March 5, 1385. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
187 
out to be. In response Mr. Stephen Castle is the only one who has 
ventured to say a word in its favour, remarking “ It will hang till 
Christmas and adds, “ This was once considered rather late.” To com¬ 
pare the keeping qualities of Grapes sent out nowadays with those grown 
by our grandfathers, to say the least of it, is s ucewhat far-fetched. If he 
can give it no better testimonial than that “ it will displace Black Ham- 
burghs for Christmas use ” his recommendation is a poor one. Generally 
speaking Black Hamburghs are out of season after September, and if com¬ 
parisons must be made for Christmas use, why not compare it with such 
sorts as Madresfield Court, Mrs. Pince, West’s St. Peter’s, or Gros 
Guillaume ? In quality Gros Maroc is much inferior to either of those 
varieties. This reminds me of another Grape that was introduced to 
cultivators some years ago as a white companion to Lady Downe’s 
Seedling; but in order to get a certificate from the Fruit Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society it had to be laid before that authority 
during September, and it appears Gros Maroc could not be kept later 
than October to be a candidate for the much-coveted distinction. 
Awarding certificates to Grapes during the autumn that are warranted to 
keep until March is, to say the least, an extraordinary practice, and in 
such cases as this a delusion and a snare.—J. McIndoe. 
FORCING HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. 
( Continued from page 169.) 
The number of Roses to be forced should be divided into 
batches if a continuous supply of blooms is required until they 
can be gathered from plants in the borders outside Hybi’id 
Perpetuals can be had in bloom by the end of January, but the 
blooms produced so early in the season are never very satisfactory, 
and such early forcing is really unnecessary when an unbroken 
supply during the winter and spring can be maintained by 
forcing Tea varieties. The end of the following month is early 
enough, when good blooms can be produced, but the later in the 
season the plants are brought into flower the stronger and finer 
the blooms will be. The best specimens should be kept back and 
grown under cool conditions for the purpose of preceding the 
blooms from outside, thus forcing the worst-shaped plants early 
when the days are dark, short, and sunless. By this system the 
most promising specimens have every chance of growing strongly, 
while the early Roses, if exhausted after two or three years’ 
forcing, can easily be dispensed with by preparing other plants 
for the purpose. Where very early forcing is conducted a few 
plants should be potted annually, or at the longest period every 
second year, by which means a stock of healthy well-prepared 
plants for the purpose can be maintained. 
It may here be mentioned that where Moss Roses are required— 
and this is frequently the case in establishments where Rose 
blooms are appreciated early—that they will not bear undue 
forcing, or they will fail to flower satisfactorily. They may be 
forwarded as rapidly as possible under comparatively cool con¬ 
ditions, using as little fire heat as possible, and then success may 
be attained. We have a good number of Moss varieties in pots, 
but hitherto have found the common Moss, White Bath, and the 
Crested Moss decidedly the best. Blanche Moreau was highly 
recommended to us, and we have a good number of this variety, 
but it has never done so satisfactorily with us as White Bath. 
After Roses have been forced and flowered indoors a great 
mistake is made in many gardening establishments, for the 
plants are cast outside. This is a barbarous system and too 
common'y practised; if the plants were of no further use or 
service they could not be subjected to worse treatment. Such 
often proves fatal, or so far injures the plants as to render them 
unfit for the same purpose another year. After the plants have 
flowered they should be well cared for and given the protection 
of a cold house or pit, in which they can be gradually hardened 
to stand exposure outside. The roots of the plants, as well as 
the foliage, must be kept perfectly healthy if the plants are to 
do well the following season. Roses are unlike many plants 
after flowering, and will not bear being placed in houses under 
the foliage of Vines or Peach trees, but must be accorded the 
full benefit of light and sunshine. Roses grown in pots under 
glass do not require any shade. Material should never be em¬ 
ployed for this purpose, except for a few hours when the plants 
are in flower; even when the plants are in this stage very little 
shading will suffice. The only reason we advise its use for a few 
hours daily is to retain as long as possible that freshness and 
beauty which is characteristic of the Rose. 
While forcing Roses in pots, and even after they have flowered, 
they should be syringed twice daily when the weather is favour¬ 
able. This assists wonderfully in keeping the foliage clean and 
healthy. Care must be taken, especially after flowering, to apply 
the water with force to the under side of the leaves, for red spider 
is then more likely to attack them than earlier in the season. 
While growing a good supply of tepid water should be given at 
the roots; in fact, in no stage of growth, not even while at rest, 
should they be allowed to have an insufficient supply, or the 
roots will suffer and the foliage be attacked by insects and 
disease. Directly the flower buds are formed the plants may be 
liberally supplied with stimulants in the form of liquid manure, 
or some good reliable artificial manure applied to the surface. 
After years of experience we prefer the latter, for fibry roots 
come to the surface in large numbers and are much more active 
m this portion of the soil thau when liquids are poured into the 
pot. A good supply of moisture should be maintained in the 
atmosphere in which the plants are grown, but this must be 
regulated to a very great extent by the locality, position of the 
house, and external conditions. Care must be taken that the 
atmosphere of the house never becomes saturated, or injurious 
results will follow. 
Roses, even when grown under glass, are subject to the attacks 
of many insects. One of the worst, and in some seasons the 
most troub esome, is a small grub that establishes itself in the 
foliage and causes it to curl, and also eats its way into the centre 
of the flower buds. The only sure and effectual way that we 
have found of eradicating them is to search the plants diligently 
when they make their first appearance and destroy them between 
the thumb and first finger. This is rather a disagreeable method, 
but it is a certain one, and a fine Rose bloom that might other¬ 
wise be destroyed is worth the trouble required. Red spider can 
be kept down by a free use of the syringe, but if the plants are 
properly treated this will give very little if any trouble until after 
the plants have flowered. Aphides are readily destroyed by a 
weak solution of tobacco water or two or three light fumigations 
with tobacco smoke directly they appear. This insect if allowed 
to become established soon arrests the growth of the plants, and 
in a very short time completes its work of destruction. 
Mildew is perhaps the worst enemy the grower of Roses 
under glass has to contend with; but this need not be the case if 
due provision is made for growing the plants and their every 
requirement promptly attended to. Observation and a lengthened 
experience in growing and forcing Roses uuder glass has con¬ 
vinced me that plants being infested with mildew is entirely due 
to inattention, which causes a check and predisposes them to 
disease. The solution of softsoap and water which I have recom¬ 
mended so frequently in these pages as a preventive is the 
cheapest and best that can be used for the purpose. Nothing 
else is used here and mildew does not trouble us, but the solution 
is applied every time the plants are syringe!, and when properly 
used and at the strength 1 have already recommended, it will not 
injure even the delicate petals of the Rose. If the plants are 
allowed to become badly infested this mixture is not strong 
enough to destroy mildew, and if a very strong solution of soft- 
soap and water is applied it will not only injure the blooms, but 
the foliage as well. None of the mildew compositions in the 
market is of any use in destroying this pest until the cause has 
been found, such as dryness at the root or cold draughts, for 
if they destroy the mildew upon the plants it will appear again 
as if by magic. Strict attention to the requirements of the 
plants and the softsoap solution as a preventive will enable the 
grower of Roses under glass to have them annually without 
mildew. 
The softsoap solution and the way in which it is mixed and 
used I give again for the benefit of new readers. Four pounds 
of softsoap are boiled in an old saucepan for twenty minutes, 
about one quart of water being added. This after being boiled 
is mixed in a vessel kept for the purpose with four gallons of 
water, soft water being preferable. About half a pint of this 
solution is stirred into each four-gallon can of tepid water every 
time syringing is done. The plants are not syringed with this 
solution at intervals of a week or a few days, but daily, and 
sometimes twice in the day when the weather is favourable. In 
addition to its use as a preventive of mildew it assists wonder¬ 
fully in keeping red spider in check and renders fumigations for 
aphides seldom necessary. It also acts as a gentle stimulant, 
and imparts a fine dark glossy hue to the foliage.— Wm. 
Baedney. 
TRENCHING GROUND. 
“ VlTiSATOR ” says, on page 145 of the Journal, that soils composed 
of chalk and gravel are perhaps better left undisturbed. In my last 
situation the kitchen garden was composed of a chalk subsoil, having only 
6 inches of soil in some places, the greatest depth being only 12 inches. 
Beneath was a bed of flints and fine chalk run together, and it was very diffi¬ 
cult to pick the first 9 inches, it was so hard, and the top soil was also full 
of couch. Having 700 persons to provide vegetables for, and only six and 
a half acres of land, I had the whole trenched 18 inches deep, putting the 
top spit, couch, and all into the bottom of the trench, and had the bottom 
picked up. The pulverised chalk was placed on the top, the flints were 
employed on the roads and paths, and covered with ashes from the build- 
