March 12, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



217 



was thought superior to the Crawford that fignred in tho 

 streets a week or so later, but was not such a favourite as tho 

 Green Chisel, there sold under the name of Green Jack, while 

 Jargonelle was the best of all. A later Pear had a fair share 

 of popularity under the name of " Eergamy," an excusable 

 corruption of Bergamot which in reality it was. My acquaint- 

 ance with street trading being very limited I cannot say when 

 the Catherine Pear ceased to be hawked about under that 

 name, but it evidently had been popular, as had also the Por- 

 tugal (or Portiugal) Pear now, I believe, seldom heard of ; but 

 it is interesting to hear these old names which must have been 

 familiar enough to all dwellers in towus. Perhaps those whose 

 experience extends farther back than mine will tell us whether 

 ■calling by their proper names fruits and other articles for sale 

 in the streets was the general practice in former years, if so it 

 was preferable to that at present adopted. Catherine Pears were 

 in good repute with little boys and others before George IV. 

 became king, but of the merits of the variety I have but an 

 imperfect remembrauce, and as the name has ceased to be 

 noticed in catalogues I have sometimes been led to believe that 

 it was one known or used only by the traders. Another question 

 arises. Were the seasons at that time more favourable to the 

 ripening of these fruits than at present day? This subject, 

 however, is one bearing on other fruits more than the Pear, 

 and deserves inquiry. — J. E. 



does not prove his plan to be the best. I cannot understand 

 what is the use of eighteen out of the twenty Peaches on such 

 a branch as that sent to the Editors. Similar branches on 

 my trees have only two fruits, some only one, and I must think 

 they swell faster than they would if there were twenty. 



I have not said anything about the difficulty of keeping 

 down insects with a high night temperature. I think most 

 people know something about that. — \Vm. Taylor. 



PEACH-FOKCING. 



I CAN quite understand that my old friend Mr. Gilbert 

 should feel a little concerned about mo and my Peach trees, 

 when he was led to believe that the trees were shut-up seven 

 or eight weeks before they flowered. The fact is, I was fully 

 late in sending my short article on Peach-forcing, which was 

 written three weeks before it was'pubUshed. 



Mr. Gilbert says that when he begins to force he likes " to 

 iorce in the proper sense of the word." We should probably 

 differ as to what constitutes forcing in the proper sense of the 

 word. It sometimes means doing your work in the most 

 artificial and expensive manner, when the same object might 

 be attained iu a more natural and economical way. Mr. Gil- 

 bert clearly proves that he does his Peach-forcing in the proper 

 sense of the word — i.e., he forces at night and in the duller 

 part of winter with strong fire heat. I use no more fire heat 

 than I consider absolutely necessary to prevent the trees re- 

 ceiving a check during nights and dull days, and do not attempt 

 to force at all at such times ; but I do my forcing principally 

 hy solar heat in the light of day. He " keeps steady at be- 

 tween 55" and G0°," whUe I allow a range of temperature from 

 45^ to 75°, and even as high as 90° when the trees get into 

 good healthy growth. I had thought the days of keeping a 

 fixed temperature were passed. 



"Easy work this Peach-forcing," readers wUl say, if two people 

 can do so radically different, and both of them succeed. Well, 

 I am generally successful, and Mr. Gilbert says his plan has 

 served him well for thirty years ; but, oh ! Gilbert, for shame ! 

 think of the price of coals and the tons you have wasted in 

 that time ! 



But it is not a question of economy of fuel alone, the ap- 

 pearance, flavour, and general quahty of the fruit have to be 

 considered. The more forcing the less colour and flavour. 

 My first house with Royal George Peach and Violette Hative 

 Nectarine ripens from the middle to the end of May, and that 

 with very little forcing " in the proper sense of the word ;" 

 •consequently the colour and flavour are good. I do not know 

 when Mr. Gilbert's fruit ripen, but I do not think it possible to 

 get good flavour much earlier than this with the above-named 

 vaiieties. Of course you can get Peaches to look at, but mine 

 are expected to be fit to eat. Flavour is of more importance 

 here than earliness. I have not yet had much experience with 

 Early Beatrice, which I believe to be the best early Peach. 



Mr. Gilbert kindly says he will give my plan (I cauuot claim 

 it as mine) of natural fertilisation an impartial trial ; but I 

 must tell him that unless he will adopt low night temperature 

 I will neither be responsible for fertilisation or stoning. I 

 believe the temperature has more to do with it than it gets 

 credit for. 



It is surprising to see how tenaciously our good old gar- 

 deners stick to the plan of leaving all the flowers and fruit on 

 and waiting to see which will drop off their Peaches and other 

 stone fruits. I am quite wUliug to admit that Mr. Gilbert 

 and others of the same school are successful. A man of Mr. 

 Gilbert's ability would make almost any plan succeed, but that 



THE HISTORY OF THE EOSE.— No. 1. 



By far the largest portion of the following notes were written 

 by the late Dr. Eandle Wilbraham Falconer, and communi- 

 cated by him to the Botanical Society of Edinburgh in 1838. 

 To those notes others have been added, and we publish them 

 together without distinction. 



That the Rose was known to the Israelites, and is mentioned 

 in the Old Testament, there can be little doubt. It was pro- 

 bably known to them by the pre-eminent title chabahelcth, for, 

 although that may have been the general name for a flower, 

 yet, like the Persian gul, it may have been applied to the 

 Rose as tJte flower — the superlative of the floral world. Rosa 

 spinosissima and another species is a native of Palestine ; but 

 as we have no description of the flower in the Old Testament, 

 whether these or some other flower is intended remains quite 

 uncertain, though some flowers mentioned in its pages are 

 translated into " Hose " in our authorised version. 



When we descend to later ages, when descriptions of the 

 flower were given, we cannot but be struck by the almost 

 unvarying name of the flower. In Greek it is Rhodon ; in 

 German, i2ose ; in Dutch, iJoos ; in Danish, iiose; in Swedish, 

 Ilos ; iu French, iiosi'v in Italian, iJosa; in Spanish, iJosaZ; 

 in Portuguese, J?o.<f'ira ; in Russian, iJosa ; in Polish, iJoza; 

 in Bohemian, Ruze ; in Sclavonic, Ruxiza ; in Finnish, Ruusu; 

 in Welch, i?Aos ; in Anglo-Saxon, Rose; and in Gaelic, iJos. 

 Everyone of these seems to be derived from a root-word sig- 

 nifying red or ruddy. 



The Rose is mentioned by Homer and by Anacreon. By the 

 former in the hymn to Ceres, by the latter in many of his 

 odes, through which we learn that it was a flower remarkable 

 for the beauty of its petals ; that it grew amidst thorns ; that 

 it had a divine fragrance ; was of the colour of the human 

 complexion ; that it was the most beautiful of all flowers ; 

 " the queen of flowers ; " the " flower of love." 



Theophrastus and Pliny state that Roses may be distinguished 

 one from another by the roughness, smoothness, colour, smell, 

 and the greater or smaller number of their flower-leaves or 

 petals. The latter writer, speaking of tho Rose generally, 

 thus describes it: — "Tho Rose grows upon a thorny rather 

 than on an herbaceous plant; it grows also upon a plant 

 similar to a Bramble. There it has an agreeable smell, but 

 not perceptible at any great distance. The whole flower sprouts 

 at first enclosed in a calyx full of seeds, which in a short time 

 swells, and becomes pointed at the summit like green alabastri.* 

 By degrees the flower grows, opens, and expands itself, con- 

 taining in the middle of its calyx the erect yellow stamina." 

 This author then proceeds to enumerate eleven kinds of Roses, 

 which, he says, were well known to the Romans. They are 

 the following : — 



1. Roga Pra'nGstina. 



2, E. Catupana. 

 8. E. Milesia. 



4. R. Trachinia. 



5. R. Alabandica* 



6. R. spineola. 



7. R. ccntitoUa. 



8. R. grseca 



9. K. gracula. 



10. R. moscheuton. 



11. R. coroneola. 



Four other kinds of Roses are mentioned by Pliny in differ- 

 ent parts of his " Natural History," but of these he gives no 

 description ; they do not appear to have been in such high 

 repute as the above, though somewhat esteemed for their 

 medicinal properties. These kinds are called R. alba, paUida, 

 spinosa, and quinquefolia. 



Of the first two kiuds of the eleven more particularly de- 

 scribed by Pliny, tho Campanian was the earliest in flower, 

 and the Prtenestine the first which ceased blowing. The 

 Milesian was of a very bright colour, and consisted of not 

 more than twelve petals ; it was the latest which came into 

 blossom. The Trachiuian Rose was less red than the Milesian. 

 The colour of the petals of the Alabandic Rose inclined to 

 white ; it was less esteemed than any of the preceding. The 



^ The " alabastrus " was a perfume-bos which the Rose-bud resembled in 

 form. 



