inly 5, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



off, only sufficient to work it down into the curled leaves. In a 

 week, after this was done not a fly was alive on the tree, and 

 the luxuriant growth it has now made would lead anyone to 

 suppose there had not been a fly on it this season." 



The Phokmiuh tenax, or New Zealand Flax, is, it is 



Baid, being largely planted in St. Helena on behalf of a fibre 

 company, who propose so to plant all the Government waste 

 lands in the island. 



ConsIbebing the great beauty of the Ericas it is a little 



surprising that they are not more extensively grown. Some 

 of the most handsome and healthy specimens that we have 

 seen of late are in the rising collection at Cleveland House, 

 where one sometimes hears it said that Mr. Legg does nothing 

 else besides carpet bedding. The Heaths in his charge, how- 

 ever, are in splendid condition, rivalling in health the more 

 commanding fine-foliaged plants. Soma of the Ericas which 

 were exhibited at the early shows are now flowering for the 

 second time this season as freely as ever ; and an idea may be 

 formed of their vigour when it is stated that such sorts as 

 Jubana rubra and Victoria have as many as twenty flowers on 

 a truss. Candolleana, Dennisoniana, and the true obbata are 

 extremely beautifal ; and equally so are some of Messrs. Rol- 

 lisson's new varieties, which are seldom seen. Mr. Ralli per- 

 haps possesses the finest plant of E. Shannoni glabra extant ; 

 it is extremely beautiful, and the more valuable because the 

 roBy white flowers are not gummy but are as smooth as glass. 

 In fine contrast is E. oppulenta, rich crimson lake, the flowers 

 lasting a month in beauty. Another richly coloured variety 

 is E. effasa, crimson. E. ornata is a charming light- coloured 

 variety; and E. tricolor profusa is both distinct and attractive. 

 These are garden hybrids, and will prove to be greenhouse 

 plants of the very first order of merit — varieties if well grown 

 which cannot disappoint. 



Paris gkeen is admitted to be the best specific in de- 

 stroying the Colorado Potato beetle, and has also been used 

 against the Phylloxera and garden pests generally. An 

 American paper says no doubt exists as to its efficacy in 

 destroying insects ; but it must also be remembered that it is 

 a metallic poison, composed of arsenic, copper, and acetic acid, 

 containing about half its weight of arsenio in a semi-soluble 

 form. It is dangerous to inhale, and poultry, hogs, sheep, 

 and even dogs should be kept away from the fields in which it 

 is used. Great care should be taken in using it. 



BOSES, &c, AT THE BEV. W. F. EADCLYFFE'S, 



OKEFOED FITZPAINE. 



Now that Roses are so coming to the front, and the National 

 Society's Show is so close upon us, a brief record of a short 

 and pleasant visit to a garden which ought to be dear to all 

 Rose-growers may not be unacceptable. It was hurried, but 

 I could not manage it otherwise ; but there was much to talk 

 about and much to see. 



It ia now some three or four years since I saw my dear and 

 valued old friend; and although time has dealt somewhat 

 sharply with him, and severe illness has deprived him of some 

 of his wonted activity, it has no way checked his love for 

 Roses or made him take a less earnest interest in his garden ; 

 and 1 have never seen it in better order, although failure has 

 resulted in some of his crop3 owing to the desperate weather 

 we have experienced this spring — weather to which his garden 

 has been specially exposed, for the terrible westerly wind sweeps 

 over the downs and on to the village. So great was its force 

 that it swept in a few minutes the entire Ivy covering of the 

 vioarage garden, and tore the coverings of the Peach trees to 

 tatters ; while severe frost had tried Ms Rose trees, at a time 

 too, when he was laid by and unable to attend to them ; so 

 that there had been much to contend with. Bat my friend is 

 not to be deterred by difficulties, and I need not say as far as 

 possible all has been remedied. 



As I have frequently said, the persona who will be most 

 likely to be interested in visiting this garden will be the real 

 lovers of Roses : the exhibitors, the mere searchers for novel- 

 ties, or those who look for prettiness, will be disappointed. 

 My friend never exhibits ; he buys no new Roses. When one 

 is well established in favour he tries it ; and his object is to 

 have his Roses safely moored, and so tall stakes are prominent 

 in his garden. And when he finds a Rose to suit his soil and 

 situation then he goes in for a quantity. Let me name, then, 

 a few of those which I saw in superb order. Charles Lefebvre 

 was grand in all stages of development. Talking the other 



day at Spalding about Roses, a very distinguished amateur 

 said that he never saw it now with that beautiful dark shading 

 that it used to have. Had he been with me he might have 

 seen it to his heart's content — enormous blooms with the most 

 splendid colouring. Then I do not think I ever saw Princess 

 Mary of Cambridge so fine : it was large, larger than I ever 

 recollect seeing it, and the colour so soft and beautiful. When 

 I speak of size it must be remembered that my friend never 

 disbuds a Rose. He cut me off some blooms of Jules Margottin 

 of immense size with four or five buds around it. And so with 

 all his Roses. M. Clemence Joigneaux, John Hopper, Baronne 

 de Maynard.Camille de Rohan, Lord Macaulay, Madame Victor 

 Verdier, and such-like were by the score, for when he finds 

 that a Rose suits his soil and situation he goes in for it largely. 

 He will probably add fifty of Princess Mary of Cambridge 

 because it has done so well ; and so it will be with others. 

 Then another object he has in view in his pruning is to keep 

 up a continuous bloom, bo that his secateur is constantly at 

 work, and he thereby gets good strong shoots for autumn 

 blooming. 



There are three Roses about which his judgment has been 

 much questioned — Madame Chirard, Baron Chaurand, and 

 Felix Genero. With regard to the first he has been obliged to 

 alter his opinion. The Rose is large and the growth of it 

 most vigorous, but it fails in opening, and consequently he has 

 felt it necessary to place it in the background. With regard 

 to the other two I do not wonder at his liking them. Baron 

 Chaurand, though not an exhibition Rose, is undoubtedly one 

 of the most brilliant-coloured flowers we have, intense fiery 

 scarlet in the centre — unlike any Rose I know ; and certainly 

 Felix Genero as grown here needs no comment. It is lovely 

 both in form and colour, while in size it is no way behind the 

 greater number of our exhibition Roses. There were blooms 

 of it here which might have gone into any stand. Another 

 Rose almost gone out of cultivation, but certainly worthy of 

 a place for its intense colour, and a great favourite here, is 

 Souvenir de Dr. Jamain. It is a small neat Rose, but of the 

 most beautifully deep claret colour possible ; never large enough 

 to be in a stand, but certainly to be desired by all who love 

 variety in their Rose garden. Dake of Edinburgh was here 

 very brilliant in colour, similar to those I have seen in Her- 

 cules' garden at Exeter; and what Rose can be more beautiful 

 when caught in its true scarlet hue ? Time and space would 

 fail me in enumerating the beauties I saw here, but enough 

 will have been said to show that my good friend has not abated 

 his zeal, and that his hand has not lost its cunning. 



The Peach and Nectarine trees were in marvellous health 

 and beauty ; no blistered leaves, but large and well-developed 

 foliage, showing that with care and attention even in a locality 

 so little favourable they can be grown without disease. Bat 

 of fruit, aB in every place that I have seen this year, there wai 

 next to none. This is a matter which no skill can secure, and 

 indeed in many orchard houses there is the same report as on 

 the outdoor walls. Bat Mr. Radclyffe may well be proud of 

 his trees. I have seen many a large garden this year where 

 the trees afford a very unfavourable contrast to those I have 

 seen here. 



And then with all his other cultures what glorious rows of 

 Lapstones are here ! a Potato my good friend cliogs to in spite 

 of all the highly trumpeted novelties both from across the 

 water and at home. And well he may, for at his hospitable 

 table there was a dish of them as mealy and as good as in the 

 very height of the season, and this when new Potatoes were 

 being need. At least it was Yorkshire Hero, which after several 

 years of cultivation I must pronounce to be the same thing. 

 A little later it may be, but I do not think the graft which it 

 was supposed to arise from had been much influenced by the 

 stock, or vice versa. 



The same high-class cultivation went through everything, 

 Peas and all other vegetables grown here ; but the one flower 

 was the Rose. It is with the Rose that the name of Mr. Rad- 

 clyffe will be always associated ; and when some of our English 

 growers raise a Rose worthy of a good name, as they have 

 already done, let them honour themselves by affixing to it that 

 of a true rosarian and a thoroughly kind and hearty old Eng- 

 lish gentleman, for my dear friend has now reached the allotted 

 threescore years and ten. Simple in his habits and patriarchal 

 in his ways, his chief delight is to benefit those around him. 

 No case of real sorrow but what his heart and hand are open 

 to, while he is beloved by those immediately about him. One 

 inevitably thinks of Sir Roger de CoVerley in his presence ; 

 for while he lacks the stiffness of that fine portrait he has all 



