214 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ Maroh 16,11593. 
as correctly set forth in Messrs. Sutton & Sons’ useful work, the 
“Cultivation of Vegetables and Flowers.” 
“ Vegetables in which phosphates and potash predominate : —The 
ash of these will contain the following constituents in the proportions 
stated below. The Pea.—Phosphates, 36 per cent. ; potash, 40 per cent. 
The Bean.—Phosphates, 30 per cent. ; potash, 44 per cent. The Potato 
(tubers only).—Phosphates, 19 per cent. ; potash, 59 per cent. ; soda, 2 
per cent. ; lime, 2 per cent. ; sulphuric acid, 6 per cent. The Parsnip.— 
Phosphates, 18 per cent.; potash, 36 per cent. ; lime, 11 per cent.; salt, 
5 per cent. The Carrot.—Phosphates, 12 per cent.; potash, 36 per cent. ; 
soda, 13 per cent. ; sulphuric acid, 6 per cent. The Artichokes.—Phos¬ 
phates, 16 per cent.; potash, 65 per cent. Vegetables in which suljdmr, 
soda, and salt predominate. —The Cabbage.—Phosphates, 16 per cent. ; 
potash, 48 per cent.; soda, 4 per cent. ; Hme, 15 per cent. ; sulphuric acid, 
8 per cent. The Turnip.—Phosphates, 13 per cent. ; potash, 39 per cent. ; 
salt, 10 per cent.; lime, 10 per cent. ; sulphuric acid, 14 per cent. The 
Beet.—Phosphates, 14 per cent.; potash, 49 per cent. ; soda, 9 per cent. ; 
salt, 20 per cent.; lime, 6 per cent. ; sulphuric acid, 5 per cent.” 
If the constituents of crops were taken as a basis for manuring in 
connection with the physical character of the soil and the food ingre¬ 
dients it naturally contains, better results would accrue than from hap¬ 
hazard methods, and the cultivator would have a reward for his 
intelligence and skill. 
N.R.S. Fixtures. 
I CONCEIVE that your object in opening your columns for this 
discussion is not merely that existing and proposed arrangements should 
be freely criticisei, but also that other plans should be suggested, and 
in their turn 'hrashed out. Indeed, herein lies the immense value of 
journalistic discussion. The time flies so rapidly at the committee and 
business meetings of large societies that there is really no time to bring 
forward and fairly discuss and decide upon new plans of action, but if 
the pros and cons have been freely argued in the press, then when a 
proposition comes before a committee a decision is readily arrived at. 
In this spirit I venture to suggest for discussion an arrangement of 
the N.R.S. Snows which I think would tend to remove the dissatisfaction 
which many grower.® undoubtedly feel at present, without involving any 
hardship to those whom the present fixtures suit. The regulations of 
the N.R.S. call for the holding of Metropolitan and Provincial Shows, 
but there is no rule that the former shall always take precedence of the 
latter in point of date, and my suggestion is that such precedence should 
be taken alternately by each of these Shows year by year. That is to 
say, as the Metropolitan Show is fixed for Saturday, July 1st, and the 
Provincial for Thursday. July 13th this year, let them change order in 
1894 : the Provincial taking place on the first Saturday in July, and the 
Metropolitan on the third Saturday (as we are given to understand the 
Crystal Palace Company insist upon a Saturday). The crux of the 
divergence of feeling as to dates is that the provincial Show is univer¬ 
sally regarded as far inferior in importance to the Metropolitan, and 
the late growers feel that while the present dates are adhered to all 
possibility of the superior honour of a win at the Crystal Palace is con¬ 
fined to the earlier men ; but if every other year the important Show 
could be held on the later date this feeling would be removed. I hope 
that this idea may at least be thought worthy of consideration and 
discussion by those of your readers who are interested in the matter, and 
that some plan may be decided upon which will increase the membership 
of our Society and multiply exhibitors of our national flower. 
I have no remark to make upon the letter from Croydon which 
appears on page 151. I have taken part in various discussions in your 
columns for some eighteen or twenty years now, but there are two 
things which I have never done—I have never been guilty of a personal 
attack upon a correspondent, nor have I ever stooped to reply to one. 
When such practices become essential to journalistic controversies I 
shall retire from the field in favour of those whose inclination lies in 
that direction.—J. B. 
[We are requested to state that this letter was written prior to the 
publication of our issue for March 2ad.] 
The Parentage and Nationalities of Roses. 
I FIND the parentage or pedigree of Roses extremely fascinating. It 
is for example most interesting to know that Baroness Rothschild is the 
gracious mother of Merveille de Lyon; that exquisite Augustine 
Guinnoiseau is an almost white La France, possessing by inheritance all 
the attributes of that queenly Rose ; that the superb Jeannie Dickson, 
though an Irish proluction, has been derived from Marie Finger and 
Baroness Rothschild: that to Etienne Levet and the Countess of 
Rosebery may be attributed (with full permission of their eminent 
raisers, the Messrs. Cocker of Aberdeen) the origin of the Duke and 
Duchess of Fife ; that La Belle Lyonnaise owes its attributes to the 
immortal Gloire de Dijon ; and that Marguerite Dickson (gold medalist 
of the National Rose Society, and probably the finest Rose that has 
come to us from the Emerald Isle) is a beautiful daughter, imperial in 
her majesty, of Lady Mary Fitzwilliam and Merveille de Lyon. 
Nothing unfortunately is known of the parentage of the Duke of 
Elinburgh, w'hich may perhaps be justly regarded in virtue of its 
universal popularity as the representative English Rose, unless that it 
was raised from seed along with some others of almost equal fame by 
Mr. William Paul of Waltham Cross in 1868. I am curious to know the 
origin of the Mrs. George Paul, a magnificent Hybrid Bourbon Rose of 
immense substance, and growing to a height of feet, which I have 
obtained from Mr. Prince of Oxford, one of the most successful, so says 
the Dean of Rochester, of Rose cultivators. I understand that Mrs. 
Paul has won several first-class certificates, likewise the gold medal of 
the National Rose Society. It is manifestly a valuable addition to 
modern English Bourbon Roses, which do not constitute a very formidable 
class from a numerical point of view. 
I should perhaps have mentioned, when speaking of the parentage of 
highly popular Roses, that Souvenir d’un Ami is the parent of Souvenir 
de S. A. Prince, of whose remarkable attractiveness as a pure white Tea 
Rose of exquisite beauty nothing need be said. 
The following is what may be termed a list of nationalities :— 
England, Duke of Edinburgh. 
Ireland, Marguerite Dickson. 
France, Mar4chal Niel. 
Austria, Harrisoni. 
Persia, Persian Yellow. 
David R. Williamson. 
Scotland, Duchess of Fife. 
Holland, Moss Rose. 
Italy, F61icit6 Perpetu6. 
China, Blush Rose. 
Japan, Rosa rugosa. 
New French Roses. 
Notwithstanding the very meagre results during the past few 
years as far as the French Rose growers are concerned they do not seem 
to be any way inclined to reduce the lists of novelties (?) which they put 
before those who I fear have no eyes to see or ears to hear all the sweet 
and pretty things that are brought before them. As usual we have a list 
of some sixty or seventy Roses, all of which, if we are to believe the 
descriptions,are most desirable ; but the burnt child dreads the fire, and 
those who have burnt their fingers in years past are not likely to venture 
on the operation again ; in fact, I very much wonder who are they who 
do venture the first year to buy in these 25 franc a-piece Roses. I have 
spoken to many growers, but they all shake their heads, and say “Not 
for Joe.” They are unwilling not merely to pay this sum for these much- 
vaunted novelties, but also to spend a year on propagating, and then, 
perhaps, after all to have to burn them. There are no French amateurs 
to buy them, and yet I do not suppose they would go on raising 
and distributing them if they dia it at a loss ; they are very economical 
and grudge any outlay that is not remunerative, and hence I must 
suppose that somewhere or other they are disposed of, or at least some 
of them. 
Through the courtesy of Messrs.Ketton of Luxembourg I have received 
the list of novelties announced for this season— ie., the autumn of 1892 
and spring of 1893. In looking over it there are some things very 
noticeable, the absence of some names we have been accustomed to see 
in such lists. I do not see either of the Verdiers, one of them at any 
rate, the most liberal sender out of new varieties. I imagine that 
Kettons, with their usual care, have not omitted any from their lists, 
and can, therefore only conclude that they have nothing to send us. 
Then again those who have been in the habit of sending out a 
good many are contented with one or two, Guillot, Ducher, Schwartz, 
for example, while those who keep up the ball are growers who are 
not the raisers of any exhibition Roses in our N.R.S. lists. Another 
curious feature in the lists of novelties sent over of late years is the 
very great proportion of Tea Roses. Thus in the lists for the present year 
there are forty-nine Teas, eight Hybrid Teas, and sixteen Hybrid Per- 
petuals. Either the raisers have found out how such Teas have advanced 
in favour of late years, or they found it hopeless to improve on the H.P.’s 
we already have, and so devote their energies to the Tea sections ; but 
even here can we flatter ourselves that we shall see flowers to beat the 
favourites we already have. Ernest Metz may be and is good, Cleopatra 
pretty, and Madame Hoste useful ; but will they lower our estimation 
of Souvenir d’Elise, Comtesse de Nadaillac, or Catherine Mermet? It 
may be there is some undiscovered pearl in these new Roses, but the 
experience of the last few years is not encouraging. But now let us see 
what they offer. 
Teas. 
1, Ayitoine Gauret (Rebout).—Coppery salmon shaded with rose ; 
very large, d^mble, free flowering, and very sweet. 
2, Archduc Jos^idi (Nabonnand).—Bright rose, centre lovely copper, 
the borders of the petals paler ; very large, very full, cup-shaped, with 
pointed bud. 
3, Baronne Berge (Pernet p^re).—Half of the petals light rose, the 
centre light yellow, medium size, free flowering, and sweet. 
4, Baronne d'Estrange. (Lemarque).—Light rose colour shaded with 
dark coppery rose, with salmon and yellow; very large, double, globular. 
5, Baronne J. B. de Morand (Widow Schwartz).—Yellowish white, 
flesh colour, shaded with light rose, yellow guard petals, long foot¬ 
stalks. 
