Oot.ber 21,183'!. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
359 
bitors—nothing so remarkable as Mr. Pemberton's success last 
year or Mr. G. Mount’s a few years ago; for although Mr. Pem¬ 
berton again carried off the challenge trophy he did not keep up 
the ball quite so long. I said some time ago that we shou’d see 
Mr. T. B. Hall at the top of the tree. I do not think he can 
ever be so at our southern show, as his Roses are never in bloom 
so early, but at Manchester this year, which was on the 18th 
July, he was well first. People hardly consider enough at what 
disadvantage northern growers stand at our earlier shows, and 
if they do exhibit, the blooms shown are what probably southern 
growers would have discarded as premature blooms. I know 
that it is not until towards the end of July or beginning of 
August that the northern blooms are in their full tide of glory. 
A good deal was written some time ago in the Journal about the 
rievances of small growers as exhibitors. I think the case I 
rought forward of Colonel Standish Hore, who out of 168 Rose 
trees secured a first prize for twelve H.P. and third for six Teas 
at the National Rose Society’s t-how, beating two experienced 
growers with large collections, besides securing at two other good 
shows three first prizes, a second, and a third, effectually disposes 
of these grumblings, and L think is so notable an example of 
what may be done, as to give great encouragement to all small 
growers. 
There are two prizes which are given at some of our affiliated 
societies' shows which I should like to see altered. One is the 
prize for the best box of Roses in the show irrespective of num¬ 
bers. This is a most difficult thing to decide, as all who have 
had to judge it know, and it rarely gives satisfaction. The 
most difficult case was, as I have already said, at Moreton, where 
it was ultimately decided to divide it between two exhibitors, one 
professional, the other amateur. It was, of course, an unsatis¬ 
factory way of doing it, but no other course seemed open. One 
writer suggested that such things were sometimes done to make 
it pleasant for both parties. I think this betrays a great igno¬ 
rance of human nature, for the inevitable result is dissatisfaction, 
each probably thinking that he ought to have the whole prize, 
and in the Moreton case the professional exhibitor threatened 
the Society with legal proceedings. In my remarks on this case 
I have called a £10 prize a demoralising one, and the result has 
proved it to be so. Will affiliated societies consider this question 
before another year P By-the-by, a writer of experience, but who 
in this instance seems to have been hitting wildly about him, has 
suggested to remedy this, that classes of the same number should 
be pitted against one another—seventy-two to seventy-two, 
thirty-six against thirty-six, and so on. I wonder whether he 
thinks that these classes are as plentiful as blackberries in 
schedules, or does he know that one of these classes is as much 
as one can look for, and that consequently to follow out his plan 
would be simply adding to the first prize in each class P No, I 
believe the better plan would be to abolish it altogether. Another 
very doubtful prize is that for the best Rose in the show. It is 
impossible rightly to weigh the merits of a first-rate H.P., say 
Marie Baumann or A. K. Williams, and a first-rate Tea or 
Noisette, such as Souvenir d’Elise and Marechal Niel, and pro¬ 
bably the judges would be influenced by their predilections for 
either the one class or the other. Let societies strain a point, 
give up the best-box notion and give a prize for the best Tea and 
the best Hybrid Perpetual. This is always an interesting matter 
at the National, and would be for any provincial show. 
I do not think that it was a season when there were any 
specially remarkable blooms such as linger in one s memory. It 
was. strange that Boieldieu, a Rose comparatively seldom 
exhibited, should have taken the prize for the best Hybrid Per¬ 
petual at South Kensington, and as evidencing the staying 
powers of the Teas and Noisettes that Mr Girdlestone’s 
Marechal Niel should have taken the prize for the best Tea or 
Noisette at Moreton, and two days afterwards at Birmingham 
should have gained the same honour; but while many Roses 
were excellent, I do not recollect any super excellent blooms; and 
this opens up a question which has been much discussed—Are 
Roses exhibited in as good form as they used to be some years 
ago ? Are the Roses which have gained the challenge trophy 
equal to those which were exhibited when the Cranston challenge 
cup was decided at the Crystal Palace ? I very much question 
it, and lay it to the score of the seasons we have had of late 
3 ’ears, which I do not think have been so favourable for the 
development of good blooms as those we used to have. 
If super-excellent blooms have not been seen this season, 
there has also been a great dearth of really good new Roses ; 
in fact, of those of 1885-86 there has hardly been one of which 
any special notice has been taken. One of our most successful 
Rose growers says they are a bad lot. Of tbe 1884 Roses the 
most promising are Dr. Dor. a seedling of Liabaud’s, shaded red 
and peculiar in form; it has the advantage of being a perpetual 
bloomer and very sweet scented. Edward Herve is one of E. 
Yerdier’s ilowers, large, cherry red, very vigorous and fragrant; 
General Appert (Schwartz), velvety reddish purple, shaded, full, 
and very vigorous, likely to be useful; Gloire Lyonnaise, I have 
not yet discovered the yellow in this Rose, there is the faintest 
suspicion of primrose at the base of the petals, and in bud it is 
pretty enough; as it was raised from Baronne de Rothschild and 
Madame Falcot, its place ought to be amongst Hybrid Teas if that 
class is to be maintained in our catalogues ; Princess de Bearn 
(Leveque), rich dark crimson, shaded with vermilion, very large, 
globular, this is a vigorous-growing dark Rose, promises well; 
Madame Raoul Chandon (Ch. Yerdier), a flower of the Marie 
Finger type, but said to be distinct and likely to be useful; Mrs. 
George Dickson (Bennett \ I thought very pretty when opening, 
but there is too little of it ever to make it a useful exhibition 
Rose ; Souvenir de Gabriel Drevet (Guillot) is a fine addition to 
our Tea Roses, something, so Mr. B. Cant says, between Souvenir 
d’Elise and Madame de Watteville. I have reserved what I think 
likely to be the best of the 1884 Roses to the last. Yictor Hugo, 
it is a brilliant coloured flower of the Xavier Olibo type, but 
more vigorous in growth than that favourite variety ; Clara 
Cochet promises to be about the best of the 1885 Roses, it is one 
of Lacharme's, a clear satin rose colour and vigorous; Comtesse 
de Frigneuse is likely to be a good Tea, another of Guillot’s 
raising, bright canary yellow and regular Tea shape, very free 
flowering. 
Two American Roses are highly spoken of. Mr. B. R. 
Cant kindly sent me a bloom of The Bride, which is a white 
sport of Catherine Mermet, and Mr. Boyson of Caen was good 
enough to forward me a bloom of American Beauty, it is a 
Hybrid Tea and very fragrant. Both of these are likely to be 
useful Roses. 
Such is my retrospect of the past season. I shall probably 
find many to differ from me, only let me warn them not to be too 
much biassed by their own personal experiences in their own 
gardens, but take a broad view. Rose-growing and Rose-showing 
exhibit no signs of diminution, on the contrary, both are increas¬ 
ing. It is true some societies came to grief, but others take their 
place, and I think the National Rose Society may fairly lay claim 
to much of this progress. Its principles are widely acted upon, 
and its assistance and advice eagerly sought. 
Before c'osing, I cannot omit an expression of personal feeling. 
I have everywhere received the same kindness that I have experi¬ 
enced in former years, and whether amongst old friends or in 
new places, where I have been enabled to form new ones, I have- 
to look back upon many pleasant days passed amongst the flowers 
we love so well.—D., Deal. 
LATE PEACHES. 
Mr. Muir deserves the thanks of growers for the lucid 
manner in which he has directed attention to the inadvisability 
of planting late varieties of Peaches on walls. “ Late Peaches 
are much valued,” as Mr. Muir very appropriately observes at 
page 314. They are esteemed for their fine appearance at desseit, 
and are especially valuable from a pecuniary point of view. The 
prices realised for choice fruit in the markets this year early in 
October were better than for fruit ripe in June. This may be in 
a measure due to the comparative scarcity of Pears this year, 
but in other seasons I have found the prices of late Peaches were 
better than at any other period when the cost of production, as 
it ought, is taken into consideration. Fine examples in late 
September and early October brought 9s. to 12s. per dozen 
wholesale, whilst comparatively poor examples were only bringing 
4s. per dozen. Those bringing the highest prices were, as “ A 
Thinker” puts it, “magnificent specimens, the result of thinning, 
mulching, and watering; indeed, the same care is bestowed on 
them as is devoted to the prize ” fruit, and it pays. “ A Thinker,” 
at page 315, hits the nail on the head, and drives it home by 
stating, “With a judicious selection of varieties of fruit and 
higher culture, the standard of value would soon be raised. ’ 
Continuing, he clenches the argument by the statement that “ It 
is deplorable to see the rubbish that is poured into our markets,, 
and humiliating to find American” (and I would add foreign) 
“ produce preferred to our own.” This is the way to a better 
order of things, and that there is room we need only look at the 
difference presented by our produce with foreign in the market?. 
There is no reason to wonder at its being given preference being 
solely attributable to its “uniformity of excellence.” It is 
clinging to old and obsolete varieties which gives foreigners the 
pre-eminence in the supply of the markets, in that they “ send 
choice fruit of uniform quality by tons,” whilst our^choice fruit 
is only capable of estimation by pounds, the majority of it being 
rubbish. 
