JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



£ July 5, 1877. 



same tree and show them in the same stand under the names 

 of Exposition de Brie, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Maurice Ber- 

 nardin. Of these I suppose it will be granted that the one 

 first named is the best, but a tyro readirjg the catalogue would 

 see there those Roses spoken highly of, and would think it 

 necessary (if he desired to be an exhibitor) to buy them all ; 

 and as he will find it necessary to have at the very least twenty 

 of each sort, he will be spending three pounds where one 

 would be sufficient. 



Then take another instance. Mdlle. Eugenie Yerdier has 

 long held the foremost rank among light Roses, when of late 

 years another Rose almoBt identical in form, entirely so in 

 colour and wood, is sent out and retains her position as an 

 exhibition flower. This Rose (Mdlle. Marie Finger) only 

 differs from the former by not being quite so globular in form 

 — that is, taking Eugeoie Verdier at her very best, but an 

 average Rose of this variety cannot be distinguished from 

 Marie Finger. It is, of course, greatly to the advantage of 

 the nurseryman that these Roses should continue to hold 

 their position in the lists, because in a stand of seventy-two 

 they are most valuable. In one row Eugenie Verdier makes a 

 most delightfnl contrast in the midst of crimson and dark 

 Roses, while Mdlle. Marie Finger fills the same good office in 

 another part. But amateurs should be warned by someone 

 against purchasing duplicates, unless they wish the Roses to 

 perform the same good office for themselves. 



Now as to exhibition Roses, if I were to give a list in this 

 paper I should merely have to copy out the list I sent in at 

 the Rose election, and it would be a little wearisome to read 

 over a long list of names, which any one can easily do by pur- 

 chasing the number of the Rose Journal that contains the 

 lists. All that I can do in this letter is to give the names of 

 some superexcellent Rases which must be cultivated by ex- 

 hibitors. 



First, then, let me say something about Roses recently intro- 

 duced by our great English nurserymen. I believe never was 

 the RoBe world 60 rich with English-raised Roses as now. 

 Take first Mr. George Paul's Marchioness of Exeter, Dr. 

 Hooker, Empress of India, Saltan of Zanzibar, Wilson Saun- 

 ders, and Duke of Connaught. All these are splendid Roses. 

 Then next look at Mr. Turner's list : — Royal Standard, a grand 

 Rose, having perfect form and good colour; Miss Hassard, 

 Oxonian, Rev. John B. M. Camm, and others which I have 

 not proved. Mr. Cant has not done much with seedlings yet, 

 but he has lately brought out one good one called Prince 

 Arthur. This is rather like the Duke of Edinburgh in colour, 

 and resembles in form General Jacqueminot, and I think it 

 will prove to be a valuable Rose. I saw a splendid bloom of it 

 in Mr. Cant's nursery. Mr. Cranston has sent out one good 

 Rose — Sir Garnet Wolseley, but I do not know of any more 

 except some climbing Roses ; but all these English-raised 

 Roses are worth growing, and no exhibitor should long be 

 without them. 



Concerning older Roses fit for exhibition, much, very much, 

 can be written, and the only question is where to begin and 

 where to leave off. 



Amateurs are never called upon to show more than forty- 

 eight, and this is almost too large a number for anyone but 

 giants like Hercules and Mr. Jowitt. To Bhow this number, 

 however, calculating, too, upon there being eight Teas in the 

 Btands, an amateur should cultivate about sixty sorts ; for 

 some varieties of Roses bloom far too late in the year to be of 

 use for most of the shows, such as Emilie Hausburgh, while 

 others are completely over for the later shows, as Mons. 

 Noman, Abel Grand, &c, so that it is necessary to have double 

 the number of sortB in cultivation to what you are called upon 

 to exhibit. 



Of white Hybrid Perpetuals the best undoubtedly is Mar- 

 quise de Mortemart, but this is such an exceedingly shy 

 bloomer and such a weak grower that you can scarcely ever 

 depend upon it. The next best is Madame Lacharme, then 

 Boule de Neige, Madame Noman, and Reine Blanche ; but the 

 last two I do not grow. 



Of blush Rose3 undoubtedly Madame Rothschild is the best, 

 then Marguerite de St. Amand, Duchesse de Vallombrosa, 

 Madame Vidot, and La Francois; of this last I know nothing 

 from experience, as I do not grow it, but it was shown very 

 fine at the Crystal Palace. 



Of the next shade in colour (rosy blush) La France is the 

 best, then Eugenie Verdier, Abel Grand, and now and then 

 Captain Christy will give a fine bloom, out I do not recom- 

 mend anyone to grow it. 



Of pink and rose-coloured Roses Marquise de Castsllane, 

 Mons. Noman, Mdlle. Marie Cointet, and Eoaiiie Hausburg. 

 Among crimson and cerises stand pre-eminent Marie Bau- 

 mann, Alfred Colomb, Dapuy-Jamain, Beauty of Waltham, 

 Madame Victor Verdier, Dr. Andry, and a host of others. 



Of the darker varieties Charles Lefebvre still holds his own, 

 but is close pressed by Lord Macaulay, Horace Vernet, Ferdi- 

 nand de Lesseps, and many more; while of the very dark 

 Roses Savier Oiibo (a wretched grower), Louis Van Hontte 

 (ditto), Duke of Wellington, Prince Camille de Rohan, and 

 Fisher Holmes must all be cultivated. 



I have endeavoured to class the very best sorts according to 

 their colours, and I hope that the above will be useful to some 

 few of your readers, and who may wish next autumn to buy 

 some of the very best Roses. It would be wearisome to your 

 readers to name all the sorts, even if you had space, so those 

 only are named which are the best examples of their class, 

 according, that is, to the best of the belief of a — Wyld Savage. 



ALEXANDRA PALACE ROSE SHOW. 

 Ju>~E 30th. 



Several days of fine weather, a fortunate fixture, and a 

 liberal schedule combined to render the Exhibition a good one. 

 Indeed, considering the unfavourable Rose season — winter 

 almost entirely overlapping spring, and summer coming in with 

 a bound — the display may be described ss excellent. That it 

 would be equal to the last Rose Show that was held in the large 

 concert hall of the Palace could not have been expected, for 

 that Exhibition was the best that was held during a much 

 better "Rose year" than this is. Oq Saturday there were 

 some rather wide gaps in the four long tables in the body of 

 the hall and the two side tables when the blooms were 

 judged; but by regularly distributing the boxes the blanks were 

 not greatly "felt." The concert room is a capital place for a 

 Rose show, its subdued light showing the colours of the blooms 

 to advantage, and preventing them also rapidly expanding. A 

 little more light on Saturday would, however, have been an im- 

 provement. It was an enjoyable Show and well arranged, and 

 Mr. McKenzie and his assistants left nothing wanting on their 

 part to render the day a pleasant one to all. The Show was 

 crowded with visitors daring the afternoon. 



The nurserymen exhibitors took a distinct lead both in the 

 size of their blooms and the quality of them. Some amateurs 

 undoubtedly exhibited well, notably Messrs. Baker, Jowitt, and 

 Camm, but the majority were not in " good form." The brothers 

 Gayter, the renowned " growers " for Messrs. George Paul and 

 Turner (and than whom few are more competent to speak on 

 the matter), do not regard the present as a good " amateurs' 

 year," as only maiden plants can be relied on for splendid 

 blooms, and of those plants there is obviously Lot the same 

 choice in private as there is in trade collections. 



The first and the principal class was for nurserymen, seventy- 

 two varieties, single trusses. There were five competitors, four 

 of whom were awarded prizes. Messrs. George Paul & Son, 

 Cheshnnt, were placed first; Mr. Cant, Colchester, second ; Mr. 

 Keynes, Salisbury, third ; and MessrB. Cranston & Mayos, 

 Hereford, fourth. The Cheshunt blooms were unquestionably 

 the fioest. Amongst them we noticed Francois Michelon, grand, 

 certainly the premier bloom of the Show ; Ceutifolia rosea in 

 the true Cheshunt style ; Mons. E. Y. Teas, a fine example of a 

 promising Rose; Margaret Brassac, like a perfect Charles 

 Lefebvre; Miss Hassard and Madame Lacharme, good; Emily 

 Laxton, a lovely bloom, with wonderful foliage; Wilson 

 Saunders, rich and full ; Duchesse de Vallombrosa, excellent, 

 as also were Marquise de Castellane, Jean Liabaud, Senateur 

 Vaisse, Marquise de LigDeris, Princess Beatrice, Charles Lefebvre, 

 Felix Genero,MaiecbalNiel, Baron de Bonstetten,Abel Carriere, 

 La Rusiere, Thomas Mills, Fisher Holmes, and the Duke and 

 Duchess of Edinburgh— a collection of great weight and quality. 

 Mr. Cant staged very fresh medium-sized blooms with good 

 foliage. Madame Lacharme was perfectly lovely, as also was 

 Souvenir d'Elise, Devoniensis, Madame Willermoz, and Mdlle. 

 Marie Finger ; and in extremely fine condition were Madame 

 Annie Wood, very bright ; Louis Van Houtte, splerdid ; Sir 

 Garnet Wolseley, Duchesse de Vallombrosa, Star of Waltham, 

 Prince Arthur, very bright ; and Xavier Oiibo. This colli ction 

 was rightly placed second, although it was closely run by Mr. 

 Keynes's excellent contribution. Many of tbe blooms in the 

 Salisbury stands were very perfect. Frar-e n's Michelon was 

 again pre-eminent, Etienne Levet the finest bloom of that fine 

 variety in the Show; Beauty of Walthani, Duchesse de Vallom- 

 brosa, Moub.E. Y. Teas, good again ; Louis Van Houtte, excel- 

 lent; Felix Genero, Mdlle. Eogeuie Verdier, Madame Lacharme, 

 and La Rosiere were all in flue condition. The best Teas, and 

 good they were, were Madame Bonnaire, Souvenir d'Elise, Marie 

 Van Houtte, Madame Sertot, Niphetos, and Devoniensis. 

 Messrs. Cranston <i" Mayos' collection was also a capital one. 



