330 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
12, 1893. 
pleasant home at verdant Southwell; and to hear them talk about 
Roses as if no one was there is a treat. 
“ We could have staged grandly to-day, couldn’t we, Harry ? 
Did you ever see such a Pig ? and then that Duff, it was 
wonderful, wasn’t it ? Yes ; and Dick was lovely, wasn’t she ? ” 
and so on through an ideal forty-eight that “ Ned ” was enumerat¬ 
ing to his brother, but all for the ear of Henry, the head, who would 
keep suggesting faults in this Rose and that. “ Ah, but you 
should have seen the blooms,” rejoined the youngster. “You 
don’t know what you have missed. We could have run Cant hard 
to-day ; pity there wasn’t a show before the rain spoilt ’em,” and 
so on. 'This perversity of Roses in opening between the shows 
appears to be chronic and incurable. It seems to display itself 
everywhere ; and the references to varieties by workers among 
them, and who become familiar with them, are somewhat puzzling 
to an outsider. Fancy the bold liberty in calling the Marchioness 
of Dufferin, “Duff;” Margaret Dickson, “ Dick ; ” and Gustave 
Piganeau, “ Pig,” and all in the way of endearment, too! Is it 
liot peculiar ? But they will do it will these earnest men, who 
spend their lives among Roses, and talk to each other about 
them. 
“ You have done pretty well at the shows this year—blooms 
rather small perhaps, but fresh and bright,” observed he of the 
city; “ but don’t you think you want a little more size ? ” 
“ Well,” said the youthful senior, “we can get colour here, there 
is no doubt about that ; and give me good form, brilliancy, and 
freshness, and they can take the dingy big ’uns. But all the same, 
we mean to have more size ; bought a fine piece of land 4 or 
5 feet deep of sound loam. You must see it.” “ Another piece ! 
Then how much land have you now ? ” “ Sixty-five acres.” Thus 
has the once little nursery grown, the result of sound knowledge, 
good judgment, cultural skill, diligent work, and business enter¬ 
prise — just the qualities that have made many a once-small 
local nursery famed throughout the land, in the case under 
notice the growth being mainly stimulated by “Bramley’s and 
Roses.” 
“ And how are the Bramley’s this year ? ” “ Oh, they are all 
right. You must see them.” “ And what do you think of the 
newer Roses?’' “Well, some are good; we must look at them 
in the morning. The host appeared to be getting uneasy ; in fact, 
he was under “ influence,” for his clever daughter was presiding at 
the piano in the drawing-room, and sundry friends were singing. 
He could endure our prosy talk no longer, and cut it short with a 
“ Come, now, let us stop this, and have some music.” “ What, 
music after midnight! It’s bedtime.” “ Bed or no bed, we must 
have music. I have a few friends in the house, one or two local 
celebrities, and we have to hear them.” Open flew the doors, and 
there was a general movement of happy humanity. “ Ah, Herr 
Jumpi, allow me to introduce you, also Signor Ponderoso, to 
my friend, Mr. Cityman.” Then the concert began, and after 
it ended we had not long to wait before it was time to be out and 
among the Roses. 
No doubt the rain had done something to freshen vegetation, 
but it could not have transformed the burnt up pastures of the 
south into a mass of green verdure in a night. Refreshing green 
was everywhere around—on banks, lawns, hedges, and fields. 
"Flowers were flourishing as if there had been no drought. Masses 
of Delphinums 8 feet high, golden pillars of the stately Verbascum 
olympicum still higher, the pure white bell-shaped Campanula 
persicifolia grandiflora, one of the finest of the family, with most 
of the best hardy border fiowers in season. On the rockery 
glittering golden sheets of Genista tinctoria flora-pleno, in contrast 
with dwarf Campanulas of the beautiful turbinata group in various 
tints, and Tropteolum polyphyllum trailing over the ground densely 
laden with its yellow flowers—all these and others told us there 
had been no such drought exhaustion as had to be endured by 
flowers and their cultivators in the south. No doubt the soil in 
the valley of this fertile district of Nottinghamshire is naturally 
rich, deep, and retentive ; but it was hard to think there had been 
“ no rain worth mentioning ” for several weeks. Yet go where 
one might an idea seemed to prevail that the brunt of the heat 
and drought was borne by that self-same place, no matter how 
green the fields and bright and fresh the gardens. True, the sun 
brought out the Roses too quickly—did not give them time to 
“ fill up,” but all the same, broadly and generally speaking, 
the land has been a veritable Land of Goshen in the north this 
year in comparison with the Sahara-like aspect of country 
along the south-east coast, though rich soil and deep culture 
have told there like oases in the desert; but we are scanning 
the_ Roses at Southwell, noting more particularly the newer 
varieties that had fiourished the best under the burning sun 
of 1893. 
Amongst Hybrid Perpetuals the following were giving satis¬ 
faction :—Bruce Findlay, regarded as a valuable addition to the 
very bright red Roses, particularly free and attractive in colour ; 
Danmark, very fine indeed, after the style of La France, bnt more 
globular, the petals thicker and thus more lasting than the old 
favourite named ; Duchess of Albany, another of the La France 
family, but deeper in colour, in other respects identical with its 
parent ; Gustave Piganeau, one of the finest of the newer Roses, 
has flowered as well this dry season as during the wet period of 
last year, plants dwarf in habit, hardy, and floriferous ; Germaine 
Caillot, a flesh-coloured variety, flowered well this season ; Jeannie 
Dickson, rosy pink with paler margins, one of the most useful of 
the Irish raised Roses ; La France de 1889, a fine large-petalled 
Rose of pleasing red colour ; Marchioness of Dufferin, a very full 
Rose of a peculiar shade of pink, attractive when yonng, but 
inclined to coarseness ; Margaret Dickson, a beautiful fleshy white 
Rose, evidently liking a hot season, being so much better than last 
year, and very vigorous. 
Amongst Teas Ernest Metz is regarded as one of the best pink 
varieties of recent years, the stiff flowerstalk holding the blooms 
erect; ani Waban is looked upon as a distinct form of Catherine 
Mermet, being darker in colour. The Hybrid Tea Gustave Regis 
is charming when the swelling buds show their clear canary yellow 
colour, tinted darker on the edge, and the variety is expected to he 
a favourite for buttonholes, sprays, and allied forms of decoration ; 
and the Bourbon Mrs. Paul is a great favourite, flowers a pleasing 
blush white, and plants robust in growth. Those were the most 
prominent moderns ; but no one could see the floriferous masses 
of the charming Polyantha Roses without admiring them, Madame 
A. M. de Mnntravel, Etoile d’Or, Golden Fairy, George Pernet, 
Little Dot, Perle d’Or, and The Pet appearing as if each were 
trying to outrival the other in productiveness and chaste beauty. 
Southwell has evidently a good Rose soil, and the collection of 
varieties is very complete. We must, however, leave the Roses 
and glance at the fruits. 
Every Apple-loving visitor to Southwell is bound to notice 
Bramley’s Seedling, for the simple reason that he cannot help it. 
Large old standard trees here and there excelling all others in their 
loads of fine fiuit ; young orchards in fine bearing condition—trees 
which, if practically let alone, open themselves out naturally and 
prevent overcrowding, and a forest of young stock standards and 
dwarfs, distinct by their sturdy vigour and robust leafage. “Merry- 
weather has Bramley on the brain” once observed a brother in the 
craft. Yes, he has ; and will keep it there. It makes no difference 
to him whether he sells 20,000 trees of it or of other varieties, but 
he likes to see his favourite go, as he is convinced that it will do 
him more credit than will several others, against which he has 
nothing to say ; but his faith is unshaken in his protegee, indeed it 
seems to increase with experience. “Look at the trees,” he will 
say, as he points to their dark green heads and fine fruit shining on 
the branches ; “ then look at others around them. Doesn’t it 
speak for itself ? I tell you Bramley’s is a topper—never anything 
the matter with it ; fights his way through everything—frost or 
heat or canker, and the fruit is always wanted in March.” Then 
he goes on to say, “ And I will tell you another good Apple—Lane’s. 
Yes, if I were planting for money-making my two chief Apples 
would be Lane’s Prince Albert as dwarfs, with Bramley’s in that 
form, and as standards. Lane’s will bear tremendously and soon pay, 
but cannot wear like Bramley’s. Find a better pair if you can ; 
for planting by the dozen or the hundred. I cannot, and I think I 
have all the best sorts in cultivation.” As early Apples the two 
Southwell favourites are Domino, one of the best of growers and 
bearers, in demand not only foi new plantations but for filling 
vacancies in existing orchards ; and Russian (Duchess of Olden¬ 
burg) hardy, early, a free grower and bearer of attractive and 
refreshing fruit. 
For grafting old trees—putting new and fruitful heads on old 
trunks—Bramley’s, by its inherent vigour, excels all others, but 
Mr. Merry weather’s method of grafting old trees differs from 
the usual procedure of cutting the main branches down to within 
6 or 8 inches of the trunk. He simply saws through the stem 
helow the branches, pares the top smooth, and inserts scions an 
inch or two apart all round between the bark and the wood. Even 
if the trunk is cankered new matter is deposited by the young and 
vigorous growth, and thus the faulty old stem is encased in new 
wood. The strong growths also, as must bo the case, promote corre¬ 
sponding root extension, and previously worthless old trees are 
transformed into bearers of excellent fruit. 
I cannot go into other kinds of fruits, except to say that Plums 
are grown extensively in Nottinghamshire, Victoria being the 
favourite, a purple local variety known as Johnny Raw being also 
in demand. As an early dessert Plum of the first quality 
Mr. Merry weather says Early Transparent Gage should be grown in 
every garden in the land, and perhaps its raiser, Mr. Rivers, will 
agree with him. But there must be an end of writing, and so, as 
