THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] AUGUST, 187G. [No. 56. 



FLORAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Roses have held the place of honour at nearly every 

 flower-show during the past month, and rarely, if ever, 

 have we seen the tea-scented varieties shown in better 

 condition, while the more massive and brilliant Hybrid 

 Perpetual varieties have in most cases been decidedly 

 above mediocrity. Among the new varieties we are glad 

 to find that hona-fide English raised seedlings are coming 

 well to the fore at nearly every exhibition, and the follow- 

 ing among others seem destined to take a place in all good 

 general collections. One of the most deliciously fragrant 

 of all roses is the Rev. J. B. M. Camm, a full rosy petalled 

 variety, possessing the true old Provence odour. Royal 

 Standard has also impressed us as being one of the best of 

 all the new globular var ieties ; indeed, some have objected to 

 it as being too full, an opinion with which, however, we do 

 not coincide. Miss Hassard has improved this season and 

 promises to become a standard variety, as also does the 

 bright rosy lilac Marchioness of Exeter, one of Mr. Lax- 

 ton's seedlings, which Messrs. Paul and Son staged in 

 splendid conditiou at the Crystal Palace, along with Emily 

 Laxton, another of Mr. Laxton's seedlings, although not 

 to be compared with the last for quality. Decidedly the 

 best of Mr. Laxton's seedlings are Marchioness of Exeter 

 and Mrs. Laxton, the last a shapely crimson purple variety, 

 shown in excellent condition, and certificated at the Royal 

 HorticulturalSociety'smeeting on the 19fch ult. Messrs. Paul 

 and Son have made us familiar with a race of dark crimson 

 varieties,amongwhichwehave noted Reynolds Holeaud Duke 

 of Connaught as the best. Mr. Bennett has exhibited a 

 promising new light rosy variety under the name of Aegeria, 

 but this and Cleopatra (which we thought was oue of the 

 most perfect of all roses when exhibited at the first 

 exhibition held in the Aquarium at Westminster) must 

 be seen again before w r e cau decide on their merits. Among 

 light rosy varieties Comtesse de Serenyi deserves a place 

 as one of the most chaste of all exhibition varieties. There 

 is one rose which we have looked for in vain at all the princi- 

 pal rose shows of the season — namely, Beauty of Glazenwood 

 — a large " yellow variety, striped with crimson." One of 

 the most enjoyable of all the rose shows of the present 

 season was that held at the Alexandra Palace, on the 7th 

 ult. The blooms were arranged in the cool and spacious 

 concert room, and the light being agreeably diffused, the 

 colours could be seen to the best advantage. One of the 

 most interesting features in this exhibition was the class 

 for English raised varieties in which Messrs. Paul and 

 Son and Mr. Turner competed with excellent blooms. 

 The varieties were St. George, crimson ; Bessie Johnson, 

 a full rosy blush variety ; Cheshunt Hybrid, a rich 



carmine tea-scented kind ; Queen Victoria, blush white ; 

 Duke of Edinburgh, crimson purple ; Peach Blossom, 

 delicate satiny peach ; John Hopper, rosy carmine ; 

 Empress of India, crimson ; Devoniensis, one of the 

 best of all the English raised Tea roses ; Princess Beatrice, 

 a full rosy lilac flower ; Beauty of Waltham, carmine ; Black 

 Prince, crimson purple ; Princess Mary of Cambridge, 

 delicate rosy salmon; Dr. Hooker, fiery crimson; Duchess 

 of Edinburgh, peach ; Annie Laxton, Reynolds Hole, Mrs. 

 Baker, a fiery rose-tinted variety ; Royal Standard, Star of 

 Waltham, carmine ; J. S. Mill, crimson ; Miss Hassard, 

 Miss Poole, rosy peach ; Rev. J. B. M. Camm, and one or 

 two others. Now that our rosarians have commenced 

 raising seedling roses in earnest, we hope to see classes 

 reserved for these varieties at all our rose shows, a practice 

 which will tend to foster a by no means unremunerative 

 branch of horticultural industry, seeing that large sums 

 have been spent annually in importing new roses from 

 continental raisers. 



ARTIFICIAL VARIEGATION. 



All who are interested in obtaining variegated plants will 

 be pleased to know that variegation can in many cases be 

 communicated to a green-leaved plant by budding or grafting 

 it with variegated scions from the same or an allied species. 

 In the case of Abutilons this is a well-known fact ; and soon 

 after Messrs. Veitch introduced the vermilion-flowered, 

 green-leaved A. Darwinii, a variegated form was artificially 

 produced on the Continent, by budding it with scions from 

 the golden blotched A.Thomsonianum. This practice has also 

 succeeded with the Ash, Holly, Sweet Chestnut, Laburnum, 

 Common Chestnut, Maple, Jasmine, Oleander, and Passion 

 Flower. Black, white, and red or striped Grapes have been 

 produced on the same bunch by splicing the branches of a 

 black-berried and a white-berried Vine together, and 

 analogous effects have been produced by grafting the tubers 

 of red and white Potatoes. The oft-quoted Cytisus Adami 

 was produced by inserting a shield bud of C. purpureus 

 beneath the bark of C. laburnum, and we have many records 

 of Pears being altered in size, colour, flavour, and time 

 of ripening owing to their having been grafted on the Quince 

 stock. Hence it will be seen that grafting is not to be 

 relied on as a certain means of reproducing either varieties 

 or species in a pure state, but, on the contrary, may in many 

 cases be employed to change the colour or other attributes 

 of a species or variety in a manner closely analogous to 

 hybridism or cross-fertilisation. 



