THE ELOKAL MAGAZINE 
NEW SERIES.] 
SEPTEMBER, 1874. 
EXHIBITING ROSES. 
During the last few weeks a spirited contest has been 
carried on in the horticultural and gardening papers as 
to the best way of exhibiting roses. The gauntlet was 
thrown down by the redoubtable Mr. William Paul, who 
exhibited a collection of six thousand trusses in groups, 
and arranged in geometrical patterns according to 
colours. Under certain conditions we can see no objec- 
tion to a great rose- grower exhibiting the super- 
abundant riches of his gardens in this way; and in 
our opinion it is certainly an advance on the usual way 
of exhibiting the same masses of flowers in rectangular 
green boxes margined with ragged moss. Such a blaze 
of symmetrical beauty reminded one of a royal night at 
the Opera in comparison with a “ Foresters' Day" at the 
Crystal Palace, or the “ Hallelujah Chorus" after an 
energetic German band, or the Shah of Persia after 
King Koffee. When masses are at hand who can object 
to their being arranged in pleasing forms? Geometrical 
patterns are not objected to in flower-beds, or Roses in 
wreaths, and in both of these the individual forms of the 
flowers are lost. 
We incline to the opinion that both disputants are 
more or less in the right, for whilst Roses are perfectly 
lovely when arranged in devices or scrolls, they are 
equally (or still more) lovely when isolated. But 
because the isolated face of one of Raphael's heavenly 
Madonnas transfixes us by its unearthly beauty, is that 
any reason why we should rip up Michael Angelo's “Last 
Judgment?" Because we are charmed by Mozart's 
“ Minuet," are we not to be spellbound by the involved 
beauties of Beethoven’s “ Pastoral Symphony?" 
There can he no doubt that, to sesthetically enjoy Roses, 
the flowers should he isolated, so that every quality of the 
bloom is made manifest; and to most rosarians we imagine 
that ten perfect flowers would be more satisfying than ten 
thousand. We have had more mental enjoyment whilst 
contemplating three or four perfect Roses on our own 
table, than in all the “ Rose Shows" at South Kensing- 
ton. One is like classical chamber music, the other like 
a contest of brass bands at the Crystal Palace. One 
who loves the angel-faces of children would never quite 
appreciate a “ Baby-show," nor because he happened to 
be served by a pleasant waitress would the same indi- 
vidual go to a “Barmaid Show" at North Woolwich. 
We must take Roses for their own value, and they are 
never so exquisite as when seen singly in slight trans- 
[No. 33. 
parent flower-glasses, as used for the table; hut when 
they are wanted in masses, pray let us give a preference to 
pleasant curved lines over square deal boxes. W. G. S. 
CYPERUS LAXUS. 
Mr. W. Thomson, of the City of London Club, has 
called attention in the columns of the Gardeners’ Chronicle 
to the value of this plant for dinner-table decoration. 
In general form it resembles a very elegant palm, with 
the foliage low down and the inflorescence well above the 
line of sight. When placed on the dinner table there is 
nothing to interfere with the view across it except the 
thread-like stems. Mr. Thomson's notes are accom- 
panied by a large portrait of the plant, and we under- 
stand that Mr. John Wills, of Onslow Crescent, South 
Kensington, has the entire stock. 
NOTES. 
We learn that Mr. George Jackman has been fortunate 
enough to obtain a purple flowered Clematis flammula, 
which it is proposed to distinguish by the name of 
C. Flammula roseo-purpurea. The novelty is said to have 
quite the appearance of being an accidental hybrid 
between C. Flammula and C. Viticella, with a hawthorn- 
like fragrance and flowering from the middle of July 
onwards. 
At the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society held 
on August 5th, Mr. Kinghorn exhibited an apetalous 
Fuchsia (F. procumbens), which is new to our gardens. 
Mr. Berkeley thought it might possibly give rise to a 
race of Fuchsias totally different in habit from those we 
have now in cultivation. Be this as it may, Fuchsia 
procumbens makes a basket plant of the first order. As 
to crossing it with other Fuchsias and so getting inter- 
mediate forms, time can only show whether this can be 
done, as the pollen of Fuchsia procumbens is wholly 
different in form from that of any other Fuchsia we have 
examined, or indeed of any other member of the Natural 
Order Onagracese. 
We are glad to report that some Hollyhocks are able to 
perfectly throw off the new fungus without any artificial 
aid from the cultivator. Some plants which were badly 
affected in the spring have become perfectly healthy 
during the present summer with no trace of the disease 
to be seen beyond a few blackened leaves at the base of 
the plants. 
