300 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 5, 1876. 



candidate for the honour to rank among the premier fifty, that 

 they name between them no less than 239 Roecs, and even 

 amongst the premier twenty 115 find a name if not a throne. 

 In continuation of the table I may add that five Roses ob- 

 tained each six votes, these being Duchess of Edinburgh, h.p. 

 (one first-class vote) ; Le Havre (one) ; Boule de Neige (two) ; 

 Lyonnais (two) ; Madame Margottin (one). Eight received 

 five votes, Alba rosea having two and Eliza Boelle one first- 

 class vote. Thirteen were mentioned four times, amongst 

 these the more recent introduction Marie Guillot bad two 

 first-olass votes. Fifteen polled three votes, thirty-five two, 

 and no less than seventy-eight found but one solitary champion 

 to assert their charms. In round numbers this last class 

 forms a third of the total, and, to make the matter still stronger, 

 no less than eleven of these solitary votes are Al. 



It may interest some of our readers to know how many of 

 the Roses comprising the best fifty in this 1876 election have 

 been named by the several electors in their voting papers. Of 

 the fifty Roses that head the poll, Messrs. Ryland, Berringlon, 

 Atkinson, and Walters tie in naming the greatest number — 

 viz., forty-one. Mr. M. Davis and Rev. J. B. Camm follow 

 closely with forty ; then thirty-nine are hit off by Messrs. Bur- 

 rell and Beachey, and thirty-eight by Rev. C. P. Peach, Messrs. 

 John Turtle, Cranston, Curtis and Corp. Messrs. Scott, Las- 

 ton, Christy, Cant, and Cragg single out thirty-seven. Messrs. 

 Robson, Mayo, Fraser, and the returning officer are content 

 with thirty-six ; whilst Messrs. H. Davis, Mitchell, Davison, 

 and W. Paul pin their faith on thirty-five. Thirty-four find 

 favour with Messrs. Chater, Moseley, and Rev. A. Cheales. 

 " A Lady Amateuk, South of Ireland," Messrs. Mawley, Tapner, 

 Jowitt, and Watkins (gardener to Mr. Wood of Henley Hall, 

 Salop), Ewing, and H. Merry weather follow with thirty- three. 

 Messrs. Turner, G. Prince, and Rumsey thirty-two each. At 

 thirty-one Messrs. Jessop, Smallbones, Wootten, and Harrison 

 meet. The Rev. H. Dombrain is solitary at thirty. Capt. 

 Rochfort and Mr. Wheeler spot twenty-eight ; whilst the list 

 is completed by Mr. H. May naming exactly half the stipulated 

 number. It is well there should be differences of opinion, and 

 there is no royal road to our all thinking alike about Roses, 

 yet the above summary proves that there are certain qualities 

 of a good Rose — form, substance, and stuff that will hold their 

 own even in spite of diversity of taste ; and if the time ever 

 arrive for these three qualities to meet in a white, or nearly 

 white, Rose, coupled with a good constitution, the royal yellow 

 and the dark Roses that now head the list may quake in their 

 shoes — I mean their sepals, lest the pride of place be wrested 

 frcm them. We have been hoping for years, when will it 

 arrive ? 



In some instances the different estimation in which each 

 Rose is held by amateurs and nurserymen is strangely brought 

 out. Here in round numbers the voters are as three to two, 

 yet in the votes for Senateur Vaisse, John Hopper, Dupuy- 

 Jamain, Souvenir d'un Ami, Abel Grand, Madame C. Joigneaux, 

 and a few others, the amateur growers far outstrip this ratio; 

 whilst — and this we should naturally expect — the newer varieties 

 have a greater preponderance of nurserymen as their cham- 

 pions, as, for instance, Comtesse de Serenyi, which has rapidly 

 risen into a good position ; Marie Finger, of which Mr. B. R. 

 Cant remarks that it is rather better than Eugenie Verdier, 

 Hippolyte Jamain, and very markedly Princess Beatrice. I 

 think there is probably another reason for this, that Roses that 

 are Bhy in giving perfect blooms, which when perfect are ex- 

 quisite and second perhaps to none, cannot be cultivated by 

 amateurs having only a few plants of each variety, and after a 

 few years are discarded. Twenty times the number of plants 

 give the nurseryman many opportunities of seeing the Rose 

 in perfection, and his estimate is formed accordingly. I have 

 already noticed that Madame Lacharme comes out well, still I 

 doubt whether it is a position that will be maintained ; whilst 

 what shall we say and how explain the position of Capt. Christy ? 

 In the 1875 election of newer Roses we see him making a 

 gallant and very nearly successful battle for the premiership, 

 passing -those grand Roses Francois Micbelon and Etienne 

 Levet, and now it is as low as thirty-five, with a very small 

 proportion of first-class votes. Is it to prove " an impostor," 

 as somebody called it not long 6ince in our pages ? Marie Van 

 Houtte, another Rose that the amateurs do not value in pro- 

 portion to the trade, is lauded in no light measure by our 

 friend Rev. J. B. Camm, for he says of her, " The best Rose in 

 cultivation. It has every good quality (here at least), robust 

 in growth, erect in habit, free-fiowering, a wonderful constitu- 

 tion. I consider that M. Ducher has conferred on the Rose 



world a benefit which we can never be sufficiently grateful for, 

 and has made all lovers of the Tea Rose greatly in his debt 

 for life." And truly Marie Van Houtte is a gem, but in my 

 experience, like many other gems, not so large as you might 

 desire. 



The list will repay comparison with the 1874 election, Sep- 

 tember 24th, 1874. Some Roses are in exactly the same 

 position now as then — for instance, Etienne Levet, Francois 

 Michelon, Eugenie Verdier, Dr. Andry, and others. On the 

 other hand, several Roses have made a remarkable advance. 

 Marquise de Castellane and Horace Vernet from 37 to 19 ; 

 Reynolds Hole from 60 to 30 ; Madame Lacharme from 58 to 

 34 ; whilst Comtesse de Serenyi, then unknown, is now in the 

 fifty, No. 42. There are not wanting instances of failure to 

 maintain position — Abel Grand from 33 to 47 ; Exposition de 

 Brie, 33 to 60 ; though this latter may probably owe some of 

 this to its similarity to Ferdinand de Lesseps, some electors 

 declining to name both. Mr. Cant's list proves this. We 

 miss, as I have already said, some of the old familiar names 

 from the list of voters, but we have a larger number than we have 

 ever had, no less than four coming from the sister isle. One 

 of these latter arrived when the results were being tabulated, 

 and is not included in the forty-seven voters, but will be given 

 in full. This list is, however, included in the following table 

 of the Irish votes, which I thought might be of interest to all, 

 showing us the difference that soil, climate, and other circum- 

 stances make in the table. 



IRISH LISTS OF VOTES. 



Rose. 



Louis Van Houtte 4 4 



La France 4 4 



Duke ol Edinburgh. 4 4 



Charles Lefebvre 4 4 



Madame Rothschild 3 1 4 



Alfred Colomb 3 1 4 



Manrie Baumann 3 1 4 



Marquise de Castellane 3 14 



Senateur Vaisse 3 14 



John Hopper 3 1 4 



Comtesse d' Oxford 2 2 4 



Pierre Notting 2 2 4 



Fisher Holmes 4 4 



No. 



to J 

 16 1 

 17 



18 

 to. 

 25 



26 f 

 271 



A. 



Rose. 



Marechal Kiel 3 



Gloire de Dijon 3 



Prince Camille de Rohan 3 

 Francois Michelon ...... 2 



Madame Victor Verdier . 1 



Dr. Andry 1 



Marguerite de St. Amand 1 



Annie Wood 1 



Abel Grand 1 



Antoine Ducher 1 



Jules Margottin 1 



Comt. C. de Chabrillant 1 



Edouard Morren 



Mdlle. Eugenie- Verdier 



B.C. 

 3 

 8 



3 



1 3 



2 S 



2 3 

 2 3 



Baron de Bonstetten, Boule de Neige, Abbe Brammerel, and 

 Duo de Cazes follow with two first-class votes ; Etienne Levet, 

 Xavier Olibo, Camille Bernardin, Therese Levet, Clemence 

 Joigneaux, Triomphe de Caen, and Baron Prevost have one of 

 each class ; and the next on the list are Devoniensis, Reynolds 

 Hole, Anna Diesbach, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Paul Verdier, 

 Maurice Bernardin, Souvenir de la Malmaison, Madame Vidot, 

 General Jacqueminot, Charles Lawson, Duchesse de Morny, 

 Duchesse de Caylus, M. Noman, and Comtesse de Jauconrt. 

 Whilst these four electors choose no less than 104 Roses, fifty- 

 one of which receive only a single vote, many of these last 

 figuring very high up in the general poll — a proof not only of 

 the difference oi opinion, but also that varieties of soil and 

 climate greatly affect the well-being of her floral majesty. 

 Would the majority of Rose-growers have said beforehand that 

 Fisher Holmes would have stood thirteenth in such a contest? 

 There is also another way of looking at the various Roses, 

 and that is very interesting' as compared with the general table. 

 There are many Roses which we would all like to have in the 

 fifty, yet which are considered by comparatively few first-class 

 Roses — i.e., fitted to take their place amongst the best twenty. 

 The following table shows the first-class votes given for each 

 Rose and its position ; taking these votes only, it will be noticed 

 that amongst some the change in position is very great. 



1. Marechal Niel . . 46 



•p„„,,i /Alfred Colomb 45 



iquai -j Charles Le f eovl . e 45 



4. Marie Baumann 44 



ttt „_, J La France 43 



nquai -j Madame EothsohUd .... 43 



7. Louis Van Houtte 39 



8. Marquise de Castellane. . 35 



9. Etienne Levet 34 



10. Francois Michelon 31 



_, . ( Comtesse d'Oxford 27 



iquai ■) Madame Victor Verdier.. 27 



13. Duke of Edinburgh 25 



14. Mdlle. Eagenie Verdier. . 21 



t. . ( John Hopper 20 



E 1 ual 1 Dr. Andry. 20 



17. Senateur Vaisse 19 



18. Pierre Notting 18 



19. Gloire de Dijon 17 



20. Catherine Mermet 16 



Equal - 



24. 



Equal - 



28. 

 29. 



Equal - 



Equal - 

 85, 

 Equal 



Equal ■ 



Emilie Hausberg 15 



Devoniensis 15 



Marie Rady 15 



Horace Vernet 13 



Marguerite de St. Amand 12 

 Ferdinand de Lesseps . . 12 

 Souvenir d'un Ami.. .. .. 12 



Reynolds Hole 11 



Xavier- Olibo »10 



Camille Bernardin 9 



Capt. Christy 9 



. Souvenir d'Elise 9 



Comtesse de Serenyi .... 8 



Edward Morren 8 



Prince Camille de Rohan 7 



Marie Van Houtte 6 



Niphetos 6 



' Hippolyte Jamain 5 



Monsieur E. T. Teas 5 



Souvenir de la Malmaison 5 



Monsieur Noman 5 



( Dupuy- Jamain 5 



