November 1, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



US 



"the donors of the greatest prize ever provided for competition 

 at Rose tournaments. 



The King's Acre Nurseries are situated about two miles from 

 Hereford. The walk — or drive — is a pleasant one without 

 being picturesque, and the observant traveller has not to pro- 

 ceed far before he perceives that he is in a district peculiarly 

 favourable to Rose growth. Not only in the villa gardens skirt- 

 ing the town and in the cottage allotments " further afield " 

 do Roses grow vigorously, but the Briars in the hedgerows 

 tell us by their luxuriance that they enjoy a good larder and 

 a congenial air. The atmosphere of Herefordshire is undefiled 

 by the smoke of " works," such as foundries and factories, 

 and the soil is such that renders the cattle sleek. It is under 

 such conditions that Roses flourish — in such a district where 

 Mr. Cranston has won renown by the excellence of his pro- 

 duce of blooms in summer and plants in winter. 

 . In extent the nursery is about eighty acres ; thirty of which 

 are devoted to the increase and culture of Roses. Conifers, 

 forest trees, and evergreens are largely grown, occupying about 

 thirty acres, and there are twenty acres of fruit trees. Healthy 

 and well-grown Conifers are attractive at any season, but espe- 

 cially during the winter, and the Conifer avenues at King's Acre 

 -are worthy a passing meed of commendation. They reach the 

 entire length of the nursery, the shrubs, &c, in the borders 

 being arranged with care — small and medium-sized specimens 

 in choice variety. Alternating with these are avenues of Roses, 

 ■which during the summer season must have an imposing 

 effect. At the extreme end of the nursery is a boundary of 

 specimen Conifers of commanding size and well-balanced pro- 

 portions. The examples of these — Wellingtonias, Pinuses, 

 Abies, Thujas, Cupressuses, &a. — are really excellent. 



But it is the Roses, unattractive though they be, that pri- 

 marily arrest attention. In no other place than in a Rose 

 manufactory such as this can the extent of the Rose industry 

 be appreciated. Thousands of Roses, even acres, are here seen. 

 These are imposing — almost surprising ; but more wonderful 

 still is it to think that this is only one item in the great Rose 

 trade of the country. We must think also of the Pauls, Turner, 

 Cant, Veitoh, Smith, Wood, and others who provide similarly 

 powerful contingents, some of them perhaps even more power- 

 ful, to the national army of Roses in order to fully comprehend 

 the full magnitude of the Rose trade in this country. 



That Messrs. Cranston & Co.'s is an important Rose rendez- 

 vous must be admitted by all who inspect King's Acre, and 

 especially, perhaps, if the visit occurs in the lifting and pack- 

 ing period. The quarters are then bloomless and almost leaf- 

 leBS ; but the character of the plants is better seen on that 

 account — the sturdy bright wood, and, what is to the practised 

 eye so attractive, the upturned bristling roots bushy and 

 "close at home." 



A striking feature of the nursery is a bed of 50,000 standards 

 which have been budded during the present season. A path 

 is arranged down the centre of this "plantation," to which 

 the ground slopes ; the Briars have also been assorted and 

 planted systematically, the tallest at the extremities of the 

 rows furthest from the eye graduating to the dwarfest at the 

 ends next the central walk. During the blooming period next 

 year these gigantic sloping banks of Roses will have a grand 

 effect. This is only a portion of the stock of standards. The 

 stock of Manettis budded during the present year is still larger 

 and amounts to 200,000 plants. These are remarkably healthy, 

 and nave been budded very low. In order that the buds could 

 be inserted quite close to the roots the soil had been dug out, and 

 the budded Manettis are now in trenches. When growth com- 

 mences in the spring the trenches will be filled-in and roots 

 will issue from the bud, and thuB aid the parent stock in fur- 

 nishing support for the plants. But this is not all ; for Roses 

 thus worked seldom if ever produce suckers ; and, moreover, 

 Mr. CranBton places it beyond the power of planters to err 

 in exposing any portion of the Manetti stock above ground 

 —an important provision. The Manetti should always be 

 covered to insure success, and with plants worked so low as 

 these are it must be covered, for they simply cannot be planted 

 without covering the junction of the bud and the stock. 



The stock of Manettis now ready for distribution amounts 

 to 150,000 plants. But many — some hundreds, probably thou- 

 sands — have already been dispatched, as was evident by the 

 large blanks in the quarters, and similarly by the loads of 

 bundles and packages awaiting their turn for delivery. Roses 

 were being packed not only for British gardens, but oases 

 were being prepared for the Continent, especially Italy, for 

 America, Ceylon, and even New Zealand and Australia. For 



the long voyage of three months the plants are specially pre- 

 pared. They are chiefly small plants of the newer varieties. 

 The roots of each are firmly " mossed," and about 150 plants 

 are placed in each ease, and nearly all are found to reach their 

 destination safely. The foreign trade in Roses is evidently 

 a great one, and it is no Blight compliment to English packers 

 that are able to secure the safe transit of Roses even to the 

 Antipodes. 



For the packing of Roses to home districts fern (bracken) 

 is employed at King's Acre instead of straw. It is found to 

 be considerably cheaper than straw, while it is quite as good 

 if not better for the Roses. Mr. Cranston purchases the 

 bracken from Wales, and the extent of his consignment this 

 year is suggestive : it amounts to forty tons of dry fern. This 

 is stored as far as possible in barns, which are now full, but 

 when the packing season is over will be empty. 



A visit to a great Rose-growing establishment during the 

 packing time affords an excellent opportunity for observing 

 the varieties which are most popular with the Rose-growing 

 public. And here the old Gloire de Dijon has a more honour- 

 able position than in the Rose election. Of all Roses it is 

 the greatest in request. The stock of it — and a fine sight it 

 is — at King's Acre now ready for distribution is upwards of six 

 thousand plants, and these even on the 20th of October were 

 " all Bold!" The stock of Marshal Niel is, to use a nursery 

 phrase, always " run off its legs." Baronne de Rothschild is 

 the most popular of the light Roses, indeed of any Rose except- 

 ing those above named, and upwards of five thousand are pro- 

 vided to meet the demand. La France sustains its popularity 

 and increases in favour yearly. Four thousand plants have 

 recently bloomed grandly at King's Acre, and another year 

 they will bloom somewhere else. It is one of the most con- 

 tinuous in blooming of all Roses — one of the most chastely 

 beautiful, and one of the most sweet. Amongst the dark 

 Roses Alfred Colomb and Marie Baumann head the liBt in 

 the public estimation, and the pair are here represented by 

 nearly ten thousand plants. Of other varieties the Rose 

 election poll of the Journal of Horticulture is a good index of 

 merit in public estimation, and the Roses there honoured are 

 increased accordingly. 



Mr. Cranston's fine Rose Sir Garnet Wolseley is apparently 

 in great demand, for the stock is large and the blanks already 

 numerous. Another King's Acre Rose — a garden decorative 

 and forcing Rose — Cranston's Crimson Bedder, is grown largely 

 and sold readily ; indeed the stock of this year is already 

 " sold out." An order of five hundred plants of it for Ame- 

 rica was being executed. These were principally for forcing, 

 it having proved valuable as a winter and spring bloomer. 

 ' Then there are the Teas — the lovely Teas. Tear by year the 

 demand increases for these charming Roses, and glass ereetionB 

 have to be increased for growing them in pots. Many hundreds 

 of small plants are plunged in brick pits and protected when 

 needful; and larger plants are accommodated in houses — 

 Bplendid plants, it may justly be written, and splendid houses. 

 One of them, a new one just erected by Messrs. Boulton &Paul, 

 is an extremely fine structure ; not highly embellished, but 

 neat, light, strong, and well arranged and ventilated. The 

 glass of this house (21-oz.) is well bedded in putty, but no top 

 putty is used. It is a span-roof, 150 feet long by 24 feet wide. 

 There is a central stage or bed, and side stages, with hot 

 water beneath for bottom heat in the propagating season, when 

 cases are placed over the beds which are now filled with fine 

 plants. TheBe plants were worked in January last, and are 

 now in 7 and 8-inch pots — large plants, well trained and ripened, 

 which will bloom freely all the winter. A finer example of 

 Rose-culture is seldom seen than that afforded by this ad- 

 mirable collection of Teas. What plants' can surpass such as 

 these for decorative purposes and affording button-hole blooms 

 and drawing-room flowers ? None. What can equal them ? 

 Few. Near this is another house still larger; it is the same 

 length, but wider and more lofty — the Rose conservatory. 

 Here in a broad central bed the Roses are planted out. 

 " Trees," real trees, some of them are which would gladden 

 the eyes of " Pabson's Gabdenek," for he would require a 

 ladder for cutting the blooms. On the side beds are Roses in 

 pots, but a few are planted-out with a view of arching them 

 over the path at intervals, which will add to the attractiveness 

 of this house. A " tree " of Marechal Niel in this structure 

 must be a " sight" when in bloom. Its stem is of great size, 

 but it will persist in swdling faster than the stock of its 

 foster-parent the Briar on which it is worked, and this may 

 shorten its days. 



