70 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( Jaly ai, 1871. 



aeparatfl colonrs may be had of onr principal nursery and seeds- 

 men in Self, Flake, Bizarre, and Fancy varieties, and Picotees 

 of the Perpetual or Tree kind. After growing them anyone 

 wiU not care so much about the named sorts, seedlings being 

 for general purposes much more easily managed. 



For plants to bloom late in the summer, and in the autumn 

 and winter of 1875, prolonged into 1870, no time is so good 

 for sowing as the middle of July. Seeds sown in March or 

 April will produce plants which will flower in the May and Jane 

 following and up to autumn. In either case all that is re- 

 quired is to sow the seeds in pots or pans of fine soil, covering 

 about a quarter of an inch deep, and place in a frame, keeping 

 the soil regularly moist. The plants will soon be up, and 

 should be kept near the glass, and have air. When the second 

 leaves are about an inch long, pot-oS singly in 3-inch pots, 

 and stand them on ashes in a cold frame, kept rather close and 

 shaded until re-established, and then they cannot have too 

 much air and light ; only in the case of the seedlings raised 

 in July rains should be warded off. This may be done by 

 tilting the lights. In winter the plants should have protection 

 from frost, with air at every favourable opportunity, and when 

 the weather becomes mild in spring well harden-off, and shift 

 into larger-sized pots in April, 4i-inch pots being quite large 

 enough. In May, after having been well hardened-off, they 

 may be placed in a sheltered position on ashes outdoors, and 

 be duly supplied with water. Early in June they should have 

 G or 7-inch pots, according to their size, and be returned to the 

 Bame po^ition, fully exposed, but sheltered from winds. In 

 potting, have the soil rather dry, and pot firmly. Keep duly 

 supplied with water, and in September remove to a light airy 

 house, with a temperature ranging from 45° to 50°. Neat stakes 

 will be required to support the flowering stems. 



The plants from seed sown in AprU will need to be potted- 

 off when the first pair of second leaves are developed, and 

 should be sheltered in a cold frame for a few days, keeping 

 rather close and shaded, moist but not wet, then expose fully 

 to light and air, keeping in summer in an open sheltered 

 eituation, and in September remove to a light airy house. The 

 plants may be potted in 6 or 7-inch pots in September when 

 the 4J-inoh pots become full of roots. They need no further 

 potting, and will, with due care in watering, flower early in 

 summer, and continue to flower for months. After flower- 

 ing they may be cut down to the young shoots, and be fresh 

 potted, giving a slightly-increased size of pot, the sides of the 

 ball being loosened. Moderate drainage will suflice, but it 

 should be free, as also should be the compost, which, though 

 made firm, ought to be of a gritty nature. Good, rather strong, 

 fibrous yellow loam three parts, half a part leaf soil, half a part 

 old, dry, cow or hotbed manure, with a sixth part the whole 

 of old mortar rubbish, the whole broken-up small, but not 

 sifted, form a suitable compost. 



Named varieties are increased by cuttings, which, for winter- 

 flowering, are best taken off in February ; one good joint and 

 the growing point will be enough. They may either be placed 

 singly in small pots, which I prefer, as there is no fear of dis- 

 turbing the roots in potting, or they may be inserted round 

 the sides of a pot in sandy soil, placed in a mild bottom heat, 

 and covered with a hand or bell-glass. If kept moist they 

 will be rooted in a few weeks, and their being so maybe known 

 by their growing freely. Then admit air gradually, and with- 

 draw to a cooler house, when they may be potted singly, or if 

 in single pots, placed in those 4J inches in diameter. In June 

 they may be turned out of doors after being well hardened-off, 

 standing them on ashes in a sheltered position. It does not 

 answer to plunge the pots, for though the plants grow more 

 freely, the check consequent on removal is too great ; at least, 

 they do not flourish after removal. They ought to have 6 or 

 7-inch pots after the pots are full of roots, and before be- 

 coming pot-bound. These sizes of pots are sufficient for plants 

 the first year. By the middle of September they should be 

 housed and have a light airy position. To flower satisfac- 

 torily the temperature should not be much less than 50" from 

 fire heat; the reason they do not flower in winter in ordinary 

 greenhouses is solely want of temperature. As the plants ad- 

 vance the stems will need the support of neat stakes. When 

 showing for bloom weak liquid manure may be given at every 

 alternate watering. 



Cuttings may be put in at intervals thonghout the year, 

 monthly if thought desirable, but three times will be often 

 enough — namely, in February, June, and September. The 

 February cuttings will give a late winter bloom, the June ones 

 a summer one, and those pnt-in in September the best antnmn 



and winter-flowering plants. They will strike without heat 

 under a glass in the greenhouse shaded, but the rooting is 

 more speedy in bottom heat. Those having a few plants will 

 do well to keep up the stock by putting in cuttings occasionally, 

 as from some unknown cause the plants die after they are 

 large. Large plants need not be potted oftener than once 

 a-year, giving the least possible shift ; but I have ceased to 

 care for old plants, and intend growing young plants and 

 cuttings. 



To prevent the bursting of the "pod" of bloom place a 

 ligature about half way up the calyx ; the best is an india- 

 rubber band, such as may be had of most stationers. Cut 

 down the upper part of each division of the calyx to the band 

 to enable the flower to open regularly. 



A dozen of the best named kinds are — 



Ascot Yellow (Picotee), edged with 



crimson. 

 Empress of German;, white, striped 



rose. 

 La Belle, white. 

 Le Grenadier, scarlet. 

 Marchioness of Westminster, deep 



rose. 

 Monsieur Baldwin, scarlet. 



— G. Abbey. 



Prince of Orange (Picotee), yellow, 



edged crimson. 

 Princess Beatrice, bright rose. 

 Princess Christian, pink. 

 Queen of the Belgians, white, striped 



roie. 

 Vulcan, bright red. 

 Zooare, red. 



LOVE AMONGST THE KOSES. 

 The reason why no report appeared of the Exeter Rose Show 

 in our last Journal was simply this : I reached home on Satur- 

 day evening, and on Monday evening left again for Birming- 

 ham, and so had no time. Although a report from a local 

 paper, and a very good one, has appeared, yet I think that a 

 goseipping report of 



THE DEVON AXD EXETEE EOSE SHOW 

 will not be out of place. Devon is par excellence a Rose county. 

 Do we not owe to it Devoniensis, prettiest and best of Enghsh 

 Roses ? Do not some of our very best amateurs live there ? 

 -A.re not my very good friends, Mr. Baker and Mr. Camm, not 

 only enthusiastic but liberal admirers of our queen ? for they 

 have testified to their zeal and liberality by offering a £20 

 prize for the best seventy-two Roses (and the competition for 

 this formed one of the features of the Show). And not even 

 Hertfordshire itself, with its rich fatty loam, can excel this 

 county in its capability for growing the Rose ; and yet, as I 

 have already stated, nowhere have I seen more terribly the 

 results of an Ul-conditioned spring than in the soft and balmy 

 climate of Exeter. 



The Exhibition was held in the public grounds called the 

 Northernhay, and under the able management of Mr. Gray 

 and the exertions of a capital Committee all went smoothly. 

 The arrangements were admirable, and there was no jarring or 

 strife, there were no complaints of favouritism, and the har- 

 mony that prevailed was what ought to be ever seen at a flower 

 show. I hope the time is rapidly passing away when discon- 

 tent and jealousy are the order of the day. Pohticians who 

 can fire away finely at one another in the House can be the 

 best of friends in private ; the barristers who have been be- 

 labouring one another during the case can hobnob together at 

 the bar mess afterwards ; and florists (most of all rosarians) 

 should be able to do the same, and if beaten bear no ill will. 

 Nothing can be more unseemly than an infuriated exhibitor, 

 or, what is as bad, the quietly cynical one who wonders what 

 those Judges know about flowers. 



I have never seen a closer fight than in the class for the 

 £20 prize ; and never have Judges had a more difficult and re- 

 sponsible task enhanced than by the fact that there was a drop 

 in the second prize to £5 ; and for the season a fine lot of 

 blooms was staged, the competitors being Messrs. Paul & Son, 

 Turner, Cranston, Keynes, Prince, and Cant — the very cretnc 

 de la creme of our professional exhibitors. After a long and 

 careful examination the first prize was awarded to Messrs. 

 Paul ifc Son, their box of blooms being more even and better 

 finished. In it were remarkably fine blooms of Etienne Level, 

 Charles Lefebvre, Centifolia rosea, Dae de Rohan, Louis van 

 Houtte, Bessie Johnson, Cecile de Chabrillant, Souvenir de 

 Paul Neron, Cheshunt Hybrid, Marie Baumann, Comtesse 

 d'Oxford, Madame Lacharme, Louise Peyrouny, Baronne 

 Rothschild, and their own seedlings — Reynolds Hole, a very 

 fine dark Rose, and which will worthily represent the rosarian 

 whose name it bears ; Wilson Saunders, a very fine flower of 

 the Charles Lefebvre type, but free from any velvety shading ; 

 The Shah, a seedling from Duke of Edinburgh; and another 



