September 17, 1874. ] 



JOUBNAIi OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



253 



awkwardness of the trains and the fact that I had to be in 

 Cheltenham the same evening. AVhen I arrived at Oxford Mr. 

 Prince told me his nursery waa ten miles away, but that if I 

 drove there he could then take me on five miles further, so as 

 to meet the Cheltenham train at Wantage Koad. The day 

 happily waa fine, and so we started off. On this drive, of 

 course, we had much opportunity for talking, and naturally the 

 seedling Briar was our chief subject. When we arrived at the 

 nursery our time was so short that I had not a fair opportunity 

 of doing justice to it ; but I saw enough to convince me that 

 the seedling Briar is a decided success. I saw long rows of it : 

 rows of grafted standards on the same stock, rows of Roses on 

 Manettia and on the hedge Briar, and I can safely aver that 

 those on the seedling Briar were far ahead of all the others. 

 Especially was this the case with Teas ; these were simply 

 magnificent. 



It has been, I know, said that Mr. Prince's must be a fine Rose 

 soil to produce such blooms as he has exhibited, but this is a 

 mistake ; it is by no means such — no way to be compared to 

 the rich unctuous loam of the Hertfordshire Rose grounds — 

 but is of a rich and friable character, much the same sort of 

 soil as I have had to deal with in my own garden, so that I do 

 not think that any of the success which has attended Mr. 

 Prince's efforts is to bo attributed to the soil. The situation 

 is good, clear and open ; in fact, the nursery waa three years 

 ago a part of a Wheat field ; but I cannot sufficiently express 

 my admiration of the vigour and beauty of the plants. It 

 would be tedious to enumerate the sorts which struck me as 

 fine, for all were so, and we know what Mr. Prince can do 

 as an exhibitor : it will be as well, then, to say why I think the 

 seedling Briar more advantageous than the Manetti. 



1. It seems to me to give a much more enduring character 

 to the Rose. Mr. Prince states that it is earlier than the 

 Manetti, but, at any rate, we know that for late blooma the 

 Manetti cannot approach it, and there is a substance in the 

 petals which comes from the source. I have seen, no matter 

 where, a box of blooms which had been cut the day before the 

 show from this stock, exhibited against others from the Ma- 

 netti more recently cut, and at three o'clock in the afternoon, 

 when all the others were " fading away," those on the seedling 

 Briar were still fresh. 



2. It seems to suit some Roses of delicate habit better than 

 the Manetti. I know people say, " Don't keep Roses of delicate 

 habit;" but there are some, such as Franr'ois Lacharme and 

 Clemenoe Raoux, that one would be glad to have, but the 

 Manetti seems too strong for them and overpowers them. The 

 seedling Briar imparts a vigour to them without destroying 

 the Rose, and all kinds seem to thrive. Who can easily forget 

 the wondrous beauty of the blooms of Clijmence Raoux exhi- 

 bited by Mr. Prince at the Autumn Show of the Metropolitan 

 Floral Society two years ago at the Crystal Palace ? 



3. It is not so liable to suckers as the Manetti, and if suckers 

 do appear they are more easily recognised. I saw positively 

 no suckers in Mr. Prince's nursery, and in the plants that I 

 had from him I have never seen the trace of one, wliile perpetu- 

 ally they are appearing on the Manetti stock. Doubtless an 

 experienced grower will soon detect the sucker, but everyone 

 is not an experienced grower, and I have gone into the gardens 

 of those who really loved Roses, and have seen the Manetti 

 rampantly overpowering everything, while the owner was 

 condering why the Rose did not bloom. 



4. It seems, equally with the Manetti, to be suited for all 

 soils, but care must be taken in planting not to plant deeply. 

 With the Manetti this is desirable, but the seedling Briar seems 

 to require a different treatment. 



• I may add that while, perhaps, I cannot go quite with Mr. 

 Prince in all he says and thinks about this stock, I feel he is on 

 the right track, and I think there may be truth in what he 

 says : — " I feel I am only a beginner, and that year by year I 

 learn something new respecting the treatment of this stock and 

 its wonderful adaptability to all soils." He is conducting many 

 experiments with it, and I hope we may yet hear more from 

 him on the subject. — D., Deal. 



Me. Shaw's Gardens, St. Lotus, A.U.S. — At the residence 

 of Mr. Shaw, wherein all are welcome, is kept the record of all 

 visitors, many of them famous. Just beyond is the now justly 

 popular Tower Grove Park of seventy acres, a gift from Mr, 

 Shaw to the city, already beautifully planted and kept. On 

 returning from his house we pass the splendid octagon 

 mausoleum, designed for his final resting place, built of hewn 



stone, with eight arches, hung over with trees which oast a 

 deep shade. We trust it will be long ere it open to receive 

 him. Close by is another tombstone, raised as a tribute of 

 respect to a gardener esteemed for his devotion to horticul- 

 ture, bearing this inscription — 



TO THK MEMORY OF 



THOMAS NUTTALL, 



Son in Engliinil, 178G; difd Sf jJl.-m (,.;)■ 1»/, 1869. 



Honour to bim, the zealoue aud Bucceastul naturaliHt, tbe father of Western 



Ainericmi botany, tbe worthy coinpoer of IJart' n, Uicbaux, Hooker, 



Torrey and Gray. 



— (American Horticulturist.) 



AMEEICAN POTATOES. 



It may interest some of your readers to know what we have 

 done here with the new American Potatoes introduced last 

 year. 1 lb. of Vermont Beauty produced 120 lbs., some of the 

 tubers weighing 2 J lbs. each. 1 lb. of Early Gem produced 

 62 lbs. 1 lb. Ampton's Surprise produced 52 lbs. ; but in this 

 case half the sets were destroyed by slugs. 



The ground in which these Potatoes were grown waa not 

 specially prepared, only the ordinary quantity of manure 

 being used. — Fred. Walton, ,S'(. Cuthbert's, Albrighton, near 

 Wolverhampton. 



FLORAL DECORATIONS IN NEW YORK. 



The profuseness with which flowers are used in New York 

 at bridal or funeral occasions is fairly a subject of extraor- 

 dinary comment. We have personally known flowers to the 

 amount of six thousand dollars' worth brought to a church to 

 decorate it on the occasion of the funeral of one of the most 

 prominent citizens of this city. Harper's Bazaar refers to this 

 subject, and speaks of their use on social occasions. 



The floral decorations are a charming feature of evening 

 entertainments this winter, and are withal expensive, two 

 thousand dollars being sometimes the florist's bill for the 

 elaborate decorations of a single reception. Different devices 

 are arranged for each room, and for almost every part of each 

 room. Corners are decorated with potted plants, and with 

 cut plants heaped in pyramids ; Smilax looped with Rose buds 

 festoons the cornices ; draperies of Roses and Smilax are 

 arranged between windows, mantels are divided in three beds 

 of flowers, with Violets in the centre. Daphnes and Roses on 

 each end, and a groundwork of Lycopodium and Ferns. In 

 the wide doors between drawing-rooms is a canopy of flowers 

 shaped like a parasol, and supporting nine balls made of dif- 

 ferent kinds of flowers, Violets, Roses, &c. The waUs of main 

 parlours are transformed into beds of flowers, where wire 

 frames support great fields of Heliotrope, Roses, Camellias, 

 Tuberoses, and Carnations, edged with Ferns, Smilax, and the 

 scarlet leaves of the Poinsettia. On other walls are flower 

 cornucopias 3 feet in diameter, filled with the loveliest cut 

 flowers. To make the hall look different from the rooms, Ivy 

 is draped above the doors and staircases, and the landings have 

 baskets of Ferns and hanging Vines. Great banks of flowers 

 are heaped in the dressing-rooms, and picture frames are 

 studded with Daphnes, Violets, and Roses, and draped with 

 Smilax, while choice cut flowers fill antique jars and vases. 

 Instead of the marriage-bell of flowers formerly seen at wedding 

 receptions, the bride and groom now stand under an arbour or 

 bower of Roses arranged before a long mirror. High epergnes 

 of cut flowers are used on refreshment-tables where the guests 

 stand; at dinners, where the company are seated, there are 

 lower epergnes that do not obstruct the view. Troughs of 

 glass in figures, letters, and monograms, and straw baskets re- 

 presenting sheaves of Oata or VPheat, also hold the flowers. 

 At small dinners each gentleman guest finds a boutonniere at 

 his plate, and each lady a larger nosegay, called by the florist 

 a belt bouquet, or else a napkin bouquet. The latter cost from 

 one dollar to two dollars each, and the former fifty cents. The 

 long-stemmed flowers that are now loosely put together for 

 hand bouquets are first pierced through the calyx by a fine 

 wire, which is then twisted around its stem to support it, the 

 florists say. Remonstrate against this torture of so sweet a 

 flower, and you are assured that experiment proves that the 

 pierced Rose will not fade sooner than its ^vely companion 

 that is left free beside it. The bouquet is chosen with reference 

 to the flowers that trim the dress. — {American Ilorl'xulturist.) 



EnODODENDKON BLOOMING A SECOND TiME. — Is it nOt mOst 



unusnal for a Rhododendron to be perpetual ? yet to my great 



