February 9, 188«.'J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
107 
bitions. The single centre tubes, with the three small tubes on triangle 
wires, if lightly tilled with flowers, do not obstruct the view across the 
table, and afford an interesting feature to the guests. The upper parts 
of the stands will be attractive also, whereas in the flat stand system 
there is much less variety. I was once fortunate enough to have a 
private view of a dinner table laid out for Koyal visitors, and thought I 
was going to learn something, but was rather disappointed to find in the 
centre cf the table an oval dish or bowl all crimson Roses and Maidea- 
hair Fern. The ends were round dishes or lx)wls filled with all Gloire 
de Dijon Roses .and Jl.aidenhair Fern, and 1 think the specimen glasses 
contained red and cream Roses alternately. The whole was taken in at 
one glance, and again I am bound to say tastes differ.—A. B. 
PREPARINGl AND FORCING MARECHAL NIEL. 
Continuing my remarks on this subject from page 03, it may be 
said that the plants wei’C left outside secured to a wall or fence, from 
this position being carried to the shed, and the unripe ends of the shoots 
removed—all the pruning that is needed at that period. Remove the 
surface of the soil and supply equal proportions of loam and manure. 
Arrange five stakes round the sides of each pot and train the plant to 
them, but it will not be necessary to have the stakes more than 18 inches 
or 2 feet high at the most. They should then be placed in a cool airy 
structure from which frost only is excluded. While in this position the 
soil must not become dry, in fact in no stage of growth, or the roots 
will suffer severely. Even in this position they will quickly display 
signs of starting. The buds on plants housed about the middle of 
December have shoots from half an inch to an inch in length, and they 
have occupied a position in a cool house from which frost has scarcely 
been excluded. 
Perhaps the best of all methods of forcing early is to make up beds 
of leaves in a house that can be devoted to these plants. If plunged, or 
even stood on the surface, the gentle heat the leaves affoixl is ample to 
start the plants without the aid of heat from the hot-water pipes or even 
the use of the syringe. The moisture that rises from the leaves is ample 
for them until the flower buds show. This method allows the plants to 
be arranged close to the glass, which is a decided advantage in early 
flowering. Such arrangements are not within the reach of all, and it 
may be done well by starting them in vineries or Peach houses. Marechal 
Niel natur.ally flowers early under glass, even with cool treatment, and 
is therefore one of the best Roses that can be grown for the purpose. 
It produces its flowers from the eyes on both sides of the shoots of the 
previous season’s growth, and therefore has only a few inches of growth 
to make before the flower buds are visible and commence development. 
Until they attain this stage the temperature at night must not rise above 
.'50°, when it may be gradually increased to .55°, not exceeding this 
except on very mild occasions, when it may with safety be allowed to 
rise 5° higher. If they are forced out in strong heat the flower stems 
are weak .and the flowers small and colourless. Give no ventilation 
during the early forcing of these plants, in fact not before April—that 
is, when the plants are growing under warm genial conditions. It is 
almost impossible to admit air early in the season without cold draughts 
striking upon the tender foliage of the plants, and therefore subjecting 
them to an attack of that most dreaded pest, mildew. 
When the flower-bud shoots are about 2 inches in length the roots 
will be active, and tepid water only must be given, and a little artifleial 
manure applied to the surface of the soil two or three times between 
this stage .and the development of the flowers. Plants such as have 
been described will often produce as many as forty creditable flowers 
within fourteen months from the time the cuttings arc inserted. 
Some may think the plants are rendered useless after they have been 
forced early, but such is not the case if they have been well cared for. 
Later forced plants, by the time the flowers have expanded, have strong 
growths springing from below the soil or from the eyes just above it, but 
this is seldom the case with those that have flowered early in February. 
If these are kept in the temperature advised for a time after flowering 
they will not be long before the shoots are visible. Do not cut the 
plants down directly after flowering, for this proves a severe check to 
the roots, and the growths made after will rarely attain more than a 
yard in length. After the shoots from the base are extending freely, 
say 18 inches in length, the whole of the previous year’s wood may be 
cat away. They will now extend rapidly, and when about 3 feet high 
they may be placed into pots 2 inches larger. The old roots need not 
be disturbed farther th<an the removal of loose surf.ace soil and the 
drainage from the base. These plants, if encouraged by heat for a time, 
will make two or three good shoots this season which wull be ripened 
sufficiently soon to flower a month earlier, or by the middle of Januarju 
After this se.ason’s forcing these plants arc thrown out, except one or 
two perhaps that start away freely a little later in the season, and are 
retained for a large plant or two. They do not, however, give the same 
satisfaction as younger plants, unless they are shifted into larger pots, 
which are too large for moving about conveniently. Lam.arque, William 
Allen Richardson, and the old Gloire do Dijon succeed well grown on 
this principle. Reine Marie Henriette is beautiful in the bud, but it is 
too shy to pay for growing early in the year.—N. 
A ROSE DAY FOR GARDENERS. 
We beg to call .attention to our plan of a Rose day for Torquay 
to raise funds to help in various w.ays gardeners who may be in 
distress. The desire is, if funds come in, to assist gardeners whose 
bad state of health renders a change and rest necessary, in coming 
down into Devonshire for a few weeks. Dr. Ramsay of Torquay, 
whose generosity to gardeners is well known, will assist us in getting 
the use of a sanitorium on special terms, and he would look after the 
men medically and we secretarially free. It is thought that where the 
gardener is too poor to pay even the low terms charged for board and 
lodging and fare down we could, with the assistance of the man’s master, 
pay for this necessary cost, and he would have comfortable rooms for a 
few weeks, plenty of good food, companions amongst his brother 
gardeners, and the sea air and breezes of this lovely place. Will you 
help in this good cause by ventilating the matter in your valuable 
paper ?— Curtis, Sanford & Co. 
NEW FRENCH ROSES OF 1887-88. 
When I sit down to analyse a list of new French Roses, I 
can imagine faintly what a gold-digger feels when he sits down 
before some tons of quartz which he knows must be crushed before 
he can get the precious metal—he may have a great success, or he 
may draw a blank ; it may be the means of setting him up in the 
world, or it may end in vanity and vexation of spirit. If he hears 
that the “claim” has had a good report, that many before him 
have obtained much from it, he is the more encouraged in his 
arduous work ; but if, on the other hand, he knows that nothing 
valuable has ever come from it, it is with anything but a light 
heart that he ventures upon it. And so it is with the Rose lists. 
The number shows no diminution, the descriptions are as glowing 
as usual, all the superlatives at the disposal of the writer are as 
freely used as ever ; over and over again are we entranced with the 
- description ; but then, alas! comes the damping thought— 
Ah ! Mons. A. has said the same thing every year, and yet I have 
never got much from him worth having. I see here, however, a 
Rose which comes from what I know to be a good claim, and I may 
find a nugget in this new one. It is surprising how hopeful rosarians 
are, and although they have often had to take the bitter pill of 
disappointment, yet are they prepared for another trial dose. I 
suppose a man, after having bought a Rose, budded it, and increased 
his stock, feels a certain sort of tenderness towards it. He first 
begins to think. Well, it is not quite as good as I thought it was at 
one time, but I hope it will do. But it gets no better, and finally 
he is compelled to get rid of it altogether. 
Messrs. Ketten, E. Verdier, and others have taken the trouble 
to get together the lists of new Roses. From it I gather that of 
the two classes which most interest us. Hybrid Perpetuals and 
Teas and Noisettes, there are thirty-four of the former and twenty- 
nine of the latter. Time was when half a dozen Teas was con¬ 
sidered a good supply for the fifty or sixty Hybrid Perpetuals. 
Now we see them approximating one another very closely. It is 
an instance again of the law of supply and demand. The increased 
estimation in which the Tea Rose has been held of late years has 
led raisers to endeavour to add to the beauties we already possess, 
and although it is very difficult to beat some of those we already 
have, yet wo now and then do get a beauty. Madame de W.atte- 
ville, Madame Cusin, and Princess of Wales, &c., are proofs of this, 
although an immense quantity of useless lumber has also been 
brought forward. 
As usual Nabonnand heads the list in Teas .and Noisettes, 
sending out ten of the whole number, while he has also one in 
the ILP.’s. We are so accustomed to get so much chaff and so 
little corn from this raiser’s productions that we cannot look 
forward with any great expectation to what he may have for us 
this season, but here they are :— 
NABONNAND. 
Agatiie Rou.k. —Globular flowers, delicate rose colour, good 
form. 
Cr.AiRE JounF.RT.—Large; orange yellow, not very lull ; 
pekals large ; blooming in clusters. 
Edouard Paii.lekon. —Large pet.alled Rose ; shaded coppery 
rose, reverse d.arker. 
.Ieanne CuviF.R. —Flower shaded deep rose. 
Miss Lizzie.— Flowers pale yellow, passing to white. 
Baronne de Hoffmann, N.—Flowers shaded coppery red, 
base yellow ; a rampant grower. . 
Comte George de Roquette Buisson, N.—Flowers imbri¬ 
cated ; of a In-ight shaded rose colour. 
