XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 255 



to very cold May nights : it is only in exceptionally 

 good seasons that any but the longer later shoots 

 yield good blooms with me : but the variety is well 

 worth growing if only a few fine specimens can be 

 secured. 



Her Majesty (Bennett, 1885). — Manners and cus- 

 toms are notoriously strict and exacting in royal 

 circles, and in this remarkable Eose we certainly 

 have some striking peculiarities. Of long, strong 

 and yet robust growth if well fed, but by no means 

 free : it makes extraordinary growth under favourable 

 conditions, but a poor show if not treated regally 

 and favoured with fine weather. Prune high or 

 low you will get but few shoots to a plant, and if the 

 single growth of a maiden shoot be stopped, instead 

 of breaking in several places like the vulgar herd. 

 Her Majesty generally shoots only from the top bud 

 left, and continues one stem upwards as before. We 

 may place the plants close together, for the stems of 

 each are few in number and upright and stiff. It 

 has fine foliage and large stems with tremendous 

 thorns, the whole being extremely and notoriously 

 subject to mildew, so that it is best planted by 

 itself or among the Teas, where the infection will be 

 less dangerous in the summer season. It is a very 

 slow starter in growth if pruned hard, and as it is 

 advisable to get the blooms as early as possible 

 before the plant is crippled with the inevitable mil- 

 dew, this Eose alone of all may, with possible 

 advantage, be pruned in the Autumn, as it will still 

 not start growth early enough to be injured by frost. 

 Better still perhaps is it to leave it so long in pruning 

 as to get a plump and well developed bud for the 

 coming shoot : indeed it should not be pruned too 



