May 10 , 1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
379 
my employer lias wished, me to grow no other early sort. It has J a 
stronger tendency than any other Strawberry with which I am 
acquainted to start off with the leading bloom extra strong, and this 
it maintains throughout, the fruit being larger and better than the 
succeeding lones. I tried the effect of pinching off this leader, but 
heyond losing the best fruit there was no noticeable difference, as in 
oither case with liberal treatment all the fruit attained a very fair 
size. Another point in its favour is that from its habit of growth it 
can be grown in small pots, in fact it succeeds better with us in 
5J-inch pots than in any other.—M. D. . .yeigai 
K03B SHOW FOR DUR3LEY. 
At an influentially attended meeting held in the Chantry for the 
purpose of starting a Rose Show in the neighbourhood, it was unani¬ 
mously decided to hold the first Show in the cricket field on the 4th of 
July next. W. J. Phelps, Esq., was nominated President of the Society, 
the Rev. Nigel W. Greesly and several gentlemen in the vicinity being 
appointed Vice-Presidents. The Hon. S^ecretaries elected were Mr. H. j. 
Small and Mr. E. W. Cooke, while the office of Treasurer will be under¬ 
taken by Mr. V. K. A. Bowie. A representative Committee was also 
formed, having Mr. Owen as Chairman. There are many amateur 
rosarians around Dursley, and the Cotswold Roses have already more 
than a local reputation. This, added to the well known beauties of the 
locality-, point to a success, if the weather prove favourable, which will 
■doubtless make it an annual gathering of some importance. A schedule 
•will be framed and issued at an early date. 
ROSES IN WINTER. 
To produce Roses in any quantity during the months of December 
mnd January it is necessary to devote a house entirely to their culture. 
Those with more limited means at their disposal need not despair of 
having blooms during that period if they follow intelligently the advice 
here given. 
I shall not enter into the structural details of the house farther than 
as necessary to make my cultural remarks intelligible to those who have 
no knowledge of the subject. Rose houses are generally constructed so 
that they have a very presentable appearance. This may add to the 
■enjoyment of those who wish to visit the house frequently to watch the 
delicate buds grow and develope. This is all that flagged floors and 
•other such arrangements are good for. Such houses are not well suited 
to the Rose, they are frequently too dry. At certain seasons it is very 
•difficult, with liberal ventilation, to maintain the necessary amount of 
liumidity in the atmosphere, and then red spider, aphides, with mildew, 
often have their origin. The walks should be formed of ashes or gravel. 
A span-roofed house is the best, although a lean-to will do very well 
with a southern aspect. The first should run north and south. A lofty 
-Structure is not needed so long as it is sufficiently wide to accommodate 
a central bed with a bed on each side. The borders should be deep 
•enough to allow of drainage and about 18 inches of soil. Whether the 
fbeds be above the ground level, or the same level as the ground, is very 
much a matter of choice and locality. It also depends upon the struc¬ 
ture. If low, and the locality is well drained, then they are better on 
the same level as the ground. Whether the natural soil be removed is 
.-another question that must be decided by each cultivator. If the soil is 
drained and suitable for Roses outside it would be unwise to remove it. 
Borders or beds for Roses when grown indoors are frequently over¬ 
drained, and this is one of the reasons they suffer so generally from 
mildew and red spider. Even supposing the plants are kept free of 
d;hese pests more water is poured on to the borders than is good for the 
■well-being of the Roses. Large quantities of food that should be 
«,ppropriated by them is carried down the drains. Such borders soon 
become unfertile, in many instances before cultivators are aware of it, 
mnd puny growths follow. 
What ventilators are arranged should fit closely, or injury to the 
young tender foliage will result from the admission of cold diaughts. 
The lights or roof of the structure must be portable, so that they can 
“be removed at a certain period of the year. This is necessary to ripen 
and mature the wood, to insure an early but a complete rest. Under 
glass without such provision is made Tea Roses will persist in growing, 
particularly towards the close of summer, and would flower profu.sely 
during September, through the following month, and well on into the 
next in many seasons, but this depends entirely upon the summer 
treatment they receive. Plants that flower in autumn are useless for 
the purpose we have in view, and, therefore, if planted out the house 
must be so constructed that they can be fully exposed when it is 
deemed necessary. Those who grow a few only for this purpose may 
hiive them in pots, and they will be able to manage them successfully 
by placing them outside, so that the object pointed out can be attained. 
Those who wish to have Roses during the winter must abandon the 
idea of either planting or growing a number of varieties in pots. One 
variety only should be grown, or two at the most. Safrano is decidedly 
the Isest winter flowering variety at present in cultivation. It is the 
variety that is so largely grown and imported by the French. Next to 
this is Isabella Sprunt, but the first will produce more buds than the 
latter. The last is equally as good a bloomer in the autumn, and 
can scarcely be excelled during the months of October and November. 
It will flower most freely again in February. It is, however, a good 
comi)anion for Safrano, and should be planted in any house specially 
set apart for winter Roses. It, like Safrano, has a good constitution and 
grows vigorously ; both will bear winter forcing for many years without 
exhaustion. In planting a house for this purpose or for growing in 
pots, I should have one Isabella Sprunt for every three plants of 
Safrano. In advising the culture of these two I am not overlooking 
the claims of Niphetos, which is unquestionably the best market variety 
that can be grown, because its blooms realise the best price, but it does 
not flower with that same freedom during the winter as Safrano 
does. It is of weaker constitution altogether, and therefore incapable of 
bearing the severe strain of early winter forcing in succession. At that 
period the blooms only come small and demand no better price than the 
Larger buds of Safrano, which during the winter is highly esteemed in the 
market as well as in the dwelling room. The one, Safrano, is fragrant, 
and the other, Niphetos, is not, or it is so faint that it cannot be detected 
by many at that period of the year. —\Vji. Bardney. 
(To be continued.) 
SUCCESSFUL ROSE-GROWING. 
I SHOULD, with your permission, like to record an instance of the 
successful culture of some Mardchal Niel Roses in the garden of J. W. 
Larking, Esq., J.P., The Firs, Lee. A year or two ago Col. Edgar 
Larking, a son of the gentleman named, being very fond of Roses, 
thought he would like to gratify his tastes in this direction by building 
a house purposely for growing Tea Roses. The house, a span-roof, 50 by 
12 feet, was accordingly built of light sashbars, with grooves on each 
side to receive the glass, which was bedded in with putty. The roof has 
a sharp pitch and the eaves come down to the ground level, the whole 
resting on an angular wall plate on a substructure of concrete. Down 
the centre of the house is a sunk path .8 feet wide, and on each side 
separated by a 4.)-inch brick wall, a bed about 4 feet wide and 3 feet 
deep. In the bottom of each of these beds there is about G inches of 
brick rubble, this overlying a bed of pure gravel, and insuring the most 
perfect drainage. The soil for filling the beds was composed of two- 
thirds top-spit, turfy loam, partly marly and partly of a fibrous lighter 
nature, and one-third of well decomposed pig manure, charred vegetable 
refuse, and road scrapings. This was turned over several times during 
a period of two months and then introduced into the house. 
In the autumn good specimens of pll the leading varieties of Teas 
were obtained worked on the Manetti stock, and these were duly planted 
and pruned, some being intended for covering the roof and others as 
dwarfs. Strange to say, thou ,h every attention was paid to these, and 
not allowed to be unduly excited into growth, they did not succeed as 
they might have done. The growth the first year was not at all robust, 
and although close pruning and every attention was paid to them the 
second year their progress was not of such an assuring character as to 
warrant trying experiments with them for another year. It was 
ultimately decided to discard most of the varieties, and in future to 
grow the Marechal Niel on standard Briars exclusively. 
The soil was examined by several competent growers and pronounced 
in every way suitable for Rose culture. Some said the absence of bottom 
ventilation contributed to the non-success of the plants, but even after 
a short trial of admitting bottom air by removing the putty and allowing 
the panes to slide up and down there was no perceptible improvement. 
In the autumn, then, good vigorous st.andards of Marbchal Niel 
were planted on one side of the house. No fresh eompost was added, 
but special pains were taken to render the soil as firm as possible 
about the roots and the be I generally, so as to encourage the production 
of stout vigorous gro wth. The be I was mulched with decayed manure, 
and all through the winter plenty of air was given, so as not to excite 
the buds into premature growth. In February each of the strongest 
shoots were pruned back to the best placed outward bud near their base, 
and any smaller than a quill pen cut out entirely. In due course the 
bads gave birth to sturdy shoots, and where more than one had formed 
on the spur the weakest of them were rubbed off. Throughout the 
summer the shoots grew vigorously under the skilful care and 
attention of Mr. E. Trollope, the able gardener at The Firs, and he 
is now rewarded for his pains and skill with shools measuring, in some 
instances, upwards of 8 and 10 feet long, and these covered with blooms 
in all stages of development. At the time of our visio a fc'w days ago 
we counted no less than 1500 blooms open, and as others had been 
gathered and a large number were still in the bud state, it will, I think, 
be admitted that the plants have bloomed uncommonly well. The 
foliage is of the healthiest description, perfectly free from insects and 
mildew ; and moreover, evident pains have been taken by Mr. Trollope 
to avoid overcrowding and insure the proper maturation of the wood by 
thinly disposing the shoots over the trellis. It must be gratifying to the 
latter, and to Col. Larking, to see this sign.al success coming as a reward 
for the pains and expense bestowed on the culture of the plants. 
Before closing I may a-ld that Mr. Trollope is a firm believer in 
close pruning, and when I state what he proposes to do with the pl.ants 
under notice in the wav of pruning, I shall probably frighten those 
who are afraid to use tlie knife or scissors on plant.s or trees. It is the 
latter's intention to cut all the shoots back to the best i)laced bud 
situate within 0 inches or less of the stock as soon as the plants 
