JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 1, 1880. 
2 
and this I secured in H.P. Prince of Wales (sent out by 
Messrs. Paul & Son), but unfortunately its thinness of petal 
and want of a stout external guard render the flowers liable 
to fall open and to appear somewhat coarse. These are the 
only two fairly good Poses which have, I believe, at present 
been distributed from upwards of one thousand crosses! but 
good results have been obtained and will probably be shortly 
forthcoming from crosses between 1864 and 1868—viz., H.P.’s 
Comtesse Chabrillant x Jules Margottin and Anna de Dies- 
bach ; John Hopper x Senateur Vaisse; Gloire de Santenay 
x Madame Julie Daran, Prince Camille de Rohan, and Beauty 
of Waltham ; Lord Raglan x Charles Lefebvre and Maurice 
Bernardin ; Jules Margottin x Senateur Vaisse, Francois La- 
charme, and Bourbon Louise Odier ; Charles Lefebvre x Lord 
Raglan, Senateur Vaisse, Mons. Boncenne, Prince Camille de 
Rohan, Andre Leroy, Alfred de ’Rougemont, and Madame 
Furtado; Louise Peyronny x H.C. Charles Lawson, Victor 
Verdier, and B. Louise Odier; H.C. Charles Lawson x H.P. 
Olivier Delhomme ; Bourbon Baron de Noirmont x Senateur 
Vaisse ; Madame Victor Verdier x Charles Lefebvre ; La Ville 
de St. Denis x Marguerite de St. Amand; Mons. Boncenne x 
Charles Lefebvre, Mdlle. Bonnaire (all H.P.’s), and Striped 
Gallica Village Maid. Some of the offspring of the above 
crosses have from inherent weakness disappeared, and others 
which have exhibited more or less novel or valuable traits are 
in the hands of Mr. Charles Turner of the Royal Nurseries, 
Slough, who will probably in due course, and when thoroughly 
tested, introduce them to public notice. 
In the course of my operations the anthers only of those 
flowers were previously removed in which there appeared 
special risk of self-fertilisation ; but cross-fertilisation was 
generally effected only on such flowers and when in such con¬ 
dition as to be practically safe from self-fertilisation. Since 
1868 I have chiefly discontinued the raising of seedling Roses 
from artificially fertilised flowers, and have devoted my 
attention to the selection of heps from naturally fertilised 
flowers of the best varieties only, having long since arrived at 
the conclusion that by the latter means more certain results 
may be obtained, especially where good shape and beauty of 
flower are desired, as the different types of beauty in the Rose 
are numerous, each being excellent in its own particular 
character, but when any of these types are combined coarse 
or heterogenous flowers may be expected to result. Most of 
our garden Roses have also been so much interbred that there 
is a great tendency in the offspring to revert to one or other 
of their ancestral types, rendering the results from cross-ferti¬ 
lisation too precarious and unreliable to be remunerative. Mr. 
Bennett, however, is opening-up somewhat new ground in 
crossing the Teas with H.P.’s, and with his appliances, skill, 
and intelligence all brought to bear, some novel and valuable 
hybrids ought deservedly to crown his exertions. 
It is, however, scarcely credible that such a practical people 
as the French, who, although they may not always grasp our 
tastes as readily as they do our purses, but who are at least as 
prompt and expert in the cross-fertilisation and hybridising of 
plants and flowers as we are in England, should so universally 
have neglected to resort to or to continue to use similar means 
with the Rose unless more certain or remunerative results were 
otherwise attainable ; and I can only arrive at the conclusion 
that experience has taught our neighbours as it has myself, 
and I believe others who preceded me in this country (in¬ 
cluding Mr. Wm. Paul), which is the more profitable mode ; 
and it must not be forgotten that the immense advance which 
has been made in the garden Rose, especially in the Hybrid 
Perpetual class, during the last three decades is largely due to 
French exertions, and has been attained, practically only, by 
means of self-fertilisation. The following Roses raised by me 
in 1864 were from seed of naturally fertilised flowers—viz., 
H.P.’s Annie Laxton from Jules Margottin ; Marchioness of 
Exeter, probably also from the same parent ; and Empress of 
India I believe from Triomphe des Beaux Arts, and not from 
Louis XIV., of which it appears to be a vigorous prototype. 
In 1869 I raised H.P.’s Mrs. Laxton, probably from Mdlle. 
Victor Verdier, and Charles Darwin from Madame Julie Daran, 
this being the dark H.P. Rose of Bourbon blood par excel¬ 
lence, of which I sowed the seed in that year. All the above 
were sent out by Messrs. Paul & Son. The parentage of H.P.'s 
Richard Laxton sent out by Mr. C. Turner, and Dr. Hogg in 
the hands of Messrs. Paul & Son, I regret being unable to 
identify ; but with a large and continually increasing number 
of seedlings I have found it impossible to keep even the year's 
results in all cases distinct. 
Seedling Roses are very uncertain as to the period of show¬ 
ing their first blooms, some flowering when little more than 
2 inches high, and within two or three months from the seed 
being sown, and others, although often eventually proving 
good Perpetual Roses, do not show bloom for several years. 
I have now seedlings of the current year showing bloom. My 
crop this season consists of upwards of one thousand seedlings 
grown on a bed containing about 2 square yards ; most of 
these are already planted out, and several of them I hope to 
bud, bloom, and primarily test before winter. In the ordinary 
course at least one-half will probably disappear before next 
year from delicacy of constitution. These I shall not regret, 
as a winter’s exposure will save an immense amount of anxiety 
and some labour for the care of what would have proved to be 
only consumptive and sickly progeny. All seedling Roses 
before being distributed should be fairly exposed during one 
winter at least, and our race of Roses would eventually become 
hardier and more vigorous. The practice ought to be a sine 
qua non with all raisers, some discretion being exercised as 
regards the variety and the situation.—T. Laxton, Bedford. 
TO ENGLISH HORTICULTURISTS. 
We have been requested by the Syndicate of the Ghent nursery¬ 
men to publish the following address. We may also mention that 
the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society have sent an 
urgent remonstrance to Lord Granville at the Foreign Office, 
calling attention to the great injury that will be done to the 
nursery trade if the terms of the Convention are enforced :— 
“ You are no doubt aware that in order to prevent the invasion 
of the Phylloxera a Convention was signed at Berne on the 17th 
of September last, by the Plenipotentiaries from the Swiss Con¬ 
federation, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, and France, 
to the effect that in future all horticultural produce would only 
be allowed to be imported into the countries in question under 
certain restricted conditions, one of which stipulated that the 
roots of all plants must be completely divested of soil, which in 
fact signifies a total exclusion of plants. 
“ Italy and Spain, finding the terms not sufficiently stringent to 
satisfy their requirements, have refused to ratify the Convention 
and forbidden the importation of ail plants ; while the Swiss Con¬ 
federation interdicts the introduction of all horticultural produce 
coming from countries forming no part of the Convention, even 
when such sendings are accompanied by a consular certificate, 
which is deemed an insufficient warrant. 
“ If these severe measures are maintained or put in force it is 
evident that they will cause the unavoidable and absolute ruin of 
many horticultural traders, and inflict a lasting injury on horti¬ 
cultural industry in all countries where it flourishes. No other 
branch of industry than this requires, in fact, a more vast and 
wider field for operation ; and hence in the presence of such an 
impending calamity we, the Ghent nurserymen, founded a com¬ 
mittee with the object to protect by all just means the interests 
of our threatened "industry. This committee immediately sum¬ 
moned the Belgian nurserymen to a plenary meeting, explaining 
the gravity of the situation, and a petition to that effect was sent 
forthwith to the Foreign Office. The Ghent delegates undertook 
to instigate a public interpellation in the Belgian Parliament ; 
while a special deputation, in order to support the petition and to 
set off the intense danger threatening the horticultural industry, 
conferred with the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. 
<< Notwithstanding all the activity displayed in the matter by 
the Ghent Committee the last records obtained seem to be un¬ 
favourable, more particularly so from Germany, whose frontiers 
it is said will be closed on or about the 1st of July. This fact is 
of highest importance, as it may be supposed with some certainty 
that the other countries engaged in the Convention will act in 
the same way as Germany. 
“ The Committee considered the interests put forth forming a 
part of yours, and the danger menacing the Belgian horticulture 
will also fetter the progress of your country, therefore thinks it 
quite essential on your part to take immediate and serious action 
in order to present a petition to your Government, either through 
