August 15, 1878. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
123 
thirteen large bunches, though there are but three left. Ifound 
the berries larger than any others in the same house, though 
Mr. Johnston’s Muscats were very fine, as indeed were all the 
other sorts, and I have seldom seen houses in better trim. The 
flayour was delicious, though with no stones as far as I could 
find. I hoped to have tasted it again at lunch, to which 
some of the bunches were sent, but it appeared to be so much 
a favourite that I lost the chance, and I had some of the 
Auvergne Frontignan, which were excellent and rich though 
rather small. I am still of the same mind as regards the 
Duke, and that is that it is a noble fine-flavoured Grape and 
well worthy of a little trouble, and certainhy of a trial. The 
Madresfield Court, I was told, cracks in the Bayham vineries, 
as also with other growers about here and also with me. If it 
does this year I shall graft another kind on it. My Muscat 
Champion and Venn’s Muscat both continue to give me entire 
satisfaction.— HARRISON WEIR. 
FRAGRANT ROSES. 
ONcE Mr. Hinton asked for a return of fragrant Roses at 
the yearly election of Roses which he is good enough to take. 
He met with a poor response, Mr. Curtis, I believe, being the 
only person who gaye any good return ; but he certainly made 
up for the shortcomings of others by sending in a most elabo- 
rate return, classifying the various scents, and giving a really 
valuable essay upon Rose fragrance. I do not pretend for one 
moment to be able to do this, but I have lately taken a great 
deal of trouble and spent many days at the nursery of Mr. 
Walters at Exeter in investigating the fragrance of the lead- 
ing varieties of Roses. I had a double object in doing this. 
I was anxious not only to send you a report, but for my own 
private reasons I wished to find out the most fragrant Roses. 
LT have a friend and neighbour who is blind, and throughout 
the Rose season I try to send her the most lovely Roses I can 
find, but above all others the most fragrant. 
I went four mornings and four evenings to the nursery I 
have named, and went carefully through the lines on each 
occasion and noted down my opinions, which are given to 
your readers for what they are worth. Perhaps some may 
not agree with me in some cases, and others may supplement 
the list. Ihad not the opportunity of investigating many of 
._ the newer varieties, as my friend prefers to know something 
about a new Rose before he buys it. 
Of all Roses I unhesitatingly place La France first as the 
most fragrant Rose in existence. There,is something also 
quite distinct about this Rose which makes it particularly 
agreeable. I have lately had to visit a little girl who has 
been ill for a quarter of a year, and each time I have taken 
her a basket of Roses. She would take out the blooms one by 
one and inhale their perfumes, but she never made any remark, 
except about their beauty, till she came to La France, when 
on each occasion she said, ‘‘ How sweet !’’ Charles Lefebvre 
comes next in sweetness, and Madame Victor Verdier is equally 
good. Abel Grand has quite another kind of fragrance which 
is particularly grateful. Marie Baumann, besides being one 
of the most beautiful, is also one of the sweetest Roses. Lord 
Macaulay also is a very fragrant Rose, and Duke of Welling- 
ton and Xavier Olibo. Dr. Andry also can claim to be a 
good all-rounder, having form, colour, healthy growth, and 
fragrance. The Victor Verdier race are deficient in fragrance. 
To this family belong Comtesse d’Oxford, Président Thiers, 
Eugenie Verdier, Marie Finger, and Hippolyte Jamain. Of 
the very dark Roses Pierre Notting is exceedingly fragrant ; 
and Auguste Neumann, Camille de Rohan, Louis Van Houtte, 
and Reynolds Hole are all very good in this respect. Itisa 
little difficult to go on through the catalogue and name all the 
most fragrant, but I am confident that those I have named, 
besides being the créme de la créme of Roses, are also most 
fragrant. Of the light Roses Madame Knorr is very sweet. 
We now come to Teas and Noisettes, and of this lovely 
family it will be hard to select any which are not fragrant. 
The most fragrant of all in my opinion is one which I am very 
fond of—Madame Bravy or Madame Sertot. Some people 
think this is the same Rose as Alba Rosea, or as Mr. Mitchell 
of Piltdown has it, Joséphine Malton, but they are, though 
near relatives, quite distinct. Madame Bravy curls her locks 
to the very crown of her lovely head, Alba Rosea is content 
with merely curling the lower part of her head ; but both are 
of equal excellence’ when fragrance is concerned. Next to 
this I place another of my favourites, Catherine Mermet. Her 
fragrance partakes somewhat of ripe fruit, such as Apples, but 
hers is a most distinct perfume, Then next for fragrance is 
the old favourite climber Lamarque. This has a pure lemon 
scent, quite distinct from all others. The pure Tea scent I 
should give to Maréchal Niel and Souvenir d’un Ami. Gloire 
de Dijon also possesses this fragrance, and her numerous 
family possess the same distinguishing mark. Cloth of Gold 
is also fragrant, and Solfaterre and Devoniensis are both good 
in this respect. I could go on through the whole family and 
find something to say of their fragrance, but your space will 
not admit of more on this subject just at the present. 
Before concluding I wish to notice one thing. Iwas quite 
startled with the beauty of two of Mr. George Paul's children, 
I mean Roses—viz., Reynolds Hole and Sultan of Zanzibar. 
The former, of course, is well known, but I doubt if it has 
ever been so fine as this season. I went again and again to 
see blooms of this Rose at Mount Radford. Sultan of Zanzi- 
bar is a very great acquisition. It is an immense gain to the 
velvety dark varieties. It appears to be a very good grower 
on the maiden and also on the cut-backs, and it is infinitely 
superior to either Prince Camille de Rohan or Louis Van 
Houtte, taking the average of blooms from these varieties. 
One or two of Mr. Charles Turner’s seedlings have mucle 
pleased me, particularly Penelope Mayo. Wmily Laxton, 
another seedling sent out by the Cheshunt firm, is also a very 
good Rose. It is rather like Monsieur Noman, but with greater 
strength to endure wet, and a later bloomer. 
Of comparatively new French Roses I was highly delighted 
with Souvenir de Louis Van Houtte, which is quite as dark as: 
his namesake, and large and of good form. Duchesse de 
Chartres is also a fine dark Rose, but a little wanting in sub-: 
stance, the form somewhat like Prince Camille de Rohan when 
in bud. I formed a very good opinion of Earl of Beaconsfield, 
which was raised by Captain Christy, and is to be sent out by 
Mr. George Paul. Of the French Roses of this year I know 
nothing personally, but am assured by very good judges that 
there is nothing worthy of notice ; but of course it is early to 
judge of then yet. E 
The more I live the more am I convinced that the prizes come 
from English and not from French growers. Hardly a year 
elapses but Mr. Turner and both the Waltham Cross and Ches- 
hunt firms give us Roses which are not only good at the time 
sent out, but also improve on acquaintance. And in this 
matter, as in all others, I cannot but echo the remark of the- 
British tar who, when listening to a fervid description of the 
delights of another world, replied, “It is all very well, sir, but 
old England for me.’”—WyYLD SAVAGE. 
THE FRUIT CROP. 
NEVER was the uncertainty of our climate more strongly 
exemplified than during the present year. From all parts of 
the country glowing reports of the prospects of a heavy fruit 
crop came to hand. We, however, were congratulating our- 
selves too soon it proved, as soon after the next thing to be 
heard was the mysterious wholesale and very general disap- 
pearance of the young fruit. Various reasons, according to 
local circumstances, are given as to the cause of this disap- 
pearance. The solution offered by Mr. Thomson (page 465) 
does not, I think, fully meet the case, although no doubt in 
his case materially contributing towards the failure—viz., as 
being another striking illustration of the importance of well- 
ripened wood in autumn. “AMATEUR” is, I think, much 
nearer the true solution when he says (page 449), “The cause 
of failure was the continued rains, the sodden state of the soil, 
and the absence of sun.” ‘This is fully corroborated from 
what I have seen and heard both in this county (Hssex) and 
Shropshire, two counties widely dissimilar yet in one respect 
analogous. Both with few exceptions have a moderate rain-- 
fall, this part of Essex in particular. In both instances well- 
ripened growth of the best description, calculated to produce 
an abundance of healthy well-formed bloom, was made. This: 
with a few exceptions was the case, and we and others were 
justified in anticipating an abundant crop, more especially as: 
there had been light crops the two preceding years. In Shrop- 
shire on the whole they have, and have had. a fair ayerage- 
crop, the only exception apparently being Apples. This is 
not the case, however, in this neighbourhood, asin the orchards 
the common varieties of Plums only are bearing heavy crops. 
This difference I ascribe to the totally different character of 
the country and nature of soil. Both counties experienced’ 
similar dull, wet. and cold weather after blooming time; we, 
unfortunately being in a very flat district, the soil rich and 
