February 23, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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ROSES—THE COMING SEASON. 
UST as the sap rises in our Rose trees so does 
the latent heat of our Rose-growers, especially 
our Rose exhibitors, begin to develope itself, and 
on all sides questions are continually asked upon 
many points connected with the flower. What 
sort of a season do you think we shall have ? 
Should we prune early ? What is the condition 
of your plants ? These and other questions are 
constantly coming before me, so that our 
interest in the flower is kept constantly on the move. Before 
making any forecast, which perhaps, like those of the Meteor¬ 
ological Office, are as likely as not to be wrong and to be 
upset by some “ disturbance ” or other, we cannot be very 
far wrong in speaking about the past. Surely such a season 
has never been recollected by “the oldest inhabitant.” We 
have now reached heyond the middle of February, and 
have had no winter. The weather has frequently been as 
warm as in May or June. Indeed on the 12th of this month 
the thermometer stood at 55° in the shade, audit would have 
been regarded even for the leafy month of June as a lovely day. 
Spring flowers are long before their ordinary time of blooming, 
Primroses are plentiful in the woods, birds are nesting, Nuts 
are flowering and Roses pushing, indeed in many of them I 
have seen well-formed huds. These are of course at the 
extremities of the shoots, and the question naturally arises, 
What will be the effect of these on the future well-being of 
the plants ? Does it not take so much vigour out of them ? 
and as the sap is rising so rapidly, will there not be 
considerable bleeding and consequent deterioration of the 
plant ? With regard to the first of the questions, I do not 
think that we can say that it would he more injurious than 
what we have so often experienced when we have had to cut 
and cut away because our Rose trees have been severely bit 
by frost. We had the same sort of winter last year, although 
not so mild; but there was the same chorus of howling dervishes 
over the lost hopes and the impossibility of finding good Roses 
after such a season, when all the vigour had gone out of the 
plants owing to their premature growth in the early part of 
the year. And yet there were Roses, and good ones too, and 
trees that had been all a-growing in February, and were even 
cut back after pruning in that terrible fortnight in March, did 
somehow or other throw out lustily, and made good bushes 
again before the autumn. Who that saw, for instance, the 
rows of Marie Baumann at Mr. G. Baker’s at Reigate could 
have believed that they had been so situated, had grown 
early, had been pruned early, had been caught by that severe 
frost in March, and had to be again pruned ? And yet there 
they were, models of growth and health. In truth, we begin 
to see that the Rose will stand a great deal more than it was 
at one time believed that it could. 
As to the appearance of the plants, I have seen them in 
many places north and south, and everywhere they look well. 
The wood seems to have fairly ripened and the shoots are 
healthy-looking. I have been surprised, too, to see how little 
difference there is between their condition in the north 
No. 192.—Yol. VIII., Third Series. 
and south. Certainly the most forward shoots that I 
have seen were in the garden of my friend Mr. Hall in 
Cheshire, where rather plump buds of A. K. Williams were 
plainly discernible on the top of the long shoots. I had 
nothing so forward amongst my own plants ; but then the soil 
in Mr. Hall’s garden is perfection, and its richness may have 
contributed to this result. I therefore with some confidence 
look forward to the season of 1884. There have been no 
such deaths as occasioned by a severe winter, and good and 
generous treatment will, I have no doubt, supply all that is 
wanted to enable the trees, even after their vigorous pushing 
out, to put forth renewed powers. 
As with the trees so with those who grow them—the sap 
has begun to rise, and the dates of exhibitions and the 
drawing-up of schedules are engrossing many minds. The 
Metropolitan Exhibition of the National Rose Society will 
take place on July 1st, as announced. The date of the 
Salisbury Show is unquestionably later than desirable, but it 
is one of those cases which mark the difficulty of making 
arrangements : they cannot have an exhibition except on one 
day in the week (Wednesday), and as we cannot of course 
have two National Shows on consecutive days, they were 
perforce compelled to have it on the 9th instead of the 2nd of 
July. Then, again, I am engaged in an animated correspon¬ 
dence to settle the conflicting claims of Manchester, Liver¬ 
pool, and Darlington as to dates. There are wheels within 
wheels, and reasons weighty and numerous brought forward 
on all three sides, but owing to the loyalty of those engaged 
in the triangular duel I believe all will be satisfactorily 
arranged; but only those who are behind the scenes can know 
the difficulties that surround the attempt to arrange all the 
shows which must be held within the space of three weeks. 
As to the southern shows Canterbury will, I believe, lead the 
van on June 26th. Then follows Reigate on June 28th, the 
National in London on July 1st, Farningham on July 3rd, 
Sutton on July 4th, the Crystal Palace, and probably 
Brockliam, on July 5tli. West Kent will very likely be either 
on Saturday June 28tli or Saturday July 5th. Maidstone is 
not yet fixed, but will probably be on the first week in July; 
and although our veteran friend, Mr. John Hollingworth, has 
been sadly shaken by his severe attack of illness, yet we are 
all hopeful that on the return of more genial weather he may 
be able to look after his “ beauties,” and may be the victor on 
many a tented field. There are other exhibitions of which I 
have no notice as yet, but those named are the principal, 
and it shows that there is no lack of interest in the flower 
we look upon as facile princeps. 
A change has lately taken place in the weather which I can¬ 
not but look upon as favourable to our prospects. The wind has 
come round to east and north-east, dry and cold, with slight 
frost at night. This will check too rapid growth, and will 
prepare the wood better for pruning. I see all the prominent 
shoots are already feeling its influence, and if it continue 
there will be less probability of the severe frosts such as we 
had last March. 
I have been asked by several persons as to the Rose sup¬ 
port invented by my neighbour, Mr. Foster, to give his address. 
It would be premature to comply, as he has, I believe, declined 
in some instances to give a sample, because he felt that as it 
was not patented the sample might be used as a pattern, and 
he thus be deprived of any benefit arising from it. My opinion 
of it is very decidedly in its favour. It saves the exhibitor all 
the trouble of wiring, as it is done in an instant. Mr. Foster’s 
tubes seem also to be a great improvement; for when the 
Rose has been put into the wire and placed in the upper 
portion of the tube it can be simply lifted out and placed in 
any other portion of the box. Exhibitors know well how 
often this has to be done, and oftentimes with a great deal of 
trouble, but Mr. Foster’s plan makes it as easy as possible. 
He is trying to arrange some plan in connection with it so 
that the name of the flower may be removed at the same 
time, thus enabling the exhibitor to avoid that terrible word 
No. 1848 .—Yol. LXX., Old Series. 
