474 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



' Kaiserin Augusta Victoria ' &c. are grown for summer blooming, for 

 which they are best fitted, they are given a rest of six weeks. This is 

 done soon after Christmas. Water is withheld, the temperature gradually 

 lowered ; after the leaves have fallen the heat is entirely taken off. At 

 the end of the rest they are slowly started for the summer blooming. 



In America, Roses were first forced in the early fifties, and the variety 

 was 1 Hermosa.' The following story, interesting because of its con- 

 nection, is told by Mr. Ernst G. Asmus, our foremost Rose-grower, who 

 has seen the whole development of the art ; in fact, at his door might be 

 laid the greater portion of the whole, and to his kindness is largely 

 due whatever there may be of interest in this paper. He was a boy in a 

 florist's establishment on Broadway in New York city and overheard this 

 conversation between his employer and a customer : " Just think of it, 

 we are going to have Roses for New Year's day ! " The eyes sparkled 

 with the anticipation of that triumph. New Year's day came and with it 

 the Roses, not more than six 1 Hermosa ' buds, barely showing colour, with 

 stems about three inches long ; but Roses they were, and taking into 

 consideration the difference in equipment of that day and this, the 

 achievement was equally creditable, if not more so than the marvellous 

 displays which the same season produces to-day in New York. 



Following ' Hermosa ' came 1 Safrano.' Its tiny Duds and stems of four 

 or five inches, with an occasional ten or twelve inches, were an advance. 

 Everything that showed colour was a Rose ; no disbudding was done, no 

 long stems demanded, which mean the loss of many buds. Foliage was 

 not very necessary. The florist had for his formal bouquets Stevia, 

 Camellia, Begonia sprays, Bouvardia, Heliotrope, Neapolitan Violets, 

 wires and " wooden toothpicks " without number. Of what avail were 

 stems and foliage under these circumstances ? Foolish indeed the man 

 who disbudded his plants or cut them unmercifully and so destroyed 

 future Roses. 



The next Rose was the ' Boston Tea Rose,' known to you as ' Bon 

 Silene.' It gained its sobriquet because it was grown in Boston, and was 

 so dubbed at a fair held in New York city for the benefit of the sufferers 

 in the Franco-Prussian War. It was a great advance over its predecessors 

 and created a tremendous excitement among Rose-lovers. Following this 

 came ' Niphetos,' which was considered a great acquisition ; its size earned 

 it the name of enormous. Never had such a Rose been seen. With these 

 two Roses ' Isabella Sprunt ' was grown. Soon after came ' Catherine 

 Mermet' and ' Perle des Jardins.' 



At this time Hybrid Perpetual Roses were forced more than any 

 other class. The method of doing this is very interesting. The plants 

 were in houses which we, to-day, should call hotbeds, so crude were they. 

 When cold weather was at hand the sash was removed and the plants 

 allowed to freeze, thus giving them the rest they required. Soon after 

 Thanksgiving Day the sash was put on and the plants given a heavy top 

 dressing of manure to bring and keep up the temperature. At night the 

 sash was covered up with braided straw mats to help keep the cold out. 

 After a snowfall all hands were piped out, and quick hard work it was to 

 get the snow off and lose as little heat as possible. The following varieties 

 were the forcing Roses of the period , — ' Magna Charta,' ' Mme. Alex- 



