XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 255 
to very cold May nights: it is only in exceptionally 
good seasons that any but the longer later shoots 
yield good blooms with me: but the variety is well 
worth growing if only a few fine specimens can be 
secured. 
Her Majesty (Bennett, 1885).—Manners and cus- 
toms are notoriously strict and exacting in royal 
circles, and in this remarkable Rose we certainly 
have some striking peculiarities. Of long, strong 
and yet robust growth if well fed, but by no means 
free : it makes extraordinary growth under favourable 
conditions, but a poor show if not treated regally 
and favoured with fine weather. Prune high or 
low you will get but few shoots to a plant, and if the 
single growth of a maiden shoot be stopped, instead 
of breaking in several places like the vulgar herd, 
Her Majesty generally shoots only from the top bud 
left, and continues one stem upwards as before. We 
may place the plants close together, for the stems of 
each are few in number and upright and stiff. It 
has fine foliage and large stems with tremendous 
thorns, the whole being extremely and notoriously 
subject to mildew, so that it is best planted by 
itself or among the Teas, where the infection will be 
less dangerous in the summer season. It is a very 
slow starter in growth if pruned hard, and as it is 
advisable to get the blooms as early as possible 
before the plant is crippled with the inevitable mil- 
dew, this Rose alone of all may, with possible 
advantage, be pruned in the Autumn, as it will still 
not start growth early enough to be injured by frost. 
Better still perhaps is it to leave it so long in pruning 
as to get a plump and well developed bud for the 
coming shoot: indeed it should not be pruned too 
