142 



jouenaij of hoeticultdre and cottage gabdeneb. 



[ August 13, 1874. 



July and begirmiDg of August. The borders where the early 

 Kidney Potatoes were grown are useful for the late sowings. — 

 W. McPhekson, Suekton Hall. 



ROSES AT CHESHUNT. 



I WAS fottnnate in fixing the date of my visit to these world- 

 renowned nurseries of Messrs. Paul & Son, although in ordinary 

 seasons I should have been too late ; but the spring frosts had 

 so effectually retarded the bloom by destroying the first buds, 

 that, although eager enough for the fray, I\Ir. George Paul had 

 been unable to put in an appearance at the earlier shows, but 

 when he did enter the lists all other competitors went down 

 before his determined onslaught, as the tilted fields of Exeter, 

 Birmingham, and a host of other places bear witness to. It 

 was a great treat, then, in the freshness of the early morning, 

 to go under his experienced guidance through the serried ranks 

 of those Eoses from whence have come the marvellous blooms 

 that have won for him such honours, but which are nothing 

 to be compared in beauty to those which one sees in their 

 freshness here ; and I hope that the idea which was thrown out 

 at Exeter may be carried out, and that we may next year have 

 in the metropolis an exhibition of Eoses which have been cut 

 on the morning of the show instead of having been cut twenty- 

 four hours or more, and when the lovely hues that distinguish 

 so many, but which are so evanescent, may be seen. How 

 Marie Baumann has been admired this year ! yet I have not 

 seen a bloom of it at a show with that beautiful glow which, 

 like the blush on a fair maiden's cheek, adds so immensely to 

 its real loveliness. 



To say that Eoses are grown at Cheshunt by the acre is 

 what everyone knows. A quarter of a mUlion or more of 

 plants on the Briar and the Manetti would be, I suppose, about 

 the ordinary stock of the firm, and that the plants are wonder- 

 ful in their vigour is what one would expect from so experienced 

 a grower and from such a soil. What a rich unctuous loam is 

 that of these Hertfordshire fields ! and how many a rosarian 

 who has, perhaps, to combat with chalk, or sand, or gravel 

 must sigh when he sees the depth of this soil, so suitable for 

 the Eose ! But my chief object in visiting the nurseries, in- 

 dependently of the pleasure of talking over our favourite 

 flower with my friend Mr. George Paul, was to go with him 

 through the new Eoses and to see some of his own flowers in 

 perfection, and I shall therefore give now my opinion on them, 

 backed, as it is in most, if not all, instances, by that of one 

 whom I regard as about the best judge of a Eose that I know. 



Madame Lacliarme. — I am utterly at a loss to understand 

 my good friend Mr. Camm's determined attack on this Eose. 

 I have never heard much doubt expressed as to its beauty ; 

 the only doubt that I in common with some have had is 

 whether it was really a Perpetual, aud so far from thinking 

 that good old Lacharme has made a mistake in sending it out, 

 I believe it will be associated for many a year with Charles 

 Lefebvre as a testimony of his great success as a raiser. All 

 doubts, too, as to its character of second blooming were set at 

 rest by an inspection of a whole quarter of hundreds of plants, 

 both on the Manetti and Briar, for every fresh shoot was full 

 of bloom ; and then its vigour and freedom will tend to make 

 it a great addition to a class we are as jet sadly deficient in. 

 I have since seen it on the seedling Briar at Mr. Prince's, and 

 there it was equally good. Let Mr. Cammtake heart of grace, 

 and he will yet have to rejoice over a flower he now despises. 

 Madame Lacharme is a Boee of 1872, and if the question is 

 put, " Where are the other Eoses of that year to be put ?" 

 Echo must answer, " Where ?" Perhaps by-and-by the verdict 

 will have to be reversed, but at present I must honestly say I 

 do not believe a greater collection of rubbish was ever sent 

 over than the Eoses of that year, and I feel how grave is the 

 injury done to our Eose-growers who bud and propagate 

 hundreds of varieties which are afterwards found to be utterly 

 worthless. 



Claude Level. — This was shown by Messrs. Paul & Son at 

 South Kensington, and awarded a first-class certificate, a proof 

 of the fallacy of judging of the merits of a Eose from plants 

 grown in pots, for it will not do. There is not sufficient stulif 

 in it, and we can tolerate now-a-days neither weak growth nor 

 thin flowers, and so Claude Levet will be, I think, condemned. 



Pierre Seletzlaj. — Quite a second-class Rose, but, like many, 

 may occasionally be caught good, especially in the autumn, 

 when Eoses in good character are somewhat scarce. 



Madame Marias Cote. — A pleasing but not first-rate Eose, 

 in form exactly like Madame Moreau, but lighter in colour. 



Those who Uke that style may grow this, but I do not think 

 that it will be a general favourite. 



Mrs. Veltch. — At one time this Eose promised well, but 

 there is not enough stufl' in it. As a rule, when French raisers 

 give an English name to their flowers they are not worth a 

 great deal; there may be exceptions, but " exceplio iirohat 

 regultim.^' 



Madame Emma Combey will not do, although a large Rose 

 and at one time regarded as promising. 



Mrs. La ini). — Miserable, reminding one of that long-discarded 

 Eose Euine des Violettes. 



Fi'llcien David. — This is a pleasing but not first-class flower, 

 and may, perhaps, improve on acquaintance. 



Soiivoiir de J. G. Velteh. — I hope that this Rose may 

 deserve the praises bestowed upon it by Mr. Camm. I cannot 

 say that, although a pleasing shade of colour — a bright deep 

 crimson — it strikes me as a first-class Eose, and its habit lacks 

 vigour ; in truth we have so many crimson hoses that a flower 

 ought to be very good to take its place amongst them, and I 

 do not think this is one of those that will do so. 



Mdlle. Fernande de la Forest. — What a name! and what 

 will our gardeners make of it ? Well, I do not think they will 

 have much trouble about it, for I very much question if it will 

 ever come to be much grown. It promised at one time well, 

 but has lately belied its promises. 



Marie Coulet. — This is certainly a very pretty Rose ; whether 

 it wiU ever make a show Eose is doubtful. The colour is a 

 light rose, passing into blush ; is small in size, and I fear not 

 very vigorous in habit. 



As to the other souvenirs, madames, mademoiselles, docteurs, 

 ifcc, that made up the seventy or eighty Eoses which our 

 friends over the water so temptingly placed before us, I think 

 they may all be dismissed with an admonition not to show 

 themselves again. And I now come with real pleasure to speak 

 of our home-raised varieties. One can look back to the time 

 when Devoniensis was our only English Eose ; and now, thanks 

 to the energy and skill of some of our best growers, we are 

 getting a race of flowers which will hold their own with any of 

 the " furreners," and which in vigour of constitution will 

 leave nothing to be desired. 



Annie Laxton. — This flower will maintain its character, for 

 it must not be forgotten that it was awarded at the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society's meeting at Bath the first prize for the 

 best new Eose. It is now well known from its having been 

 seen in so many winning stands, and is a flower deserving of 

 being universally grown. The shape is good and the colour 

 very pleasing, while the habit is very vigorous. Mr. Laxton is 

 fortunate in having raised it. 



Bessie JoJinson. — This, too, is well known as a light blush 

 sport from Abel Grand, and has been found a very useful Eoso 

 for exhibition. 



Cliesliunl Hijlrld. — That this Rose has Tea blood in it. 

 cannot, I think, be questioned. I saw the plant from which 

 the seed-pod had been obtained, and think Mr. Paul's idea 

 that it is the product of a cross between Camille de Rohan and 

 Madame de Tartes is correct. I saw very large quantities 

 of it in growth here, and we had it bloomit-g in my own houses 

 and garden, and consider it a most beautiful and distinct 

 flower, and must be universally grown. 



S. Letjiwlds Hole. — It would be a pity if the name of this 

 distinguished rosarian were connected with an inferior Eose ; 

 and when Mr. George Paul named his flower thus he doubtless 

 intended it to be a real and not a fancied compliment. I am 

 happy to say that, from what I saw of it here, it is likely to 

 take a very high rank as a dark Eose. The colour approaches 

 that of Camille de Eohan — a deep mauve flushed with scarlet, 

 of fine form, and very large shelly petals. I saw it, of course- 

 in large quantities, and it was decidedly the best dark Rose in 

 the grounds. 



W. Wilson Saunders. — A fine well-shaped flower of medium 

 size ; the petals very large, and the shape of the flower similar 

 to Charles Lefebvre, but without the deep blackish-crimson 

 shading of that flower, being of a bright vivid crimson. This, 

 too, will, I think, be a good addition to our lists. 



Tlte SJiali. — As brilliant as anything His Imperial Majesty 

 ever wore. The colour is a pure red without any shading, and 

 shows its parentage — Duke of Edinburgh. It will probably 

 take its place as a garden rather than as an exhibition Eose, 

 and as such will for its vigour and colour be very eflective. 

 Besides these Mr. Paul has some other seedlings : one called 

 Dr. Hooker, a seedling from Duke of Edinburgh, and another 

 from Marechal VaUlant, somewhat in the style of Fisher 



