July 9, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



'I 



DISEASED ROSE PLANTS. 



Under separate cover we are sending 

 you samples of our roses. They are one- 

 year-old plants, were in good condition 

 when set in September and were without 

 disease or pests soon after Christmas. 

 The disease began at the bottom of the 

 growth, going up to the bud. The buds 

 do not open, but just wilt and die. We 

 have found some thrips since the first 

 part of March. W. K. B. 



The samples were in a very dry and 

 withered condition when they reached me, 

 making it almost impossible to make an 

 expert examination. 



The leaves show signs of some variety 

 of fungoid growth, apparently leaf spot, 

 but this is not the cause of the trouble. 

 The trouble evidently has its seat in the 

 roots. An examination of the roots will 

 probably show some signs of insects at 

 work, or there may be something wrong 

 with the drainage or the soil. 



Frequent and persistent fumigating 

 with tobacco will keep thrips in check. 



ElBES. 



PRUNING HYBRID PERPETUALS. 



I desire information respecting the 

 proper pruning of hybrid perpetual roses 

 planted in permanent beds. Should they 

 be pruned more than once during the 

 year, and if so, at what time and how 

 much at each time? The same question 

 with regard to hybrid teas. H. L. W. 



All pruning of hybrid perpetual roses 

 should be done early in the spring,. soon 

 after frost leaves the ground. As a rule, 

 the bushes are pruned too lightly. To 

 secure the best quality flowers and he at 

 the same time easily able to furnish your 

 plants the needed winter protection, the 

 strongest shoots of the preceding year's 

 growth should be left not more than ten 

 •to twelve inches long. Weaker shoots 

 ought to be cut back even more. Six 

 inches should suffice for these. Cut out 

 all dead and old wood entirely. It is 

 also better to remove the weakest shoots. 

 On vigorous growing sorts the wood, of 

 course, may be left a trifle longer than 

 on weak or moderate growers. 



Hybrid teas require less severe prun- 

 ing than hybrid perpetuals. Cut out 

 the dead and weakly shoots and shorten 

 back the stronger ones a few inches only. 



Hardy roses require but one pruning a 

 year. Of course, they receive a certain 

 amount of additional summer pruning 

 when flowers are cut. Only a few of the 

 hybrid perpetuals give blooms of any 



value after the June or early July crop 

 is ovCT, but the hybrid teas are quite 

 persistent flowering, W. N. Craig. 



ROSES IN SANDY SOIL. 



Under separate cover we are mailing 

 you three plants of French Rosa multi- 

 flora which have been budded to Amei 

 ican Beauty. Two of these plants, you 

 will notice, are somewhat diseased, or 

 unhealthy, in some way. One seems to 

 be an entirely healthy plant. 



We would be much pleased to have 

 you advise us, if you are in position to 

 do so, what the trouble is and also in- 

 form us what is necessary to cure this in 

 this case and prevent it in the future. 



We also budded some roses to Manetti,« 

 and they are not affected in the least. 

 They are all in the same block, in soil 

 which is rather sandy. We have had con- 

 siderable rain during this spring, but no 

 water has stood on the ground on which 

 these are growing. Is it possible that 

 the excessive rains could affect one plant 

 and not affort another which is standing 

 next to it in the same row? This stock 



a rule, do not like a sandy soil, ftnA 

 where only such soil is to be had it should 

 be well manured and, if possible, have 

 some clay added. Manetti stocks pos- 

 sessing an abundance of fine, fibrous 

 roots will be more suited to a sandy soil 

 than R. multiflora and will, in all prob- 

 ability, produce a much* more luxuriant 

 growth. 



Why one plant should succeed and an- 

 other go back may depend on the degree 

 of vitality possessed by the different 

 stocks, or it may be in the character of 

 the soil or imperfection in the drainage. 



Without a minute inspection of the 

 surroundings and conditions, it would be 

 futile to even suggest a remedy. 



ElBES. 



TWELVE BEST GARDEN ROSES. 



Ballot for Nickerson Cups. 



It will be recalled that in 1906 W. E. 

 Nickerson, of Cambridge, Mass., pre- 

 sented the National Rose Society of Eng- 

 land with three silver cups, which were 

 awarded respectively to the raisers of the 

 best hybrid perpetual, the best hybrid 

 tea and the best tea for general culti- 

 vation which had been sent out in 1900 

 and subsequently. So suece?sful was this 

 competition that, with the same object in 

 view, and in order to still further en- 

 courage the raising of roses which are 

 especially suitable for general cultiva- 

 tion, and at the same time to assist the 

 members of the society, and more partic- 

 ularly the smaller growers among them, 

 in selecting the best varieties for differ- 

 ent purposes for their own gardens, Mr. 

 Nickerson last autumn offered to present 

 the National Rose Society with twelve 

 more cups. 



After a consultation with Mr. Nicker- 

 son as to his wishes, it was ultimately 



House of Killamey Roses at Upsal, Germantown, Pa. 



is, as stated above, planted in one block, 

 and three or four plants appear to be 

 entirely healthy, then one or two will be 

 very weak and seem to be diseased, and 

 then another lot of healthy plants. 



T. N. Co. 



The plants show no sign of disease, 

 further than a crippled growth, which 

 may be due to various causes. Roses, as 



decided by the committee to invite the 

 members of that committee and other 

 leading rosarians, in England and elsc^ 

 where, to underline in the voting papers 

 sent them the variety in each of the 

 twelve divisions, into which the compe- 

 tition had been arranged, which they 

 considered best complied with the con- 

 ditions laid down. There was no restric- 

 tion as to the age o.f any variety or of 



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