July 31, 



Garden and Forest. 



367 



Rose Notes. 



'PROM the differences of opinion expressed by different 

 ^ Rose-growers in regard to tlieir experience during the 

 past season it is somewhat difficult to malve positive state- 

 ments as to the relative value of varieties. For instance, one 

 large grower asserts that, after repeated trials, he has de- 

 cided to discard American Beauty for forcing, because it has 

 proved unprofitable. While another grower a few mile^ away 

 from the lirst mentioned declares that American Beauty 

 netted more money per square foot of space occupied than 

 any other variety he grew last season, and a third man states 

 that he cut thirty thousand blooms (good, bad and indifferent, 

 but a majority of them saleable) from a house 135 feet long 

 and twenty-five feet wide. The evidence seems rather con- 

 tradictory, yet the balance is decidedly in favor of this Rose, 

 and this judgment is confirmed by the large numbers of this 

 variety planted this summer. In the newer Teas, Madame 

 Hoste (Guillot fils, 1888) has been highly recommended by 

 some growers and may prove of much value, its large buds 

 ■of light yellow shaded with buff having encoiu'aged the hope 

 from some Rosarians that it may prove a worthy successor to 

 the old standard variety Perle des Jardins. We should not 

 forget, however, that alleged rivals of the Perle have been 

 •offered each season for several years past, and so far the old 

 variety has been able to hold its own as a profitable sort. 

 Madame Hoste has not yet been before the public long 

 enough or in sufficient quantity for a thorough test, and it 

 will, therefore, be better to withhold a positive opinion until 

 some future time. Madame Cusin, though not of very recent 

 introduction, having been in the market for the past eight 

 years, has only become prominent as a forcing Rose during 

 the last two or three seasons, its peculiar color and lasting 

 qualities when cut having gained it much popularity, and it 

 has doubtless proved profitable when well-grown. Madame 

 de Watteville, another introduction by the same firm, has also 

 attracted much attention, and though not specially notable in 

 form, is very pretty, and is being planted in large quantities by 

 some commercial growers. Miss Ethel Brownlow (Dickson, 

 1887), a much-prized variety in Europe, has not yet aroused 

 much enthusiasm among American growers, though possibly 

 a valuable Rose. But among so many good pink Roses al- 

 ready in general use, the test of a new variety of that color is 

 apt to be somewhat exacting. 



Mrs. John Laing retains its place among popular Hybrid 

 Perpetuals, though not always entirely satisfactory for very 

 early forcing, but as it may be depended on for a crop of flow- 

 ers by the ist of February, and is really a beautiful Rose, it 

 is justly considered a decided acquisition either for forcing or 

 for out-door planting, as in the latter case it is of vigorous 

 growth and very free. I am reminded by this allusion to early 

 forcing of another new Hybrid Perpetual, supposed to be of 

 American origin, which is now in preparation for the market. 

 It is somewhat in the style of Magna Charta.but is said to force 

 easily in time for Christmas. Another new Hybrid Perpetual 

 of value as a bedding Rose is Dinsmore, introduced by Peter 

 Henderson & Co. in 1887, its bright-colored flowers being of 

 fair size and freely produced dm-ing a considerable portion of 

 the season. Earl of Dufferin (Dickson, 1887) has not as yet been 

 extensively grown on this side of the Atlantic, possibly on 

 account of the limited sale for extremely dark Roses as cut 

 flowers. 



As a winter-blooming variety the Tea Rose, The Gem (to 

 which reference has been made in a former article), has not 

 been highly commended by those who tested it during the 

 past season, but as a bedding Rose it is useful, though the 

 blossoms become much tinted with pink on the outer 

 petals when grown in the open air, and consequently it can- 

 not be compared with Marie Guillot for purity of color. 



Possibly a valuable race of out-door Roses may be brought 

 forth as the new type of hybrids of 7?. rugosa is further devel- 

 oped, the first variety of this class in commerce being Madame 

 Georges Bruant (Bruant, 1888), the result of a cross between 

 R. rugosa and the Tea, Sombreuil, and is said to be very vig- 

 orous in growth, pure white in color, and very fragrant. The 

 blooms are produced in clusters. Another hybrid already 

 alluded to in Garden in Forest is that peculiar one originated 

 by Mr. E. S. Carman by crossing R. rugosa with Harrison's 

 Yellow, the product bearing a flower somewhat like Jacque- 

 minot in color. 



Interest has again been aroused in some localities in the 

 question frequently discussed before as to the value of worked 

 Roses in comparison with those on their own roots, when 

 used for forcing, and after comparative trials it has again been 

 decided by some of the growers that plants on their own roots 



are fully equal, and in some cases superior, to those depend- 

 ing on the roots of another variety for sustenance. From this 

 it will be seen that the opinion expressed by Mr. John N. May 

 and a few other noted growers, several years ago, to the effect 

 that "a Rose that would not grow on its own roots was not 

 worth growing at all," was based on the sure foundation of 

 personal experience. IV. H. Taplin. 



Holmesburg, Pa. 



Orchid Notes. 



Progress in Hybridizing. — There was quite a flutter among 

 the Orchidists, at a recent meeting of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society in London, when the new hybrid between Lalia Dig- 

 by ana and Cattleya Mossice was exhibited. Notliing so remark- 

 able had been seen since that charming little plant, Sophrocat- 

 tleya Batemafiniana, x first appeared, and it was universally 

 admitted that the plant was a great acquisition, and added yfet 

 another to the many triumphs of the great pioneers in Orchid 

 hybridization — Messrs. James \'eitch & Sons, of Chelsea. It 

 may almost be called a Cattleya Mossia, with fringed flowers, 

 though the influence of tlie pollen-parent is seen in several 

 other of its characters — the long-beaked ovary, the tube-like 

 base of the lip, and the white sheaths of the pseudo-bulbs, for 

 example. "May possibly be the forerunner of a race with 

 fringed flowers," said a writer in the Gardeners'' Chronicle, 

 when describing it. 



And what possibilities for the future does such a success 

 indicate ? Lcelia Dighyana, in spite of its gloriously fringed lip, 

 does not appear to be a very popular garden-plant ; possibly 

 on account of that unmistakable tint of green in its flowers, 

 but once the possibility of transferring the beautiful fimbria- 

 tion to some of the more popular Cattleyas and Laelias is demon- 

 strated, further experiments are sure to be made ; though we 

 must wait a few years for the result, as the present plant was 

 seven years old before it flowered, and Lcelia caloglossa, raised 

 in the same establishment, did not flower until it was nineteen 

 years old — certainly an inordinately long time to wait, even for 

 the choicest of hybrids. 



In spite of this, however, hybrid Orchids are now becoming 

 a very numerous class, and include in their ranks some of the 

 choicest ornaments of our gardens. Lcelia Exo7iiensis x is 

 one of the showiest of autimin-bloomers ; L.flaniinea x a plant 

 of unusual brilliancy, whose distinguishing characteristic is 

 well indicated by its name ; L. Ainesiana X, L. bella x, and L. 

 callistoglossa X, are all magnificent flowers, and among the 

 most brilliant of those raised by the Chelsea firm. " We grow 

 our own new Orchids, instead of importing them," said Mr. 

 Harry Veitch, during a recent visit. 



Another good point about these hybrids is that in the 

 majority of cases they possess good constitutions. Some of 

 them are plants of remarkable vigor, as the showy Cypripe- 

 dium Sedeni X for example, and there are instances where two 

 species difficult to cultivate have given rise to a hybrid of 

 good constitution. Cattleya porphyrophlebia X has been cited 

 as a case in point, as of better constitution than either C. inter- 

 media or C. superba, its two parents. Again, Cypripediujn 

 Fairieanum is reputed to be one of the most difficult species to 

 cultivate successfully, while C. vexillariiim X, and C. Arthu- 

 rianicin X, of which it is the pollen-parent, are among the 

 easiest. 



Cypripediums seem to be in the ascendent just now. The 

 remarkable kybrids raised by Dominy & Seden have attracted 

 others into the same field, and as Cypripedium is the genus 

 which, of all others, is most easily managed, and as the seed- 

 lings reach the flowering-stage in a comparatively short 

 period, it is not difficult to see why it should have been thus 

 taken in hand. " So generally is muling among Cypripedes 

 practiced," remark l\Iessr§. Veitch in their recently-issued 

 Manual, " not only in Great Britain, but also on the Continent 

 of Europe and in the United States of America, that there is 

 scarcely an Orchid collection of note in which a batch of seed- 

 lings may not be found." A considerable increase of novelties 

 may therefore shortly be expected. 



Already they are more numerous than the species, and a 

 very various lot they are. Some of them are among the show- 

 iest grown, while others are of rather a weedy character, and 

 suggest an early application of the principle of the " survival 

 of the fittest." In some cases the characters of the parents 

 seem to neutralize each other, with the result that the hybrid 

 offspring is inferior to either parent, though more often, per- 

 haps, the reverse is the case. Tiie well-known C. Sedeni X was 

 a pleasing surprise, for so good a thing was not expected from 

 a combination between such species as C. longifoliuni and C. 

 Schliniii. The variety C. candiduUuii is still better, and the 

 number of allied forms which have since appeared show what 



