XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 281 



deteriorating and is seldom exhibited. It is said, 

 however, still to grow and bloom well in some favoured 

 localities, such as the Isle of Wight. Would probably 

 do better as a standard, but is then not easily protected 

 from injury in the winter. 



Clwibing Devoniensis (Pavitt, 1858). — This seems to 

 have been the first of all climbing sports fixed and 

 sent out, and till lately was the only such variation 

 known among the Teas. It may have been noticed 

 that several of the climbing variations among the 

 H.P.s are sports of Roses which have quite a short 

 growth naturally. This Tea Rose however " out-Herods 

 Herod " in differing from the Devoniensis type, which 

 is of quite moderate growth, for the climbing variation 

 is the strongest, most untidy, and irregular grower we 

 have. Growing is its strong point, and it gives so 

 much attention to this as sometimes nearly to omit the 

 flowering part of the business altogether. A strong 

 long shoot of the Gloire de Dijon or Noisette races, 

 if laid in well and uninjured by frost, will bloom freely 

 all up the rod. Not so Climbing Devoniensis ; away 

 it goes again, if in good soil and on a warm wall, from 

 the top bud of last year's shoot, and its sole endeavour 

 seems to be to get to the top of the wall as quickly as 

 possible, and as a plant to look as bare at the base, 

 ugly, and lopsided as it can. The great pithy, thorny, 

 flowerless shoots are very susceptible to frost, and are 

 not handsome at any time. The blooms when they do 

 come are no improvement on the type, as they open 

 too soon on a wall. I have seen it show better 

 manners, growing moderately and blooming freely 

 throughout the summer on a south wall where no 

 attention was paid to it ; and I believe this desirable 

 state of affairs was attained by semi-starvation, but 



