320 General Notices. 



in the " Rose Garden," a work which is most useful and interesting', and of 

 great advantage in assisting the private rose-grower in selecting and arrang- 

 ing the various varieties of this heautiful and interesting family, the " Queen 

 of Flowers." All the different varieties, whether as standards or dwarfs, 

 are with us perfectly hardy, (the Chinese, Teas, and a few of the Bourhons, 

 excepted,) and require no protection whatever, further than a good dressing 

 of rotted muck over their roots before the approach of frost, ivhich, on the 

 return of favorable weather in spring, is either raked off, or dug into the 

 ground. For these varieties we prefer pruning pretty early in winter, as 

 the plants are then less liable to be tossed about, and shaken with the 

 winds, which, in this locality, are very prevailing during that season. 



Those borders and clumps that contain the more tender varieties are, in 

 the autumn, covered over with a layer of half-rotted leaves, about 6 inches 

 thick, and on the approach of frost, or hard cutting winds, we stick in short, 

 stiff, spruce branches all round the sides of the borders or clumps, and in 

 amongst the plants, which remain all the winter — excepting that we remove 

 them at intervals, for a day, during favorable weather, in order to refresh 

 the plants, and to dry them of the mould and damps, which, under such cir- 

 cumstances, the plants are particularly liable to, and if not removed by the 

 above means, proves very detrimental. In spring these branches are re- 

 moved by degrees, as the state of the weather may warrant us in doing so. 

 The surface covering is also removed by degrees, while on some sorts it 

 remains all the sumimer, to serve as a mulching against drought: for these 

 varieties we adopt pruning in spring, but not until vegetation has fairly com- 

 menced in the plant. By these simple means, we have for the last two win- 

 ters, been able to produce nearly 300 plants of what are termed " Tender 

 Roses," while the loss has been very trifling ; this season we have only lost 

 two plants, Narcissus, a tea-scented variety, and Vicomte de Cussy, a Bour- 

 bon. Being of opinion that very many of those truly exquisite roses are 

 better calculated for filling small figures in the flower garden, than many 

 other things which are at the present time used for that purpose, we, last 

 autumn, propagated extensively from such varieties as Mrs. Bosanquet, 

 Madame Guerin, Clare, Belle Allemande, Bride of Abydos, Caroline, Comte 

 de Paris, Devonensis, Madame Roussell, Niphetos, Reine de Belgic, Souve- 

 nir de la Malmaison, and many others, of which I have now fine strong 

 plants, which I intend planting out, along with verbenas, and other things of 

 a like nature. Should the result be satisfactory, 1 shall communicate it to 

 you in due course. — [Jour, of Hort., 1850, p. 314.) 



Cultivation of the Strawberry for Forcing. — " The great secret 

 with pot plants," that is, those intended for forcing, " is to get them strong 

 and well rooted before winter. Where only a small number is grown, the 

 following is undoubtedly tlie best plan of proceeding : — Take pots 8 inches 

 deep, place an oyster shell at the bottom of each, and on this put a good 

 handful of soot; then fill up the pots with a compost consisting of half 

 strong loam and half light rich mould. The mixture ought to be moderately 

 dry, for if wet mould be put into the pots, it is very often the cause why 

 plants do not thrive. Carry the pots to the strawberry runners, place one in 



