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J0UR3SAL. OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ August 30, 1877. 



to suggest seventy-two to any but the largest amateur growers. 

 If " H. C." will use his influence with, say, a dozen of the 

 southern growers, getting them to name seventy-two, I will on 

 receiving the replies from him tabulate the results after the 

 forty-eight election. 



To the forty-eight exhibition Rose election I shall be glad to 

 have replies without delay. I propose now to leave the date 

 for closing open to the middle of September, and want replies 

 from successful exhibitors, marking — 1st, the best twelve 

 exhibition Eoses; 2nd, the next best twelve, and then the 

 next best twenty-four. If placed in order of merit, so much 

 the better. — Joseph Hinton, Warminster. 



GRAPES. 



Some time ago a Grape was brought out (I think by Messrs. 

 Veitch & Sons) called the Champion Muscat. Eeferring to 

 their catalogue just issued, as well as to those of some other 

 nurserymen, I find no mention is made of it in their list of 

 Grapes. Can anyone tell me why this is the case ? as here it 

 is one of the very finest both in bunch and berry that I ever 

 saw— it is simply grand, and the flavour is superb ; in my esti- 

 mation it is the best Grape I ever tasted. I have seen it 

 described as a grizzle in colour, here it is a rich red purple, 

 certainly not a black, but a beautiful colour with a light bloom. 

 It is a strong grower, and ripens well in'a cool house or even a 

 ground vinery. Taking it altogether it is the most desirable 

 Grape I have. Then why is it no longer in the lists of Grapes ? 



My Venn's Musoat has proved itself totally distinct from 

 the old Muscat Hamburgh, its growth being exceedingly strong 

 and it is extremely prolific. Even now, though the fruit iB nearly 

 ripe, fresh bunches are continually appearing on the laterals. 

 The flavour is different to the Muscat Hamburgh, and it ripens 

 well in a cool house. The berries are cot eo large as the old 

 variety, but still of fair size, therefore I place it as good, and 

 later than the Muscat Champion. I have also a house of Mrs. 

 Pinoe's Muscat, a wonderful crop and colouring well. How is 

 it that one scarcely ever sees this fine Grape well finished ? 

 Madresfield Court is doing well, but does not come up to the 

 foregoing. I have planted a Duke of Buecleueh, but it seems 

 delioate. Has anyone done well with it? It is a weak grower 

 with me, but I think very highly of it as a white Grape, and 

 Pearson's Golden Queen as an amber from what I have seen 

 and tasted ; but, as I have said at the beginning of this 

 article, the Grape of Grapes for me is the Champion Muscat. 

 — Haeeison Weib, Weirleigh, Brenckley, Kent. 



THE POTATO DISEASE IN SOUTH WALES. 



I have seen Potatoes grown and Potatoes diseased in many 

 parts of the country, but I never saw them bo badly affected 

 as they are in this neighbourhood this season. Until about 

 the middle of July there were no signs of spot or blemish on 

 stem or tuber, but then we had much muggy mild wet weather ; 

 and since then Potatoes have gone bad on all soils in a most 

 violent manner. Many of them became quite black and de- 

 cayed in the stems in a few nights, and the roots were affected 

 as quickly. Rivers' Royal Ashleaf Kidney was one of the 

 worst, and although the tubers were lifted and dried and 

 stored in a shed carefully, many of those which looked perfectly 

 sound have since become soft and decayed. Gloucestershire 

 Kidney was not quite so much decayed as Rivers', but the 

 Cornish Kidney is much worse. Prince of Wales, Giant King, 

 Early Mealy, Model, Ecbson's Champion, Walnut-leaf Kidney, 

 and Snowflake are so bad that not over ten per cent, of them 

 are fit for use. The only two kinds which remain good- are 

 Bresee's King of the Earlies and Climax. Like all the others 

 the crop of these is heavy, and it is to be regretted they are 

 not drier when cooked. King of the Earlies especially is very 

 seldom mealy. Our late varieties, which include Paterson's 

 Victoria, Paterson's Blues, Regents, Rocks, and Sutton's Red- 

 skin Flourball, are not lifted yet, but I feor they will be as bad 

 as the others, as the Btems are quite black. 



Several writers have advised lifting the roots as soon as the 

 stems show signs of becoming black, let the tubers be rips or 

 unripe. With the exception of Rivera' not one of ours was 

 ripe when the stems became black, and many of them not half 

 swelled. As yet I have failed to learn, either by practice or 

 reading, that lifting these half-swelled Potatoes is the best 

 thing to do to preserve them when attacked by the disease. 

 Wet weather is the sure propagator and promoter of disease. 

 A few days' rain will start decay, and should wet continue 



it will progress rapidly ; but when dry weather follows the 

 the disease is checked and ceases to spread, while the tubers 

 continue swelling and become matured. But what is the 

 result when the tubers are lifted at the first appearance of 

 disease before they are much more than half swelled or half 

 ripe ? Simply this, such Potatoes are never good for food ; 

 and as for seed, they are not fit to plant anywhere. How can 

 they ? What kind of produce would any gardener expect from 

 such as Peas or any other kitchen-garden seed which was 

 gathered before it was half grown and put away into some 

 shed to shrivel up and dry ? Plant Potatoes next year from 

 those lifted before they were matured this season and they may 

 grow, but their growth will be weak and their constitution 

 weaker, and therefore much more subject to disease. For 

 these reasons I am never in too great a hurry to lift Potatoes 

 until I am sure they are ripening, even although a few more 

 of them should fall a prey to the- plague. 



In a wet season like this I do not think situation is of much 

 avail to ward off the disease. We have Potatoes growing in three 

 different gardens, in light soil and heavy soil, and they are all 

 much the same. In the cottage gardens, where some are high, 

 some low, some surrounded by trees and others fully exposed, 

 none have escaped. The farmers have not begun to lift their 

 field crops yet, but I see the stems there are also black and 

 withering up. Altogether it is one of the most unprosperons 

 Potato years that has ever been known about here ; and I 

 doubt it is not much better all over Wales, as Mr. Pettigrew, 

 the Marquis of Bate's gardener at Cardiff Castle, and Mr. 

 Slater, Lord Cawdor's gardener at Stackpool, told me the 

 other day that there was great cause for complaint in those 

 districts. — J. Muik, Margam Park. 



THE EOSE'S HISTOEY. 



The Rose was known more than 2500 years ago, for it is 

 mentioned both by Solomon and Isaiah. It could not escape 

 their notice, for it is common in Judssa. Sandys, one of our 

 earliest travellers, found Roses wild and abundant near Jeru- 

 salem ; and Doubleday, another early traveller, mentions that 

 there were hedges formed of Rose bushes. In the flower 

 market at Athens it held a prominent position, for the Greeks 

 esteemed it the most beautiful of flowers, and therefore appro- 

 priately dedicated it to Venus. All the Roman writers on the 

 culture of the Boil include special directions for the propagation 

 and management of Roses. As the emblem of youth the Rose 

 was dedicated to Aurora, of love and beauty to Venus, of 

 danger and instability to Cupid. It was given by the latter as 

 a bribe to Harpocrates the god of silence ; whence perhaps 

 originated the custom, of which we are told by Eosenbergius, 

 that obtained among the northern nations of Europe, of sus- 

 pending a Roeo from the ceiling over the upper end of their 

 tables when it was intended that what passed at their enter- 

 tainments should be secret.. And this undoubtedly is the origin 

 of the common expression " Under the Rose." The ancients 

 tell us that Roses originally were white, but were changed to 

 red by the blood of Venus when her feet were lacerated by 

 their prickleB in her attempt to protect Adonis from the rage 

 of Mirs. Theocritus, and Bion, however, are of opinion that 

 it was the blood of Adonis himself that altered their colour. 

 Another tale relates that Cupid, leading a dance in heaven, 

 Stumbled and overset a bowl of nectar, which falling upon 

 the earth stained the Rose. Ausonius has made the Rose 

 blush from the blood of Cupid. Busbequius informs us that 

 the Turks have a similar superstition upon the subject, 

 and believe that Roses originated from the sweat of tbeir 

 prophet Mahomet. Nor has the ingenuity of monkish writers 

 been at a loss to stamp Roses in some measure with divinity, 

 though in a different manner. Marulus telle a story of a holy 

 virgin named Dorothea, who suffered martyrdom in Cassarea 

 under the government of Fabricius, and who converted to 

 Christianity a scribe named Theophilus by sending him some 

 Eoses in the winter time out of Paradise. A golden Rose was 

 considered so honourable a present that none but crowned 

 heads were thought worthy either to give or to receive it. 

 Roses of this kind were sometimes consecrated by the Popes 

 upon Good Friday, and given to such potentates as it was 

 their particular interest or wish to load with favours ; the 

 flower itself being an emblem of the mortality of the body, and 

 the metal of which it was composed of the immortality of the 

 soul. Boethius says that William King of Scotland received a 

 present of this sort from Pope Alexander III., and Henry VIII. 

 is reoorded to have had a similar gift from Alexander VI. The 



