118 MLSCELLAXEOUS EXHIBITION PLANTS. 



liquid manure. They bear forcing well, and can be had in 

 full flower at any date in spring and early summer. The 

 points of merit are : (1.) Size and health of the specimen; 

 (2.) size, number, and purity of the flowers. 



KOSE. 

 The Rose, the Queen of Flowers, is always appreciated, but 

 more especially after the dull winter months, and its culture 

 in pots for exhibition specimens should be more practised than 

 it is. All the diflFerent sections may be forced with fair 

 success ; but the Teas, with all their beauty and fragrance, 

 are most highly valued, and most amenable to the influence 

 of artificial heat. Some of the best tea-roses are Beaute de 

 la Europe, Catherine Mermet, Duchess of Edinburgh, Etoile 

 de Lyon, Madame Bravy, Madame Jules Margottin, Madame 

 Sertot, Marie Guillot, Marie Van Houtte, Perle des Jardins, 

 Reine Marie Henriette, and Souvenir d'un Ami. And of 

 Hybrid Perpetual Roses : Abel Carriere, A. K. Williams, 

 Alfred Colomb, Baroness Rothschild, Camille Bernardin, 

 Charles Lefebvre, Dean of Windsor, Duke of Teck, Grandeur 

 Lj'onnaise, Marie Baumann, Pride of Waltham, and Souvenir 

 de Madame Berthier. To produce large specimens for exhibi- 

 tion, a preliminary course of culture extending over several 

 years is necessary, which, in many cases, is too long to wait, 

 and therefore large healthy plants should be lifted in spring, 

 prvmed, and potted in twelve-inch pots among rich marly 

 loam, sand, and rotted manure. They should be grown in 

 a cool house, and be carefully watered and attended to other- 

 wise, thinning the growth if crowded, and keeping the shoots 

 free from insects and mildew. The weak-growing varieties 

 should be on the brier or Manetti stock, while the strong- 

 growers do well on their own roots. Previous to starting, 

 tea-roses should be pruned in moderately, and the pots top- 

 dressed with marly loam, well-rotted manure, and bone-meal. 

 A night temperature of 50° is sufficient to start with, but 

 should be increased to 60°, with a corresponding rise in day 

 temperature, as the plants advance in growth. Plenty of air 

 should be given in favourable weather, and weak liquid manure 



