December8,1881.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
517 
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cation, may I ask him to answer the following questions which h *. 
passed unnoticed in n y former letter ? If the practice of ifiiig 
and root-pruning is so wonderfully profitable, how is it that fiu t- 
farmers who pay £5 m acre for their land do not indulge in i r ? 
Aud on the border question will he say why a Pear tree against a 
wall should require an expensively made aud elaborate border 
when it will grow freely without in an open field or garden ?— 
John Bull. 
PROTECTING ROSES—A WORD OF CAUTION. 
One advantage of living in our delightfully uncertain climate 
is that it gives people an opportunity of ventilating all sorts of 
ideas as the occasion arrives. Thus, a few years ago we had a 
time of great drought; forthwith out comes a host of letters in 
the Times and other papers on the sinfulness of not storing up 
our water in wet seasons to provide against the dry ones that may 
follow. Then came, as we all know to our cost, wet seasons cul¬ 
minating in the woeful year of 1S79 ; and then an i qually numerous 
supply of letters came to light showing how we are to get rid of 
our superfluous water. It was well the former advice had not 
been taken, or the latter extreme would have been worse still. 
Something of this kind occurs to me now. We have had two very 
severe winters ; the losses amongst Roses have been enormous ; it 
was found that those best protected succeeded the best, and hence 
in all directions we hear of persons making their plants snug, as 
they call it, for the winter ; but what if (and in our uncertain 
climate more unlikely things may happen) a season as exception¬ 
ally mild as the last was severe should come upon us : will not 
this conduce to too early growths pushing and consequent loss 
by spring frosts? Already persons are complaining that the 
lower buds of their Roses are starting ; and in the latter end of 
this, perhaps the mildest November recorded, as I understand 
October was the coldest one, I have cut Tea Roses from the open ; 
and so far from having as yet given protection, I have rather 
endeavoured to check growth. About a fortnight ago I told my 
gardener to put the fork under each of the dwarf Roses and just 
give them a gentle lift. I did this for two reasons : that which I 
have already mentioned—giving them a slight check, and so lead¬ 
ing them to expend their energy in repairing damages underneath 
in-tead of pushing out above ground ; and also because I believe 
it is injurious to the Rose to get sunk down too much, as it will 
inevitably do. We place a heavy mulching on ; this of itself 
presses on the plant, and then it is dug in and a fresh mulching 
applied until the point of union is in some instances 7 or 8 inches 
below the surface. 
Considerable difference of opinion has been expressed as to 
mulching, but it is certainly a good preservative from frost. If, 
however, growers do not like to use it, then some other protecting 
material should be at hand to be applied as soon as ever the 
symptoms of severe weather begin to show themselves. Where 
mulching is used, then again the material may be at band aud 
quickly applied. Of course where large collections are grown 
these remarks do not apply. 
I cannot but think that we have too much insisted on the 
tenderness of Tea Roses, as if they needed special protection. My 
own experience is that they are as hardy as the Hybrid 1’erpetuals. 
Some Teas are doubtless tender, but so are some H.P.’s ; but I am 
convinced that there are a number, and those of the best kinds, 
quite as hardy as the H.P.’s. Flowers such as Madame Lambard, 
Contessa Rizadu Parc, Bouquet d’Or, Hom6re, Marie Van Houtte, 
Souvenir de Jean Pernet, Jean Hucher, and others, are quite as 
able to bear frost as any of the Hybrid Perpetuals ; and I find 
this confirmed by growers as far north as Darlington, and even 
at Dunkeld in Perthshire. At the former place Mr. Whitwell 
assures me that he gives Teas no more protection than he does 
Hybrid Perpetuals ; and at the latter, Mr. Gray writes that he 
wintered four hundred Teas last year out of doom with as great 
ease as he did his other Roses. 
My advice, then, would be, Do not be in a hurry to protect, but 
have all in readiness ; and when the cold weather comes, as come 
it will, be ready to apply it.—D., Deal. 
Potatoes in Old Garden Soil.— The remarks at page 443 by 
“Practical” show how much more clearly some people can put 
things than others. I thank him for his hints. Like his, the soil 
here with ordinary cropping and ordinary manuring will continue 
producing fine crops of Potatoes indefinitely ; but doubtless “ Prac¬ 
tical ” has known gardens, as I have, that produced great crops of 
haulm and indifferent crops of tubers, while increased manuring only 
aggravated the evil. Doubtless he has also seen, as I have, applica¬ 
tions of wood ashes alone produce on such soil fine crops of excellent 
tubers. Ours is a particularly favourable Potato soil, although in 
many other respects a very inferior one. In fact the soil in itself 
yields no inconsiderable amount of potash annually—quite sufficien', 
in fact, to maintain the land in Potato-yielding condition when 
cropped on the rotation principle and manured with ordinary manure. 
Manuring is only one phase of the question.— Single-handed. 
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It is anticipated that the meeting of the Fruit and Floral 
Committees at South Kensington on Tuesday next will 
be a most interesting one. There will be a brisk competition 
for the prizes offered on this occasion by Messrs. James Carter 
and Co. for vegetables. Messrs. Carter intend themselves making 
a large display. 
- Her Majesty Tiie Queen has been graciously pleased 
to accept a copy of Mr. Fawkes’ new illustrated work of reference 
on “Horticultural Buildings” recently published at this 
office. 
- As showing the mildness of the weather, “J. W.” 
states that he has a Rhododendron Nobleanum in the open border 
of his garden, near Liverpool, in full bloom. The blossoms began 
to expand on the 10th of last month. 
- From Friday the 9th inst. to Tuesday the 13th an Ex¬ 
hibition of Chrysanthemums will be held at the Alexandra 
Palace —an unusually late date for the neighbourhood of Lon¬ 
don, but it is an experiment which is expected to produce fairly 
satisfactory results. About £40 will be offered in prizes, the 
principal being those for twelve large-flowering plants in pots. 
- A correspondent, in answer to “J. R.,” writes that a 
report by gardeners who have used Keel’s Blight-Destroyer 
and Vapouriser has just been published, and may be had on 
application to Mr. A. Hawes, Walcot Parade, Bath. 
- In reply to a Scottish correspondent, on page 450, relative 
to Grapes at the Edinburgh Show, “ Single-handed ” writes 
that he cannot, for a good reason, supply the information asked 
for in a public manner, but as he believes our correspondent is an 
acquaintance of his, he may one day give him the information 
personally. 
- We are glad to learn that the Right Honourable The Lord 
Mayor of London will preside at the thirty-ninth anniversary 
dinner of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, 
which will be held at the Albion, Aldersgate Street, on Thursday, 
June 29th, 1882. His Lordship will be supported by the Sheriffs 
of London and Middlesex and the (Joint of the Fruiterers’ Com¬ 
pany. A successful meeting is anticipated. 
-The following are the dates of the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Exhibitions and the Meetings of the Fruit and 
Floral Committees in 1882—January 10th, February 1 4th, 
March 14th and 28th, April 11th and 25th, May 9th and 23rd, 
June 13th and 27th, July 11th and 25th, August 8th and 22nd, 
September 12th, October 10th, November 14th, December 12th ; 
National Auricula Society’s Show, April 25th ; Great Summer 
Show, May 23rd, 24th, and 25th ; Pelargonium Society’s Show, 
June 27th; National Rose Society’s Exhibition, July 4th; 
National Carnation and Picotee Society’s Show, July 25th ; 
Exhibition of British Bee-keepers’ Association, August 3rd to 
8th ; Artisans’ and Cottagers’ Show, August 7th. The date of 
the Evening Fete is not yet fixed. 
- There is now in one of the bouses at the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s Chiswick Garden one of the finest displays of 
