furtado, that poor weak 

 grower, whom I almost despair of ever seeing in her beauty, 

 is most celebrated for her perfume ; and Charles Lefebvre, the 

 grandest of dark Roses, is also very sweet. 



The foregoing is a moat imperfect list, but if I were to name 

 all fragrant Roses I should want far too large a portion of 

 yonr space ; I have, therefore, only mentioned a few which in 

 my opinion are most fragrant, and I hope other rosarians will 

 supplement- my list, and so make this letter the opening for 

 another election of Roses — viz., those celebrated for their 

 perfume. — John B. M. Camji. 



[Sincerely pleased are we that an advocate for the fragrance 

 of the Rose has ventured forth. We second all that he has 

 said, but we are sufficiently ancient to remember Eoses fifty 

 years ago, and claim to be among the few inquired for in The 

 Saturday Tici'iVio who remember the scent of " the old Cab- 

 bage Rose." We delight in the fragrance of the Teas, but it 

 is quite distinct from that of the Hybrid Perpetuals, and, in- 

 deed, that of all Eoaes which yield the true attar perfume. 

 We have inhaled that perfume in the Rose gardens of the 

 East, and testify that it is identical with that of the old 

 Cabbage and Moss Roses. Why are these so neglected ? Not 

 one mentioned by Mr. Camm is equal and similar to them in 

 fragrance. — Ens.] 



QUEEN ONION. 



In some notes on the crops of last year, which were published 

 in the Journal in December, I called attention to the Queen 

 Onion as a valuable early kind. Further experience has 

 afforded such additional proof of its worth as to induce me to 

 assign it a much higher position than I have hitherto done. 



It is just about this time of the year that a hitch so often 

 occurs in the Onion supply, the stored-up crop of the previous 

 summer is exhausted, and really good new Onions of a useful 

 size are not always forthcoming. To meet this want some 

 seed of Red Mammoth, Tripoli, and Queen was sown July 

 15th, and the seedlings transplanted into one large bed 

 September .5th. 



Bearing in mind that the object in sowing the seed was to 

 have a supply of Onions sufficiently large for kitchen pnrpofos 

 by, say, the first week in May, the condition of ench kind at 



that time affords the best test of its merits ; for however 

 gigantic may be the proportions of Red Mammoth later in the 

 season, if it is not larger than all other sorts when it is most 

 wanted it is comparatively worthless. This was the condition 

 of the two kinds at the time specified. 



The Queen, sturdy yet with very slender stems, and fine 

 bulbs 7 inches in circumference. Red Mammoth, very strong, 

 coarse, and " bull-necked," with hardly any appearance of bulb- 

 ing, the lower or thickest part having a circumference of about 

 4 inches. In future, therefore, preference will be given to the 

 Queen, sowing the seed in the second week of July in the 

 south, and a week earUer in the north, to obtain a full supply 

 and prompt succession to the exhausted summer crop iu 

 spring. — Edward Luckhckst. 



KOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



May 2.JTH. 



A sPECiAn General Meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 was held last Tuesday in the Council-room, South Kensington, 

 for the purpose of receiving a communication from the Council 

 respecting the future prospects and condition of the Society, and 

 to receive an answer to proposals made by the Council to Her 

 Majesty's Commissioners. The chair was taken by the Presi- 

 dent of the Society, Viscount Bury. Amongst the members of 

 Council present were Dr. Kellock, Sir Coutts Lindsay, Bart., 

 Mr. Henry Webb, Mr. Little, Mr. Dobree (Treasurer), and the 

 Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen. Amongst the general body of 

 the Fellows were Mr. W. Bull, Mr. G. F. Wilson, Mr. W. A. 

 Lindsay (late Secretary to the Council), Mr. H. S. Godson, Dr. 

 Masters, Mr. Shirley Hibberd, Mr. John Fraser, Dr. Denny, Dr. 

 Pinches, Mr. W. E. Rendall, Mr. W. PownaU, Mr. Haughton, 

 Sir Alfred Slade, Bart., Sir Alexander Gordon, Bart., Mr. 

 Guedalla, Mr. Andrew Murray, &c. Several ladies were present. 



Mr. Devonpokt, the Assistant Secretary, having read the 

 advertisement convening the Meeting, 



The Chaieman rose and said that the first announcement he 

 had to make was that of the resignation of their late Honorary 

 Secretary (Mr. W. A. Lindsay). That resignation he had to 

 submit to the meeting. In his resignation, Mr. Lindsay, while 

 stating that he had taken considerable interest in the afiaira of 

 the Society, and took snch steps as he thought likely to promote 

 those interests, felt with deep regret that he could not agree 

 with the policy of the Council or with the views of the Presi- 

 dent. Under these circumstances Mr. Lindsay thought it best 

 for all parties to tender his resignation. It was for him (the 

 Chairman) to ask the meeting for its confirmation of that 

 resignation. 



The Meeting confirmed it. 



The Chairman again rose and said : — Ladies and Gentlemen, 

 I now have to explain the position in which we at this moment 

 are. My task, I regret to say, is an extremely easy one ; it will 

 be diecbarged in but a very few words. The result of it — the 

 upshot, is to tell you that the Council, and we regret it, find it 

 necessary to adjourn this Meeting for ten days. On the last 

 occasion, ladies and gentlemen, you confided to us a certain 

 trust, which was to make arrangements with Her Majesty's 

 Commissioners for the future carrying on of the Society, and to 

 submit to the Fellows a scheme for the future guidamje and 

 government of the Society. We hoped to have been prepared 

 with such a scheme, but I regret to say time has been against 

 us. The adjourned meeting to which 1 have referred was held 

 on March the 9lh, and it was not until the 16th of April we 

 were able to obtain our first meeting with Her Majesty's Com- 

 missioners. That meeting, as I have said, was obtained on the 

 IBth of April. Propositions were submitted by us which we 

 had hoped would be acceptable to Her Majesty's Commissioners, 

 Well, ladies and gentlemen, these prepositions were not con- 

 aidered satisfactory. Then we amended our propositions on 

 that, and, indeed, upon a subsequent occasion. At last we felt 

 it was our duty to submit to you the circumstances under which 

 we find ourselves placed, and I may say we were under the im- 

 pression that a definite " yea " or " nay " would have been 

 received from Her Majesty's Commissioners, and that we 

 should have been able either to assure you we had entered into 

 an agreement with Her Majesty's Commissioners, or that we 

 had failed to do so. If the latter were the case, and we had failed 

 to enter into and complete an arrangement with Her Majesty's 

 Commissioners, we should have felt it our duty to say to you that 

 under the circumstaucesit was due to our own honour — to our- 

 selves, to resign into the hands of the Fellov.-s the truatthey had 

 committed to us, and to beg of you to appoint in our stead those 

 who perhaps might be more fortunate iu dealing with Her 

 Majesty's Commissioners [bear, hear]. Under those circum- 

 stances we summoned the present Meeting, believing, as we 

 did, that before that Meeting was held a definite reply would 

 have been received from Her Majesty's Commiesioners to the 

 last proposal — the last of six^which we have made. I do not 

 now enter into the question of the refusal of Her Majesty's 



