July 25, 1864, ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



67 



also to mulch, you had better have Roses on the Manetti 

 stock. This stock is suited to strong growers, and to all lands. 

 Though an Italian stock, it is, on well-drained grounds, the 

 hardiest of all. In such inferior lands as mine, Roses budded 

 m loco on the Briar, and manured very highly, bear no com- 

 parison with purchased Manetti Roses for earliness, abund- 

 ance, and largeness of flowers, and for lateness and continuity 

 of flowers: still, put Briar Roses in suitable land and it will 

 do splendidly for you. For pole purposes the Manetti stock 

 is, I think, the best. 



"5. Pruning. — Some people prune on a particular day, 

 and prune all Roses alike. Excellent rules are given for 

 the pruning of all families in the three noble works before 

 referred to. It must not, however, be forgotten that Roses 

 in the same family require very different pruning. Among 

 the Bourbons there is a world-wide difference between Aci- 

 dalie and La Quintinie. As regards a Briar Rose, in the 

 spring of its first planting, or whenever it is moved, it is a 

 rule that it must be cut hard, whether it be for a pole, wall, 

 or standard. For lack of this Briar Roses frequently fail. 

 Till, however, the sap rises, and the eyes swell, you must 

 never prune. As regards Manetti Roses, they often fail 

 from being cut hard. From first to last prune them as 

 Hybrid Chinas, whether pot plants or monstrous plants. If 

 their wood and skin are injured, then you must cut them 

 down to sound wood and sound skin. 



" 6. Growth and Hardihood. — These do not always go 

 together, but both a.re requisite for England. Some that 

 have China blood in them grow well, but yet they are not 

 hardy. As a rule the thorned Roses are hardier than the 

 smooth-skinned Roses. Of course there are exceptions in 

 both cases. When, therefore, you see a novelty described 

 as thornless, remember it may be no recommendation. I 

 ventured, some years ago, to say, in an article, that none 

 but vigorous growers would suit the English ; and the con- 

 sequence has been, that raisers of seedlings have erased the 

 words ' dwarf and ' moderate,' and now almost every new 

 Rose is described as ' vig.' I am told that some of the new 

 Roses of 1S64 described as 'vig.' are very dwarf and bad 

 growers. ' Moderate,' in the fine lands of nurserymen, will 

 be 'dwarf in ninety-five lands out of a hundred, and 

 ' dwarf ' means death. The two best moderate growers, 

 and both hardy and excellent, are the well known Giant of 

 Battles and Pauline Lanzezeur. 



" 7. Watering. — Roses suffer much in torrid weather from 

 lack of water. Before watering the ground should be surface- 

 stirred, and sufficient water poured over the roots to touch 

 all the points of the roots. It the surface is kept super- 

 ficially stirred, it will be moister than when kept corked 

 down tight, because a lesser quantity of rain, and the night 

 dews, which are in the ratio of the sun's heat, will be able 

 more easily to penetrate the soil. 



" 8. Syringing. — A great many of the miseries of Roses 

 would be got rid of if the trees were regularly syringed from 

 the earliest appearance of the leaves. By keeping the lungs 

 clean you preserve the health of the plants. The leaves of 

 plants are externally and internally conducive to health. 

 Syringing is the best thing to keep down fungi and aphides, 

 and also to prevent the mischief of honeydew, which, if not 

 washed off as soon as perceived, will, by the sun's extraction 

 of the fluid parts, leave a viscous concrete, that will destroy 

 the functions of the leaves. 



" 9. Fungi. — These are a numerous family. The two 

 most destructive are orange fungus and white fungus. 

 Orange fungus must be picked off by hand before the 

 nucleus bursts and spreads its spores over the leaves ; and 

 white fungus must be destroyed by sulphur (the black 

 sulphur is best), or by 2ozs. of blue vitriol, dissolved in a 

 little hot water, and then mixed with a stable-bucket of cold 

 water, and poured from a watering-pot, with the top on, 

 over the leaves. This is the most effectual remedy. There 

 is another misery, 'black blight.' This is also called by 

 some a fungus. It may be so ; but I could never perceive 

 the spores of fungus. It proceeds, I believe, from a low 

 state of temperature, also from checks of weather. I am 

 inclined to think this, because I never remember seeing it 

 under glass, which is no preventive of white fungus. It is 

 less mischievous than either of the other two miseries. 

 When it occurs early in the year, if the leaves are universally 

 affected, stirring the ground deeply, or removing the plant, 



to estop the sap, are probably the best preventives of 

 mischief. 



" 10. Wind. — Roses cannot have too much air, and too 

 little wind, in the growing season. At other times it is 

 beneficial. Great havoc every year has been committed on 

 my rosery by the destruction of the leaves by wind. This 

 season the wind has been quiet ; but in ten of the months 

 last year there were from one to five gales monthly. 



"11. Novelties. — Do not give up such good and hardy 

 Roses as the Giant of Battles and Baronne Prevost. They 

 have outlived hundreds at my residence, and are as healthy 

 as they were twelve years ago. 



' 'Tis good to be on with the new love 

 Before you are off with the old.* 



No question, good Roses come out yearly; but we want 

 not only good Roses, but better than we have got : we want 

 more distinct Roses. As regards form, we need more cups 

 and globes ; as regards colours, we want true purples (now 

 supplied by Alfred de Rougemont), full-sized autumnal pure 

 whites and creamy whites, yellow Hybrid Perpetuals, varie- 

 gated Pepetuals, high-coloured Teas, and more full-sized, 

 full, very dark Roses. In the dark line we have Empereur 

 de Maroc, small, but beautiful and full; Princesse Mathilde, 

 dark, shelly, beautiful, but not full; Francois Arago, full and 

 good; Due de Cazes, dark, full, and fine; and Alfred de Rouge- 

 mont and Prince Camille de Rohan, both very dark, full, and 

 fine. There is one new Rose very interesting, tolerably dark, 

 and also good — a Rose of royal and national interest — Deuil 

 de Prince Albert, or the Mourning of Prince Albert. Mr. 

 Rivers has well said, in a letter to me, that it is, from its 

 darkness and mournfully-pendulous habit, well adapted to 

 represent the royal and national, and, I may almost say, 

 world-wide sorrow at so sad an event. I caused it to be 

 mentioned to Her Majesty by my friend Lord Rivers; and 

 I cannot but think that this Rose, and such-like as I have 

 named, would be very appropriate to adorn the mausoleum, 

 and also suitable to this Royal Garden, so indebted to Her 

 Majesty and the late Prince Consort. 



" Lastly : The Selection of Roses. — I think you cannot do 

 better, if you do not know the Roses, than state to the 

 nurserymen what are your circumstances and wants, and, 

 though they cannot for several years be quite sure about 

 novelties, I am sure they will not wilfully deceive you. The 

 old ' stuff ' they well know ; but they cannot, in the case of 

 novelties be sure of them till they have passed through 

 severe winters and unpropitious summers, or tell their true 

 value or worthlessness. I think the nurserymen should take 

 some security from the raisers of seedlings that the Roses 

 are according to description; and I also think that they 

 should make inquiry as to the ' suppressio veri,' as well as 

 take security against the ' expressio falsi.' 



" It now only remains to thank you for your kindness, and 

 to hope that what I have said may create true rosarians. 

 Tour well-known love of the Rose must be my apology for 

 this prolonged address. I hope that I shall not commit a 

 breach of good taste if I express my thanks to Her Majesty 

 for originating this great Society; if I thank the Society, on 

 behalf of all rosarians, for their splendid patronage of the 

 Rose cause ; if I express my far greater gratitude to Him 

 from whom, and through whom, all blessings flow, who is the 

 'Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.' " 



Floeal Committee. — A meeting of the Committee was 

 held on the 19th inst., but no plant or flower of any par- 

 ticular interest was exhibited, the subjects for examination 

 being unusually few for the time of year. 



Mr. William Paul sent two seedling Hybrid Perpetual 

 Roses — namely, Dr. Lindley, dark rosy crimson, fine full 

 flower, of promising qualities, but not in condition ; and 

 Rosea elegans, a bright light rose, but deficient in sub- 

 stance and quantity of petals. A second-class certificate 

 was awarded to the first named. From Messrs. Carter and 

 Co. came a hybrid tree Carnation, called Goliath, indistinct 

 in colour, highly scented, but by no means an ornamental 

 flower. Mr. Bull, Chelsea, sent Cypripedium superbiens, 

 not sufficiently distinct from other well-known varieties; 

 Achimenes Leonie ; Tropawlum Gold Belt, yellow flower with 

 deep orange spots on each petal ; and Weigela alba lutescens 

 grandiflora. From Mr. Perry, Castle Bromwich, came cut 

 flowers of six seedling Verbenas, of which Snowball had an 



