380 
SEEDLING ROSES. 
rather averse to it, we are convinced, by sub- 
sequent experience, to be of great utility. 
" ' On the 20th of June [Forsyth] headed 
several standards that were almost destroyed 
by the canker : some of them were so loaded 
with fruit the following year, that [he] was 
obliged to prop the branches, to prevent their 
being broken down by the weight of it. In 
the fourth year after these standards were 
headed down, one of them bore 2,840 pears.' 
" Lindley recommends pear trees which 
have been long neglected to be headed down 
in the following manner: — 'In February, or 
the beginning of March, with a thin fine- 
toothed saw cut every branch back to within 
nine inches of the main stem from which it 
issued, making the cut in a sloping direction, 
and as little exposed to view in front as pos- 
sible, smoothing it afterwards with a sharp 
knife, and particularly the bark round the 
edge, so that its lacerated parts may be effec- 
tually removed; at the same time every spur, 
whether good or bad, upon the remaining part 
of the tree, should be cut off close and smooth, 
but not so close as to touch the ring of the 
bark at its base, from beneath which the young 
shoots will make their appearance.' The 
wounds are then to be covered with a little 
fine grafting clay, or with Forsyth's composi- 
tion, to keep out wet, both of which to be ap- 
plied in the state of paste, and to be laid on 
with a brush. When the young shoots appear, 
the best are to be selected, and fastened to the 
wall as they advance in growth. ' If the 
branches headed down in the spring,' Lindley 
continues, ' had been at regular and proper 
distances from each other, two shoots from 
each will be double the number subsequently 
required. It is, however, necessary this num- 
ber should be trained the first year, as they will 
grow as strong and extend quite as far as if 
half the number only had been retained, and 
it will give an opportunity of selecting the 
best shoot of the two in winter pruning, and, 
in case of any accident happening to one, the 
other will supply its place; so that a full num- 
ber of branches will thus be secured to furnish 
every part of the tree.' We beg to differ, 
however, so far from the great authority above 
quoted, in regard to the propriety of leaving 
so many branches, as that must always be 
governed by circumstances. In a tree of ro- 
bust and luxuriant growth, no doubt, the more 
branches laid in the better, because it will 
check over-luxuriance in them; but in one of 
slender and weak growth the fewer left the 
stronger will they be. It would be hazardous 
to lay down a general rule in this case, as so 
much depends on the state of the tree." — Pp. 
204-206. 
With this example we shall close, not with- 
out giving our readers a hint that the opera- 
tion of cutting down is only good when the 
head is out of order, and the stock healthy; 
therefore they are not to expect that every 
unhealthy tree can be saved by this operation, 
and it reminds us that, not many years since, 
in an old orchard where the pear-trees had 
attained an enormous height, we superintended 
the cutting down of many to one-third of their 
heads, and the effect was wonderful. All the 
lower branches which had not ripened a pear 
for years as it should have been ripened, 
yielded the finest fruit imaginable, and besides 
being much easier to gather, there was an ag- 
gregate of far more and far better fruit; so 
that, although we have no doubt of the efficacy 
of the practice recommended by our author, 
we should recommend far less mutilation when 
the lower branches are healthy. Upon the 
whole, the Orchard is a very useful volume — 
useful, because it is plain and positive. There 
is no telling us that Mr. A. says this, and Mr. 
B. says that which contradicts it, and then 
leaving us to find out which is right. The 
author tells us plainly what to do, and quotes 
other writers to confirm, not to contradict him, 
so that he leaves nothing in uncertainty or 
doubt. This is as it should be, and the volume 
is quite worthy of its author, who, albeit, is 
well known to the gardening world as a sound 
practical man. 
SEEDLING ROSES. 
We have rarely had to notice the produc- 
tion of seedling Roses in this country. It is 
true that we have seen catalogues put out, year 
after year, with many new names attached, and 
some very nicely described; but we observe 
by the newspapers, that at a recent show held 
at the Somerset Coffee-house in the Strand, 
which is now something like the Floricultural 
head-quarters of growers, there were no 
less than seven new Roses approved by the 
judges, who are supposed to be somewhat 
severe in their notions. We have made our 
inquiries into the characters of these flowers, 
which are said to be well worthy of being 
added to any collection, and far before many 
of the better ones now in cultivation. It 
seems they have one rare quality in Roses — 
they have, for the most part, very thick petals, 
and some of them have other good qualities. 
One, and we are sorry we find no name given, 
is as double as a Ranunculus, and nearly as 
perfect, — so perfect, as to altogether supersede 
the present varieties in the same way. But 
the more remarkable thing about this is, that 
there were thirty or forty Roses shown, and 
seven selected. At the Royal Botanic Society, 
there were three seedlings exhibited, and pro- 
nounced, on competent authority, to be good 
for nothing. We do not know whether they 
