SUPPLEMENT TO 



March 5, 1898. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



161 



T 



PR 



of Roses 



The article in your last week's number by Mr. Fish on pruning roses is very 

 interesting, and should be widely read by amateurs. In mentioning amateurs, I 

 do not allude to our exhibiting amateurs, who, of course, are thoroughly au courani 

 as to pruning, but more especially to those who have small rose gardens, and may 

 by this extraordinary season be induced to cut back their plants now. In walking 

 round the suburbs of Oxford, I found that many plants are to be seen already 

 carefully cut back, the latent eyes consequently starting into growth, just as if it 

 was April instead of being February, and essentially a winter month. 



There is plenty of time yet to have wintry weather and skating. Only about 



five years back, we had some splendid skating on the Cher well at Oxford, 20 

 degrees of frost, and a bright sun, too, in the daytime, just to finish off entirely 

 what the frost had passed over. This happened in March. Memories of such 

 frosts are quite sufficient to make rose-growers careful, and to the many letters 

 lately received on the subject our advice has been, u Bide a' wee." 



There is nothing so likely to give satisfaction as the eye which starts late and 

 then grows quickly. Early pruning does not mean early blooming, by a long way. 

 It is very curious to note how the plants have fared along the south walls. Varieties 

 such as Comtesse de Nadaillac, The Bride, Madame de Watteville, Innocente 

 Pirola, Golden Gate, and others nearly always make a lot of late growth. These 

 we generally cover up lightly with the haulm of cabbage seed. This is a very 

 nice material ; in fact, the best for protection. It is not put on too thickly, but 

 just lightly tied round the heads (the ends or tips of the plants are not covered), 

 and in many cases the rose wood may be seen through the covering lower down. 

 We have not taken any of this off yet (March 3), but looking into the heads of 

 some this week find that the thick, hard wood is perfectly dormant, hardly a started 

 eye anywhere, all the growth having gone to the tips, where they are exposed to 

 the light and sun. So that, far from starting pruning, the winter covering is still 

 on, and beneficially. This is as it should be, for tea-roses are sure to come early 

 enough, the plants being pruned when the winter is quite over. But our other 

 hardy varieties which do not require covering ! These are a sight to see. Etoile de 

 Lyon, Souvenir de S. A. Prince, Marie Van Houtte, F. Kruger, Alba Rosea, &c, 

 have shoots two, three, and four inches long, some plants shooting out from the 

 collar ; they have not even lost their last summer's foliage, and will be bearing 

 flowers in a week or two. 



It would be very interesting now if rose-growers would write from different 

 centres and compare notes as to protection, the state of the trees at present, &c. 

 Have some already cut blooms in the south ? 

 hear of this. 



But what is. 



. ~f 



I should not be at all surprised to 



has been 



m perhaps, a more serious question for exhibitors, " Will our 

 plants throw such fine blooms this year ? " having had practically no rest what- 

 ever ! We had blooms of Madame Lambard in December ; this variety especially 



a-growing," and one might almost say " a-blowing," now for nearly 

 ten months straight off the reel. Roses this autumn have certainly done their best 

 to outvie the mums. At several chrysanthemum shows we have been able 

 to show groups of cut roses which have been very favourably noticed by 

 visitors and the press. I fear I am wandering from my subject, but my last 

 words shall be, " Do not be in any hurry to prune." 



Ox f ord - Alfred E. Prince 



Prepar 



Early Potato Sets 



%UR c^pondent " Lux " takes exception to my remarks on the preparation o 

 seed potatos for planting, and suggests that possibly I have been nappi™, for he 

 says that^ the Luxian » sets have been on their ends for weeks. Luxian, indeed ! 

 what variety is this? I grow about sixty sorts annually, but have never heard of 

 this before, and should be thankful if my friend would send me a few for trial. He 

 then goes on to say they will remain there until wanted for planting. As I usually 

 plant about the first week m April, I hope he will favour me with a few of this 

 superb sample. I guess, however, they are like those of the Lancashire farmer, 

 who could not cut one of his for a peck if any one would give him the world ! 

 Doubtless, however, *< Lux » is a master in the art of potato culture, as he appears 

 to be in everything else appertaining to horticulture. All, however, I fear, have 

 not the same convenience for storing potatos as he appears to have ; neither, I am 

 afraid, are some of us possessed with his superior knowledge of their requirements. 

 For the information of " Lux," I may state that the whole of our early sets have 

 been placed on their ends ever since last August, and have been exposed to the 

 light the whole time. Seeing that I advocated the preparing the sets of early 

 varieties m this manner for a very long period it is possible for me to have some 

 slight knowledge of the subject, and therefore I may tell him that medium- 

 sized sets are by far the best. What would be considered medium-sized 

 tubers in one variety would be small in another. For instance, a 

 set ot Ashleaf two ounces in weight would be considered large. 

 1 he true test would be to settle the dispute about the size of sets, for anyone who 

 cares to take the trouble to plant rows, say, ten yards in length, with tubers vary- 

 ing m weight from half-an ounce to those of a pound each, he will then see the 

 result for himself. This I have done, and proved beyond doubt that medium- 

 sized sets are the best, having grown the heaviest crop ever produced in England. 

 The quantity, however, produced from a certain weight of seed is no test of the 

 cropping capabilities of any variety, but the amount per acre. It is quite possible 

 to grow a couple of hundredweights, or even more, from a pound of seed, but to 

 grow between thirty and forty tons per acre is another thing entirely. In the one 

 case the sets could be started early, and cuttings taken from them to an almost 

 unlimited extent, while in the other more would depend on the quality of the sets 

 and their after-management than the number obtained. 



Had " Lux " been a practical man, he would have known that but few 

 gardeners are possessed with accommodation for placing the sets on their ends 

 until the winter is half over ; neither is it actually necessary to do so, unless the 

 tubers have commenced to grow. If those intended for planting are exposed 

 when dug to the influence of the sun, and afterwards stored in a cool, airy place, 

 very few of them will commence to shoot until the winter is well advanced. I 

 wonder how many are so exposed by those who plant acres ? It was formerly the 

 practice to plant early in February, but from experience it has been found that 

 nothing is gained by so doing where there is room to properly prepare the sets, 

 for when planting is deferred until the first week in April, there is not much risk 

 of them being cut down by late spring frosts. I know " Lux " will pardon me 

 for answering him at such length ; he is not one of those thin-skinned writers who 

 set their backs up at trifles, but I must ask him to be a little more careful in his 

 reading. I said the sets should by " this " be placed on their ends, not that they 

 should not have been done so sooner; but knowing full well the difficulties 

 gardeners have to contend with in this respect, I reminded them that it was not 

 safe to further defer the operation. H. C. Prinsep. 



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THE TRIAL. 



M- r» ^ w Harrow-on-the-Hill. 

 r. L. E. West. 



vnn rT? ear r Sir J~~?o f ar as I can judge, the merits which 

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(Signed) James O'Brien. 



West 



Patent 



IVORINE PLANT LABELS 



THE VERDICT. 



^ • *' Harrow-on 

 Mr. C. E. West. 



Dear Sir,— Your Orchid Basket has a #r 

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Yours faithfully, 



(Signed) James O'Brien. I 



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