July 8, 1876. J 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND OOTTAGB GARDKNEB. 



23 



they see their own Roses grown on transplanted standards, and 

 compare them with the grand display now made on the exhi- 

 bition stands by onr leading nurserymen and amateurs, Mr. 

 Camm has, I think, consequently done good service by calling 

 onr attention to out-back Roses. 



I should like much to have innuired at the Alexandra and 

 Crystal Palace Rose Shows how many of the blooms exhibited 

 by the amateurs were from old-established plants. I certainly 

 do not ever remember to have seen a better collection of ama- 

 teur Roses taken as a whole than those shown by the amateurs 

 at the Crystal I'alaco. The nurserymeu were in high force, 

 and I do not thiuk I ever saw a better seventy-two than those 

 which Mr. G. Paul staged, and which carried off the premier 

 prize ; but when we consider that the generality of amateurs 

 only cut from a comparatively small number of Roses, I thiuk 

 that the Roses shown by the amateurs on Saturday, 2Gth of 

 June, at Sydenham were quite as meritorious in their way as 

 those shown by the nurserymen , and the majority of the blooms 

 were quite equal in their way to those in the nurserymen's 

 classes. If, as I fancy, the majority were from cut-back Roses, 

 it would help materially to confirm Mr. Camm's remarks. 



What shall I say about the much-vexed question as to the 

 merits of Mme. Lacharme? I am inclined to thiuk that 

 neither " D., DtYi/," nor Mr. Camm is right: that one exalts 

 it too highly, while the other pulls it too much to pieces. It 

 is undoubtedly a good pot Rose, but it is too delicate and 

 flimsy in the petals for ordinary garden purposes. It puts me 

 somewhat in mind of Miss Ingram, which also was equally 

 highly extolled and as much declaimed, and which still is a 

 good Rose when caught at its best, much as I expect Mme. La- 

 charme will be. Certainly a box of it at the Alexandra Palace 

 was worthy of high commendation. 



French raisers of Roses will have to look to their laurels. 

 The last three years have given us but very few worth anything. 

 Ttike Etieune Lavet, Franvois Michelon, and a few others 

 out of the list, we have a great deal of trash, as Abbe Bram- 

 mertl, Maximo de la Rocheterie, and others to place against 

 them. Why I name this is that some of the recent English- 

 raised Roses, as Cheshunt Hybrid, John Bright, Duchess of 

 Edinburgh, Emily Laxton, Mrs. Lixton, Oxonian, and others 

 seem likely to be taking precedence over the foreigners. 



While on the subject of Roses may I press upon nurserymen 

 iu preparing their catalogues to give the name of the raisers to 

 their Roses, not merely in those cases where there are two of 

 the same name, as Duchess of Edinburgh of Veitch's and 

 Bennett's, but because it is only fair upon those who have 

 furnished the public with the best Roses to have their names 

 honourably mentioned, and it also might help as a check, which 

 is much wanted, against worthless novelties? 



I must conclude by saying I was much amused by Mr. Rad- 

 clySe's idea of button-hole Roses. I wonder he did not add 

 Bironne Prevost and Felix Genero, to say nothing of Mme. 

 Masson. Mats cliucun a son gofit. — C. P. Peach. 



DK. KODEN'S STRAWBERRIES. 



MoBNiNGSiDE is the residence of Dr. Rodenof Kidderminster, 

 who frequently contributes to the pages of your Journal, and 

 who is quite a professional iu many branches of horticulture, 

 and whatever he undertakes he generally carries out to per- 

 fection. Notably at present are his Strawberries, which are a 

 eight worth going miles to see, and anyone interested in the 

 culture of that delicious summer fruit will have ocular demon- 

 stration of what can be done with them. Dr. Roden has made 

 the cultivation of the Strawberry and raising of seedlings his 

 Btudy for years, and has been successful in raising a number 

 of seedlings which bid fair to take the field against a great 

 many existing varieties. 



Eirly Prolific and Duke of Edinburgh were sent out some 

 years ago, and I have proved them to be excellent for forcing. 

 Early Prolific I consider a first-class Strawberry for forcing in 

 every point of merit, to be succeeded by Duke of Edinburgh. 

 These have taken the place of Black Prince and Keens' Seed- 

 ling, with me the former being so liable to mildew, and the 

 latter in many cases a great many of the plants prove barren ; 

 but the Doctor is bringing out another Strawberry which is 

 earlier than either of the above, and a grand cropper ; he names 

 it Alpha. Amongst early Strawberries he has also Amy Rob- 

 sart, Early Crimson Pine, and Hundredfold, the latter properly 

 named, for it is a mass of fruit all round the plant, and has 

 a good constitution. There are also to be seen his eight-year- 

 old British Queens, about 3 feat through, and supported with 



crinolines completely covered with fruit. The Doctor has also 

 a great many other mid-season seedlings, and also very late 

 seedlings, a later than any we have at present iu cultivation is 

 a desideratum which I hope the Doctor will be able to supply ; 

 and this is not the only branch of horticulture iu which the 

 Doctor excels, for in fruit trees he has a splendid collection 

 of all the best sorts of Pears, Apples, Plums, &o., models of 

 good training, and by judicious treatment, such as root-prun- 

 ing, summer-pinching, etc., he is generally able to secure good 

 crops of fruit. — J. A., Uill Grove. 



THE MIDLAND COUNTIES HORTICDLTURAL 

 EXHIBITION, BIRMINGHAM. 



In the Lower Grounds, Aston Park, this great Show was 

 opened on the lat inst., and continued for f jur days. The laud- 

 able object of Mr. Qailter iu seekiug to benefit a worthy insti- 

 tution, his encouragement of popular gardening, his adminis- 

 trative ability and liberal recognition of all who aid him, secured 

 the response of a wide range of cultivators, and the result is a 

 display of the best products iu the different sections into which 

 the Exhibition is divided. The past history of these Shows aud 

 their great success has raised them far above a local character, 

 and we are glad to say their reputation is sustained. The dis- 

 play this year is iu most poiuls eqaal, and iu some superior, to 

 the gatherings of past years. The plant department is full and 

 fine, the Roses and cut flowers extensive, the vegetables of the 

 first order of merit, and the fruit of excellent quality, but does 

 not perhaps afford such an imposing display as did this section 

 last year. Implements and appliances are also extensively 

 represented by the principal firms of the country. Tho Rose 

 tent, which also contained other cut flowers, plants, fruit, and 

 vegetables, is 300 feet in length by 4.5 feet in widtb. A covered 

 corridor, CO by 45 feet, containing Pelargoniums aud Feriia, leads 

 to the tropical plant tent, which is 300 feet in circumfdrence. 

 The specimen plant tent is 130 by 80 feet, aud thera are thirty 

 allotments of space for implements. These are all filled, and, 

 excluding other conveniences, give a fair outline i'ioa of the 

 extent of the Exhibition. Taking the classes iu their order of 

 arrangement we commence with the 



Specimen Plants, and find collections of great cultural and 

 decorative merit. The plants are arranged on turf banks — a 

 large central oval aud marginal tiers. In Class 1, for sixteen 

 stove aud greenhouse plants in bloom, the competitors are 

 Messrs. ColeA Sons, Withington, and Mr. Cypher, Cheltenham. 

 Messrs. Cole won the .i;25 prize, and being the second time they 

 have achieved this honour, the silver challenge cup iu addition 

 becomes their own. Their plants were not only lar<;6 but in 

 admirable condition of health and freshness. Some of the best 

 were a grand Hedaroma tulipifera, a perfect globe of fully 6 feet 

 in diameter; huge and densely-bloomed Azaleas, two very fine 

 Allamandas, A. grandiflora being exceedingly effective ; a re- 

 markably fine plant of the old Vinca oculata alba, very fine 

 Ixoras, Ericas Cavendishiana and Candolleana, very large; and 

 Parmentieriaua rosea, excellently shown; a capital Phceuocoma, 

 a good Anthurium Soherzerianum, &c. This was a valuable, 

 well-grown, and well-arranged collection. The second-prize 

 plants, Mr. Cypher's, were in health and arrangement in no 

 way inferior to the above, but were not so large. They were, 

 however, fine aud admirably grown specimens, the most striking 

 being a brilliant Combretum clothed in rich deep scarlet ; very 

 fine Allamandas, Franciscea eximia, very telling; Cleroden- 

 drum Balfourianum, extra fine ; a fine Kalosanthus, Genetyllis, 

 Ericas, &c., a fresh aud beautiful collection which anyone may 

 be proud to own. The next class for twelve plants in bloom 

 brought out some superior examples of culture. Messrs. Cole 

 and Sons again bad the post of honour, followed respectively by 

 Mr. Cypher and Mr. Perkins, Leamington. Messrs. Cole's was 

 a fine group, Ixorae Coleii and Williamsii, Ericas Massoni major 

 and obbata, a good Bougainvillea, AUamanda, aud Azaleas being 

 the most striking. The cream of Mr. Cypher's were AUamanda 

 grandiflora, very bright ; Dipladenia amabilis, Ixoras, Phajnc- 

 coma, Statice, aud Dracophyllum, all uniformly excellent. Mr. 

 Perkins having as the best a very fine Dipladenia, and immense 

 Statices imbricata aud profusa, very attractive aud good. The 

 individual excellence of the plants in these classes was very re- 

 markable, and their freshness for the period very noteworthy. 



The next was an amateurs' class for ten stove and greenhouse 

 plants iu bloom, and was filled with four collections of rare 

 excellence. The first prize of ill'2 went to Mr. Chapman, gar- 

 dener to J. Spode, Esq., Hawkesyard Park, with elephantine 

 plants in capital order. Bougaiuvillea glabra was 5 feet through 

 and densely bloomed ; Clerodeudron Balfourianum and Phosao- 

 coma being equally large ; Ericas Parmentieriaua and Aitoniana 

 were very fine ; with Ixora, Dracophyllum, and Statice. Mr. 

 Pilgrim, Fairlawn, Cheltenham, had the second place with a 

 splendid lot containing one of the finest plants of Anthurium 

 Soherzerianum ever seen, a perfect model of sixty bright 

 spathes; his Stephanotis, Eiica ventricosa major, GeuetylUs, 



