160 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 19, 1985. 
together many varieties whose excellent qualities are the resu't of 
artificial selection,—as to learn that there are peculiarities that pertain to 
families which have distinct attributes by which they may be distinguished 
from others. 
In 1842 and 1843 rosarians were delighted with the Baron Prevost and 
La Reine, now regarded as the oldest types and most enduring and freest 
bloomers, favourite examples of which are Paul Neyron, Madame Boll, 
Anna de Diesbach, and Madame Nachury. In 1846 was introduced the 
Giant of Battles, rich in colour, but fleeting, of slight odour, subject to 
mildew, and difficult to propagate, and, on account of the poor con¬ 
stitution of these varieties the Prince Camille family have taken their 
place. 
In 1852 the General Jacqueminot appeared as a most valuable acqui¬ 
sition, and from its great popularity this family is now the most numerous 
of all. Its members are invariably of shades of red and crimson, mode¬ 
rately hardy, and generally highly perfumed. Leading examples are 
Marie Rady, Pierre Notting, and Marie Baumann. 
In the same year originated the Victor Verdier, having numerous 
descendants, tender, and of slight fragrance, and yet a valuable col¬ 
lection on account of their free flowering, good illustrations of which are 
Mdlle. Eugdnie Verdier, Etienne Levet, Countess of Oxford, and Captain 
Christy. Of all the families it is the best for forcing. 
In 1853 the Jules Margottin was a surprise—almost odourless, and 
difficult to propagate from cuttings, hut making very vigorous plants 
when budded. Some of our most popular and elegant Roses—Madame 
Gabriel Luizet, John Hopper, Duchesse de Vallambrosa, Madame 
Lacharme, Magna Charta, and Rev. J. B. M. Camm — are of this 
family. 
The flowers of most perfect form presented themselves in the Senateur 
Vaisse type, like Madame Victor Verdier, Mrs. Lixton, and E. Y. Teas, 
followed by the Charles Lefebvre, of less vigorous habit; the Prince 
Camille group in 1861, magnificent in their dark velvety shades ; pro¬ 
minent members of which are Monsieur Boncenne, La Rosifere, Baron de 
Bonstettin, and Jean Liabaud, but shy bloomers in the autumn ; the 
Alfred Colomb, elegant in form and colour, and odorous; the Duke of 
Edinburgh, beautiful when grown in a moist, cool climate, but fading 
under our hot sun ; and lastly, the Baroness Rothschild, a superb Rose of 
extreme delicacy, with an exquisite foliage, and of great value to the 
florist for greenhouse culture. 
There is a type recently introduced more valuable than any I have 
spoken of called “ Hybrid Tea,” of which La France was the original in 
1869, of silvery rose colour, and having the combination of the Provence 
and Tea perfumes. 
It is now regarded as a decided advance in the art of Rose culture to 
obtain new varieties which shall combine the hardiness of La Reine and 
Paul Neyron with the free-blooming qualities and fragrance of Bon Silene 
and Souvenir d’un Ami. In this class Nature has been relied upon to 
accomplish what we wish by sowing the seed promiscuously, producing 
some flowers that are Tea-scented, while others show the Tea blood in the 
foliage. Roses of this family, which are looked upon with much interest, 
and which have novelty and promise of usefulness, are the Duke and 
Duchess of Connaught, Cheshunt Hybrid, Viscountess Falmouth, Madame 
Alexander Bernaix, Madame Etienne Levet, Julius Finger, William 
Francis Bennett, and Lady Mary Fitzwilliam. 
The Roses of the past have been the product of Nature unaided by 
human effort, while those of the present chiefly come from sowing the 
seeds of varieties which have not been crossed. The Roses of the future 
may and should be produced principally as the result of artificial fecunda¬ 
tion and hybridisation. Our aim should be to control and assist Nature 
as far as possible in her tendency towards variation ; and in order to 
obtain new sorts of marked individuality we should avoid crossing 
varieties too much alike. 
Some physiologists are of opinion that in hybridising the offspring 
assumes the foliage and habits of the male, while the flowers are in¬ 
fluenced more by the female. If this be so the head and hands may look 
for any result the mind may suggest ; and at least we may conclude from 
the advance made within a brief period by the introduction of new groups 
that there is much which is desirable in the Rose that we do not alieady 
possess, but is yet to be obtained. While the botanist collects and examines 
the productions of Nature, and arranges them in classes and orders, which 
he again divides into genera and species, pointing out their properties and 
uses, the florist applies the art of culture with the view of fashioning them 
to his own taste. Since Nature’s plants are all open to improvement the 
originating new and improved kinds by the product of a mixture of two 
different species is one of the most fascinating departments of the flori- 
cultural artist, who is moving continually amid ideal scenes, knowing 
what forms he wishes, but not what he will obtain. 
(To be continued.) 
PRIMULA RUSBYI, Greene. 
Whatever may have been thought previous to the Primula con¬ 
ference taking place at South Kensington, there can be now at least no 
doubt of the popularity of these truly charming flowers, apart altogether 
from the political significance given to the queen of our native flowers, 
“ The Primrose.” The diversity of form, colour, and habit presented in the 
groups then shown left little to be desired and elicited no small admira¬ 
tion from those with only a passing knowledge of this important genus. 
Primulas are with us from early spring until late autumn in some form or 
other, and in a few cases, notably that of P. obconica and P. floribunda, 
may be almost said to be incessant flowerers, the former, to our know¬ 
ledge, having flowered at least two years without a single break in pots in 
a greenhouse temperature. So varied are they in their distribution, to^ 
that there is hardly a position in rockery, bed, cr border, from the sunniest 
to the most deeply shaded, but what will suit some species. During the 
present summer they have been flowering with us with almost as much 
vigour as in spring, many of those that did flower at the usual time being 
now in full blossom. This we believe is not uncommon, although we have- 
not noticed it so marked as it is this year. 
P. Rusbyi, of which a good r-presentation is given in fig. 23, was in¬ 
troduced two years ago by Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham. It is one of the 
few American species of this genus, and nearly allied to P. angustifolia 
and P. Cusickiana, the latter at one time considered only a variety of 
P. angustifolia, but now regarded sufficiently distinct by Dr. Gray to rank 
as a species. P. Rusbyi is much larger than P. Cusickiana, the leave* 
being from 2 to 5 inches long, including the mai-gined petiole. The 
blade is very thin, oblong, spatulate, and slightly denticulate. The flow r 
stem rises from 6 inches to a foot in height, carrying a head of about a 
dozen flowers, and surrounded by an involucre of three oval bracts; the 
calyx tube white, and having the appearance of being farinose at the base, 
campanulate in shape, and often longer than the triangular teeth ; the 
flowers are deep purple with a pretty yellow eye, and at their best 
measuring an inch or more in diameter, the tube exceeding the calyx - 
This species is undoubtedly one of the greatest acquisitions amongst our 
Primroses of late years, and one of comparatively easy cultivation provided 
the proper position be chosen. It thrives best in a shady moist situation 
in a stiff loamy soil ; indeed, like P. Parryi, the colder and shadier the 
position the better the plant succeeds. In winter it is deciduous, dying to 
a bud, as in P. sikkimensis, and care should be taken that these be not 
disturbed or scratched by birds, &c. It is a native of the Mogollen Moun¬ 
tains, New Mexico, summit of Mount Wrightson, and the Santa Rita 
Mountains Arizona, flowering with us in late summer.—D. D. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
CARDIFF. 
The twenty-third annual Show of the Glamorganshire Horticultural 
Society was held at Cardiff on August 11th. In previous yearB the Show 
has generally been arranged in an open field, but this one took place in the 
Sophia Gardens, which are very convenient to the town, beautifully situated 
on the banks of the river Taff, picturesquely wooded with trees and bushes, 
and admirably adapted for a charming Show, which this was in every 
respect. The exhibits were unprecedented in number, the quality was 
remarkably good, and the whole were arranged in twelve various sized 
tents. Those who have seen the whole of the shows provided by this 
excellent Society asserted that it was the finest Exhibition ever held at 
Cardiff. The Committee, as well as the Hon. Sec., Mr. A. B. Bassett, are to- 
be congratulated on such excellent results. Assistant Secretary, Mr. J. G. 
Jones, also deserves a word of praise, especially when it is stated that he- 
attends to booking all the entries, filling in the cards, and doing much work 
at the age of eighty-seven years. 
Plants. —For twelve stove and greenhouse plants Mr. Cypher, Chelten¬ 
ham, was deservedly placed first with large finely grown specimens of 
Statice profusa, Ixora coccinea, Allamanda nobilis, Phcenocoma prolifers. 
Bougainvillea glabra, Erica Irbyana, Stephanotis floribunda, Erica Thomp- 
soni, Statice Holfordi, Dipladenia Brearleyana, and Erica retorta major, 
a showy and attractive group. Mr. J. Mould was second, his best plants 
feeing Allamanda nobilis, Erica Marnockiana, E. semula, and Clerodendron 
Balfourianum. Mr. Hemming, gardener to James Howell, Esq., Cardiff, 
was third with good plants, the Eucharis amazonxa here being a magni¬ 
ficent plant, 6 feet through, with luxuriant foliage and a profusion of 
blooms. In the eight fine-foliaged plants it was a keen competition, James 
Howells, Esq., beating Mr. Cypher with superb specimens of Encephalartos 
villosus, E. horrida, Croton pictus, C. maj.sticus, Latania borbonica, and 
Cyathea dealbata ; Mr. Cypher’s best plants were Croton Johannis, 
C. Queen Victoria, and Kentia australis. 
The next class in the open section was for six Fuchsias, and the specimens 
which gained the first and second prizes were the finest we have ever seen 
in South Wales, Colonel Hill, Cardiff, being first with Charming, Rose of 
Castile, Beacon, Pink Perfection, Final, and Miss Lye. These plants were 
about 8 feet in height, 6 feet through, furnished from top to bottom with 
luxuriant and spotless foliage, and densely draped with rich blooms. Mr. 
Jonas Watson came second, and Mr. J. Hilliard third with good plants. 
Exotic and hardy Ferns were well shown by Mr. John Gunn, Cardiff ; Mr. 
C. T. Walters, Sir George Walker, and Colonel Hill. Six pots of Zonal 
Pelargoniums terminated the first open section, and Messrs. J. Hilliard, C. 
Thompson, and Mrs. Steeds were the winners, with spreading finely bloomed 
specimens. In the plant section the first prize for six stove or greenhouse 
plants went to Mr. C. H. Williams with capital plants of Stephanotis flori¬ 
bunda,, Ixora Williamsi, Allamanda Hendersoni, Bougainvillea glabra, 
Clerodendron Balfourianum, and Dipladenia Brearleyana. Mr. C. T. 
Wallice was second, his best specimens consisting of Clerodendron Balfouri¬ 
anum and Allamanda Hendersoni. Mr. Steeds was a creditable third. The 
class for six fine-foliaged plants produced excellent competition, Mr. John 
Gum being first, Mr. Howell second, and Colonel Hill third. The Fuchsias 
