2G 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ anuary 8, 1885. 
betters on Briars, and though some of what are left are very 
vigorous, those that are growing strongly are on their own roots, 
while ail that were not on their own roots were moribund or dead, 
for the recovery of the weak plants, spoken of above, was effected 
by the scion throwing out roots of its own on the failure of the 
stock, and thus becoming established as an independent plant on 
its own roots, the plants that died being those that failed to 
effect this before the death of the stock. As an instance: A row 
of twelve plants of John Hopper was very weak, with the ex¬ 
ception of four plants, each of which had four or five strong long 
shoots. On being dug up, all the Manettis were found to be 
dead or dying, and the plants that were alive were only just in 
proportion to the amount of roots which they had made at the 
collar; but in the cases of the four vigorous plants the Manetti 
was quite dead, and the plants were nourishing on strong bunches 
of roots of their own, some of which measured 18 inches in 
length. Of the varieties that failed, the first to succumb were 
the smooth wooded varieties, such as Victor Verdier, Comtesse 
d’Oxford, Marie Finger, Etienne Levet, Reynolds Hole, Duke of 
Edinburgh, Dupuy Jamain, Louis Van Houtte, Alfred Colomb, 
Madame V. Verdier, and also Lord Macaulay, Prince C. de 
Rohan, Sir Garnet Wolesley, Madame H. Jamain, and A. K. 
Williams. Of the last mentioned variety, out of twelve plants 
on each stock, only one on the Manetti is left alive, while on the 
Briar only one is dead, and when transplanting the maidens this 
year, five “ fell out ” on the Manetti to one on the Briar. 
Why not go a step farther than the suggestion lately made to 
transplant A. K. Williams in the dormant bud, and planting 
Briar stocks where the plants are wanted, bud them in situ, and 
not transplant at all P The Hybrid Teas, La France and Cannes 
la Coquette, appear to do equally well on either stock, and with 
the following are the best of what are left of those originally on 
Manetti-Camille Bernardin, Comtesse de Serenye, Madame 
Lacharme, Gloire de Bourg la Reine, John Bright, Madame G. 
Luizet, Marechal Vaillant, Baron de Bonstettin, Baroness Roth¬ 
schild, and Jules Margottin. A bad attack of orange fungus 
affected the plants on all stocks alike in the summer of 1883. 
Ho permanent injury, however, appeared to result from the 
visitation, the growth in the following spring being healthy, and 
this pest does not seem recurrent like mildew, hardly any trace 
of it having been noticed since. But an article from Mr. Worth¬ 
ington Smith on Coleosporium and Peronospora, as a supplement 
to his able “ life ” of mildew, would be very interesting. Of the 
Roses on the light soil almost every one on Manetti was dead or 
dying last year, while more than three-fourths of the Briars are 
still flourishing. 
At a spelling bee some time ago, a rustic, who was asked to 
spell February, commencing his attempt, F—a—v, the remainder 
of his etymological essay was lost in a general burst of merri¬ 
ment, and but for fear of a similar catastrophe, since one cannot 
write in a whisper, an inclination might be admitted to spell 
mildew—well, beginning with an M, but going on quite differ¬ 
ently. At any rate it seems odd that no one has insisted more, 
in the recent correspondence on the subject of mildew, on the 
reasons for certain modes of treatment advocated by some of the 
best authorities, for it seems clear that the mildew, when in the 
state of spores, may be regarded as an exceedingly finely divided 
powder or dust—so fine, that when once disturbed it will be long 
before it settles, and, while thus suspended in air, liable to be 
blown about by every gust or breath of wind, or even by the 
sweep of a passing skirt (for where there are Roses the ladies 
will come). Now the best way to prevent dust rising is to water 
the dusty surface, and when dust is once disturbed and is floating 
in the air, nothing clears away the cloud of suspended particles 
like a breeze blowing steadily from any one direction. Therefore, 
dealing on this principle with mildew dust, tbe surface of Rose 
beds should be prevented from becoming dry by syringing or 
watering, and Roses should be planted in situations where, un¬ 
sheltered by trees or close hedges, fresh breezes may readily 
dissipate any cloud of spores that may be hovering over the Rose 
trees. 
Since twenty or thirty hours is the longest possible term of 
the existence of mildew spores after their release from the 
pyonidium or from the perithecium, if they do not encounter 
a Rose leaf on which to weave their mycelium web, it would be 
reasonable to suppose that the above conditions, carefully main¬ 
tained, would not only check the spread of mildew in a collection 
of Roses, but would ultimately exterminate the pest; and that 
this view is supported by the cases recorded in which mildew has 
been successfully resisted the following extracts from recent 
communications to the Journal on the subject show. On page 
503 (last vol.) Mr. A. Young states that Roses which had been 
mulched and watered were free from mildew, while others left 
dry were attacked, and gives it as his experience that on Roses 
mulched early and watered very little mildew will appear. On 
page 528. in his interesting letter on the subject, Mr. Bardney 
records his opinion that “ dryness at the roots is a certain 
cause of mildew,” and perhaps in still hot weather “ surface ” 
might be read for “ roots.” At any rate, his next statement, 
that “ sulphur and all the mildew annihilators would prove of 
no avail in arresting its progress or freeing the plants as long as 
the cause of the mischief is in a deficiency of moisture in the 
soil,” will be readily credited by all who have realised the 
enormous reproductive powers of mildew, and the subtlety and 
vitality of the innumerable conidia. Again, on page 572, “ A 
Thinker ” mentions Roses which in a high and exposed position 
had no speck of mildew, while plants in a dell near by were 
“ white as a miller’s hat.” And though it has been shown that 
remedies applied in solution with the syringe are more effective 
in checking the spread of the fungus than palliatives administered 
in the dry, like sulphur, still how far the benefit is due to the 
dust-laying properties of the liquid may perhaps be questioned. 
Once more, taking thecouverse, it would be expected that mildew 
would spread most rapidly in still weather, and in connection 
with the prevalence of the fungus in 1884, note should be made 
of the very remarkable absence of wind during the past season, 
scarcely a high wind having been experienced during the summer 
and early autumn. Now if it be expedient, in order to avoid the 
spread of mildew, to keep Roses watered and growing in exposed 
situations, and plants worked on Manetti are thus treated, the 
result will probably be that the fine fibrous roots of this stock 
will become decayed, and gradually die, until the plant s hold of 
the ground is so relaxed that it cannot stand upright against the 
wind without a stake. 
So it would seem that, on strong soil at least, cut-back Rose 
trees on Manetti must be either mildewed or moribund, while 
lants on the harder-rooted Briar, rejoicing in the watering and 
reezy situation that kept them free from the fatal conidia, root 
into the soil to the defiance of anything short of a gale. There¬ 
fore, while it is not to be concluded that the discarding of 
Manetti as a stock will effect the disappearance of mildew, still 
it seems more than probable that the prevention of the spread of 
this troublesome fungus maybe more easily effected when dealing 
with plants worked on the Briar. As to the origin pf the pest, 
beyond that it seems encouraged by sudden variations of tem¬ 
perature but little seems generally known; nor will much infor¬ 
mation of value be obtained unless experiments are based upon a 
careful study of the morphology of Erysiphea?. But that some 
rational mode of treatment, grounded on a knowledge of the 
laws of fungoid growths be clearly set forth, is a “ consumma¬ 
tion devoutly to be wished,”* lest other rosarians should despair, 
like a grower who, vanquished by mildew, tries to justify his 
desertion of Roses for Dahlias, in a parody of the opening scene 
of George Eliot’s “ Spanish Gypsy: ” 
“ The Journal’s finished reconoitring then ? 
We shall hear news : they say it means a sally— 
Would strike Queen Rosa’s foes ere they push home 
Like ants with egg-spores heavier than themselves; 
Then, joined by other growers with their fads, 
Lay siege to mildew. Cultor, What say you ? 
‘ Nought, I say nought. ’Tis but a toilsome game 
To bet upon that feather mildew-spore, 
And guess where after twice a hundred puffs 
’Twill light on any Rose leaf crossing it: 
G-uess how the south-west wind will blow, and how the east 
What draught my lady’s gown makes ; how a cough 
Seizing the gardener’s throat may raise a gust, 
That on Queen Rose may sigh the feather down. 
Such hatching out mycelium-white threads, 
Such spinning Mushroom-spawn is not for me. 
I shall give up that game ; I’ll rather bet 
On Dahlias,—the large, show, lumbering Dahlias— 
Earwigs up, and high stakes ;—a plant sublime, 
No need to dress it, pure rotundity ! ’ ” 
—Theta. 
THE GOLDEN ELDER AND PURPLE FILBERT. 
Amongst ornamental deciduous bushes these are almost unique in 
their distinct and attractive foliage. No Cloth of Gold Pelargonium or any 
other plant or tree is more golden than the Elder, and the Filbert sur¬ 
passes the Purple Beech in the intensity of its rich colour. Wherever 
effective foliage is desired in parks, pleasure grounds, or small gardens, 
they should be introduced. In extensive spaces they may be formed into 
groups, or they may be planted in mixed shrub beds and borders every¬ 
where. Few people know better how to arrange shrubs for effect than 
nurserymen who study their culture and the impression they are likely to 
make on visitors, and in the best efforts in this direction I have invariably 
noticed the Golden Elder and Purple Filbert introduced with marked 
success. They are very hardy ; so much so that they may safely be 
planted in all parts of the country. They grow quickly, and submit to 
