98 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 3, 1893. 
and although the exhibiting division may have been in at the birth I 
do not think they despise or look down on the lovers of garden Roses, 
With many of us it is by no means a disregard for their beauty ; it is 
indeed the impossibility of doing both from want of room. That, at 
least, is my case; otherwise I should delight in having my old favourites 
“ looking in at the window,” rambling in their own sweet luxuriance 
and graceful charms.—Y. B. A. Z. 
Roses and Rosaeians. 
In reply to the latest contribution to your columns of “ A Jubilee Rose 
Grower ” (page 73), allow me to say that, so far as I can remember, I 
have never allowed my judgment, when writing on horticulture or any 
other subject, to be biassed by the influence of personal friendship; nor 
in my articles have I consciously over-estimated any personal friend. It 
is gratifying to believe that the generous hope of “ W. R. Raillem ” may 
be realised, and as amusement is often beneficial I trust my contribu¬ 
tions to the “ Rose column ” will not be without wholesome effect on 
the minds of the more serious section of correspondents.— David R. 
Williamson. 
[Mr. Williamson is not a literary dry-as-dust, and we should be sorry 
for him to become one. Writers who can combine pleasure with 
instruction are public benefactors.] 
I HAD not noticed “Audi Alteram Partem’s ” letter, page 51, in 
the Journal in more than a very casual way. With “ W. R. Raillem” 
I have frequently been amused at the way “ Rose-growers of taste ” (as 
we must accept “ A. A. P.’s ” description of himself and Mr. Williamson 
as gospel) write on Roses. Mr. Mawley and “ W. R. Raillem ” have 
let down these gentlemen fairly easy, the former giving the practical 
part of the story about the catalogue, and the latter vivisecting the 
“ Rose-growers of taste ” in a way that I trust they will thoroughly 
enjoy and appreciate. 
I shall look forward while on my holidays in the next few 
weeks to enjoying further letters in the Journal replete with “ fresh 
observations ” on horticulture from these gentlemen who are “ true 
lovers of plants and flowers,” and by the sad sea waves I may reflect on 
the year we rosarians, who are unfortunately exhibitors, have wasted in 
following a “ will o’ the wisp,” or even, to give it a worse name, a 
“ chimera ” which can never help us to become “ keenly alive to what 
is beautiful in nature.”— Charles J. Geahame, Croydon. 
Judging. 
I THINK Mr. Grahame (page 72) is a little hypercritical in objecting 
to the words “ more variety,” as applied to a stand of Roses. I think 
we should all understand it as alluding to colour, and that it is quite a 
legitimate expression. One man may show a stand of twenty-four, or 
thirty-six blooms for the matter of that, all of red H.P.’s, while another 
with a good sprinkling of Teas, especially yellow ones, as well as light 
H.P.’s, would surely show “more variety,” though not “ more varieties.” 
I confess I do not like to hear of a “ weighty ” stand or “ heavy ” 
blooms, though I fear I am becoming used to it. It seems rather like 
bringing Roses down to the prize goose level, but I do not think it is as 
bad as it sounds. It is not mere “ size,” but implies fulness and stout 
thick petals as well, for size does not necessarily involve weight. 
As to “ freshness,” which is distinct Irom colour, though rather 
difllcult to define separately, has not Mr. Grahame rather overlooked the 
words of his own quotation from N.R.S. rules, “ Where flowers are of 
equal merit judges shall consider arrangement, freshness, &c. ? ” I have 
never found a judge who in such a case would refuse to consider 
“ arrangement; ” but, of course, he might say that “ freshness ” had 
already received its due meed in points in comparison with the standard, 
for they would necessarily be pointed where of equal merit. 
In two or three instances where I have been judging this year the 
points have been equal, and “ arrangement ” has settled the matter, to 
the satisfaction of all concerned. In these cases “ freshness ” would 
already have been estimated in the pointing. 
Considering the great distances they have to travel, both Messrs. 
Dickson and Messrs. Harkness, the former especially, have to be con¬ 
gratulated on the freshness of the blooms they have staged. I was 
surprised to see that the fine stand of herbaceous flowers with which 
Messrs. Harkness won at Woodbridge travelled entirely uncovered, yet 
lost none of their freshness. In a dusty time I should think this was 
impossible. I understood that the point was that railway officials took 
more care of the flowers when they could see them.—W. R. Raillem. 
Metropolitan Exhibition op the National Rose Society. 
When we remember the fierce controversy which fluttered the 
rosarian world last autumn it was instructive, not to say amusing, to 
see the “ flattened ” condition of the advocates of the later date, for long 
before the day arrived it was clear that most of the exhibitors from 
early districts were entirely hors de comlat. When I met Mr. R. G. 
Baker, the former champion of the Rose world, who it is well known 
hails from Exeter, and asked him if he had any Roses, “ No,” was his 
reply, “mine were over weeks ago;” and, with very few exceptions, the 
same may be said of most southern growers. True the season has been an 
extraordinary one, and none of us may ever see its like again, but it is 
just these popibilities in our uncertain climate which should incline us 
to a date which a long series of years has on the whole proved to be 
appropriate. 
It is always more pleasant to record success than failure, but still the 
truth must be told, and I think it may be safely averred that, with the 
exception of the disastrous year of 1879, when the smallness and poverty 
of the exhibition from a totally different cause—namely, the excessive 
wet—the N.R.S. never held a poorer exhibition. The number of Roses 
exhibited, of which, however, I have no accurate account, appears to 
have been some 2000 less than those exhibited last year, and in conse¬ 
quence the competition was not near so keen, and in some classes even 
there were not enough stands for the prizes offered. This falling off 
would be naturally more conspicuous amongst amateurs than nursery¬ 
men, who, from the large quantity that they grow and their different 
localities, have a better chance of making up a good stand, and hence, 
with the exception of some stand amongst the Tea Roses, the standard 
of excellence was considerably lowered. As was anticipated, the cooler 
climate of Yorkshire and the copious rains that they have had there 
helped forward Messrs. Harkness & Sons of Bedale, who carried off with 
flying colours the much-coveted challenge trophy. There were in 
their stand of seventy-two some grand blooms. The Horace Vernet, 
which gained the silver medal, was a grand flower, of fine build, great 
substance, and brilliant colour. Almost as good, if not quite so, was a 
beautiful bloom of Dickson’s Earl Dufferin ; in addition to these there 
were some splendid flowers of Comte de Raimbaud, Victor Hugo, 
Fisher Holmes, and other high coloured flowers, which are always well 
shown by the Yorkshire firm. The other prizes of these principal 
classes were carried off by the East Anglian growers, in whose stands 
some fine flowers were shown. Mr. B. R. Cant had in his stand, beside 
some excellent H.P.’s, some remarkably fine Teas, amongst which were 
a grand bloom of The Bride, which obtained the N.R.S. silver medal 
for the best Tea among the nurserymen’s class ; in fact, the success of 
this part of England, and the discomfiture of the southern and 
western growers, which was foreshadowed at the Tea and Noisette 
exhibition at the Drill Hall, were complete. It was somewhat remark¬ 
able that in a season of such brilliant sunshine the dark coloured 
hybrids should so many of them have been shown in such fine form. 
My friend, Mr. Biron, and myself have both encouraged Mr. Mount of 
Canterbury in his ambitious projects of Rose growing, and I think it is 
somewhat remarkable that in so forward a season as the present, and 
from so early a locality as Canterbury, he should have captured so many 
prizes, and even in some instances have beaten such giants as the 
Cants of Colchester. Some of these days, when he wins the trophy to 
which he aspires, he must take out a coat of arms with two parsons 
as the supporters, and an anvil and hammer for his crest; the motto 
must be left for the present. 
Those who recollect the long line of boxes of Teas and Noisettes 
which overflowed in all directions in 1892 will be ready to confess the 
immense falling off in numbers in the present Exhibition, and the 
success which at the Drill Hall attended the East Anglian growers 
foreshadowed a still greater triumph at the metropolitan Show. “ We 
mean,” it was said to me some time ago, “ to have the Tea Trophy in East 
Anglia this year,” and so it has happened, for it was carried off in 
triumph by the Rev. A. Foster-Melliar, whose winning stand will not be 
easily forgotten. The magnificent flower of Madame Cusin, which won 
the N.R.S.’s medal for the best Tea in the amateur division, was itself 
worth going a long distance to see, and was unquestionably the finest 
bloom in that variety ever exhibited. There were other fine flowers in 
the stand, one of them a grand bloom of Marie Van Houtte was an 
instance of what can be done with Tea Roses. It was cut on the 
Monday previous, had been placed in a nearly airtight and perfectly 
dark cellar for three days not tied up, and for two more in a cellar with 
a little light and air, and was almost entirely unchanged when brought 
out on Friday evening ; in fact this has been a year in which this 
variety has been remarkably fine. The same may be said of Ethel 
Brownlow, whose brilliancy of colour and stoutness of petal has been 
conspicuous, displaying merits which some of its most ardent admirers 
never before thought resided in it. A little disappointment has been felt 
with regard to Ernest Metz, and this was a season above all others which 
was supposed to be favourable to it, and yet there were only two stands 
of it exhibited, coming from the two Cants of Colchester, I think this 
seals its doom as to its being offered in a separate class, which has now 
been tried three seasons and with the same indifferent results. One 
flower which has sometimes been disparagingly spoken of, but which 
I have always looked upon with favour, Madame Hoste, has come quite 
to the front, the box shown by Mr. B. R. Cant being all that could 
be desired. Alas 1 the “ fortifications of Beaulieu ” and the “ Paradise 
of Teas ” added nothing to their fame. I was sure the former in such 
a season would be stormed by enemies that it would be impossible to 
resist, and that thrips and red spider would make many a breach in the 
ramparts ; but why the latter should have so utterly collapsed I cannot 
quite understand. 
As was anticipated, the season militated strongly against that which 
has of late years formed so attractive a portion of the Exhibition— 
namely, the garden Roses. Hardly one of the single species was in 
evidence, and it was only through breaking the rules laid down by the 
N.R.S., introducing Teas and even hybrids, that the stands could be 
filled. It was, of course, a disappointment, especially to those who, like 
Lord Penzance, have encouraged progress in this direction, but it was 
one of those things for which the season had prepared us. By next year 
Messrs, Keynes, Williams & Co. will have distributed many of Lord 
Penzance’s seedlings, and we may expect a keener competition. New 
Roses were scarce. Of those of the last two years the only one that has 
obtained any position is Gustave Piganeau; it is a Paul Neyron style of 
flower, the colour crimson, and at present it seems to be much in favour. 
It is not in its style one that commends itself much to me, but I think 
