103 
JOURNAL OF HORTICUL1URE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 6, 1885. 
give the readers of the Journal the benefit of your matured 
opinion on such matters. Gros Maroc was sent out as a late 
Grape, and as such it must be judged.—J. McIndoe. 
ESPECIALLY TEAS. 
The curious anomaly of the position of Tea Roses in the schedules 
of the principal Rose shows as compared with their position in general 
estimation, must have resulted from some strangely indirect process of 
reasoning. Perhaps it was said : Truly, the Teas are the loveliest of all 
the Roses ; and therefore meritorious exhibits of them must be rewarded 
with good prizes, and all possible encouragement must be given to the 
displaying of as many varieties as possible of this deservedly admired 
class. Could it have been an enthusiasm of this kind getting a little 
beyond hounds that compelled the Committee of the National Rose 
Society to point out that Teas were to be judged as Roses, and were not 
to have additional marks given to them because they were Teas P But, 
then, probably it was objected that Teas are so delicate and so difficult 
to manage, or there are so few varieties worth growing, and so few 
people grow them, that classes provided for them will add but slightly to 
the attractions of the Show, and are therefore only worthy of small 
prizes. So the National Rose Society’s injunction above alluded to might 
really have been drawn forth by these objectors, who, gradually realising 
that the Teas were being a little hardly used, were disposed to compensate 
them by allowing them extra marks. 
At any rate it is difficult to see any line of argument in favour of the 
present anomalous position of Tea Roses—namely, that while they are 
the most admired of all Roses, the prizes offered for them are commonly 
of about half the value of those offered for an equal uumber of Hybrid 
Perpetuals, and the number of varieties requisitioned is never more than 
twelve, except at one or two of the largest shows, where the nurserymen 
are asked to contribute eighteen varieties. 
Going back no farther than last season (1884), and taking eight shows, 
the amount of prizes offered for Teas was as nearly as possible half the 
value of that offered for an equal number of Hybrid Perpetuals ; while 
taking a majority of the schedules of the year (excepting those where an 
honourable equality is already maintained), the proportion is not less than 
eight to five in favour of Hybrid Perpetuals. 
This is an obvious iocongruity ; it is as though someone should say, 
“ Tea Roses are the most difficult to grow, their flowers are the most 
troublesome to preserve from injury, but they are the most popular of 
Roses and the most beautiful; therefore let us induce their extended 
culture and encourage their display—by offering the smallest prizes that 
decency permits I” 
Now all mention of the actual amount of any prizes has been avoided, 
and only relative figures have been given, because there is probably 
nothing more likely to damage Rose-showing than the encouragement of 
a tendency to insist on prize money of excessive amount; hut quite apart 
from all considerations of what ought to be the amount of a prize for 
twelve Roses (which amount may be affected by a thousand and one con¬ 
siderations), if £2 is considered a fair prize for twelve Hybrid Perpetual 
Roses, why should twelve Teas only be allotted £1 ? Plants of Tea Roses 
are more expensive than others, being more trouble to bud ; for in budding 
Teas it is necessary to take buds from wood much less hard than is the 
case with Hybrid Perpetuals, so that the buds sometimes shrivel before they 
can be inserted, and their bark being often very thin, they are more liable 
than others to mishaps. For these and other reasons the price of Tea 
Rose trees keeps up, and consequently it is a more costly operation to 
purchase a collection of Teas than of Hybrid Perpetuals ; wherefore an 
exactly opposite proportion in the allotment of prizes to that in vogue 
should have obtained, to encourage the expenditure of additional means, 
pains, and skill on the production of these lovely flowers, especially if it 
were true that they are tender and that but few people grow them. This, 
however, is happily not the case, many Teas being almost as hardy as 
Hybrid Perpetuals, and in some ways giving less trouble (for they are not 
eo liable to mildew and do not require so much watering in a dry season) ; 
and it has been abundantly proved that at least as far north as Liverpool 
and as far east as Norfolk, as well as in the west and south—as far as the 
Azores—the Tea Roses may be cultivated out of doors with complete 
success. 
If ever there were any justification of the assertion that Tea Roses are 
no great addition to the effective display of an exhibition it has certainly 
ceased to exist, for blooms of this class are produced fully as large and of 
as good substance as flowers of the best varieties of Hybrid Perpetuals ; 
and it is always at this section of a show that the ladies—infallible judges 
of taste call all the world to witness that it is here that the prize for 
beauty must be awarded, that the Teas are the Roses. 
. Again, why should only twelve varieties be allowed to appear at a 
time in the case of Tea Roses ? Perhaps a revulsion of feeling in the 
matter presently will result in the formation of a class for forty-eight Teas, 
distinct, though at the present moment anyone who merely suggests such 
a thing would be ridiculed as advocating the most preposterous folly. 
Yet this scorn and derision might not be altogether justifiable, for has not 
Mr. Mawley, in his most valuable “ Rose Analysis,” contributed to the 
issue of the Journal for October 23rd, 1884, given a list of forty-eight Teas, 
the least popular of which was successfully shown as often as such well- 
known Hybrid Perpetuals as Due de Roban and Madame C. Crapelet? 
Mr. Mawley’s list, though containing fifty names, may be considered as of 
only forty-eight varieties, as two of the names, Alba Rosea and Josephine 
Malton, are synonymous with Madame Bravy. And it may be further 
noted by the way that reckoning these synonyms as Madame Bravy, this 
Rose appears No. 8 in order of merit; while similarly among the Hybrid 
Perpetuals Marie Finger rises to No. 11, and Maurice Bernardin to No. 3 
—a position to bear in mind in selecting the most reliable twelve—or to 
No. 5 if Sir G. Wolesley be not admitted as synonymous, since some good 
growers hold that the green wood and brighter colour of this Rose when 
just expanding make it a distinguishable variety, though slightly older 
flowers are almost impossible to identify except by the wood, a test which 
the N. R. S. does not recognise as sufficient distinction. Of these forty- 
eight Teas perhaps Gloire de Dijon should be relegated to the Hybrid 
Teas as betraying too much of its Bourbon origin, and Hom6re, though 
occasionally beautiful in colour, is uncertain and small; while neither 
Online Forestier nor R6ve d’Or have often enough size or substance for 
exhibition. But to replace them there are Guillot’s very fine Hon. Edith 
Gifford, the dark yellow Madame Eugene Yerdier, the dark red Souvenir 
de Th6r6se Levet, and Bennett’s highly finished Princess of Wales. And 
if Triomphe de Rennes and David Pradel are not always large enough, 
Etendard de Jeanne d’Arc unfolds in the glow of sunset over a reserve 
force of some twenty varieties, not including the numerous climbing and 
bud Teas, several of which in a season hostile to the development of 
varieties like Marie Guillot and La Boule d’Or would stand well enough 
to show to advantage. 
Cato tells us that “Wise men learn more from fools than a fool will 
learn from wise men,” at least it may be hoped that the wise rosarians 
who are entrusted with the making of schedules at this p>eriod will net 
treat the Teas any worse for a plain statement of the undignified treat¬ 
ment that these most refined of Roses have received at the hands of some 
committees; nor ignore the possibility that the effective display of an 
exhibition may be greatly enhanced by the admi-sion of collections of 
more than the stereotyped “twelve varieties.” The Teas are perfectly 
able to take care of themselves in an even competition ; they do not want 
any handicapping of extra marks qua Teas, nor bribes in the way of 
extra valuable prizes in consideration of an imagined delicacy of con¬ 
stitution. They only want fair play, that they may not be worse treated 
than other Roses which have no greater claims to admiration ; that 
Catherine Mermet and Marie Van Houtte and their fair peers—and 
peeresses De Nadaillac and Du Parc—may not be fubbed off with a few 
shillings, while their rivals, possibly with Paul Neyron and Madame 
Nachury or Nardy Frferes at the corners, are rewarded with coins of gold, 
and that a chance may be given, at any rate sometimes, for younger sisters 
to “come out,” but a budding beauty sink into the despair of obscurity 
merely for lack of opportunity.— Theta. 
POTATO TRIALS IN 1884. 
AS the planting season is near at hand perhaps the results of my trial 
of over forty varieties of Potatoes may be of some use to your readers. 
My soil is very light and poor, and of course the long drought and hot 
weather of last summer were very trying to all my crops, and no doubt in 
some instances prevented me forming a correct judgment on some of the 
Potatoes. There are so many new sorts offered to the public now that we 
can hardly keep up with them. Trying half a dozen new kinds every 
year is very well, but how are we to increase our purchases at large prices 
to half a hundred ? That being the case, I think it would be well if some 
growers of new varieties of Potatoes would give their experiences in 
“ our Journal,” and thus save many people throwing away their money on 
Potatoes sent out with a glowing description but which too often prove to 
be far inferior to the older varieties. 
American Purple .—A large cropper, only fair in quality and became 
diseased. 
Beauty of Hebron .—A well-known variety, good in every respect. 
Beauty of Kent .—A handsome and free-cropping Potato. It is 
floury, but boils whole and cuts firm. A very good Potato. 
Bedfont Prolific .—Very handsome and fine for exhibition, of good 
quality and medium cropper. 
Carter's Eight Wcehs —A useful second early, floury and of good 
flavour. Heavy cropper. 
Cosmopolitan—A. large handsome Potato of good quality. A free 
cropper. 
Feltham White .—Useful for exhibition. A fair cropper and of good 
quality. 
Harlequin .—Very pretty, but produced no crop, all the tubers being 
small. It evidently requires a rich soil. 
Heather Belle .—A large cropper, with fine Potatoes of fairly good 
quality. 
Improved Peachblon -.—Large and ugly. A good cropper, but only 
suitable for baking. 
International Kidney .—Very large and handsome, but of bad quality. 
Johnstone's Bownshire .—A good hardy field Potato, with a reddish 
pink skin. Of fair quality and a great cropper. 
Lady Iruscott .—A good quality Potato. Handsome, and a fair 
cropper. 
Magnet.—A very good Potato, but the tubers ran out of shape very 
much. Prolific. 
Matchless—A good cropper, handsome and of good quality. I con¬ 
sider this a great acquisition. 
Mr. Bresee .—Good for exhibition. Prolific but poor in quality. 
Queen of the Valley.—Very fine. A free cropper, producing a number 
of large handsome Potatoes of good quality. 
Sharpe's Duhc of Albany .—A good second early, of fine quality and 
very productive. One of the best. 
