24 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r July 10, 1884. 
to-day to be extracted by to-morrow’s sun, for the plants or 
crop get none of it. And that is not all, as when evaporation 
is thus called into activity it does not stop with the disper¬ 
sion of the added water, but the too scant natural earth 
stores are drawn on the principle of storting a pump when the 
water in the well is low. It is far more effectual to give a 
certain portion of a garden one heavy watering a week— 
sufficient to pass quite below the roots, than to divide the 
same quantity of water over six times the surface. By acting 
on this principle in 1865, of thoroughly watering a sixth part 
of a garden daily, a supply of vegetables was maintained and 
flowers were kept growing, while in adjoining gardens where 
the resources were too much divided there was practically 
nothing left after the end of July and onwards for several 
weeks of that never-to-be-forgotten season, in a district in 
which water had to be conveyed for miles at night to meet 
the necessities of burning days. —Expeeientia doget. 
KOSES. 
“Rose bushes are so unsiuhtlj^, whether standards or dwarfs, 
that one naturall}" makes a Rose garden in some out-of-the-way 
place," said a gentleman of highly cultivated taste to me recently ; 
and knowing, as I do, how much may be done with the mere growth 
of the Rose to render it at any rate not an offensive object when 
out of bloom, the remark struck me as a reproach to gardeners 
generally, and gave rise to the thought, Why is it that Roses are so 
often seen under the guise of standards and dwarfs only, and not 
under a more attractive aspect? “ there’s no Rose like La France ” 
said an ardent lover of Ruses to me, and in that exclamation of an 
enthusiast lies the answer to my question. A true admirer of Roses 
in the exhibitor’s sense of the term sees little else but blossom and 
bud, and a really fine flower would send him into ecstacies even if 
it grew out of the top of a broom-handle. He would laugh to scorn 
any attempt to impart beauty of form to a Rose bush as mere waste 
of time—prize-winning flowers are the sole end and aim of his efforts 
in Rose culture, and certainly no objection can be taken to what is 
really a health}’’ innocent hobby. But why should the exhibitor’s 
unsightly bushes find a place in conspicuous positions in pleasure 
grounds ? Purely we who cultivate Roses as ornamental features 
of the garden might do much more to render them either striking, 
symmetrical, or picturesque objects, instead of grotesque mon¬ 
strosities. Repeatedly has it been explained in the Journal how 
easil\ and quickly the form of a symmetrical cone may be imparted 
to Hybrid Perpetuals. I have now a pair of Madame Plantier, to 
which no other training has been given than tying the leading 
growth to a pole and pruning in the ordinary way, that are now 
objects of ^ great beauty, each of them having hundreds of the large 
clusters of white flowers. The best one is perfectly symmetrical, 
being fully 6 feet in diameter at the base, and tapering upwards 
10 feet high to a point—a lovely floral cone without a flaw, floweis 
meeting the eye a!l over it from the ground upwards. The other 
one is spoilt by a want of finish at top, but that will be set right by 
a season’s growth, and be it remembered no merit is claimed for 
these lovely pillars on the score of skilful training. So easily have 
they been brought to the present satisfactory condition that careful 
planting and ordinary care may certainly be rewarded by similar 
results in any garden. 
Another pair of that grand old H 3 fbrid Bourbon Rose Charles 
Lawsftn, which are also now in full bloom, admirably illustrate 
another old method of Rose culture out of the beaten track. Each 
of them was planted in the centre of a small circular bed of Roses, 
and when they became established both threw up a stout annual 
grow’th 8 or 9 feet high, consisting of several single branches spring¬ 
ing from the stem near the ground. Instead of shortening them at 
the next pruning season the old growth was removed, and each 
young brmich bent carefully outwards and downwards till the top 
was within a foot or so of the edge of the bed, where they were 
fastened to pegs as nearly equidistant as possible all round the bed, 
with the delightful result of a regular mound of Roses, for plenty 
of flowers come all along each branch from the tips near the ground 
upwards. I know a very large old tree of this Rose covering the 
front of a house in Uckfleld that at this season of the year is so 
laden with flowers as to be one of the sights of the town. I intend 
trying a few of it as pillars, as I doubt not has often been done, 
for it has long been a general favourite, and at one time it tvas in 
high favour with exhibitors, hardly a winning stand of cut Roses 
being without one of it. 
Cloire de Dijon is another of our most useful Roses, often heard 
of under the euphonious designation of Old Glory ! For pillars, 
mounds, on walls or fences, it is equally useful, growing to a large 
size quickly under generous treatment, and is laden with its fine 
flowers early and late in the year. Mrs. Bosanquet is equally 
floriferous ; although its flowers are somewhat loose, yet they are very 
useful in bud or half open. It grows freely, and soon covers a large 
space of wall. Many of the stronger-growing Hybrid Perpetuals 
might also be turned to account for pillars ; and instead of planting 
a Rose garden where it is an eyesore for several months of the year, 
let us only bring those to the front which by free robust growth may 
have agreeable form imparted to them, mixing others of more lowly 
or weaker growth with perennial plants calculated to blend well with 
them, and so get rid of the too prevalent stiffness and formality 
upon which no eye can rest with pleasure. The plan is no new one ; 
the old Cabbage Rose, Moss, and Damask Roses have long been best 
liked when associated with the Lavender, Rosemary, white Pink, 
Sweet Pea, Wallflower, Musk, and other old-fashioned flowers, most 
of which have fragrant blossoms.— Edward Luckhurst. 
NOTES ON VINES. 
Bleeding. —Just a word on this vexed question. Last July I planted 
a house of Muscats which ran the full length of the rafters in good time, 
with a little firing. They were pruned at Christmas at lengths varying 
from 3 to 5 feet. Only one of them bled, and though the sap escaped 
only for a day or two it left its mark for the season, this being the only 
rod which has not touched the top of the house. Several of them in the 
hot days of March showed signs of dampness where cut, but did not 
bleed. I suppose it is a recognised fact that Vines, if there is any bleed¬ 
ing, do it more in bright sunny weather, and this too without watering 
the roots. I never had much bleeding in old Vines, consequently do not 
know how this would affect the crop. In lifting Muscats which had 
been planted four years I cut the roots to reduce them, and these bled a 
little, but as they were planted immediately I could not say how long this 
lasted. 
Tying-UP Shoulders. —The discussion on tying the shoulders of 
Grapes up comes at the right period of the year. I believe in tying if 
not over-done, and practise it, but so do it that by the time the Grapes 
are ripe very few if any ties are left. I gradually take them away. 
Perhaps quite half my bunches have no ties, but then on the other hand 
I have bunches of some varieties which could neither he thinned nor left 
for the summer without ties, so that there are two sides to this question. 
Scorching. —Your reply to “ A Lady Gardener ’’ induces me to say 
that it is always better to leave a little air on at night, more e'^pecially 
when there i.s any doubt of early morning ventilation. Bed has its 
attraction to many, more particularly on Sundays ; as I have before said 
more damage is done on Sunday morning than all the week put together. 
No one enjoys a leisure hour more than myself, but I do not neglect on 
the seventh day the work of the previous six. 
Scalding. —Noting the remarks of “ S.” on scalding I would like to 
say that I have found (though njt this year) Lady Downe’s Seedling 
scald when I know it has been impossible for the sun to touch them. I 
always keep this variety of Grape as cool as passible when stoning—the 
least dew on the berries is fatal. Having some Muscats with rods 4 feet 
apart, and the laterals being stopped two leaves only above the fruit, and 
the foliage not being over-large, I find several exposed berries scald. I 
say scald, but really this is very different to Lady Downe’s. 
Syringing. —Now a word or tw@ as to syringing Vines in bloom. 
Having lifted my Muscats in March I syringed the Vines severely to en¬ 
courage them to break. They did well. When in flower 1 syringed several 
Vines as an experiment, and am certainly pleased, having a better set 
than usual, and this with a lower temperature. As “ S.” rightly says, 
“ If syringed at the right time it helps the Grape thinners very much.” 
Alnwick Seedling I cannot set well, even though I brush the gummy sub¬ 
stance from the flowers, but on one or two occasions 1 syringed the 
bunches heavily, and now have much better sets than usual, not, however, 
to my satisfaction.— Stephen Castle, West Lynn. 
CHOICE ALPINE PLANTS. 
Onosma taurica (Golden Drop).—Out of some dozen or 
more species of Onosma the one under consideration, which has 
been previously recommended, is without doubt the handsomest. 
It is, however, not among the easiest alpine plants to contend 
with i;nder cultivation, a fact alone which favours a few remarks 
from one w'ho has grown it for many years somev hat success¬ 
fully, and who has also been a successful propagator of the same. 
At the outset it uiay be said to fairly claim a place among such 
of those really old-fashioned hardy plants which from a variety 
of causes are among the rarer alpines of to-day. Such, then, is 
Onosma taurica, which originally (ame into our gardens with 
the opening year of the present < entury. It belongs to the some¬ 
what extensive and valuable order Boraginacege, and attains a 
height of from 9 inches to a foot when w'ell established, pro¬ 
ducing in profusion an abundance of drooping tubular-shaped 
blossoms in somewhat lengthened cymes, which are canary gold 
ill colour. There is no nobler rock plant than this, and which 
should find its way to the exhibition table quite as often as that 
