222 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Mareh 24, 1892. 
Eo8e Show Fixtures in 1892, 
June 2l8t (Tuesday).—Westoiinster (N.K.S.). 
„ 29th (Wednesday).—Brighton*, Ipswich, and Windsor. i 
„ 30th (Thursday).—Canterbury, Eltham, Farningham, and Win-_ 
Chester, I 
July 2nd (Saturday).—Crystal Palace (N.R.S.) 
„ 5th (Tuesday).—Gloucester and Sutton. 
„ 6th (Wednesday).—Croydon and Ilitchin. 
„ 7th (Thursday).—Bath, Lee*, Norwich and Woodbridge. 
„ 9th (Saturday).—Reigate. 
„ 12th (Tuesday).—Hereford and Wolverhampton.f 
„ 14th (Thursday).—Chester (N.R.S.), and Helensburgh. 
„ 2l8t (Thursday).—Trentham and Worksop. 
„ 2Srd (Saturday).—Bedale. 
„ 28th (Thursday).—Southwell. 
„ 30th (Saturday).—Ripley. 
* Rose Shows lasting two days, f Rose Show lasting three days, 
I shall be glad to receive the dates of other Rose Shows for insertion 
In the next list, which will appear early next month.—E dwabd 
Mawlet, Rotebank, Berliliamsted, Herts. 
Stray Notes. 
Ten or twelve years ago (or even less, for it came to be used thought¬ 
lessly as a mere phrase) one heard people sighing for “ good old fashioned 
winters,” i.e., severe ones. I suppose the idea originated as an absurd 
sentiment in a succession of mild seasons, for one must think that the 
person who wrote— 
“ Five aud twenty years ago 
Winter was a time of snow. 
Frost and snow, I well remember, 
Were the emblems of December.” 
had some reason for making such an uncalled for statement. As a 
gardener and grower of Tea Roses, I am now beginning to long for some 
of the winters we had before the last eight or ten years. And, ere it be 
too late, 1 wish to put it on record, though the young may hardly believe 
it, that at that time our Teas were not regularly cut to the ground every 
year, and that I have had on some occasions on pruning my Teas to cut 
off shoots with 6 or 8 inches of healthy growth on them. Seriously, 
this succession of severe winters, without one break to give us hope, 
has done I believe very much to hinder the increased popularity of Teas 
which was at one time so much talked about. Who is going to grow 
standard Marechal Niels any more ? I don’t think I am, for one. 
A strong, well-established standard “ Niel,” after a mild winter, is a 
grand thing. Not only is it an immense help to the exhibitor (how few 
Niels one sees now, and how a good one lights up a box I) but it has 
always one or two blooms coming during the whole season, being very 
different in this way from the same plant as grown in a greenhouse or 
against a wall. With the true Teas, if the frost has left an inch of life, 
the flowers will very likely be as good, if not as early, as if there had 
been no injury ; but with “ Niel,” if the young wood is much cut by the 
frost, growth instead of flowers will be the result. And for the last 
eight years, at least with me, the young wood always has been killed 
back, with (to save from monotony) occasional interludes, as during 
the winter I hope I may now call past, of the plants being all killed 
outright. I think I have had pretty nearly enough of that frequently 
renewed row of Niels, whose very few blooms have almost always been 
spoiled by rain ; but I am not sure. A rosarian is a sanguine mortal; 
and if I should chance to see any fine Niels from somebody else’s 
standards I daresay hope would whisper that one of what I shall hence¬ 
forth call “old-fashioned” winters must come round next time. 
We had one morning in January 2° more frost than on any occasion 
during the long previous winter, and the damage seems to be very 
great. Still, it is yet too early to speak with certainty; in all but a 
few cases there is generally a little bit of doubtful wood at the bottom 
that may or may not throw out a bud, but my standard Teas appear to 
be quite killed. I have found no way yet of protecting them except 
digging them up and burying them bodily, and one wants to avoid this 
if possible, as they can hardly thus become “ well established,” though 
I am not at all sure they may not do well. I think the collodion has 
done some good, but cannot say yet. My H.P.’s are a good deal cut by 
the frost, much more than last year, a disaster for which the sunless 
autumn must be held partly responsible. It is interesting to observe 
that, with La France as a notable exception, those with any of the Tea 
strain in them have generally suffered the most. Her Majesty (three 
out of four among the standards killed outright). Lady Mary Fitz- 
william, Jeannie Dickson, Germaine Caillot, Captain Christy, and most 
of the Victor Verdier race, are blackened down to the snow line, which, 
by the way, was very low, and one or two here and there, budded too 
high, have lost their lives. Reynolds Hole has suffered much, but it 
was badly ripened, and is at all times a badly constitutioned Rose. 
The “ Rosarian’s Year Book ” for this year is a good number, and it 
was natural that considerable interest should attach to the article on 
“ Experiments in Rose Hybridisation,” by Lord Penzance, a large part 
of which has been printed in the Journal. It was, as might be expected, 
a capital paper, though the results of the experiments, from a florist’s 
point of view, have not hitherto been very valuable. In selecting the 
Sweet Briar as a cross I think one point in its favour was omitted from 
mention—viz., that this variety of the wild Rose as far as I have seen 
grows naturally upon light, sandy, or gravelly soils. I used to know 
several places where it grew wild, and have never found it on strong or 
heavy land; and if Lord Penzance can raise any good Roses with a 
penchant for gravel, why even I may yet have a chance. The Rose Rob 
Roy, a cross between G4n4ral Jacqueminot and Village Maid, exhibited 
by him at the Crystal Palace I have before noted in the Journal, and 
thought that one specimen was by no means, as he says, “ a very 
indifferent one.” 
But the strange part in the article is on page 27, where it is stated 
that “ the system I believe at present pursued, both in this country and 
in France for the production of new varieties,” is to “ sow hips by 
thousands, gathering them promiscuously from the finest varieties with¬ 
out artificial impregnation.” Is this “ more injustice to Ireland,” where 
the Newtownards Nursery has attained to so much success? It seems not ; 
for what of the late Mr. Bennett, who was strictly “ of this country,” 
and was, I thought, the leader of the artificial hybridisation of Roses ? 
I must also think that the Messrs. Paul of Cheabunt and Waltham, and 
very likely others, do not now select their seed promiscuously, though 
no doubt it is still done in France, which accounts probably for the 
want of merit now to be found in French importations compared with 
the home products. Surely it seems strange that Lord Penzance should 
appear in his article to be ignorant of what has been done for years in 
the same line at home. _ 
As regards the respective influences of the two seed parents on the 
new Rose I suspect we shall be considerably in the dark for some time 
without a long series of experiments. It is said that the seed of a self- 
fertilised Rose produces plants of great diversity, not only from the seed 
parent, but also from each other ; and, by all analogy, unless a Rose 
“ comes true to seed ” itself, it cannot be trusted to produce a certain 
reliable result in crossing. But the Sweet Briar itself does come true to 
seed; it would therefore naturally be potential, as Lord Penzance’s 
experiments showed, in crossing with garden varieties. I do not know 
the actual pedigree of some of our best new Roses ; we have no “ stud 
book ” at present; and raisers may in some cases be naturally unwilling 
to betray the parentage of their successes; and if we look at the 
examples we have we are confounded. There is undoubtedly much to be 
learned and gained from the artificial hybridisation of Roses, and I hope 
that Lord Penzance may continue his interesting labours, that more 
nurserymen may take it up in England, and that Messrs. Dickson in 
Ireland may have “ more power to their elbows.”— W. R. Raillem. 
CULTURE OF THE TURNIP. 
The Turnip is a wholesome and much prized vegetable, and 
the earlier m the season that supplies of medium-sized clean roots 
are produced the greater is the value set on them. Given a light, 
sandy, loamy soil, of average depth and fertility, together with 
judicious treatment, and Turnips of the best description may be 
obtained. Stiff soil is most unsuitable to the production of high 
quality Turnips, but such land may be improved by additions of 
chalk, wood ashes, and leaf mould, well incorporated with the 
natural soil some months before sowing the seed. 
In regard to manure, I prefer, in a general way, artificials to 
farmyard manure. Surface dressings of fresh soot and wood 
ashes applied to the ground immediately before sowing the seed, 
tend greatly to the production of a heavy crop of clean roots. If 
well-decomposed manure is given to the ground, it should be 
deeply dug into it as soon after the summer crops have been 
cleared off in autumn as possible, leaving the surface quite rough, 
the better to be acted upon by the frosts ; and if the soil is of a 
stiff tenacious kind it should be ridged up in the process of digging. 
The ingredients already mentioned having been previously 
scattered over the ground for the purpose set forth above, level 
the ridges when the ground is dry any time in March. This 
being done, tread as much of the ground as it is desirable to 
sow for first crop, making it level with a rake before drawing the 
drills 1 foot asunder and 1 inch deep for the reception of the 
seed. 
The first sowing should be made as early in the interval 
indicated as the ground will work, choosing a somewhat dry and 
warm situation, such as a border in front of a south or west wall, 
sowing the seed thinly in the drills, afterwards closing in the soil 
with the feet, treading and raking as before. Then place over 
the seed a length of garden netting supported by short forky 
sticks as a protection from birds. Sowings in proportion to the 
demand should afterwards be made at intervals of from two 
to three weeks up till the middle of July in cold (northern) 
