August 19, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
157 
tied to certain hours as that of o'.her amateurs. He has nooks andcorners 
of leisure, and he gives them to his Roses all the year round. 
I am acquainted with a certain head gardener who years ago was 
accustomed to win for his mistress all the big prizes and cups for Roses for 
a long way round. A “jolly old chap.” No other words would properly 
describe his good humoured face and the broad back which it is almost im¬ 
possible to pass without a friendly slap. Well, it must be nearly ten years 
ago that he solemnly gave it as his opinion—not ill-humouredly, for it is 
not in him—that “those parsons were getting one too many for him.” 
His opinion has proved correct; he is now generally content with an 
unchallenged second or third in the open class, but long may it be ere we 
miss his pleasant presence from our Rose shows. 
A writer in the Journal a week or two since said truly that when he 
saw a middle-aged clergyman in the tent setting up a box with his 
daughters, he expected to find something difficult to beat. I can thoroughly 
endorse that, and expect Mr. Pemberton will continue to maintain, after 
“ D., Deal," Reynolds Hole, and “ Wyld Savage,” the fame of the 
true amateur rosariao. And if “ A Lady Rosarian ” does not like to see 
prize tickets on the boxes of “ Mr. Blank, gardener to &c., Swaggerfield 
Court,” what would she think of that name and address with “gardener 
to ” carefully omitted ? This I have seen, not once or twice as by accident, 
but systematically done. 
“ A Thinker,” not being a specialist, is tired of Roses, and wants to 
hear no more of them till next midsummer. The Journal has, however, 
long been the rosarians’ recognised organ, and as I am sure that he has not 
heard the last of Roses and Ro-e exhibitions this year, may I ask what he 
would think of this last proceeding ? I have said nothing of suburban 
Rose-growers. They are of course heavily handicapped. I do not know 
why those classes were given up, but suppose it was because they were so 
bad ; and as to his general contention, I believe that “ A Small Rose- 
Grewer ” is mistaken, and that if he is beaten by the amateur plus his 
gardener he will find it a harder task still to vanquish the genuine amateur, 
who attends to his Roses himself.— W. R. Raillem. 
lit reply to “A Lover of Roses,” who asks for information on 
page 131, I am very willing tn impart any knowledge in my power. The 
country (not county) show more particularly alluded t r was the Hitcbin 
Rose Society. Hitchin is thirty miles north of London, a first-class 
station on the Great Northern Railway, and frequent trains stop there. 
Other country shows I might mention in the same neighbourhood would 
be Bedford, which offers good open classes, open to amateurs only, for 
twenty-four or twelve blooms, and Tea Roses, with satisfactory prizes. 
Then there are St. Neotsand the Sandy Show on the 27th of this month. 
The Show is a large affair, more for hoiticulture generally, and specially 
market gardening, being the centre of the Onion culture of Beds ; but 
they offer nice though not large prizes for Roses, Dahlias, Asters, and other 
florists’ flowers and fruits, which in the aggregate may make a plum worth 
picking up. They further engage the Guards’ band. Again there is 
Sutton, in Surrey, a very growing Rose Society, and others whose adver¬ 
tisements may be met with in the Journal in May and June. 
The question of the Rose-grower who does not employ a regular 
gardener is difficult, for what is an irregular gardener ? He may be a 
first-class groom and coachman, who does the garden for love of it, and 
likes new Potatoes, Peas, and “Sparrow grass ” for the servants’ hall. 
He may be a farm labourer, who milks the cow, feeds the pigs, and lends 
a hand in the garden. He may be a jobbing gardener who comes in two 
days a week, equal in skill to Messrs. Paul’s or Cranston’s foreman, and 
does more in two days than some “regular” gardener does in a week, 
whose highest ambition is to grow and show the big Gooseberry of the 
season, and thinks no flower is equal to a “ Cauliflower.” No ; from some 
little experience I think the safest protection for the “small grower” is 
having plenty of divisions and classes, with limitations, thus :—Exhibitors 
in Division A may not show in Division B, exhibitors in A and B may not 
show in C, and so on ; and, further, exhibitors only to show in one class 
in any one division; and, lastly, a great deal must be left to the con¬ 
science of exhibitors—a frail reed—for to go back to our Latin Grammar, 
I fear in too many cases “ Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa Rosa 
■crescit,”— i.e., the desire for big prizes and many of them increases as 
Roses increase in size and numbers in roseries. For this reason I advocate 
not too much in money, though most money-grubbers abhor cups and art 
trophies. 
In my letter in the Journal I talked of going 100 miles; well, on 
July 20th I went 200 to Uiverston in Lancashire, and exhibited at the North 
Lonsdale Rose Society’s Exhibition, open to all amateur subscribers 
throughout England; subscription, 2s. 6d. I was fortunate, and won 
318. in cash, minus subscription ; enough to greatly cheapen my excursion 
to see Windermere Lake. I bethought me of taking the Rose Show en 
route, and I shall go again if well next year. A very pleasant journey. 
You leave Hitchin at 10 P.M., Euston at 12 (in a sleeping carriage), and 
arrive at 9.30 A.m. at Uiverstone, with a further proof that Roses cut and 
arranged in their box travel best by night, and stand best through the day 
at the show. A year or two ago I went to Darlington and took a prize 
there. One last word as to the Crystal Palace Show. We must remember 
it is a purely commercial affair ; the company want to draw the largest 
amount of gate money, and offer large prizes to attract the best Rose- 
growers, nurserymen, or amateurs, big or little, to show Roses most 
likely to make the public stare and tell their friends to go and 
look.—F. H. G. 
P.S.—Above all things, if “A Lover of Roses” join the National 
Rose Society, and show at their London Show, never mind being beaten, 
“ Non amo qui vincit, sed qui succumbere non vult.” 
NATIONAL CARNATION AND PICOTEE SOCIETY. 
(NORTHERN DIVISION). 
A delightful Exhibition of Carnations and Picotees was provided at 
the Botanical Gardens, Old TrafEord, Manches er, on August 14th. The 
Show was large and the quality good; some of the Todmorden flowers were 
superb. The exhibitors were numerous. Some new ones had put in appear¬ 
ance on this occasion, and some old ones who had not been seen for the past 
year or two returned to do battle with renewed energy and determination. 
On the whole it has been a generous season in the north, and the flowers, 
and especially the bizarres, beautifully coloured and finely developed. 
Mr. J. S. Hedderley, a veteran grower of Sneinton, Notts, who was showing 
three or four days at least too late, remarked that he scarcely ever remem¬ 
bered such a line of fine crimson bizarres as the winners in the class for 
single blooms ; they were characterised by size, finish, and brilliancy. The 
Show was held on lines of tables in the large plant house. The day was 
gloriously fine. There was a gcod company, and though the flower beds 
were much disfigured by the storm of the previous day, the gardens were 
seen to the best advantage. As usual, Mr. Bruce Findlay afforded every 
facility to the Carnation and Picotee growers. 
Two classes were open to all comers—one for twelve Carnations and one 
for twelve Picotees, dissimilar flowers. Four stands competed in each case, 
and Mr. Robert Lord, Hole Bottom, Todmorden (who was, unfortunately, 
unable to be present through illness), was first in each case, showing really 
superb and highly finished flowers. His twelve blooms of Carnations, read 
after the fashion of the florists from left to right along the lines, consisted 
of C B. Master Fied (Hewitt), probably the highest-coloured C.B. in culti¬ 
vation, and magnificently shown on this occasion; S.B. Mercury (Hextall), 
C.B. John Harland (Adams), S.B. Admiral Curzon (Easom), still a grand 
old flower; R.F. Sybil (Holmes), very fine ; C.B. J. D. Hextall (Simonite), 
P.F. Squire Meynell (Brabbin), another fine old flower; P.P.B. William 
Skirving (Gorton), S.B. El ward Adams (Dodwell), S.F. Sportsman (Hed¬ 
derley), a sport from S.B. Admiral Curzon, that has rarely if ever gone back 
to the original form ; C.B. E. S. Dodwell (Hewitt), and R.F. Rob Roy 
(Gorton). Second, Mr. C. B. Simonite, Rough Bank, Sheffield, with an 
excellent lot, consisting of P.F. James Douglas (Simonite), finely shown 
throughout, but especially from this stand; S.B. Tom Power (Dodwell), 
R. F. Seedling, P.P.B. Seedling, C.B. Master Fred (Hewitt), P.F. Mayor of 
Nottingham (Taylor), C.B. Mrs. Gorton (Dodwell), S.F. Sportsman (Hed¬ 
derley), P.P.B. Sarah Payne (Ward), a fine old flower that still holds its 
own among many new aspirants to fame ; C.B. Seedling, R.F. Seedling, and 
S. B. Robert Lord (Dodwell). Third, Mr. Geo. Geggie, Waterloo Nursery, 
Bury. Fourth, Mr. F. Law, Carnation Gardens, Rochdale. 
Mr. Lord’s first prize stand of twelve Picotees consisted of H. Red E. 
Master Norman (Norman), L. Rose E. Favourite (Liddington), R. Red E. 
Thomas William (Flowdy), H. Scarlet E. Mrs. Sharp (Sharp), a new variety 
of great merit, having stout, large, and finely formed petals, and a broad 
edge of bright pale scarlet; H. P. E. Zerlina (Low), H. Rose E. Fanny Helen 
(Niven), L. P. E. Mary (Simonite), H. Red E. John Smith (Bower), H. Rose 
E. Mrs. Payne (Fellowes), L. P. E. Ann Lord (Lord), L. Rose E. Mrs. 
Aldcroft, and H. P. E. Muriel. Second, Mr. B. Simonite, with L. Rose E. 
Favourite (Liddington), H. Red E. Clara (Bower), H. Rose E. Lady Holmes- 
dale (Schofield), H. Red E. Princess of Wales (Fellowes), L. P. E. Clara 
Penson (Willmer), H. Soarlet E. Mrs. Sharp (Sharp), L. Red E. Mrs. Gorton 
(Simonite), L. P. E. Ann Lord (Lord), H. Rose E. Seedling, L. P. E. Mary 
(Simonite), and H. P. E. Zerlina (Lord). Third Mr. George Geggie, fourth 
Mr. P. Law. 
Then followed two classes respectively for twelve Carnations and twelve 
Picotees, nine at least to be dissimilar, to be competed for by growers of 500 
pairs of plants or less. There were eight stands of twelve Carnations and seven 
of twelve Picotees. With twelve Carnations Mr. John Whitham, florist, 
Hebden Bridge, was first with C. A. Master Fred, two blooms, S. F. Henry 
Cannell (Dodwell), P. F. Geo. Melville (Dodwell), P. P. B. Sir Garnet 
Wolseley (Hewitt), P. F. James Douglas (Simonite), S. B. Edward Adams 
(Dodwell) two blooms, C. B. Thomas Anstiss (Dodwell), C. B. E. S. Dodwell 
(Hewitt), C. B. J. D. Hextali (Simonite), and S. B. Admiral Curzon (Easom). 
Second Richard Gorton, Esq. (President), The Woodlands, Gildabrook, 
Eccles, with P. F. Geo. Melville (Dodwell), P. P. B. William Skirving 
(Gorton) two blooms, S. F. John Ball (Dodwell), P. P. B. Sarah Payne 
(Ward), C. B. Harrison Weir (Dodwell) two blooms, R. T. Sybil (Holmes), 
P. F. Squire Whitbourn (Dodwell), S. F. Robert Morris (Dodwell), and two 
unnamed. Third Mr. E. Shaw, Moston, near Manchester. Fourth, Mr. W. 
Taylor, florist, Middleton, near Manchester. Mr. Whitham also had the best 
twelve Picotees, staging capital blooms of H. P. E. Zerlina (Lord), L. P. E. 
Clara Penson (Willmer), H. Rose E. Lady Holmesdale (Schofield), H. Red E. 
John Smith (Bower), L. Rose E. Miss Wood (Wood), H. Rose E. Edith 
Dombrain (Turner), L. P. E. Ann Lord (Lord), L. Red E. Thomas William 
(Flowdy), H. P. E. Mrs. A. Chancellor (Turner), L. P. E. Ann Lord (Lord), 
H. Red E. J. B. Bryant (Ingram), and H. P. E. Zerlina (Lord). Second Mr. 
E. Shaw, with H. P. E. Muriel (Hewitt), H. Scarlet E. Mrs. Rudd (Rudd), 
L. Rose E. Miss Wood (Wood), H. Red E. John Smith (Bower), H. Red E. 
Lord Valentia (Kirtland), L. P. E. Clara Penson (Willmer), H. P. E. Muriel 
(Hewitt), L. Rose E. Daisy (Dodwell), H. Rose E. Miss Horner (Lord), H. 
Red E. Mrs. Dodwell (Turner), L. Red E. Thomas William (Flowdy), and 
H. Rose E. Elise (Kirtland). Third R, Girton, Esq. Fourth Mr. W. 
Taylor. 
Next came two classes each of six Carnations and six Picotees, dissimilar- 
six prizes being offered in each, the competition open only to growers of 
250 pairs or less. Eight stands competed in the first and ten in the second. 
With Bix Carnations S Barlow, Esq., J.P., Stakehill House, Castleton, 
Manchester, was first with S.B. Robert Houlgrave (Barlow) a new variety 
of first-rate quality, bright and effective, and regarded as an improvement 
upon Admiral Curzon, S.F. Dan Godfrey (Holmes), R. F. John Keet (White- 
head), S.B. Admiral Curzon (Easom), P.F. Squire Meynell (Biabbin), and 
P.P.B. Sir Garnet Wolseley (Hewitt), a very good lot indeed. Second, Mr. 
j Thomas Maddock, Lofthouse Hall Gardens, Wakefi-id, with S.B, Seedling, 
