November 17, 1887. ] 
421 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
They keep fresh a long time in water when cut. Cuttings taken 
m August soon root under handlights. 
, j^ e variet J the Tiger Lily named splendens is far superior 
to the type, the spikes and individual blooms are larger, and the 
colour brighter. The small bulblets which form in the axils of the 
eaves on the flower stems should be collected and sown in pans of 
ight sod; When large enough plant them out in the nursery, 
l ~fy? cln ^us candicans is seldom out of place wherever it is 
planted. It is easily raised from seed. The seedlings will bloom 
the year after sowing. 
I am afraid my list i3 already too long, but I cannot omit the 
perennial Asters. No garden should be without a good selection 
° a ^ m . e ^ us the best; longifolius formosus is also very 
rc ^* e ^-ind taller, but very free flowering. It is rather 
lmcult to get them true to name. Before propagating any kind 
quantity it is well to make sure you have a good variety. 
H A? 16 j S * s n °t so readily increased by division as the other kinds, 
ut if seed can be secured of it a good stock can soon be raised for 
iome planting.—A. Barker, Hincllij). 
MULCHING STRAWBERRY PLANTATIONS. 
This operation is generally performed in the spring, but in my 
opinion the present time (or rather the first time after this that 
tthe frost has sufficiently hardened the ground to render wheeling 
<on it a harmless operation) is the most suitable time, especially for 
young plantations. Although the Strawberry is comparatively a 
.hardy plant, young plants that have not had sufficient time to get 
well established in the ground sometimes suffer most severely in 
very hard winters, especially in low-lying and damp districts, but 
•on higher and drier ground the plants appear to stand the winter 
.better. Apart from the protection the mulching affords to the 
.plants, it can far more conveniently be placed on the ground when 
slightly frozen, and other work at this time is not so pressing as in 
.the spring. I have for several years mulched Strawberries in early 
winter, and have seen the good effect it has produced on the plants, 
.and especially during last summer, which proved so dry all through 
the season. Some may be inclined to say that the stimulating pro¬ 
perties of the manure would be all washed out of it before the 
plants could assimilate it, but I consider where the ground is pre¬ 
pared for planting Strawberries it should be made sufficiently good 
and solid that the plants should be independent of assistance from 
the mulching for at least two years after planting. After the 
second season a mulching of a more stimulating nature may with 
advantage be applied. When the ground is solid I consider that it 
retains all the stimulating properties of the manure the rains may 
wash out of it, and if the manure consists, as it ought to do, of a 
portion of rather long straw materia 1 , that will get well sweetened 
-by the action of the air and rain, and form a good bed for the fruit 
to lie upon. When the mulching is placed on it should be applied 
round the plants, so that in the winter time the bed will have the 
•appearance of a bed of straw rather than a Strawberry bed. Some 
may say that the mulching would form a good harbour for slugs 
•during frosty weather, but if the mulching was not on they would 
only descend farther into the ground out of the reach of frost. 
"The many advantages that arise from applying it on at this season 
of the year are sufficient to counterbalance any slight objection that 
may be brought forward. I am assuming that no disturbance of 
the soil will take place either before or after the mulching is applied 
in the shape of forking between the rows. In my practice no 
implement is used among the plants except the hoe after the fruit 
and runners are off ; the old mulching is cleared off, and the grouud 
lightly hoed to keep down weeds, and when frost comes round 
again fresh mulching is applied. 
Some Strawberries are much more tender than others. British 
Queen,. although a strong grower, will sometimes succumb to a 
hard winter. All those that are found to suffer most should have a 
thicker coating of mulching material, which may be of a lighter 
.nature. The best manure for the purpose is undoubtedly that 
from the stables where a good supply of straw is used in bedding. 
This thrown together just as it comes from the stables, and turned 
over twice, will make an excellent mulching, protecting them from 
frost in winter, drought in summer, and enable them to bring to 
maturity good crops of fruit—that is, if other conditions are 
favourable.—W. Simpson, Knowaley. 
ROSES AT ALDERMINSTER LODGE. 
The Rev. J. A. Williams is a well-known rosarian, and in a 
very pleasant district, not far from Stratford-on-Avon, he grows 
Roses admirably, Teas especially. Not that the soil is one of the 
lest, but Mr. Williams knows so well whit to do with Roses that he 
is never without good blooms from June until December unless tho 
latter month should be most winterly. At the foot of his garden 
a narrow portion of the river Avon is situated, and when tired of 
using its water he can sit down in the shade and indulge in pisca¬ 
torial pursuits. Mr. Williams not only excels in Roses, but he is a 
good all-round amateur gardener, and the cottage gardens about 
Alderminster give evidence of his practical teachings in this re¬ 
spect. When he gave his lecture on Roses lately in Birmingham 
he brought with him superb blooms, which were much admired, 
and induced me to pay him a visit soon afterwards to see his plants 
and how he treated them. The garden is rather exposed and 
slopes towards the river, so that Roses do not suffer from an excess 
of moisture at the roots and ripen the wood well. With good 
manure underneath and mulchings in summer the Teas luxuriate, 
and amongst the numerous collection at Alderminster Lodge the 
following were very fine in October :— 
Madame Lambard. —A most profuse bloomer and fine in form, 
varying in the shades of colour, sometimes darker than at others, 
and also in the foliage ; a very fine variety. 
Perle des Jardins. —Pale yellow and very free blooming, 
especially in the autumn ; a lovely Rose. 
Homere. —This good old variety does not do well here as a 
dwarf, and Mr. W illiams thinks it should be grown with him as a 
standard. 
Moiret.—E xquisite in a half expanded state, and a very free 
bloomer. 
Innocente Pirola.— White tinted with flesh ; a lovely Rose 
and a good autumnal bloomer. 
Alba rosea. —Very free blooming, and a favourite with Mr. 
Williams. 
Anna Olivier. —Tinted rosy buff, fine. 
Souvenir de Paul Neyron. —White, tinted with rose and 
yellow. 
Catherine Mermet. —Shy in blooming, but a beautiful Rose. 
Grace Darling. —One of Mr. Bennett’s new Roses, light 
shaded pink, continuous bloomer, and a beautiful Rose. 
Marie Van Houtte. —In various stages and fine everywhere ; a 
grand Tea, and should be generally planted. I noticed on a young 
shoot of a young plant eight good blooms. 
Monsieur Furtado. —Bright sulphur yellow. 
Rubens.— A very early bloomer, white, tinted with rose, free 
grower and excellent for market work. 
Amazone.—A long pointed bud of the richest yellow colour. 
Jean Ducher. —Very distinct, and, as with Madame Lambard, 
varies in colour. Mr. Williams designates its colour as “Straw¬ 
berries and cream,” as it resembles that combination in colour : 
very lovely, but not a wet weather Rose. 
Belle Lyonnaise. —There is a monster tree of this variety 
growing against the stables, which flowers continuously and is most 
useful. 
These are but a few of the fine Roses grown at Alderminster. 
Of course there are such varieties as William Allen Richardson and 
Bouquet d’Or, the latter a free grower and a very free bloomer, 
short-jointed wood, and a fine buttonhole Rose. Gloire de Dijon 
does best here in a northern aspect, as it colours better. 
What a grand climbing Rose Reine Olga de Wurtemburg is. Mr. 
Williams has a large tree, which covers a considerable space of wall, 
and for its rich deep green glossy foliage alone it is worthy of a 
foremost place. It is a strong grower, holds its foliage late, quite 
distinct, and the flowers are of a brilliant colour. Mr. Williams had 
this Rose three years ago from Mr. George Paul, and thinks most 
highly of it. Reve d’Or is another fine vigorous-growing Rose for 
a wall, a plant here being quite 20 feet in height, and the dark- 
coloured young foliage gives it a very pleasing appearance. There 
was an abundance of buds on it, and it is a very free bloomer. 
Reine Marie Henriette is a grand pillar Rose, and the coral 
colour of the flowers is most pleasing ; and Noisette Madame 
Caroline Ivuster, pale yellow with deeper coloured centre, is a very 
free bloomer and a charming Rose.—D. 
STABLE MANURE. 
The communication by Mr. Jenkins on page 294 on this subject 
will doubtless set many gardeners and others thinking how they 
can improve stable manure, and thus convert it from practically 
useless into valuable material as he appears to do. Stable manure 
varies widely in its quality, and we have no idea of its condition 
when ejected from the stable and passed under the supervision of 
your correspondent. But it may be very naturally concluded that it 
is only of inferior quality, if his own statements are rightly judged. 
The manure thrown out daily from 90 per cent, of stables in private 
establishments is very little better than straw. In the neighbour¬ 
hood of towns straw is of more value, and therefore horsekeepers 
