Lloyd^s Treatise on Agriculture. 459 



sorts, as they are sold at such low prices, that it would be 

 cheaper to make a new plantation. In very clayey cold 

 soils, the finest compost possible for roses is well-rotted dung 

 and common pit sand [not road sand), equal parts. When 

 standards are removed, they ought to have their heads 

 thinned, and shoots shortened early in spring. A mistaken 

 notion, which I often find current, is, that they ought to 

 "push," i. e. begin to shoot, before the branches are short- 

 ened : this has sealed the doom of very many standard roses. 

 I have an idea that standard China roses, of the most choice 

 varieties, with stems from 3 to 4 feet, might be made highly 

 ornamental summer plants ; they are too tender to endure the 

 ordinary severity of our winters as standards^ but, if taken up 

 every autumn, put into large pots, and placed in a dry shed, 

 they would remove into their summer quarters in the spring 

 with perfect safety, and bloom much finer than if exposed 

 during winter, and their shoots injured by the severity of the 

 weather. The varieties of i?6sa indica odorata bloom exceed- 

 ingly well in this manner, as do all the strong-growing va- 

 rieties of China roses. i?osa GrevillzV and multiflora also 

 form curious objects, and bloom very freely, when grown as 

 standards. The hardy climbing roses, and several of the 

 climbing China roses [marked h in the catalogue], form fine 

 objects when trained ^'^ en -pyr amide " i. e. in the French man- 

 ner of training pear trees ; but when trained in this manner, 

 as climbing roses do not form a stem strong enough to support 

 themselves, the strong central shoots must be tied to iron or 

 wooden stakes, and the side shoots from them shortened every 

 season : in this manner, with proper culture, they will form 

 pillars of roses, from 6 ft. to 10 ft. in height. — T. R.jun. " 



Lloyd, Richard W., Esq. : A Practical Treatise on Agricul- 

 ture ; briefly pointing out certain Practices which should 

 be adopted, and some which should be discontinued, with 

 a view to the Improvement of Arable Land, &c. 8vo, pp. 52. 

 London, 1833. 



The object of this tract is, to " supply the ignorant with a 

 plain and simple insight into the principles of Practical Agri- 

 culture, respecting which the great majority of farmers are 

 entirely in the dark." The author seems to have adopted a 

 very suitable mode of attaining his object ; and, as his pam- 

 phlet is circulated in Wales, both in Welsh and English, we 

 trust it will do much good. The anticipated results would be 

 greatly accelerated by such an exhibition at Chester, every 

 winter, as that held at Stirling. (See p. 447.) We wish we 

 could induce Messrs. Dickson, the eminent seedsmen of the 

 former town, to take the hint. 



