JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
t Ootober JO, 1887. 
3 2 
perhaps adduced as one of the results of the close intimacy 
in former days between the two countries ! 
t'f the Exhibition at South Kensington one has to 
write with bated breath; in extent it probably was equal 
to any that have preceded it, although as I have said the 
season prevented the quality of the flowers from being 
up to the mark. To this exception may perhaps be made 
in the case of the Teas, of which both in extent and 
quality there was a most wonderful exhibition; indeed, 
all through the country this class has come wonderfully 
to^the front; and although in the north they cannot be 
grown out of doors as in the other parts of the kingdom, 
yet there they are cultivated extensively and successfully 
under glass. But oh ! the dreariness, the desolate 
character of the place—no band provided, not a single 
member of the Council of the Rojal Horticultural Society 
present to say officially good speed to the Society. The 
coldness of the reception might have somewhat mitigated 
the heat of the day, were it not so depressing, and when 
only the next week the Society was so cordia ly welcomed 
at Edinburgh, it was useless to avoid drawing unfavour¬ 
able contrasts. What wonder that one heard on many 
sides, “ It is the last time I will show here.” And it is a 
matter of deep regret, I am sure, to aU who value the 
advance of horticulture, to see the utter want of appre¬ 
ciation that there seems to be of what may best advance 
those interests. 
The character of the season has had some remark¬ 
able effects in the style of the showing. The greater 
coolness of the north helped the northern growers, but 
I do not think that anyone was prepared for the ex¬ 
ceptional success which awaited the two striplings, the 
Messrs. Ilarkness of Bedale (and I may say in passing, 
that if all knew their history as I do, they would feel 
glad that such success has awaited them), 'they have 
the following record to give. They commenced with the 
National at South Kensington, and from that to the 
26th July they showed thirty-five stands, obtaining 
twenty-two firsts, eight seconds, and five thirds, winning 
all the prizes for seventy-two’s offered by the National 
and its affiliated Societies, besides the two challenge 
trophies of the National Rose Society; they have shown 
at Bath, Birmingham, Hereford, Wirral, North Lonsdale, 
Chesterfield, Derby, and Hull. 
Coming to the amateurs, the most successful records 
have been those of Mr. Grant of Ledbury, and Mr. 
T. B. Hall of Larkwood, Rockferry. The former began 
at Moreton-in-the-Marsh on the 29th June, and from 
that on, showed at South Kensington, Crystal Palace, 
Oxford, Malvern, Birmingham, Hereford, Wirral, and 
Christleton. He gained altogether forty-one first prizes 
and a special, twelve seconds, twelve thirds, and two 
fourths, two silver medals National Rose Society, and one 
gold medal, besides the challenge trophy of the National 
Rose Society. Mr. Hall, whose coming to the front I 
have long felt was a matter of certainty, although he 
suffers something with regard to the earlier shows, com¬ 
menced at South Kensington, and ending at Sefton Park, 
Liverpool, on July 28th, when his Roses were at their 
best, the total results being twenty-nine firsts, eleven 
seconds, and seven thirds, with the Jubilee trophy at 
Edinburgh, two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. 
These are both highly honourable records, and show with 
what enthusiasm many of our amateurs enter into Rose¬ 
growing. I have mentioned twice the Jubilee challenge 
trophy. This arose, as its name implies, out of the cele¬ 
bration of Her Majesty’s Jubilee. The National Rose 
Society desired to do something to mark it in connection 
with the national flower, and it had been long felt that 
the midland and northern growers were handicapped as 
far as the southern trophy was concerned, and hence, 
when the idea was started and responded to, it was deter¬ 
mined to appropriate the money subscribed to two trophies, 
to be competed for at the Provincial Show, one by nursery¬ 
men, the other by amateurs; and then, as if in irony of 
our wisdom, a northern grower comes down and takes the- 
southern nurserymen’s trophy, just as Mr. Whitwell of 
Darlington once took the amateurs’. 
There is one subject in connection with the past 
season which we cannot omit—the production of new 
Roses, and the behaviour of those not absolutely new, 
whose position we are anxious to ascertain. Of really 
new Roses there has not been a plethora, but there 
are two, of which 1 have already written, which are, I 
believe, destined to take a high place—Earl of Dufferir, 
the beautiful bright crimson Rose raised by Messrs. Alex. 
Dickson & Sons of Newtonards in the Co. Down, Ireland, 
and Sir Rowland Hill, the dark claret Rose originated by 
Messrs. Mack & Son of Catterick Bridge, Darlington. As 
good wine needs no bush, so a Rose that has gained the 
first prize for the best of any one Rose at a National 
Show, and another which has gained the Society’s gold 
medal, need no further recommendation. 
Of Roses not quite absolutely new Her Majesty claims 
the first mention. Opinions differ, and I am myself 
somewhat prejudiced against large Roses. I confess that 
Roses of the size of Paul Neyron, Ulrich Brunner, Eti¬ 
enne Levet, Antoine Mouton, &c., are not those which I 
consider the type of perfection, and therefore, when Her 
Majesty’s size is applauded, I cannot chime in with it. I 
can only be disloyal enough to mutter “ coarse,” and to 
say that if you want to show it in anything like decent 
form, you must treat it like Paul Neyron, and either 
starve it or cut it from a weakly shoot or perhaps bud 
it on the Briar. Clara Cochet has been, so far, disappoint¬ 
ing, being too thin, but this may have been the effect 
of the season. Grand Mogul, which is a promising 
Rose, has had a hard time of it, and was but little 
seen. Alphonse Soupert has proved itself a valuable 
Rose. To these may be added Victor Hugo and 
Prosper Langier. Amongst Tea Roses, as with Hybrid 
Perpetuals, little has been seen of those of last autumn, 
but Comtesse de Frigneuse is no doubt an acquisition, 
being of a bright canary yellow, with large and full flowers, 
and of good growth, while Souvenir de Gabrielle Drevet is 
a fine Rose of the Souvenir d’Elise style, salmon white, 
with deep rose in the centre, changing from coppery yellow 
to clear salmon. The Bride, too, is no doubt a great 
acquisition, a white Catherine Mermet. What more can 
we want? It is very beautiful, and will, no doubt, be a 
general favourite both for market and exhibition purposes. 
Ye Primrose Dame and Viscountess Folkestone a- e Hybrid 
Teas, and are pretty Roses. 
It now only remains for me to do what I hope I have, 
however inadequately, done before, express my sincere 
thanks to those many, many, kind friends by whom I have 
been so cordially welcomed while ‘ : on circuit,” and to 
thank others who have reposed confidence in me in asking 
for my recommendation when I could not judge myself. 
The courtesy and kindliness with which I have been 
everywhere welcomed makes me more than ever feel what 
“good fellows” Rose-growers are; while I cannot but 
express my deep thankfulness that, although my engage¬ 
ments have been so numerous and at such distances from 
one another, yet I have been enabled to fulfil them all, 
