August 24, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
169 
Chine Pier, the Spa Hotel, the splendid sands, on which you can walk 
to Sandown, some five miles, the beautiful white cliffs, distance about 
twelve miles, and the coast as far as the eye can see. I am told that on 
a clear day one can see Brighton. 
Passing to the tents I was very much interested in the exhibits. One 
tent was well filled with stove and greenhouse plants, including Palms, 
Zonal Pelargoniums, Ferns, Coleuses, Fuchsias, and very fine speci¬ 
mens of Araucaria excelsa, well feathered and clean, some of the finest 
I ever saw. The fruit tent most noticeable for the Grapes, Melons, 
Peaches ; the Nectarines the finest seen this season. The cut flowers 
were good for the season. Show and Fancy Dahlias, Marigolds, Roses, 
Asters, ladies’ sprays, and bouquets. The vegetable tent for professional 
gardeners contained good Celery, Cauliflowers, Tomatoes, autumn and 
spring Onions. The cottagers’ tent was well filled. I notice by the 
schedule that no less than 120 classes in all are provided. Great 
credit is due to the Honorary Secretary, Mr. A. Carter, and to the 
Committee for the efficient manner in which everything was carried out. 
I remained till the evening, when a promenade concert took place, and 
the grounds were lit up by fairy lamps. I enjoyed the concert with 
Mr. C. Orchard, who left me to go to Bembridge, and I went on to 
Ventnor, distance four miles, to prepare for the next day. 
The followdng day I walked from the esplanade on the cliffs to 
Steephill Bay, which is a charming walk. On the right under the hill 
is Steephill Castle, late the county residence of Dudley Hamburgh, Esq. 
Following my walk I come to the Ventnor Hospital, which was opened 
by the Queen. This is a splendid block of buildings with about 12 acres 
of pleasure grounds attached and overlooking the sea. Still continuing 
my walk, I came through Bank End Farm, which is one of the prettiest 
and most compact farms under the undercliff. The front of the house is 
covered with Roses, and of a mild season Roses have been picked at 
Christmas, Mr. Truelove is now the occupier of the farm, and many 
years ago was the gardener and steward to the Hon. Mrs. Dudley 
Pelham of St. Lawrence. I then get in the high road, and walk along 
the undercliff, and come to the pretty church of St. Lawrence. This old 
church is one of the smallest in England, which every visitor to the 
island ought to see. The gates being open, I walked round the little 
churchyard, when I saw on some of the tombstones names that took my 
memory back to my boyhood. I pass on for about half a mile, and 
then return for Ventnor, passing the new church of St. Lawrence, which 
stands on high ground overlooking the sea. 1 then get to the Hon. 
Mrs. Dudley Pelham’s gardener’s lodge. 
I introduced myself to the gardener, and was received by every 
courtesy. I found he was gathering Figs, which one could pick by the 
bushel. The kitchen garden lays well up under the Down, the extent 
being about 4 acres. Apple, Pear, and Plum trees were broken down 
by the heavy crops. Wasps are very troublesome, and Mr. Norton, the 
gardener, showed me two great bottles he had emptied that morning 
going through the plant houses. I see plants are grown mostly for 
conservatory decoration, and they are remarkably clean. Vineries 
contain Black Hamburghs, Muscat, and Alicantes, which were well done. 
The Black Hamburghs were well finished, and had extra sized berries. 
Tomatoes and Melons are also finely grown. Chrysanthemums on the 
cut-back system look well. In the pleasure grounds Roses are well 
done here, having secured many first prizes at the Undercliff Shows. 
The grounds looked neat, and the beds very gay. Among the most 
noticeable were the beds of Henry Jacoby Pelargonium, the best I 
have seen this season. Many people have no idea what the Island 
gardeners have to contend with to get their manure and things carried 
to the places required. They have to hand-cart everything, which 
makes labour very hard. I leave my friend and return him many 
thanks, and arrive back to Ventnor for dinner and tea, highly pleased 
with my walk, and finish out my evening on the pier. 
My last day I took a walk early in the morning, and found Mr. 
Sheath, the gardener to Mis. Mitchell, at Macrocarpa Gardens, Under¬ 
cliff, near Ventnor, among his Begonias, which he has the finest 
selection of seedlings in the Island. Some of the blooms measure 6 inches 
over, of perfect form. Mr. Sheath tells me he started with Messrs. 
Cannell’s strain, and keeps on improving both double and single. I pass 
on to a fine house of Black Hamburgh Grapes and Buckland Sweet¬ 
water, which are well finished. The stove plant houses contain some 
very fine specimen Crotons, Eucharis, Tree Ferns, Bougainvillea, and 
Stephanotis. Plants are largely grown for decoration to supply a 
charming conservatory attached to the house, overlooking the sea. The 
grounds are not very extensive, nor is the kitchen garden; but every¬ 
thing looked neat, and a credit to the gardener. 
My next walk was to Messrs. H. Drover & Sons’ nurseries. The Hillside 
nurseries are mostly devoted to cut blooms, and the grounds very neatly 
laid out, Mr. H. Drover was foreman and manager at the Lower 
Grounds, Aston Park, near Birmingham, for many years. Most noticeable 
were some very fine Cyclamens, double Primulas, and pot Roses. The 
St. Boniface Nurseries are composed of fruit houses, which are devoted 
to Black Hamburghs, Muscats, Buckland Sweetwater, and Alicantes. 
There are two long ranges of houses 125 feet, one being filled with 
Peaches and Pineapple Nectarines, These are well done and clean. 
The other part of the ground is filled with a good selection of vegetables 
to supply the shop, which is managed by the son. I must say these 
houses are built under the Down, and the soil looks nothing but hard 
rock and chalk. The view from these nurseries is the best I have 
seen, and if any gardener has the privilege of a three days’ holiday I 
should advise him to take the same route, as I am sure the gentlemen 
I have mentioned would be pleased to see him. I return back by the 
train to the pier head for the boat to Southsea Pier, where I slop two 
hours, finally securing a train at Portsmouth Station, and arrive home 
safely, feeling better for my holiday.—A Lover of Scexery and 
Gardens. 
Mr. Laxton and His Work Among Roses. 
Under the above heading a writer in your issue of August 17th 
enumerates the Roses raised by the late Mr. Laxton, and states " Roses 
were not overlooked, his first being named Charles Darwin, followed 
by Annie Laxton,” and the article goes on to say that Duchess of 
Bedford was also raised by him. May I be permitted to point out that 
Annie Laxton is an 1869 Rose, and Charles Darwin came out in 1879, 
ten years later 1 Also may I say that Duchess of Bedford was raised by 
a neighbour of mine, Mr. Postansof Brentwood, and not by Mr. Laxton? 
—J. H. P. 
National Rose Society. 
In reply to Mr. Mawley I beg to say that my private circular was 
sent out on the 2l8t and 22nd July, and I repeat that the Secretaries 
were amongst the very first to receive it. Their public reply was in the 
Journal of the 3rd August. The objection to such a reply is in the fact 
that it is never advisable nor necessary to make a public question of 
shortcomings in the management or working of any society, but as the 
Secretaries think otherwise they must take the consequences of the 
subject being discussed in the gardening Press. Mr. Mawley, more 
hihernico, says “ by rights” I should have entered into certain personal 
explanations in my circular. I purposely avoided any personal attitude 
in that paper so as to show no bias whatever. As I have already said, 
the result of the inquiry is satisfactory both in the character and number 
of replies.— Charles J. Grahame, hriglitstone, I. Wight. 
In Memoriam—Death of the Rev. J. M. Fuller. 
Although not occupying a very prominent position in the horti¬ 
cultural world, there are many, especially amongst the members of the 
National Rose Society, who will hear of Mr. Fuller’s death with the 
deepest regret. At his delightful vicarage at Bexley Mr. and Mrs. 
Fuller for many years successfully cultivated the Rose, and were 
frequent exhibitors at the local shows in the neighbourhood, and also 
at the National Society’s shows. Indeed, of one of the shows in the 
neighbourhood, my fellow judge used to say—in sporting phrase—‘Mrs. 
Fuller first, and the rest nowhere.” Mr. Fuller was a constant attendant 
at the meetings of the Committee of the N.R.S., and for some years 
had been one of its Vice-Presidents, in which capacity he frequently 
took the chair. He always performed these duties with the utmost 
courtesy and in the most businesslike manner. 
Mr. Fuller was an erudite scholar and an active clergyman. He was 
kind and genial in his ways, and there is a large circle of friends who will 
greatly miss him, and in the N.R.S. it will be difficult to replace one 
who by his courtesy and geniality was ever welcomed.—D., Deal, 
The Fragrance of Roses. 
In my recent contribution to the Journal upon this special subject I 
unconsciously omitted the names of two highly fragrant Roses which 
should most assuredly have been included in my selection, viz., Caroline 
Testout and Viscountess Folkestone; the latter one of the most 
successful productions of the late Mr. Bennet, who should rank hereafter 
as one of the greatest rosarians England has produced. I much regret 
that his Roses were not more universally appreciated during his lifetime ; 
but there can be no question that they have risen very high in popular 
estimation since his death. That such splendid acquisitions as Her 
Majesty, Mrs. John Laing, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, and Grace Darling, 
most of which are exceedingly fragrant, are steadily increasing in 
popularity is a fact which must be sufficiently manifest to every earnest 
student of contemporary horticultural literature, Mrs. John Laing 
already ranks as one of the four leading Hybrid Perpetuals ; but I 
think that Marie Baumann for perfect sweetness and faultless form, 
likewise I may add for matchless productiveness, should be assigned the 
premier place. 
With what your contributor “ Y. B. A. Z.” says on page 146 of the 
value of Tea Roses as almost perpetual bloomers I thoroughly agree. 
Thanks to such admirable varieties as Souvenir de S. A. Prince, Belle 
Lyonnaise, L’Ideal, Gloire de Dijon, Cheshunt Hybrid, Gustave Regis, 
and Etoile de Lyon, I have been blessed with a constant succession of 
beautiful blooms from the end of April till the present time. One of 
my favourite Tea Roses is Perle des Jardins. I would esteem it one of 
our finest varieties, but for its very remaikable formation, by reason of 
which it does not open well. I may state that my recent incidental 
reference to the evanescence of Roses (m my Viola article, page 120}, 
was concerned chiefly with certain utterly unsatisfactory and absolutely 
disappointing Hybrid Perpetuals of no value whatever, which should 
I think be relegated without mercy to the regions of oblivion ; other¬ 
wise they should be denominated in the catalogues “ Fine Weather 
