230 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
March 14, 1895. 
Rose Show Fixtuees for 1895. 
June 19th (Wednesday).—York.* 
„ 25th (Tuesday).—Cowes (I. of W.). 
3 , 27th (Thursday).—Gloucester (N.R.S.) and Canterbury. 
„ 28th (Friday).—Exeter. 
,, 29 th (Saturday).—Windsor. 
July 2nd (Tuesday).—Sutton. 
„ 3rd (Wednesday).—Croydon, Ealing, and Farningham, and Lee.f 
„ 4th (Thursday).—Eltham and Norwich. 
„ 6th (Saturday).—Crystal Palace (N.R S.). 
„ 9th (Tuesday).—Wolverhampton.* 
„ 10th (Wednesday).—Chelmsford, Hitchin, and Redhill. 
„ 11th (Thursday).—Helensburgh and Worksop. 
,3 17th (Wednesday).—Derby (N.R.S.). 
3 , 18th (Thursday).—Halifax. 
„ 23rd (Tuesday).—Tibshelf. 
„ 24th (Wednesday).—Chesterfield. 
„ 25th (Thursday),—Trentham. 
* A show lasting three days. f Show lasting two days. 
I shall be glad to receive the dates of other Rose shows than those 
named above for publication in future lists.— Edward Mawlet, 
JtosebanJi, BerhJiamsted, Herts, 
The Names of Roses. 
While perusing a list of Rose names to-day, I was more than 
usually struck with the number of duplicates to be found. Surely 
there can be no dearth of names for every Rose grown ; then why 
repeat, and often name a second Rose, sometimes a third, similarly to 
the well-known old favourite ? Doubtless there are some few cases 
where ignorance of the name having already been appropriated may be 
an excuse, but I am at a loss to find any in more than one instance. 
Comte de Paris is one. Who is to know what Rose is meant when 
only the name of this is given 1 Do they mean the Tea or Hybrid 
Perpetual 1 Duchess of Edinburgh and Duchess of Connaught are in 
two classes. Then we have the glaring case of Duke of Connaught, 
the late Henry Bennett giving this name to a H.T. only two years 
after Messrs. Paul & Son had so named their grand H.P. In the case 
of Duchess of Connaught, Mr. Noble followed Mr. Bennett by about the 
same period only. These instances could be greatly multiplied, and 
surely these prominent rosarians were not ignorant of the prevailing 
new Roses. Messrs. Veitch & Sons’ Duchess of Edinburgh was well 
advertised and shown only a year or so previous to Mr. Bennett 
introducing his H. Perpetual of the same name. 
Graziella, a very pretty new Rose of 1893-4, we already had in two 
other classes, and seeing that they were sent out in 1878 and 1889 
respectively it is asking too much of us to believe the raiser of the last 
Graziella was ignorant of the name being applied to any other Rose. 
Madame Carnot in 1889 and Madame Carnot again in 1894 are further 
examples. I can understand the commercial instinct which tempts one 
to give a new production a popular and well-known name, but surely 
we can find these without duplication among one flower. 
What with synonymous Roses, and the same names applied to totally 
distinct Roses, we shall become terribly confused. The classification is 
intricate enough, without such palpably avoidable confusion of which I 
have tried to point out a few examples. If we go back to 1850-60 we 
find a Rose called Imp4ratrice Eugenie in no less than three classes, 
and all sent out between the dates named. There was even less excuse 
then than now, because the plurality of Roses was not so great._ 
Practice. 
LACHENALIAS. 
The Lachenalias, popularly called Cape Cowslips, belong to the 
natural order Liliacem, and comprise a genus of about thirty species of 
greenhouse bulbous plants, all natives of South Africa. Of the species 
enumerated and described in botanical and floricultural works many are 
rare, a few so much so as to be found only in such establishments as 
Kew, and not always there in living plants. This may or may not be 
a disadvantage, for many rare things (and plants are no exception) 
possess little practical value, and what I have seen of scarce species of 
Lachenalia compared badly, in a decorative point of view, with the old 
L. tricolor, which was introduced in 1774. This is the Cape Cowslip 
commonly seen, and sometimes known as L. quadricolor. 
L. tricolor has the leaves in pairs, lorate-lanceolate, spreading (arching 
over the pots), dark green in colour, and spotted with deep purple or 
black ; flower scape erect, the blooms disposed at the upper part in a 
graceful manner, bright green, red, and yellow, the whole 9 to 12 inches 
in height. It flowers in April, and in masses produces an effect un¬ 
equalled by any plants of similar pretensions as regards size. Its variety, 
L. tricolor aurea, has pure yellow flowers, and is sometimes found under 
the name of L. quadricolor lutea. It is very beautiful, and as yet 
somewhat scarce. There is also a variety, or possibly species, named 
L. luteola, with yellow flowers, and this forms a charming basket plant, 
the leaves depending gracefully, while the colour is unique amongst 
greenery. Botanists, however, do not recognise it, nor the form of 
Lachenalia quadricolor, which has purple in addition to red in the 
flowers, and if a synonym of L. tricolor is a very distinct and desirable 
one, being very much scarcer and higher in price. It has spotted leaves 
like L. tricolor, and flowers rather later, L. tricolor being the first of the 
two to flower in the spring. L. Nelsoni—a hybrid—has golden yellow 
flowers, produced in long racemes, and is extra fine. Though dating 
from 1881 it is still somewhat scarce. The woodcut (fig. 41) represents 
a well grown pot of this handsome Lachenalia. 
L.pendulais a strong growing species, with somewhat erect leaves, 
dark green and slightly spotted, the flowers being of a deep purple, 
red, and yellow colour, quite an inch long, and are almost too closely 
set, yet in an exceedingly graceful manner, on a stout and spotted scape. 
Lovers of scented flowers may find something like Heliotrope 
perfume in L. contaminata. The blooms are white tinged with red, 
the leaves spotted and numerous, and it flowers with or before 
L. tricolor. L. fistulosa also has fragrant flowers, containing colours for 
the fastidious, the calyx being white tinged with sky blue, brown tipped 
sepals, and white petals edged with purple. It is very scarce. 
L. fragrans really deserves the name, the twenty-flowered racemes being 
very fragrant, white at first, but soon becoming reddish. It flowers in 
May. L. odoratissima is the sweetest scented of the genera, and is 
easily recognised by its blistered leaves. The flowers have white sepals 
with green tips, and disposed in a somewhat dense raceme. It and 
L. fistulosa were introduced in 1884, but L. fragrans dates from 1798. 
L. orchioides reached these shores in 1752, and is perhaps only known 
in botanical gardens. Its flowers are fragrant and variable in colour, 
hence the name L, mutabilis sometimes given to this species. 
There are several other species. L. glaucina (glauca), white and red, 
or yellow tinged ; L. pustulata, with whitish flowers and long blistered 
leaves ; L. pallida (surely nothing more than a magnified L. glaucina, 
and another L. pallida, but a synonym of L. lucida), the last having 
sweet flowers tinged with red or yellow, this being an uncommon 
species, but the three preceding (not bracketed) and L. unifolia, which 
flowers in March, these being white and in many-flowered racemes, may 
frequently be met with in botanical gardens and other collections. 
L. lilacina has lilac flowers in an oblong spike, and was introduced in 
1884, yet is somewhat rare. 
The culture of Lachenalias is easy, the chief points being to employ 
a rich, open soil, good drainage, water carefully in the early stages of 
growth or during the winter, yet sufficiently to prevent the leaves flagging, 
and when they are well advanced afford an abundant supply. Too 
much light cannot be given with free ventilation, but draughts cripple 
the foliage, and the drying heat from hot-water pipes is scarcely less 
pernicious, whilst frost and damp are alien to satisfactory growth and 
flowering. Growing in frames and outdoors has been advised, where 
frost can be excluded or prevented from doing harm, but I have yet to 
find such a place in England for these Cape denizens, and the less of 
this kind of starveling treatment the better. On the other hand, forcing is 
inadvisable, as that means keeping up a stock for the purpose. The 
place for Lachenalias is an ordinary cool greenhouse, fire heat being 
only used to exclude frost and expel damp, then in a light, airy position 
Cape Cowslips will thrive, flower finely, and keep in good condition for 
several weeks. 
Now is the time to look out for Lachenalias, see them in flower, make 
selections, and order bulbs to come to band not later than August. I aik 
that special note be made of L. tricolor, its variety aurea or lutea, of 
L. Nelsoni and L. pendula. These are indispensable in any well appointed 
cool greenhouse, and are worth growing in numbers for decorative 
purposes. The thing is to see and the rest follows. 
The bulbs are generally quite dormant at the beginning of August, 
when they may be turned out of the pots, have the soil removed, and 
be sorted into three sizes—large, medium and small. Of course this 
trouble will be saved if dry or loose bulbs are procured, and they will 
or should be of the first or blooming size, for it is only the strongest 
that flower the best, whilst the medium sized give some bloom, and 
the small need growing on for another year to acquire strength for 
this purpose. 
The compost for potting may consist of two parts turfy loam and one 
part leaf soil or well decayed manure, with about one-sixth of sharp 
sand. This should be well mixed, the pots or pans being drained 
with clean crocks, and some of the rougher parts of the compost placed 
thereon to keep it from clogging. Enough soil should be placed in the 
pots or pans as to bring it up rather firmly to such height that when 
the bulbs are introduced their apices will be an inch below the level of 
the rims. This will allow the bulbs to be covered half an inch deep, 
that is, buried, and leave that amount of space for holding water. Pots 
4J or 5 inches in diameter are large enough for half a dozen of the 
strongest bulbs, and pans of double those diameters are better than 
pots of that size, in addition to holding about four times as many bulbs 
as the smaller pots. The soil should be pressed rather firmly about the 
bulbs, and a little sand sprinkled in before introducing them. If the 
soil be moist and the pots or pans are placed on a bed of ashes kept 
damp, they will not need any top watering till the bulbs commence 
growing, or very little, and then only enough must be given to keep the 
Bo'.l moist. 
