562 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ Decjmber 23, 18i6. 
work with a run, with your heart in one and your back in the other, and 
you will he mounting the long ladder every day.—W. R. Raillem. 
EOSES OF THE YEAK. 
As, to the politician there are always three courses open, so 
the above heading may be considered to have a threefold inter¬ 
pretation, and to refer either to the new varieties sent out in 
1886, to known varieties that have come prominently and to an 
abnormal extent to the front throughout the season, or to in¬ 
dividual blooms whose extra-perfect development won them 
especial distinction and caused the recollection of their sur¬ 
passing beauty to linger long after the impression made by the 
great mass of other blooms exhibited has faded from the 
memory ; and therefore perhaps it may be excusable to make one 
heading cover a brief reference to the earliest display of the at¬ 
tractions of the little-known varieties, and to well known 
varieties, latest display of especial attractiveness. 
Referring to the novelties that have as yet been seen in flower 
in anything like their true character in this country the name of 
“ Her Majesty ” naturally occurs at once as the fit and proper 
head of the list; but “ Her Majesty,” mindful no doubt of a 
royal decree that the Jubilee should not be celebrated until 1887, 
steadily refused to appear in public during the past season, and 
is waiting to dazzle us all with an appropriate burst of splendour 
next July ; so that instead of Her Majesty being remembered 
merely as the Rose of 1886, the year 1887 may rather be recalled 
as the year of Her Majesty in the Rose as in the rest of the 
world. Under these circumstances the nove’ty of the year will 
probably be generally admitted to the white Tea-scented variety 
sent from America under the name of The Bride, a Rose which 
originated in the garden of Mr. J. May of Summit, New Jersey, 
as a sport from Catherine Mermet. On first hearing of its 
origin 1 was not much attracted by the glowing accounts of the 
merits of this “ pale Saint ” Catherine, for these Rose sports are 
generally inferior to their parent in some respect or other— 
either the flowers lack form or substance, or the plant lacks 
vigonr; but the present instance seems to be an exception, for 
the plant is quite as vigorous as its parent, is very floriferous, 
producing large full flowers, only differing from the type in being 
white with a faint suggestion of lemon at the base instead of 
being pink. Everyone that has seen it speaks well of it, and one 
grower lately told me that he had ordered 500 plants of it. Un¬ 
fortunately, a very poor bloom of it was exhibited at the National 
Rose Society’s Show at South Kensington on the 6th July, which 
may have given some people the notion that it was of no value ; 
and this tendency to exhibit a flower before it is obtained any¬ 
thing like in character is much to be deprecated, as it only has the 
effect of prejudicing people against what may be a valuable 
acquisition. This remark applies equally to the blooms of the 
H.P. Grand Mogul (Wm Paul & Son) exhibited at the same 
time, and which scarcely served even to show the gorgeous colour 
of this brilliant sport from A. K. Williams; and although when 
shown in good condition later on it was deservedly awarded a 
first class certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society, the bad 
impression made upon those who only saw it at South Kensington 
on the 6th July will probably remain. 
Of coiarse the Hybrid Perpetuals cannot be seen in character 
their first summer to anything like the same extent that it is pos¬ 
sible to see the Teas, but Clara Cochet (Lacharme) is at any rate 
an immense grower, and I am told by one who has seen it in flower 
that it carries enormous blooms, something in the direction of Her 
Majesty as regards size and colour; and American Beauty (Ban¬ 
croft), another variety from the other side of the big pond, and 
which for practical purposes may be c'assed as a Hybrid Per¬ 
petual, although c irrectly catalogued as a Hybrid Tea, flowered 
well this autumn, and displayed several good qualities, as thus : 
It is thoroughly autumnal, its flowers are la r ge, well formed, 
with fine deep petal; it is amazingly fragrant, and its colour is 
crimson red, which, if it can suppress the lilac tint that is un¬ 
fortunately present, and that disfigures all the other red Hybrid 
Teas except Reine Marie Henriette, will complete a useful addi¬ 
tion. The Tea-scented Comtesse de Frigueuse (Guillot) has 
deep petalled flowers of a beautiful clear yellow, and will probably 
prove an acquisition in this attractive and much-wanted colour. 
Of the French novelties of the previous season that have held 
anything like a position during 1886, if we except the dark 
Horace Vernet, like Dr. Dor, which was well shown at South 
Kensington, there are only two—the gorgeous dark Hybrid Per- 
etual Victor Hugo (Schwartz), which, if large enough, is the 
est of its colour, and the very pretty and distinct Tea-scented 
Souvenir de Gabrielle Drevet (Guillot). 
Of established varieties that came well to the front during 
the exhibition season were especially some of the newer Teas, 
as Grace Darling, Hon. Edith Giffard, and Madame de Watte- 
ville, the last being conspicuous at most of the shows ; Hybrid 
Perpetuals that require much sunshine were also noticeable, as 
Mons. Noman and Star of Waltham (frequently grand). 
Rosieriste Jacobs, Marie Ridv, Prosper Langier, and Horace 
Yernet were all often and abnormally fine; while, from southern 
gardens in particular, some of the light coloured varieties, such 
as Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Violette Bouyer, and Duchesse de 
Vallombrosa were seen in great perfection. But among Rose 
growers all over the country the year 1886 will probably be re¬ 
membered as a Reynolds Hole year. From maidens in Essex and 
Wilts, from cutbacks in Lancashire and Berkshire, from all sorts 
of plants in all kinds of places, came and kept coming grand 
blooms of this delightful though not always obtainable variety. 
In the list of Roses most extensively shown at South Kensington 
this year, Reynolds Hole came thirty-third, its average position 
for a period of eight years being only sixtieth, and I should think 
it certainly was generally exhibited fully twice as much as usual. 
There is no doubt that Reynolds Hole is like the little girl with 
a curl in the middle of her forehead—“ When it is good, it is- 
very very good.” Probably at its best, the finest dark Rose ; but- 
it is not every year that it is seen at show after show and in box 
after box in the grand condition maintained during the season 
of 1886. 
When it comes to notable individual blooms, it appears that 
Souvenir d’Elise a'one was selected as the best Tea in the show 
about as many times as all other varieties put together ; at any 
rate, five b ooms of it were thus honoured to one of Anna 
Ollivier, one of Innocente Pirola, one of Souvenir d’un Ami, 
and two of Marecbal Niel. It is true that these two Marechal 
Niels managed to get three medals between them, for one of them, 
having been cut on Monday evening, was decorated at Moreton- 
in-Marsh on the Tuesday, travelled back to Berkshire on Tuesday 
night, thence to Birmingham on Wednesday night, to receive 
there a second similar distinction on Thursday morning. 
Among the Hybrid Perpetuals it is not much wonder to find 1 
A. K. Williams easily at the head of the poll; and though I do 
not recall a single instance of Marie Baumann being selected 
in 1886 as the best bloom in the show, such sterling variet'es as 
Horace Vernet, Charles Lefebvre, Ulrich Brunner, and Lady 
Mary Fitzwilliam were well represented. The two surprises of 
the season were probably the selected blooms at South Kensington 
an 1 Reigate, where Mr. Benjamin Cant’s Boieldieuand Mr. T. B. 
Haywood’s Ville de Lyon respectively were honoured. Mr. Cant’s 
marvellously developed bloom was not so perfect in form or 
colour as some blooms of the variety seen in 1884, but though 
slightly faulty in outline and pale in colour, the immense size and 
depth of the bloom more than justified the selection. With Mr. 
Haywood's Ville de Lyon the most hypercritical cou’d hardly 
find fault, and it lives in my memory as the bloom of 1886—a 
veritable giant among its fellows. 
It is a pity that neither variety is by any means everybody’s 
Rose, for Ville de Lyon is absolutely useless except as a maiden, 
and Boieldieu requires a baking seas >n to develope its immense 
fulness, such as that which fittingly brought it to the front in 
1886 as a Rose of the year.—T. W. Giedlestone. 
ORCHIDS. 
CATASETUM BUNGEROTHI. 
Quite a sensation was caused at Mr. Stevens’ sale rooms, King 
S reet, Covent Garden, last Thursday, when the Compagnie Continental© 
d’H rticulture of Ghent sent three plants of a new Catasetum of a very 
remarkable character. This species, which is a recent introduction from 
South America, was figured a short time since in the “ Lindenia ” under 
the name of Catasetum Bungerothi, but the attractions of the largest speci¬ 
men sold much exceeded those of the plant there depicted. Catasetums 
are generally regarded as curiosities, and although at one time several were 
cultivated they are now seldom seen except in the largest collections or 
those noted for their botanical interest. Some idea, therefore, of the 
horticultural value of C. Bungerothi can be formed when it is stated that 
after a spirited competition the plant in flower was sold for 50 guineas, 
and the two smaller ones for 32 and 20 guineas each, these probably being 
the highest prices that any Catasetums have ever realised. 
At the same time as the Belgian plant was sold a specimen was 
flowering in the admirable collection of Orchids at S’udley House, Gold- 
hawk Road, Hammersmith, the residence of F. G. Tautz, Esq. This 
appears 1 1 be the first that has flowered in England, and from it the 
illustration (fig. 83) has been prepired, necessarily somewhat reduced, 
but showing the outline of a flower the fall size at the upper portion of 
the engraving. The Studley House collection is r ch in valuable Orchids, 
which are well grown by Mr. Cowley, but owing to the pressure of 
matter this week fuller reference to them must be deferred to another 
is c ue, confining the prerent notes to a brief description of the new 
Catasetum, based on the two specimens mentioned. 
