Jnne Si, 1888. ] 
509 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
the pots. I find it an excellent plan. When watering the stoves in the 
early morning w.ater all the plants that require it, syringing the pots 
and plants heavily ; this we do nearly every morning during summer, 
and 1 find it saves much watering, besides promoting a genial atmosphere 
in the house. I do not think there should be any difficulty in watering 
Peach houses or vineries, especially when it is known what materials 
the borders are composed of and the amount of drainage they possess. 
An intelligent man will always have these points before him, and with 
the weather, mulching. &c., to guide him no serious mistakes in watering 
should occur.— James B. Biding. 
BOSE SHOWS IN 1838, 
June 2fith.—Boston. 
„ 27th.—Alexandra Palace. 
„ 28th. —Brockham and Ryde. 
„ 29th.—Maidstone. 
„ 30th.—Colchester, and Reigate. 
July 3rd.—Bagshot, Canterbury, Diss, and Hereford. 
„ 4th.—Croydon, Dursley, Farnham, Hitchin, and Richmond 
(Surrey). 
„ 5th.—Bath, Farningham, and Norwich. 
„ 6th.—Sutton. 
„ 7th.—Crystal Palace (National Rose Society), 
„ 10th.—Gloucester, Ipswich and Oxford. 
„ 11th.—Ealing and Tunbridge Wells. 
„ 12th.—Birmingham, Carlton-in-Lindrick, and Winchester. 
„ 14th.—Bltham and New Brighton. 
„ 16th.—Newcastle-nnder-Lyne and Christleton. 
„ 17th.—Leek and Ulverstone, 
„ 18 th.—Birkenhead. 
„ 19 th.—Helensburgh. 
„ 20th.—Darlington (National Rose Society). 
„ 21st.—Manchester. 
„ 24th.—Tibshelf. 
In the case of the Alexandra Palace, Birmingham, and Boston, where 
the shows extend over two days, the date of the first day’s exhibition 
only is given.— Edward Mawley, Rosuhank, BerhJunnsied, IlcrU. 
% 
ROSE PROSPECTS. 
The recent heavy showers of rain came at an opportune moment 
for my Roses, which in a somewhat light soil were beginning to suffer 
at a critical period, just as the buds were expanding. The result was 
that we have had several basketfuls of fre.sh plump blooms, and the 
supply has only been checked within the last few days by the cold 
winds and low temperature. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were very 
unseasonable, an east wind prevailing with leaden skies, quite winterly 
in fact, and slight frost was experienced early on Monday morning, the 
only perceptible damage, however, being noticed in the case of a few 
exposed Potatoes. Some of the delicate Teas and light coloured Hybrid 
Perpetuals show a little searing in the edges of the petals. We have an 
unpleasant proportion of hard green centres in the blooms this season, 
but green fly has not troubled us materially. Caterpillars have, how¬ 
ever, been abundant and destructive, necessitating close watching, pick¬ 
ing. and pinching. Blooms are numerous, and this is an important point 
with us, for we do not exhibit, and though we have a keen appreciation 
of quality, quantity stands first, as moderate sized flowers, if fresh, 
bright, and fragrant, are quite as useful as the huge examples sometimes 
seen at shows. La France and Charles Lefebvre are our two favourites, 
and \vithin the past week the ladies have cut a couple of hundred 
blooms of these two varieties for themselves and their friends.— 
C. M. S. 
A ROSE ENEMY. 
I PRDNED several young standard Rose trees this year, and some 
animal or bird has eaten the bark off the very small piece of growth 
that remains. As I prune to two eyes in most cases, I do not leave 
much. As I never can see any grub on a Rose so eaten, and as manj of 
my friends are anxious to know the culprit, I venture to ask if anyone 
can tell me.—H. V. M. 
THE COMING SHOWS. 
The show season commences next week on Tuesday, the 26th, with 
Boston, followed on Wednesday by a revival of the Alexandra Palace 
Shows, on Thursday by Brockham and Ryde, and on Saturday, by 
Eltham, Colchester, and Reigate. These will all ])ossess considerable 
local interest, but it may be questioned whether the dates will not prove 
too early for many exhibitors. The first week in July will be a busy 
one, fourteen shows being fixed for the 1st, for the 3rd, 4th, .5th, 6th, 
and 7th. On the 4th are five shows, and amongst them Croydon, which 
is likely to attract more than usual attention this year. Prizes to the 
value of £175 are offered (not all for Roses), but there is to be a Rose 
trophy value 25-guineas, “ open to all England, amateurs and gentle¬ 
men’s gardeners only.” A photograph of the trophy h.asbeen forwardeil 
to us, and it takes the form of a handsome silver cup of simple but 
elegant design. It is to be held by the winner of the year, and if won 
twice consecutively it becomes his property. The National Rose Society's 
Metropolitan Show at the Crystal Palace will, no doubt, be the chief 
event cf the week ; to this and the provincial show at Darlington, 
on July 20th, rosarians will e.agerly look forward as representative 
gatherings. 
THE PERSIAN YELLOW ROSE. 
Is it not a little surprising that this charming Rose is so compara' 
tively seldom met with in gardens ? It is hardy, early, floriferous, and 
its soft yellow is highly pleasing. I find the flowers most acceptable 
for bouquets and vases, while for dress adornment they are much prized. 
For years a larsie bush of the Persian Yellow has afforded hundreds cf 
blooms, aud they are not the less welcome in being among the first Roses 
of the year. If not cut the bush at present would be like a huge yellow 
bouquet ; this, however, is prevented by the opening buds beinr gathered 
every morning. If these were fold for buttonholes the crop would 
undoubtedly be remunerative. This fine bush is growing in rather poor 
and somewhat dry soil, and makes short firm wood that requires little 
pruning, and I suspect mistakes have been made in planting the Persian 
in rich soil, forcing strong growth, and pruning the same as Hybrid Per- 
pctuals. It is not a Rose for exhibiting, hence its name is not often 
•‘seen in the papers,” and perhaps that is one reason for its absmeefrom 
so many gardens.—A. R., Surrey. 
DIGGING. 
A POPULAR writer has the following note in a ferial publication on 
the benefits of digging, which will no doubt interest Mr. Abbey, though 
it considers the matter from a different standpoint :— 
“ Of all athletic exercises, with perhaps the single exception of 
cricket—and it is doubtful if that is an exception—the very best is dig¬ 
ging. Probably every single muscle, vein, artery, and nerve in the body 
is vigorously exercised in the process. There is no constitutional, no aid 
to digestion, no cure for the blues, no receipt for a good night’s sleep, no 
quietus for excited brain or ruffled nerves, to match half an hour at 
honest digging once or twice a d.ay. Most of the above evils are bor.n 
of mental strain, worry, anxiety, monotony of labour, the dreary tread¬ 
mill exertion of counter or desk, and they fly like bats before the da\ - 
d.awn, at sight, sound, or touch of gleaming bright spade thrust into the 
earth. Let the tired and the wearied, the drooping, those almost ready 
to faint, borrow leave to dig in their neighbours’ gardens, if they can 
neither hire nor purchase one of their own. But meanwhile, let all the 
fortunate possessors of gardens hasten to do a whole or a part of the 
digging themselves. It is really the best work in the garden. Not a 
few owners slave over cleaning, dressing, watering it, and only have a 
man to do the digging. This is beginning at the wrong end—setting, 
the labourer, in fact, to do the master’s work. Custom has reconciled 
society to this order. But looking at it from a sanitary and business, 
point of view, it is nearly as bad as sending the porter to the bank while- 
the merchant sweeps the office. Good digging is to the garden what 
the merchant’s skill and forethought are to his profits ; yet honest dig¬ 
ging has almost become the exception ; a sort of .shambling, shuffling 
inversion of the soil the rule. And yet, jiroperly understood, and skil¬ 
fully practised, the former is more easy than the latter. In the 
north, where the young gardeners do all the digging and take pride in 
their work, the art of digging has been elevated almost to the level of .a. 
science ; and the lad or man who couhl not change hands at the end oS 
his stitch, and dig equally well with his face to the ground he had dug, 
from left to right as from right to left, was considered an inferior work¬ 
man. Hence, no sooner was the end of the br.ake or stitch reached than 
the spade was pitched up with a flourish, the left hand pflaced on the 
top instead of the right, and the dijiger faced round and proceeded in 
the opposite direction. In digging for health, this change of front and 
of hands is of very great importance. It brings the whole of the 
muscles of the body into more equal exercise, giving to each side of the 
frame exactly the same weight to lift and an equality of movement.” 
VINE ROOTS—HEAT AND MOISTURE. 
I SEND with this a root of a Vine from one of the Muscat vineries' 
here which 1 think rather curious. It attached itself to one of the 
sockets of the return hot-water pipe that leaks a little. Owing to a 
mistake in taking the levels it is nearer the border than I intended. 
When the mulching is put on it is close to the pipe. The root crept up 
the pier the p)ipes are resting on and attached itself to the pipe, and yon 
can see how the fibres multiplied. I detached it in January when 
surface dressing the border, and put it in the canister intending to send 
it for your inspection, and forgot all about it till 1 came upon it to-day. 
The Vine from which the root came is a very strong one with two 
rods. There is an out and inside border, and by giving attention to 
watering and mulching the inside bor.ler is a mass of roots. The pljics, 
when the Grapes weie finishing, were at times very warm, as 1 like 
to finish with a high temperature to insure the golden colour so essential 
to the Muscat Grape. I planted the Vines thirty-five years ago, and 
there seems to be no lack of vigour in them yet.—J. Ceer.yu, Shahdin 
Park, Red hill. 
[It is a remakable mass of fibres, semicircular in form, 2 inches 
wide aud three-quarters of an inch thick, so dense as to resemble whe.i 
