January 14, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
21 
liable to decay before suspected if too moist. He suggests admitting air for an 
hour in the mornings—of course not referring to frosty mornings—otherwise 
to keep thejhouse closed for a month or so. The atmosphere in the south of 
Ireland is generally at “ saturation point,” during December, January, and 
February, so that when it is so I find it advisable, as many of my gardening 
friends do, to tilt the frame behind and ventilate on night and day. I once 
lost 200 cuttings by keeping them close.—W. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
NEW VARIETIES OF CELERY. 
From what has been written lately about the White Plume Celery it 
■•does not appear likely to be grown extensively by the majority of people. 
I have not tried it, but must say I like to see it when grown well on 
account cf its ornamental appearance, but most people require other 
qualities in Celery besides this. 
J have this season tried a variety called Celeri Blanc Dor6, which was 
very highly spoken of last spring as not requiring earthing. I should 
probably have taken no notice of it, as I well knew how the White 
Plume had failed in the same way, but a gentleman requested me to 
procure him some seed, and also told my employers what a grand thing 
it was. I accordingly procured some seed, and in due time some plants 
were placed out as recommended, without any provision for blanching ; 
but as I had great doubts about the matter, I resolved to try some of it 
in the ordinary way also in order to thoroughly test it. That planted on 
the level surface grew rather over 1 foot high, of a pale straw colour, 
none of it white enough to use, but 15° of frost assisted us, and set all 
doubts at rest as to what we were to do with it. That planted in the 
trenches and earthed as usual is short, tough, and stringy, and certainly 
not fit for u=e under treatment which has produced Sandringham and 
other varieties by its side in first-rate condition. New varieties ought to 
be well tested before they are recommended in the papers to prevent 
other people being put to trouble and expense for nothing; it should not 
be any recommendation to a plant to be new unless it supersedes older 
varieties. I should think Sandringham Dwarf White, under one of its 
various names, and Major Clarke’s Red are grown more than any other 
varieties by private growers.—W. H. Divers, Ketton Hall. 
ber his widow receives £10 : at the death of a wife the member 
receives £7. ** 
The toast of the evening, “The Professional Gardeners’ Friendly Benefit 
Sooiety,” was proposed by Mr. Councillor Milnes of Wakefield, who 
expressed his approval of the twofold objects of the Society. They were 
most praiseworthy. A number of men had banded themselves together 
to help each other and for their mutual improvement. They were laying 
by money for relief in old age or want. In case of sickness they were 
not compelled to go to others for assistance, while in the event of their 
death a sum of money was given for the assistance of their families. He 
suggested that much might be done to effect mutual improvement in the 
Society by encouraging its members to read essays at its meetings and by 
discussions. He stated that the Paxton Society at Wakefield had 
endeavoured to have essays read at all of its weekly meetings, no less 
than forty-eight having been read last year. He believed that many 
members of the Benefit Society could produce instructive essays, and 
thought it probable that some members of the Wakefield Paxton Society 
would assist them if desired. Mr. Featherstone, in replying, stated that 
one of the rules of the Benefit Society was to the effect that any members 
having interesting specimens of fruits, vegetables, or flowers be invited to 
exhibit them at the Society’s meeting, with a view to discussion thereon. 
With regard to essays, many had been read, but he reminded those pre¬ 
sent that as the meetings of the Society only took place monthly, it was 
mpossible to have anything like the number referred to by Mr. Councillor 
Milnes. Altogether he thought the question of mutual improvement was 
by no means neglec'ed. 
Mr. Franklin referred to the flower show held at Leeds last year, the 
excellence and success of which were largely due to the efforts of Mr. 
Featherstone. He trusted other shows would be held this year. The last 
named gentleman, in responding, stated that he had hoped to organise a 
Chrysanthemum show last autumn, but the project had to be abandoned 
through failure to secure a show-room at a suitable time. He should make 
every effort to institute a Chrysanthemum show in autumn this year. The 
last summer show had been a very successful one. 
Several other toasts were proposed, and a most enjoyable evening was 
spent by the assembly. 
PROFESSIONAL GARDENERS’ BENEFIT SOCIETY. 
The annual dinner of the above Society was held at Leeds on Friday, 
January 8th, about fifty members and visitors from the neighbourhood of 
Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and other towns being present. 
Mr. Joseph Smith presided, the vice-cha'r being accupied by Mr. Buck. 
Letters of apology for unavoidable absence from W. L. Jackson, Esq., 
M.P., and Councillor Loe, were read. After the dinner and the usual loyal 
toasts the annual report was read by Mr. W. Sunley, the Secretary. It 
was as follows :— 
Annual Report of the Professional Gardeners’ Friendly Benefit 
Society. 
In presenting the nineteenth annual report, your Committee beg to 
direct attention to the annexed balance sheet, which shows cause for satis¬ 
faction. 
The Society’s income for the past year has been ... 
Its expenditure for the same period has been 
Which leaves a saving for the past year of 
This amount added to the savings of the eighteen 
previous years of . 
Makes the total amount placed to the Society’s 
credit of . 
£ 
s. 
d. 
141 
10 
11 
82 
l 
41 
59 
9 
61 
707 
7 
10 
766 
17 
41 
Representing the value to each financial member of £6 19s. 5d. 
The total number of honorary members is twenty-three, and the total 
number of financial members is 110. The mean age of all its members is at 
the present time about forty-four years. 
This fact, along with the knowledge of the amount of funds already 
accumulated and available by the Society, gives promise of its future pro¬ 
sperity and stability. 
Your Committee beg gratefully to acknowledge the very liberal support 
accorded to the Society by its honorary members, and cordially welcome 
the seven additional gentlemen who have been enrolled during the past 
year. 
Your Committee will always endeavour to promote the welfare of the 
Society, and continue to lely on the kindly forbearance and support of the 
members generally. 
Signed on behalf of the Committeo, 
William Sunley, Secretary. 
Bacchus Hill , Moor-Allerton , Leeds , 
January 1 st, 1886. 
Mr. G. Hemming moved the adoption of the report, which was carried 
with considerable enthusiasm. It will be seen that the Society is in a 
very satisfactory condition, the amount saved during the past year being 
considerably above the average, which may be stated roughly to be about 
£40 per year. The disbursements forsickness amounted to £26 3s. 4d.; 
for funeral expenses to £37 2s. It may be stated that the Society is not 
a local one, for its benefits are open to professional gardeners throughout 
the country. The payments amount to 13s. annually for each member; 
and an additional Is. each is levied on the death of a member, and of Gd. 
for a member’s wife. The advantages are that members who are unable 
to work through sickness are entitled to 10s. per week for twenty-six 
weeks, and 5?. per week as long as they are ill. \t the death of a mem- 
TEA ROSES UNDER GLASS. 
When visiting the hospitable proprietor of the Royal Nurseries, 
Ascot, recently, I was much struck with the way in which Tea-scented 
Roses were grown and trained in the extensive houses devoted to their 
culture for the supply of cut flowers. The main principle seems to be, 
Avoid training close on to the glass or walls. Thus in a long span-roofed 
house the Rose trees are planted along the margins of a central bed, and 
pliant stakes are inserted at intervals of about 6 inches all down each 
side of the bed, and then bent over to meet and be firmly secured together 
in the middle, forming a complete arcade under which a man can pass if 
need be. Over this arcade the plants are tied out and trained, making a 
far more effective display than when trained up under the roof, and also 
being in a position much better adapted for the operations of pruning, 
looking for insects, syringing and cutting flowers, while the advantage to 
the dwarf plants, which may be grown at the sides of the house either in 
pots or planted in beds, of not having the light from the roof impeded by 
a leafy screen is obvious. Similarly in the lean-to houses, the trees are 
planted about 3 feet from the wall. Numerous stakes are inserted by 
them and sloped to the wall, and upon these the Roses are trained. By 
this means the walls themselves are left clear, so that they maybe readily 
lime-washed or cleaned without disturbing the plants, which themselves 
are in a better position to get their wood thoroughly ripened. Two of 
these long lean-to houses were filled with Madame Falcot looking the 
picture of health, and a third was entirely occupied by Nipheto«, which 
had been pruned, and was already covered with buds and fresh strong 
growths, showing how successful was the treatment they received, by the 
vigorous shoots and early promise of abundant blossom. 
There is one long span-roofed house entirely devoted to Marechal Niel 
and here the trees planted along the two sides oi the house are trained up 
close under the glass, In this case the ripening and bracing-up of the 
wood for the task of bearing its annual burden of flowers is effected in 
another way. The house in question has two strong principals running 
its entire length upon iron supports, and braced together here and there 
by iron rods. The roof consists of long rafters of angle-iron running 
from the apex of the roof to the ground, or rather to piles hardly visible 
above the surface on either side, so that the cross-section of the house may 
be represented by a capital letter A. The rafters are sufficiently far apart 
to admit of the glazing in strong frames of about the width of Cucumber- 
pit lights, and the glazing between each pair of rafters is in two frames 
whose junction comes upon the principal, while all are securely fixed in 
position by means of screws. It will thus be seen that the whole roof 
(which is practically the house) is arranged in portable and moveable 
sections, and as soon as the weather becomes warm and settled after the 
Roses have done flowering the roof is unscrewed and bodily removed for 
the summer, leaving nothing but the rafters between the trees and the 
strengthening and ripening influence of the weather. The result is a 
canopy of sound rods, of a solid appearance too seldom seen in climbing 
Roses under glass, and surely foreshadowing a golden age in the near 
future. 
The importance of a free circulation of air and light when the plants 
are making and ripening their wood cannot be over-estimated in the case 
of Roses, especially under glass where trees are planted for a permanency. 
Ofjcourse pot Roses are easily provided for by standing them out of docra 
