360 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 25, 1883. 
a rich soil and close pruning, and thinning out the shoots where 
crowded is desirable. For freedom of flowering, when thus treated, 
we know of no Moss Rose to equal it.” 
If we recollect rightly this Rose has not been certificated, and if 
it has not it ought to have been, for both as a garden Rose and 
for affording charming flowers for cutting, it is a distinct and decided 
acquisition. 
CONVOLVULUS CNEORUM. 
The Silvery Bindweed is a dwarf shrub from Greece with lanceolate 
leaves. It grows about 18 inches high, and is of semi-procumbent habit, 
which renders it very effective on the dry sunny aspect of rockwork, 
where it is hardy in all but the severest winters. The plant is evergreen, 
and bears a number of shining white flowers, which have the glitter of 
pearl, and, like it, are slightly tinged with red. Of free growth it soon 
forms a spreading low bush. Cuttings struck in late summer, wintered 
in a cold frame, and planted out in spring, form a bush nearly a yard across 
by September, during which it commences flowering and continues until 
frost. In order to guard against mishap from frost it is well to strike 
cuttings in August under a handlight, pot them when rooted, and winter 
in a cold frame or house. It may be mentioned that plants raised in this 
way, grown on in a cool house, and shifted into larger pots as required, 
are very showy for conservatory decoration. The flowers are borne like 
those of C. mauritanicus at the points of the growth, hence stopping must 
Dot be continued longer than is needed to lay the foundation of a compact 
plant. Although not nearly so trailing in habit as C. mauritanicus it 
makes a desirable basket plant, but is best seen as a rock plant. It does 
well in loam with a little leaf soil or decayed manure, and a little sand 
to keep it open, Good drainage is essential.—G. Abbey. 
SIX MONTHS IN A VINERY. 
New Year’s Day, 1883.—Other preliminaries having been attended 
to, we last week examined the border, or at least that part of it 
situated inside the house, as to its condition with regard to moisture. 
This was done by means of a small trowel, which was worked down a 
foot or 15 inches in several places. The soil was found to be so 
moist at that depth that when pressed it would cling together and 
6how that water was not yet necessary, and, as it will be at least a 
month before the roots begin to move, watering may with advantage 
be withheld till that time. The outside part of the border we have 
no doubt is sufficiently wet, as it has had some 40 odd inches of rain 
on it within the past twelve months. 
The winter so far having been a mild one, we have not thought 
it advisable to cover the outside border up to the present time, but 
were it to come very severe weather a little loose litter would be 
scattered over it, say 3 inches thick, to be removed in May, or as 
soon as the sun was sufficiently powerful to benefit the soil. Covering 
the border is at most a necessary evil, as the surface soil hardly 
becomes friable during the whole summer after having been covered 
for some time with moist dung ; but still frost and melted ice are 
injurious to active roots and must be guarded against. I have known 
very serious checks to occur when this matter has been neglected. 
The house is closed for the first time to-day, and a strip of paper 
is placed against the thermometer with instructions to the attendant 
to “ keep to about 53° to 55°, night and day, by fire heat.” These 
figures are not strictly enforced. Should very severe weather follow, 
there would be no complaint if the thermometer fell to 50° in the 
morning; and however much sunshine there may be w T e shall not for 
the present open the ventilators, but rather welcome the additional 
natural heat and house it to the utmost extent. It is a pity one 
single ray of the sun should be wasted at a time when it is so precious. 
January 20th.—The weather duiing the past three weeks has been 
very mild for the time of year, the outside temperature seldom falling 
below 40° at night, and frequently not lower than 45° to 47°. 
Two or three times we have had a little hoar frost in the morning, 
which was -welcome so far that it was generally succeeded by a little 
sunshine. Most of the -weather, however, has been dull and warm, 
and very often foggy. Little fiie heat has been necessary to keep up 
the desired temperature in the vinery, and as there has been but little 
evaporation damping down has not been largely practised. A little 
water sprinkled under the pipes three or four times in the three -weeks 
was all that was thought necessary, excepting on one occasion during this 
week, when the sun shone brightly all day (quite a red letter day this, 
worth more than a week of the other sort of weather); the thermometer, 
which was shaded, rose as high as 90° at noon and remained up to 70° 
till dark. We sprinkled the walls and path rather copiously. The 
ventilators were kept close, and we thought the following morning 
that visible progress had been made. 
The instructions are still “53° to 55°, by fire heat; no ventilation 
but should the dull warm weather continue -we shall deviate from the 
latter part of the programme, as it takes so little fire heat to keep up 
he desired maximum ; and the outside temperature, owing to the 
absence of sun and wind, being almost at a standstill, there will be a 
danger of the air in our vinery becoming too stagnant. Sunshine for 
an hour or two or a fall in the natural temperature w r ill prevent this 
happening. But rather than allow the temperature of our house to 
remain stationary for a week, we would give a little air and make the 
pipes a little warmer for an hour occasionally. 
Owing to the house having been forced gently for several years, 
the wood being thoroughly ripened and the natural temperature high, 
the buds -were seen to be swelling a week ago. The day’s sunshine I 
have mentioned came at a fortunate time to consolidate the little 
growth which had already been made, and it also gave an impetus to 
the Vine to make more growth. Some of the buds at the upper end 
of the house (for as I have said before, it is not built on level ground) 
are already nearly half an inch in length, with round brown-looking 
points which may soon be expected to unfold and show the shape of 
the tiny leaves.— Wi. Taylor. 
(To be continued.) 
AUTUMN PROPAGATION OF ROSES. 
Roses with us are, as a rule, ripening slowly ; neither is this to be 
regretted, as those dwarfs, especially which from some cause ripened 
early and lost much of their foliage, are now throwing up strong shoots, 
and must eventually be much damaged by frosts. At the present time, 
if pieces of long ripened growth are cut into 1 foot lengths and firmly 
bedded in the open ground, the chances are the majority of them will 
strike root. The nearly smooth or thornless sorts, such as Countess of 
Oxford, Capitaine Christy, John Hopper, Marie Finger, Mons. E. Y. Teas, 
Francois Michelon, J. S. Mill, Empereur de Maroc, Miss Hassard, 
Hippolyte JamaiD, Madame Lacharme, Docteur St. Amand, Perle 
Blanche, Egeria, Dupuy Jamain, Senateur Vaisse, Paul de Malleray, 
and Madame Chirard are the most easy to propagate in this manner. 
Soil of a medium texture and to which road grit has been freely added 
appears the most favourable for the purpose, and it should be well broken 
up and made firm again, and the cuttings dibbled in to half their length, 
taking care they touch the bottom of the holes and be well fixed. It is a 
mistake to crowd the cuttings, as it is quite possible to have them in a 
flowering state during the following season. I recommend that the rows 
be made 18 inches apart and the cuttings from 10 to 12 inches asunder in 
the rows, and it is of great importance that they be inserted at once. By 
allowing this distance the young plants have room to properly develope, 
and when replanted the following autumn they lift without much injury 
to the roots. Heavy land, being generally liable to crack, is unsuitable 
for Rose cuttings. Neither will they lift well out of it. In any case it 
is advisable to mulch the cuttings with rough manure or other material, 
this serving to protect them, and also prevents loosening by the action of 
frosts. 
There are three Roses we find particularly serviceable, as affording the 
greatest number of cut blooms when on their own roots, and these are 
Countess of Oxford, John Hopper, and Souvenir de la Malmaison. The 
latter also strikes readily, and continues to yield perfect though small 
blooms till frosts intervene. Another good “own root” Rose is Dupuy 
Jamain and La France. Mons. E. Y. Teas and Maurice Bernardin are 
very serviceable.—W. I. M. 
GARDENS ABOUT BRISTOL. 
There are few districts where gardening is better practised, nor 
where gardeners are more united or receive greater encouragement from 
their employers, than in the neighbourhood of Bristol. This is evidenced 
by the well-supported Society of Gardeners, which has Clifton for its 
head quarters, and which, thanks to the liberality of many gentlemen and 
nurserymen interested in horticulture, are enabled not only to hold two 
annual excellent horticultural exhibitions on their own ground, but also 
to successfully compete either individually or collectively at any exhi¬ 
bition where good prizes are offered. This, despite what some critics 
assert to the contrary, is to me proof positive of the capability of the 
gardeners, and a tour among them tends to strengthen that opinion. 
Every place visited gave evidence of the proprietor’s love of horticulture 
as well as the intelligence and care of the gardeners in charge, and this, 
coupled with the fact of all being located in beautiful districts and com¬ 
manding some of the finest views imaginable, rendered my rather hurried 
visit thoroughly enjoyable. Ashton Court is the most famous place near 
Bristol, both on account of its much superior dimensions and excellent 
management, as well as the success attending Mr. Austen wherever he 
exhibits either fruit or vegetables ; but this exceptionally fine garden has 
already been described in these pages. There are also other well- 
managed gardens I was unable to visit, but trust to do so another season. 
May starting-point was 
STOKE HOUSE. 
This, the seat of W. H. Budgett, Esq., is a handsome Elizabethan struc¬ 
ture, which has been built upwards of two hundred years, and is still in 
excellent preservation. It is charmingly situated, the. scenery including 
a grand view of Avonmouth and the Bristol Channel. There is a good 
expanse of lawn, which is well furnished with deciduous and evergreen 
trees and shrubs, among these being fine old specimens of Mulberries, 
Pavia lutea, Cedrus Deodara, Cedars of Lebanon, and Cupressus 
macrocarpa. One of the approaches also runs through a fine avenue of 
