July 21, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
40 
desirable method of growing very early Peaches and Nectarines, 
and a greater variety and longer succession of fruit can be had 
from a house of a size needed to grow a few planted out 
trees. 
The best of all Peaches, however, for forcing are the small- 
flowered varieties, and it is the same with Nectarines. Royal 
George and Stirling Castle Peaches are unique for early forcing, 
and there is less failures with them than any other. The trees 
recuperate better than other varieties after forcing and carrying 
a heavy crop, and are not liable to over-development of the buds, 
and do not cast them during the rest season. In fact, they are 
“ sensible ” trees, concentrating all their forces on ample growth 
to assimilate and nourish the current crop ; and when that is per¬ 
fected they set to work and form buds on wood then anparently 
having nothing but wood buds, and plump them up, not too large, 
so as to leave no doubt of their giving a full crop of fruit the 
following season. These are my favourites. Crimson Galande is 
another first-rate forcing or any-purpose Peach. It is prolific and 
vigorous ; the fruit is brilliant and the flowers are small. 
In Nectarines we have Lord Napier. Large flowers ! That 
may be, all the same it is of the Early Albert Peach—the free- 
setting race, and heredity tells ; besides, the petals are narrow, and 
it is not all show, but with plenty of substance in the ovary, bold¬ 
ness of style, and prominent pistil, with stout stamens, and noble 
pollen-laden anthers. Its flowers and fruit cling to the branches 
with remarkable persistency. Then there is Stanwick Elruge, with 
small flowers, that would if allowed bear itself to death, and the 
much finer Dryden, best of all, bar one, for cropping, size, colour, 
and quality, and it has small flowers. Finally, there is Victoria, 
the finest of all, and it has small flowers. All these force well, and 
if there is fruit on any it is on those varieties that have, as a rule, 
the best ovaries and the most perfect stamens, and they are the 
best varieties for forcing.—G. Abbey. 
DINNER TABLE DECORATIONS. 
There seems to be a wide difference between dinner table 
decorations as they really are and as they are presented at 
exhibitions. What is usually seen at real dinner parties very 
naturally depends upon the taste of the hostess, or lack of taste ; 
but those who have to provide real dinner table decorations declare 
that three-fourths of the arrangements seen at exhibitions would 
be absurd or impossible in the bulk of ordinary dining rooms. 
Now, at exhibitions the surroundings have no connection with the 
colours employed in the table dressings. They are out of the 
question, and are absolutely ignored. But real dinners take place 
in rooms, though sometimes large ones. Large or small, these 
must be of a certain style of decoration, and have in the walls, 
doors, and hangings, certain predominating colours, which to suit 
the usually dark hue of the furniture are dark also. Anyone 
familiar, therefore, with the glaring or gaudy tints seen in the 
flowers of the modern dinner table dressings at shows will have no 
difficulty in realising the utter want of judgment shown in con¬ 
nection with many ; indeed, the show table decorator seems to 
cater for what may catch the public taste, which is in this case 
not at all a cultivated taste, rather than to create combinations 
which would harmonise with ordinary dinner table surroundings. 
It would be very difficult to find anything more incongruous 
for instance than was seen at Croydon the other day, where a 
number, certainly not less than five, metalarches ranging from 4 feet 
to 4£ feet in height in the centre and from 3 feet to 4 feet wide 
at the base, were dressed almost entirely with gaudy Shirley 
Poppies, Grasses, and Gypsophila flowers. It is very easy to 
understand how ridiculous these things looked, and what a 
consternation they would create were they stood upon any ordinary 
dinner table in a quiet toned room. A very considerable modifica¬ 
tion of these arches was seen at Earl’s Court the day previous in 
the smaller wire constructions used by Mr. Chard. These are about 
(3 inches broad, and range from 18 to 20 inches across and high. 
The bases stand in zinc trays, and the flowers dressing the arches 
are in small glasses hung at intervals on the wirework, so that both 
the general grouping of the flowers and the diverse effects in 
colour can be produced at will. These arches, whilst lightly 
dressed, are as objects of decorative art pretty enough, yet have 
the demerit of seriously obstructing the intercourse which should 
always exist between guests at a dinner table. It is indeed to be 
feared that nearly all dinner-table floral decorations more or less do 
the same thing, and wherever such is the case, let their beauty be 
what it may, they seriously mar what should always be the best 
feature of a dinner party—pleasant conversation and intercourse. As 
in connection with show table decorations no test as to this 
important matter is ever applied, things pass muster which would 
not be tolerated in private life. ... 
It might be expected that ladies presumably educated as regards 
taste would make in these matters the best judges, but it very 
often happens that they make a veritable hash of their awards ; 
and rarely would male judges approve of their decisions. Some 
table decorators make their arrangements so light that they give 
no tangible effect, others make theirs so heavy that the tables 
almost groan under the weight of flowers; some are horribly in¬ 
congruous in coioration ; but very few indeed seem to succeed in 
producing what affords absolute satisfaction.—A. D. 
A New Strain of Roses. 
It now appears that the Rose may be added to the list of 
plants which may be treated as annuals. Seeds of a variety, 
under the name Rosa polyantha remontant, received from a French 
seedsman early in the year, were sown on January 10th. They 
germinated rapidly in greenhouse warmth, and, after being pricked 
out, have been grown in a pan on a shelf in the cool house. They 
are now small plants, 2 to 3 inches high, and every shoot apparently 
is carrying a bud. The first flowers opened on April 9th, just 
three months from sowing. The flowers are coming in considerable 
variety, white and pink mostly, single and semi-double, an inch or 
more in diameter. At present they are charming little plants, with 
small stems and light green foliage. With their prolific flowering 
habit and rapid growth they can scarcely fail to prove useful and 
attractive garden plants. 
Their precocity is certainly novel and interesting. Some few 
years since Carnation growers were much surprised by the intro¬ 
duction of a strain of these flowers which could be had in flower 
in four or five months from seed, surprise which has given way to 
satisfaction with the desirable Marguerites. 
Perhaps, the Rose having developed a precocious habit, we may 
be favoured with even finer forms than R. polyantha remontant. 
It would seem that flowers are being inoculated with some of the 
rapidity of the age.—J. N. Gerard (in Garden and Forest). 
Tea Roses in Pots. 
Large established plants that are in pots as large as it is neces¬ 
sary to have them in may be repotted and stood or plunged in a 
sunny position outside. In repotting carefully work from the old 
soil amongst the roots until the balls are reduced by one-half. 
When this is done the latter should be in an intermediate state for 
moisture. The pots should be well and carefully drained, a little moss 
or the roughest of the compost being placed over tbe drainage. The 
soil comprising the compost should also be in an intermediate state 
for moisture, and should be pressed moderately firm into the pots. 
The plants should be staked or tied according to requirements, 
and plunged before they become dry. 
If the pots are plunged at once, the plants syringed twice daily, 
and the surface of the material kept moist, a thorough watering 
will not be necessary for some days. The longer the plants can be 
kept after potting without a thorough watering the better, but the 
soil must not be allowed to become overdry before water is given, 
or more harm than good will result. Roses are not long before 
they commence fresh root action in soil that can be kept for some 
days or a week in an intermediate state for moisture. The plants 
also root much more freely when the pots are plunged than when 
they are stood on walks subjected to the drying influences of the 
atmosphere. 
All flowers should be kept from these plants, and the foliage 
must be kept clean. They will ripen their wood thoroughly, and 
be in excellent condition for forcing early next season. Such kinds 
as Safrano and Isabella Sprunt are excellent for autumn blooming. 
These if given the same treatment and taken under glass during 
September, according to the weather, will break freely into growth, 
and by the aid of gentle warmth will soon yield a quantity of their 
small but delicate and useful buds. Plants that Deed repotting 
may be so treated without disturbing the balls, provided the soil in 
which they are growing is perfectly sweet. YouDg plants worked 
this season, or any that it may be necessary to develop as much as 
possible, should be kept under glass, where they will make luxuriant 
growth if well attended to. Well rooted plants in 7-inch pots may 
be placed into 10-inch, and those in 5-inch into others 2 inches 
larger. It is surprising how quickly large bushes can be produced 
from healthy young plants in 5-inch pots to commence with. 
