50 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t January 19, issa. 
there is no doubt but these fine old trees at Dirleton will renew their 
life, and grow with vigour in their restored position for ages to come. 
—(Journal of Forestry.) 
BLUE ROSES. 
The accomplished Editor of “ The Rosarian’s Year Book,” in the 
extra excellent new number, holds out to hope a white Rose of 
the petal perfections of A. K. Williams. This suggests the inquiry 
why we should not even yet have attained to a first-class white 
Hybrid Perpetual. Madame Lacharme is unsatisfactory ; Miss 
Ingram still more so as to substance, though a very lovely white, 
and then not even a Perpetual ; Mrs. Bellenden Kerr and Mdlle. 
Bonnaire (very nearly identical) are rather of a pinky white, and 
again, like almost all white things, are decidedly more delicate 
than those of other colours. As Mr. D’Ombrain has suggested, a 
really good white H.P. is still to be hoped for, and is no doubt 
being striven after by our busy hybridisers. And then there are 
also other colours to be desired—a yellow H.P., when will that be 
attained ? But the mast hopeless Rose of all, I suppose, is that 
which exists at the present only in the heading of this article— 
a blue Rose. Will any of us live to see that ? There seems just a 
chance that the violet of Souvenir de Dr. Jamainor Jean Cherpin 
might by a happy cross be made a light purple ; but the blue of 
the Scotch Blue-bell or the Cornflower, shall we ever see that ? 
An interesting article by Mr. Grant Allen in the January 
“ Cornhill ” goes into the subject generally, and with most dis¬ 
couraging conclusions as to our hopes of blue Roses. 1 can only 
give his outline theory and conclusion, but it is well argued out, 
and the whole article well worth studying. “ Briefly put,” he 
says, “ the general conclusion at which I have arrived is this : All 
flowers were in their earliest form yellow, then some of them 
became white: after that a few of them grew to be red or purple, 
and finally a comparatively small number acquired various shades 
of lilac, mauve, violet, or blue.” Allusion is then made to bees’ 
fondness for blue as lately shown by Sir John Lubbock, so that 
blue flowers attract bees, and bees produce blue flowers. Why 
will they not visit more our sweet-scented Roses ? And then 
follows the further distressing conclusion—“ The Roses, as a whole, 
being a relatively simple family with regular symmetrical flowers 
of the separate type, have never risen to the stage of producing 
blue petals. This is why our florists cannot turn out a blue Rose. 
It is easy enough to make Roses or any other blossoms vary within 
their own natural limits, revert to any earlier form or colour 
through which they have previously passed, but it is difficult or 
impossible to make them take a step which they have never yet 
naturally taken.” 
What will Mr. Laxton say to this ? Is there no hope 1 “ Ce n'est 
que le premier pas qui coute but will that first step ever be 
taken ? I always regard Mr. Laxton’s utterances with much 
respect; and consequently was alarmed by his warning to Rose- 
pruners of the present season. It is indeed coming true ; we shall 
be as perplexed as last year, and for opposite reasons. After 
holding off for long, I unhappy, packed them in fern, and now 
the shelter from the expected season keeps increasing the excite¬ 
ment. Buds keep breaking all down the branches. Where, I 
wonder, will be the unstarted buds to cut back to ? Mr. Mawley 
in his historical article may well remark on our uncertain seasons. 
Of late they have outdone themselves. Uncertainty out-herods 
Herod. Lord Beaconsfield’s observation seems as right in the 
weather as in the political world—“ It is always the unexpected 
that happens.” But, to return to new Roses, it is hardly to be 
expected that of late we have ripened much good seed in England. 
I have sown for three years past, but it does not germinate with 
regularity. Let us keep to the ideal—a white Rose like A. K. 
Williams.—A. C. 
REMOVAL OR NON-REMOVAL OF POTATO SPROUTS. 
The remarkable mildness of the present winter is inducing an 
extra early growth in Potatoes, and not a few of your readers 
being placed in the same dilemma as your esteemed correspondent 
“W. J. M. ; ” consequently his inquiries on page 25 are most 
opportune, and will, I trust, elicit information. 
According to my experience, to be really successful with 
Potatoes not a little depends upon the proper storage and pre¬ 
paration of the sets. Change of seed I believe advisable, but 
unless it i9 received early and before having sprouted the bene¬ 
ficial effect is not perceivable. Indeed under these conditions only 
do I give the preference, as the crops secured from late-received 
and much-weakened sets are seldom satisfactory. I am an advo¬ 
cate of the prevention of undue sprouting, and of the retention of 
the strong central sprout obtained by storing each tuber on its 
base, or that end originally connected with the roots. Such 
shoots are invariably the strongest the tuber is capable of pro¬ 
ducing, and if this can be preserved and planted intact, all other 
side shoots being either rubbed off or the eyes picked out with the 
point of a knife, other conditions being favourable, the crops 
will be both heavier and the tubers larger than can be generally 
obtained from other methods. This, though applicable to all 
Potatoes, is especially so to the Ashleaf section. I am so convinced 
of injury accruing to these by the loss of the premier sprout, that, 
rather than rub off these, even if 2 inches long, as in the case of 
“W. J. M.’s,” I would plant them in that state, provided they are 
not much weakened by being allowed to lay in heaps, or have 
become matted with roots. 
If I might presume to advise “ W. J. M.,” I should say, Take 
the first favourable opportunity of planting the much-sprouted 
sets in drills not less than 6 inches deep, and earth up the sets 
by hand prior to levelling the mass of soil. I am well aware 
by early planting, the young growth as it pushes through 
the soil is liable to be damaged by frosts ; but to obviate this, in 
addition to comparatively deep planting, I recommend drawing 
the soil in ridges directly over the sets instead of waiting till the 
lines are indicated by the delicate growths. This is, or at all 
events used to be, the plan adopted with both early and late 
Potatoes in Kent, and in spite of the opposition with which the 
labourers invariably meet it, the practice still pleases me. A 
careless workman can easily draw the ridges and therefore defeat 
the object in view, but a very little practice is needed to do the 
work properly. The drills should be drawn with a heavy hoe, or, 
where procurable, a Canterbury hoe—this being a combination 
tool, and either fork end or half-mattock end being suitable, 
according to the texture of soil, and the ridges should be formed 
over the sets from both sides of the drills. This practice I admit 
entails a considerable amount of trampling between the rows, but 
this can easily be loosened with a fork. 
Potatoes planted near the surface or on the level are much 
subject to injury by frosts ; indeed the growths are often killed, 
thereby necessitating a fresh start. Now, by adopting the above 
practice we in the first place have a sturdy sprout, which emits a 
corresponding number of vigorous roots ; and the plants are less 
liable to be injured by frost, or if they are caught the damage will 
not be so severe, and fresh growths will be produced to replace 
those lost. In this case we lose less time, and the crop is not so 
much lightened. 
Though I prefer medium-sized sets, a snip only being taken off 
each tuber to insure decomposition, I am quite aware much can 
be done with cut sets, and even with eyes only. 1 would class 
those kidneys of the Lapstone type with the Ashleafs ; but those 
of the shape of Snowflake and Woodstock Kidney are not so 
much impaired by being freely cut into sets. Any Potatoes I 
intended to cut would be disposed flatly, in order to insure 
generally even growth, which I like to obtain prior to cutting. 
The cuts would be immediately dusted over with lime, both to 
prevent bleeding and also as a protection against slugs or other 
enemies, and be planted before becoming shrivelled. When Pride 
of America was first sold in this country 1 bought a pound of it— 
three tubers — at a high, and, as it proved, undeserved price. 
They were placed in a pan, very lightly covered with fine soil, 
stood on a front stage of a forcing house, and kept moist. Growth 
soon commenced, this at once emitting roots, and when these 
were about an inch long the eyes were scooped out and divided, 
generally into three pieces. The sprouts thus obtained were 
potted singly into 3-inch pots and replaced in heat, but as soon 
as established were shifted to a cooler shelf, being finally planted 
out before becoming much root-bound. From those three tubers 
we secured sufficient set3 to plant a row 40 feet long. The crop 
resulting was more remarkable for size of tubers than weight; 
it was badly diseased, and was a disappointment, the variety 
proving to be too much like Snowflake, especially during the next 
season. 
Sets that present the appearance of being sprouted much too 
early should have the shoots rubbed off, be placed thinly on end 
to induce the formation of later shoots as sturdy as possible under 
the circumstances.—W. Iggulden. 
Helleborus Niger. —The Christmas Rose is universally admired 
for its beauty. Beautiful as it is in bleak December in the open 
ground, it is more so when lifted and placed under glass in pots. 
Then it is free from the soil which rains splash up, and the white is 
purer. To have it certain at all in adverse seasons it needs for¬ 
warding. To secure these different results plants are generally lifted, 
but we think the pieces generally used are much too large. This is 
easily avoided, for by dividing the plants in open weather after the 
blooming is done the stock is increased, and fine little plants pre¬ 
pared, which are easier managed, prove more ornamental among other 
