38 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 12, 1877. 



marked his came down as the winner of the first prize. The 

 blooms were so very fresh, clean, and even that it would be 

 difficult to imagine a finer lot if they had been cut that morning 

 witnin a few miles of London. I am delighted to see how well 

 Mr. Curtis has staged this year, and, contrasting his stands with 

 those of the few last years I am amazed at the marvellous 

 improvement. If he goes on in this way he may soon play the 

 part that Mr. Jowitt has played among the amateurs. 



Beginning with small things, that gentleman has within (I 

 believe) three years advanced to the highest position and won 

 the premier prize of the year, and this brings me to a considera- 

 tion of his stand and some of the lessons it teaches me. They 

 may be nothing worth, but such as they are I offer them to the 

 attention and friendly criticism of your readers. I think it will 

 be granted that Mr. Baker's (who won the second prize) blooms 

 were fresher than Mr. Jowitt's, but the latter's were larger and 

 perhaps a little more even throughout. Certainly Mr. Baker's 

 Roses were more highly coloured than his great rival's, but some 

 of hiB blooms were undoubtedly smaller than any of Mr. Jowitt's. 

 Taking this for granted, let us look at the various Roses Bhown 

 by these twin giants. Mr. Baker showed forty-eight of the best- 

 known varieties, such as Alfred Colomb, Francois Michelon, Marie 

 Baumann, Duke of Edinburgh, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Maurice 

 Bernardin, &a., and nothing could have been more beautiful 

 than his stands ; but it is evident that some of his best blooms 

 were of varieties which are never large, such as his favourite 

 Duke of Wellington. Now Mr. Jowitt's stands, while contain- 

 ing all the best varieties, also had Bplendid blooms of older 

 sorts, discarded by many and grown by very few. In his stands 

 were found Madame Charles Crapelet, Lord Herbert, Madame 

 Boutin, Madame Bellon, L'Esmeralda, Jules Margottin, &c. 

 From this I wish to draw the inference that to show forty-eight 

 well we amateurs must largely increase the number of our 

 varieties. Mr. Jowitt, I believe, grows, and grows largely, 

 about 150 sorts ; now I am not sure, but I should certainly be 

 " surprised to hear," that Heroules has more than seventy sorts 

 of Hybrid Perpetuals. The advantage, then, that Mr. Jowitt has 

 this year is great, because he has so many more varieties, all of 

 which are capable of bearing grand blooms if forced on and well 

 cultivated, although perhaps as a rule they give you but in- 

 different flowers. 



Now may I without presumption or self-praise speak of my 

 own case as bearing-out this point ? I grow less sorts even than 

 Mr. Baker. I certainly have not more than sixty sorts, and 

 when you take out of these Due de Rohan, Emilie Hausburg, 

 and other late sorts, I have not more than fifty. To show, there- 

 fore, forty- eight sorts is always a matter of great difficulty to 

 me, and I never could do it were it not for my Teas. So before 

 the Alexandra Palace Show, after my return from Torquay, as I 

 was settling on the boxes, the thought occurred to me, Don't try 

 and show forty-eight or even thirty-six; throw all your strength 

 into twenty-four trebles, and try and make a respectable stand. 

 I did so and was first, beating both Mr. Baker and Mr. Jowitt. 

 As my small number of varieties are all the very best sorts, and 

 cultivated in twenties, I was able to cut three young blooms of 

 twenty-four sorts with ease, and so was fortunate enough for 

 once to win a first prize. But here I wish to make a remark 

 which will startle if not astound not a few, and that is the fact 

 that I cut in the sun. Yes, at the hottest period of the day. 

 Our last train to London goes at 5 p m., and my boxes and man 

 were not home from Torquay till 230 p.m., so I with fear and 

 trembling did a thing I never ventured on before — I cut my 

 blooms very young in a broiling sun and won a first prize. No 

 one (my man told me), would believe this at the Alexandra, and 

 I should very much like to hear the opinions and custom of 

 some of your readers. I am told that Mr. CurtiB recommends 

 cutting in the sun, and as he is a diligent reader of the Journal 

 perhaps he will state his reasons for this, if it is the case. But 

 my own experience, furnished by Mr. Jowitt's stands, makes me 

 feel convinced that we who try to show forty-eight distinct, 

 ought to grow far more sorts than we do, and if we feel dis- 

 inclined to do this, then let us be content to leave the larger 

 classes for the giants, and confine ourselves to trebles and 

 twenty-four and twelve varieties. 



Some reader may here triumphantly exclaim, " But at Here- 

 ford this year, on Mr. Jowitt's own ground, Mr. Baker turned 

 the tables on him and won the cup from the lion's teeth." Yes, 

 so he did, and much do I, one of hiB oldest friends, congratulate 

 him on this great achievement. But my reasoning on this 

 point is not so totally demolished as you may think, for the cup 

 prize at Hereford is for thirty-Bix varieties, not forty-eight, and 

 the alteration in number makes all the difference, for it is the 

 last twelve that tries us, and which often compels us to put in 

 small blooms. A greater triumph than that won at Hereford by 

 Mr. Baker is not to be imagined, and all, not perhaps excluding 

 even Mr. Jowitt, will rejoice with him on taking Mr. Cranston's 

 cup to Exeter. What a year of great contests will 1878 be when 

 the two giantB meet to contend for the ownership of the cup ! 

 for I cannot doubt that it lies between these two alone. 



Before I conclude this discursive letter let me say a word of 



praise as to the arrangements made by the Secretaries and Mr. 

 Newman for the accommodation of the exhibitors in St. James's 

 Hall. I am told that there was a concert the night before, and 

 yet at 6 am. all the staging was up, the classes marked out, and 

 every exhibitor's name placed on the exact spot his boxes occu- 

 pied. There was not the slightest confusion, no alterations 

 made ; all went easily and smoothly, and without confusion the 

 Hall was cleared and the judging completed in about an hour 

 and a half. A grand Show it was, and one ever to be remem- 

 bered — a Show which will, whatever be the fate of future ex- 

 hibitions, redound to the credit of the Committee and the Hon- 

 orary Secretaries, and furnish food for discussion and congratu- 

 lation among rosarians for many months. — Wild Savage. 



NOVELTIES IN THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW. 



The roekwork presents a pretty show of flowers, inclusive of 

 many species of individual interest. Delphinium cashmeria- 

 num is one of the best for this position, being dwarf and bear- 

 ing large blue showy flowers. It was introduced to Kew about 

 three years since, and few only have been distributed. Ane- 

 mone obtusiloba, though known long ago, is now extremely rare, 

 and was perhaps lost to cultivation until a few years since, 

 when seeds were received which produced the present specimen. 

 It has large leaves and is very compaot, scarcely at all spread- 

 ing ; the flowers are pure white, and produced several together 

 on short pedicels above a leafy involucre. It is a native of 

 the Himalayas, and was first introduced by the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society. The Edelweiss, a plant of interest to tourists 

 in particular, is here in flower. It is said not to grow below a 

 certain elevation, and is brought down by travellers to show 

 that they reached this particular altitude. It is known as 

 Gnaphalium Leontopodium or Leontopodium alpinum, and 

 though considered difficult of cultivation is not really so. In 

 winter it appears dead, and is then often thrown away by 

 mistake. Phlox ovata is one of the best of a genus containing 

 many handsome species. Its flowers are much like those of 

 P. reptans, which is used for spring bedding ; but the leaves 

 are broad, and the stems stiff and erect. Primula sikkimensis 

 is much rarer than need be, and here haB been in good 

 condition. Wulfenia Amherstiana is a choice and rare alpine. 

 The flowers are blue, prettily disposed on one side of erect 

 stems, and are associated with leaves of somewhat Primrose- 

 like appearance. 



Fremontia californica, on the ornamental wall near the Orchid 

 house, is now in splendid condition. A great part of the tree 

 is almost hidden with large golden saucer-Bhaped blooms, 

 equal in size to those of a Gum Cistus. The tree is clothed 

 with very neat foliage, and forms a first-rate wall- covering. 

 Though perhaps hardy as a shrub, it only reaches perfection in 

 a similar position. Near this the newly-introduced Lilium 

 cordifolium is flowering, it is said for the first time in Europe. 

 It is the species to which by some botanists L. giganteum is 

 referred as a variety. It is much more difficult to manage. 

 As a garden plant it is likely to be much inferior to L. gigan- 

 teum ; the flowers are fewer, and do not compensate by larger 

 size. 



Galax aphylla, a somewhat rare herbaceous plant, is striking 

 in that department. It is densely tufted, the leaves round and 

 dark green, among which arise the numerous spikes of pure 

 white flowers. Gillenia trifoliata is not often seen, though 

 forming a pretty combination of white flowers, red stems, and 

 green trifoliate leaves. The roots are medicinal, having in 

 some degree the properties of Ipecacuanha. 



Flowering in houBe No. 1 we find Napoleona imperialis, a 

 plant of great structural interest to the botanist, and of interest 

 to the general observer from its peculiar conformation and 

 resemblance in miniature to Rafflesia, the peculiar Vine-para- 

 site of Sumatra exhibited in the adjoining museum. Rafflesia 

 Arnoldi is destitute of stem and leaves, the flower, of which it 

 consists, reaohing 3A feet across. Another interesting plant 

 here in flower is Spathicarpa platyspatha, a dwarf herbaceous 

 Aroid, the spadix of which is adnata to the flat spathe, so that 

 the flowers appear as if borne along the midrib of a leaf. 



In the Palm house we are delighted with a combination of 

 foliage produced by climbers growing together. One of these 

 is Passiflora quadrangularis variegata, the variegation of which 

 iB extremely good and constant ; golden blotohes are distri- 

 buted over the leaf. The other is Dioscorea vittata, the leaves 

 of which are reddish purple relieved with grey down the centre. 

 These colours produce a very pleasing effeot. It wonld be easy 

 to suggest other associations of similar oharacter. Thin-grow- 

 ing plants have often room amoBg their branches for the 



