January 1, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Mr. Hewitt at least by name, but all do not know that his 

 health is not now what all his friends (and we are all of us his 

 friends) wish it to be, and also that he has had sorrow. I 

 therefore wish editors, sub-editor, writers, readers in all parts 

 a happy new year, and also add to that wish that the coming 

 year may be a happier and healthier one to Mr. Hewitt. — 

 WiiiiSHiBE Kectok. 



WAK OF THE ROSE STOCKS. 



I AM glad of the war of the Roses — not the York-and-Lan- 

 caster this time, but Briar r. Mauetti. I have been expecting 

 a vigorous Briai'eus to attack my article on Manetti, but no 

 sign of a powerful onslaught has yet been made, except it be 

 the statement of the length of shoot that has or can be made 

 from a Rose on a Briar stock in one season ; but as I have my- 

 self measured Gunural Jacrjueminot 9 feet to 11 feet (J inches in 

 one season, and Gloire de Dijon on Manetti 17 feet, I do not 

 think 13 feet 6 inches on the Briar quite such a poser. I 

 question much whether it was on a standard, and if it was on 

 a standard it would have nearly all to come away for the sake 

 of the symmetry of the head. Again I say. Where there is a 

 heavy clay or an unctuous tenacious loam, stick to the Briar, 

 but then not as a standard, but budded on the seedling; or 

 when a man does not care for a bedded-out Rose garden, and 

 does not mind about an untidy quarter of Roses, and wishes 

 to go in for amateur Rose-showing, let him each year bud on 

 the Briar as many as he has room for, and dispose of them as 

 best he may after the season. 



Mr. Baker says he agrees with me in the main, but would 

 not mulch. I do not mean by mulching putting on heavy wet 

 manure, but warm littery manure, leaving air to the roots 

 and stems, but still affording great protection from frost. 



If I might venture to answer Mr. Camm's queries about Tea 

 Eoses for exhibition stands, I would say persons too often put 

 in Tea Roses, not because they are really first-rate, but to 

 diversify a stand. A reaUy line Tea Rose or Noisette, such as 

 Marechal Niel, Souvenir d'un Ami, Madame WUlermoz, and 

 others not only diversify but beautify a stand ; but a second- 

 rate Tea Rose is not better than a second-rate Hybrid Per- 

 petual — certainly not so good as a first-rate Hybrid Perpetual. 

 Tea Roses protected against a wall too often come in before the 

 rest of the Hybrid Perpetuals, and then inferior blooms on side 

 shoots are put into stands because they are favourites with the 

 exhibitor, and because he thinks the judges will make allow- 

 ances for its being a Tea ; but they too often hang their heads, 

 and appear as if they were ashamed of looking the judges in the 

 face. Choose the best, the freshest, and most perfect-shaped 

 Eoses you have to put into your stands, never minding whether 

 they are all Hybrid Perpetuals or not ; but if you have a really 

 good Tea by all means let it come to the front. Some rosarians 

 have a penchant for flat Roses ; some ignore the merits of 

 La France because of a loose petal, and praise a Rose of the 

 shape of an inverted Mushroom ; some Uke dark Roses or 

 dull-coloured Roses like Felix Genero, because they weather 

 well ; but an indulgence of these fancies on an exhibition table 

 would seriously militate against the chance of a prize. 



It is now three or four years since I was able to avail myself 

 of the request to judge at the Crystal Palace. Saturdays for 

 parsons who live two hundred miles away are not good days 

 for Rose shows ; but I have a very lively recollection of very 

 good and pleasant dinners, under the auspices of the worthy 

 Superintendent, Mr. Wilkinson ; and I feel sure than any hint 

 for a breakfast and pleasant meeting for rosarians would be 

 quickly carried out, as one especial feature I have always 

 noticed at the Crystal Palace is their readiness to accommodate 

 the public, and to accede to any proper request. So I hope 

 Mr. Farren will succeed in satisfying his wants, both of a good 

 breakfast and a good talk. Roses — to the front. — C. P. Peach. 



HOW TO TREAT CAMELLIA BUDS AND BLOOMS. 

 At this time of the year there is generally a great demand 

 for Camellia buds and blooms, and unless there are houses 

 containing large trees planted-out it is difficult to obtain 

 enough without overtaxing the few trees that can be kept in 

 a miscellaneous eoUeotion of hardwooded plants. It is not 

 every person who has such housefuls as are to be found at 

 Bicton, Sion, Chatsworth, or the Exeter Nurseries — I have 

 driven-out cartloads from the latter. We not only, by cut- 

 ting a bloom with the wood to it, run a risk of destroying the 

 means of producing a crop of flowers in the following season, 



but also of reducing the already-too-small tree, and then there 

 is the loss, in most instances, of the unopened bud that will in 

 the majority of cases be situated near, and which would bo 

 most acceptable by-and-by. I think, therefore, your lady 

 readers who have but a plant or two will thank me for giving 

 them a hint on this subject. 



Now, the remedy I adopt is a great advantage to the tree, 

 and not less so to the jjerson for whom the bloom is intended. 

 It is simply to pull-off the bud or open bloom gently from the 

 plant, leaving the wood and an open bud for further service, 

 and place it on wire. The bloom answers the same pur- 

 pose vrithout the wood as with it — nay, even better, for it is 

 not hable to be knocked-off, as is often the case when left on 

 the wood. It can at the same time be better arranged to suit 

 the button-hole, the hair, or in hand bouquets. Of course, the 

 wood is necessary when blooms are employed for specimen 

 glasses or stands for table decoration ; even then it is a wise 

 plan to thrust a few wires through the base of the flower, thus 

 keeping it together for some days longer than it would other- 

 wise do. 



I take the buds or open blooms without wood, and thrust 

 about four or five bouquet wires into the base of the petals, 

 place the blooms at the required distance — this is easily done 

 by having the wires of different lengths — then twist the wires 

 all together close at the base of the flower. I have then two 

 leaves of the Camellia also placed each on a wire, and neatly 

 put one on each side of the flower, with a good moderate-sized 

 frond of Fern at the back, and with just a small bit under the 

 front of it so as to hang down a little carelessly. Now gently 

 twist the wires together so as to form a stem about 2 inches 

 long. The work is then done. The bloom will last a night 

 well, and will give greater satisfaction to the wearer, and, of 

 course, to the gardener (nothing exasperates him more than 

 having to cut too much at his Camelhas), for he knows that 

 " his " plants are none the worse of the blooms being removed. 

 — J. T., Maesgwynne. 



STRAWBERRY FORCING. 



I SUPPOSE we have all heard of the famous culinary recipe 

 that commences with " First catch your hare." No really good 

 cook would attempt to make hare soup without at least a small 

 portion of that animal to flavour it with. To beginners in 

 forcing I would say, First have properly prepared plants. It 

 is useless to attempt to force fruit on a plant that has not 

 already perfected its arrangements to bring forth flowers. The 

 flowers must be there in embryo and ready to burst forth when 

 the necessary heat is applied ; the plants must also be ripened 

 to a certain extent. By the number of failures we read and 

 hear of year after year it would seem that this is not thoroughly 

 understood, because Strawberries are certainly not more diffi- 

 cult to force than many other fruits when once we have the 

 plants and suitable accommodation. 



Whatever the size of the pots used, they should by the 

 middle of September at the latest be so full of roots, that on 

 turning a plant out scarcely a particle of soil can be seen 

 amongst them. This accomplished, all the rest is easy. The 

 pots should be kept on a hard substance to prevent rooting 

 through — mine are placed on inverted (iO-pots. The plants wUl 

 perfect their crowns and ripen in spite of sunless weather and 

 autumn rains, and by the end of November most of the out- 

 side leaves will have changed colour, and all wUl appear almost 

 dormant. 



Those who have plants of this description may commence 

 at any time ; and those who have nothing but soft green leaves, 

 whatever size their plants may be, had better throw them 

 away and have some clean 7-inch pots and stiff loam, such as 

 Melons delight in, ready next June, and I will then tell them 

 how to start afresh. It is useless to attempt to do anything 

 with unripe plants ; nearly all the art of forcing Ues in pre- 

 paring the plants beforehand. This applies to flowering plants 

 generally as well as to those grown for their fruit. 



To have good fruit ripe by the first or second week of April 

 the plants should be placed in a little warmth not later than 

 the first week of January. To plunge them in a bed of warm 

 leaves and cover with a frame, is a good old plan that is not 

 yet beaten for the earUest batch or two, giving air whenever 

 the temperature can be kept up to 48° or 50°, removing the 

 lights altogether during mild weather, and covering a little 

 during frosty nights. In a mild season this treatment may be 

 continued till the crowns fairly begin to open, when the plants 

 should be removed to a light house or pit where a temperature 



