144 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



A Great Rose and How to Grow It.— 

 The American Beauty. 



This new American Rose, introduced two 

 years ago as a cut-flower variety for winter 

 blooming, has, up to date, achieved a most 

 remarliable success. Its strongest qualities 

 are the very ones recognized as being of the 

 greatest value in a Rose suitable for popular 

 culture, namely, great vigor of growth, and 

 remarkable blooming powers, coupled with 

 fine form, striking color, and, not the least, 

 a most delicious true-rose fragrance. 



Having ourselves 

 much confidence in 

 this sort, as based 

 upon watching its de- 

 portment from the 

 first, we, however, 

 desired to lay before 

 our readers the opin- 

 ion of that expert 

 Rose grower and care- 

 ful observer, Mr. 

 Charles Anderson, of 

 Flushing, N.Y. , con- 

 cerning its value to 

 amateurs in garden 

 culture. This he has 

 kindly advanced, at 

 our request, in the 

 form which follows: 



As a forcing Rose 

 for winter flowers its 

 reputation has been so 

 well established dur- 

 ing the past two years 

 that any comments 

 from me would be 

 superfluous. It is sure 

 to be valuable for the 

 above purpose for 

 years to come. But 

 it is to the amateur 

 Rose lover that this 

 Rose must prove to 

 be of the greatest 

 value and interest. 



There seems to be 

 some hesitation 

 among rosarians 

 where to class or 

 place this remarkable 

 sort. In my judg- 

 ment it should be 

 placed in the class of 

 Hybrid Perpetuals, 

 for it is a true Re- 

 montant, throwing up 

 its lovely bright, rosy 

 pink flowers continu- 

 ously, as long as the 

 conditions are favor- 

 able to growth. 



Certainly there is no Rose sent out in 

 recent years possessing so many excellent 

 qualities as this. It is of strong, vigorous 

 , habit of growth, with great freedom of 

 flowering, and fine foliage. The flowers, of 

 a bright rosy pink, with a slight carmine 

 tint on the inner petals, and of the most 

 delicious fragrance. These are thrown up 

 in great profusion when most of the Hybrid 

 Remontants are taking a rest. As to its 

 hardiness or ability to stand out all vrinter, 

 it would be well to protect it from severe 

 weather just the same as for many other 

 varieties of our hardy Roses in the North. 



As to its culture in the open ground, I 

 would urge for this, as for all other Roses, 

 the best kind of treatment. And, first let 



me say that, to procure a few small plants 

 and set them in the mixed flower bed, to 

 take their chance along with Zinnias, Salvias 

 and other rank feeders, will nevei do. I 

 have long been of the opinion that whether 

 one buys and sets few or many it is best to 

 invest only in good strong, healthy plants. 



The course I would suggest is to start in 

 by making a bed with soil that has never 

 grown flowers before. If the place is the site 

 of a former bed, I would remove the soil to 

 a depth of 18 inches, filling it with any good, 



suited to our hot summer sun. It thus 

 possesses staying qualities that must make it 

 popular with all lovers of the Rose. 



A GREAT ROSE— THE AMERICAN BEAUTY. 



turfy loam, adding one-third rotten manure. 

 If the soil should be of a stifE clayey nature, 

 some sand or gravel might be added vrith 

 good results. If the spot be naturally wet, 

 it must be well drained. 



A common error in the formation of beds 

 for Roses is to make them up too high above 

 the surrounding ground so that the rain 

 runs away from the plants. A few inches 

 below the level of the grass or walk is better, 

 using then also a little mulching of manure 

 or litter in extreme hot or dry weather. 



The best effects in Rose culture outdoors 

 are produced by planting in groups of not 

 more than one or two varieties in a group. 

 I should add that the American Beauty is of 

 undoubted American origin, hence is well 



The Bagging of Grapes. 



That the process of enveloping growing 

 clusters of Grapes with paper bags for pro- 

 tection against insects, mildew, rot, etc., is 

 one of value, has been proven to the satisfac- 

 tion of many cultivators. Comparatively a 

 new idea, the season of 1887 will see it ap- 

 plied far and wide, more extensively than 

 ever before. It is one 

 of those simple pro- 

 cesses that every 

 amateur, even though 

 he have but a single 

 vine, may readily 

 adopt with advantage. 

 One grower who ex- 

 perimented in bag- 

 ging his Grapes last 

 year reports that in 

 his case it made just 

 the difference between 

 success and failure. 



The course is a 

 most simple one. 

 Common light ma- 

 nilla bags, the size 

 known as two pound 

 bags, are usually em- 

 ployed. These are 

 slipped on over each 

 cluster of the fruit 

 and secured some- 

 what loosely by pins 

 or stitches of thread. 

 If the stem of the 

 cluster is brought 

 against one end of the 

 opening a single pin 

 to a bag will answer, 

 if in the middle, to 

 have the paper bear 

 evenly on all sides, 

 then several pins or 

 stitches are needed. 

 A small slit should 

 also be made in the 

 bottom of each bag, 

 to allow escape for 

 any water that may 

 enter into it along 

 the stem. From 500 

 to 1000 bags can be 

 put on in a day by 

 one person, and cost- 

 ing from I to 1 cent 

 per pound of fruit. 



The advantages of 

 bagging Grapes may 

 be summed up as 

 follows: Freedom from the attacks of bee- 

 tles, grasshoppers, fowls, birds, etc.; pre- 

 vention of mildew and rot; protection 

 against frosts; improved appearance and 

 development, the bloom more perfect, the 

 berries larger and uniformly fine, and the 

 general appearance more attractive. While 

 the color of red and white Grapes may 

 be somewhat lighter for the bagging, black 

 Grapes are said to be fully as black and 

 covered with a heavy bloom. There is said 

 to be no material difference in the ripening 

 of bagged or unbagged clusters. 



The time to bag the fruit is early in the 

 summer, as soon in fact as it is well set. If 

 it be done before the berries are as large as 

 Peas, they will be saved the depredations 



