■JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 4 , 18*9t 
10 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
"NATIONAL BOSE CONFERENCE AND SHOW.—JULY 2ND AND 3RD. 
When the Royal Horticultural Society announced as a part of their 
programme for the present year that it was intended to hold a repre¬ 
sentative show of Roses and a conference of Rose growers in the gardens 
at Chiswick the idea was received with general approval, and a scheme 
was soon developed that promised excellent results. The full assistance 
of the National Rose Society was at once accorded, and a large influential 
Committee was formed, comprising principally the members of the Rose 
Society's own Committees, with the addition of others from the ranks of 
the Royal Horticultural Society, and a large number of foreign members 
interested in the matter. 
It was stated in the preliminary announcement that “ the object of 
the Conference is to get together as large and as representative a collec¬ 
tion of Roses of all descriptions as possible ; to form an exhibition of all 
■subjects pertaining to the Rose, whether in its botanical, its horticul¬ 
tural, its literary, or its artistic aspects ; and to bring together for the 
purposes of reciprocal information and fellowship all those interested in 
the Rose and its culture.” A schedule was accordingly prepared, in 
which eighteen classes were enumerated, one for a large general collec¬ 
tion of Roses, number not limited, to be arranged in their several 
families. Then six classes were grouped under the title Summer Roses, 
in which provision was made for the Moss and Provence Roses, the 
various hybrids of the China and Bourbon types, single Roses, and 
others. The next group comprised eleven classes for autumn-flowering 
Roses, in which Hybrid Perpetuals, Teas, and Noisettes were the chief 
features, two classes being devoted to “ species of Roses ” and “ Rose 
literature,” specimens of peculiarities of structure and disease being also 
invited. This was to form the Exhibition portion of the programme. 
To render the work of the Conference as useful and convenient as 
possible it was decided to devote the first day, July 2nd, to matters of 
horticultural importance, papers dealing with the culture of Roses in its 
various aspects ; the second day, July 3rd, being appropriated to 
botanical papers and discussion, under the presidency of Mr. J. G. Baker. 
A number of printed forms were also sent out to the members of the 
Committee and others inviting statistical returns concerning a variety 
of matters that could not fail to be both interesting and useful to Rose 
growers. These included selections of the best Hybrid Perpetuals and 
Teas for gardens and exhibition, either as plants or cut blooms ; Roses 
for various kinds of soil, with questions relative to the best stocks, &c. 
When the information thus obtained is tabulated it may be expected to 
form a compendium of Rose know'edge of considerable value. 
Although the exhibits were not quite so numerous as might have 
been expected, yet they answered their purpose, and the large marquee, 
200 feet long, contained some handsome and interesting collections of 
new and old Roses. 
“ Class 1.—Great collection of all kinds of Roses, number not limited, 
one truss of each variety, to be grouped in their several families or 
classes.” So said the schedule, and the exhibits in this class formed 
perhaps the most important feature of the display. Several Rose 
nurserymen of repute in the south of England staged collections, their 
names guaranteeing excellence. Messrs. W. Paul & Son, Waltham 
Cross, exhibited eighteen boxes, nine being Hybrid Perpetuals. They 
formed an effective display. The following were, perhaps, the most 
noteworthy : Madame Charles Wood, fresh and bright; Her Majesty, 
large but coarse ; Violette Bouyer, small, but neat and well finished ; 
Alfred Dumesnil, clear and fresh ; Inigo Jones, large and well coloured. 
Pride of Waltham, Queen of Queens, Lord Bacon, Edouard Morren, 
Countess of Oxford, Pride of Reigate, and other tack row flowers were 
large and, considering the season, good. 
To Bourbons, Hybrid Bourbons, and Noisettes one box was devoted. 
Of the former Cannes la Coquette, Souvenir de Malmaison, Robusta, and 
Jules Jergensen were noteworthy : and of the Noisettes, W. A. Richardson, 
Reve d’Or, and Fellenberg were best. Another box contained climbing 
Teas, such as Cheshunt Hybrid, Reine Marie Henriette, Belle Lyonnaise, 
Pink Rover (very attractive), Climbing Devoniensis, and Madame 
Berard. 
Teas and Hybrid Teas (two boxes) were best represented by Madame 
<le Watteville, Perle des Jardins, Rubens, Madame Hoste (very beauti¬ 
ful), Grace Darling, Comtesse de Nadaillac, W. F. Bennett, Marie Van 
Houtte, and Madame Hippolyte Jamain. Amongst Austrians was the 
richly coloured Persian Yellow. Harrisoni, single yellow, was also 
good. 
Amongst the most attractive Polyanthas were Little Dot, Anne 
Marie de Montravel, and Princesse des Pays-bas. The brilliant Fabvier 
was conspicuous among the Chinas, and so was Belle de Florence. In 
the same box were Rugosa and Rugosa alba (both very beautiful), 
Glorie des Rosamanes, and Madame Georges Bruant. Tin most attrac¬ 
tive Moss variety was the Crested. Of other Roses, Blairii No. 2, 
Felicity (Parmentier), the Virginian Rambler, ithe Garland, Laure 
Davoust, and the Crimson Boursault were the most conspicuous. 
Messrs. G. Paul & Son, the Old Nurseries, Cheshunt, also had a very 
extensive display, comprising fourteen boxes. The H.P.’s were a very 
bright even lot, and included some good blooms, notably Beauty of 
Waltham, Lady Mary Fitzvilliam. Prince Arthur, Victor Verdier, 
Catherine Soupert, Marie Rady, Her Majesty, Star of Waltham, Abel 
Carriere, Mrs. Charles Wood, Pride of Waitham, and Lady Helen 
Stewart. The Teas were fairly good. Amongst the best shown were 
The Bride, Marie Van Houtte, Belle Lyonnaise. Innocente Pirola, 
Souvenir d’Elise Vardon, Anna Ollivier, Mdme. Bravy, and Francisca 
Kruger. Vivid, Juno, Paul Verdier, and Mrs. Bosanquet were amongst 
the best of the Chinas, and there were some attractive singles, including 
Paul’s White and Paul’s Red, both bright and beautiful, Macrantha and 
Lucida. Hybrid Climbers comprised Evergreen Flora, Bennett’s Seed¬ 
ling,-MJme. Plantier, and Laure Davoust. Mignonette and Gloire des 
Polyanthes amongst the Polyanthas; L’Ideal, W. A. Richardson, 
Aimde Vibert, Reine Olga de Wurtemburg (very rich), Cheshunt Hybrid, 
Marie Lavallde, and Vicomtesse Folkestone. Amongst the Hybrid Teas 
were other pretty Roses in this large and handsome collection. 
Mr. Rumsey, Joyning’s Nurseries, Waltham Cross, had seven stands, 
chiefly H.P.’s and Teas, amongst which many of the varieties already 
named were well exhibited. The Teas collectively were very bright and 
fresh. Mr. C. Turner, Royal Nurseries, also had a fine lot, comprising 
ei_ht boxes. The H.P.’s were of average excellence, and the Teas an 
admirable collection. Polyantha, Moss, and other Roses completed this 
fine display. 
SUMMER FLOWERING BOSES. 
Many of the old summer flowering Roses which—beautiful though 
they were, only had one period of beauty in the season, and that often 
of short duration—have been superseded by the Hybrid Perpetuals of 
more modern times, giving a succession of blooms into late autumn. 
Still much can be said in favour of some of these old and now neglected 
varieties, and lovers of Roses can always appreciate a bed or border of 
these free flowering and frequently charmingly fragrant past favourites 
when they chance to meet with them in some old country garden where 
those and similar plants are treasured. It was, therefore, a good idea 
on the part of the Committee to devote a section of the schedule to such 
Roses, for they add much to the beauty of any garden, and all establish¬ 
ments cannot be devoted exclusively to the production of exhibition 
blooms. For example, how much pleasure is derived from the inspec¬ 
tion of an old-fashioned Rise garden, where trellises, pillars, and 
bowers are covered with climbing and cluster Roses, masses of soft 
tinted flowers, not much use for cutting except in a very young state, 
but exquisitely beautiful in their untrained freedom and extreme 
floriferousness. Even the old Rosa alba and its varieties, so familiar in 
some country districts, are not to be despised, for its flowers are charming 
in all stages from an artistic point oE view, more so than the substantial 
H.P.’s and Teas, which we are now more accustomed to see. 
Class 2.—Collection of Moss and Provence Roses, number not limited, 
not more than six trusses of each variety. Three exhibitors entered in 
this class, each of whom had some pretty varieties. Messrs. W. Paul 
and Son, Waltham Cross, had a box containing several pretty Mos3 
Roses, the Pink Crested, White Bath, Common Pink Moss, and Little 
Gem being the most notable, the latter in particular having very neat 
crimson blooms, fragrant and free. Milton was shown as a new 
variety of Provence Rose, rich crimson and extremely fragrant. 
Messrs. G. Bunyard & Co., Old Nurseries, Maidstone, also had a 
varied collection, including of Moss Roses Little Gem, already noted ; 
White Bath Moss, in capital condition ; Blanche Moreau, white, com¬ 
pact blooms, very neat in the bud ; Crested, large, full, and sweet. 
Reine Blanche was also a good white Moss variety, and Cdline a neat 
dark crimson purple, excellent in the bud. Of the Provence Rose3 
there was the old common Provence, semi-double, pink, free, with clus¬ 
ters of buds ; also Spong’s, one of the Provence type, and Tuscany, 
small but deep velvety crimsoD, especially beautiful when half opened. 
Messrs. J. Cranston & Co., Hereford, showed a stand in the same 
class, Moss Roses representing Baron de Wassenaer, Crested Moss, 
Perpetual White, Comtesse de Murinais, blush, and several others of 
attractive character, but not showing the Moss development very 
strongly. 
Class 3, collection of Hybrid Chinas, Bourbons, Gallicas and Albas, 
number not limited, not more than six trusses of each variety. Messrs. 
W. Paul & Son contributed two stands of about two dozen varieties, the 
best of which were Madame Legras, white, sweet, and excellent ; 
Madame Plantier, somewhat similar, and quite as free, but not so fragrant; 
Paul Perras, crimson, very free and good ; Chas. Lawson, bright rose, 
large, and attractive ; Blairii No. 2, delicate rose, with shell-like petals ; 
Juno, soft blush, very handsome in the bud; and Ohl, rich crimson, 
sweet, and free. 
Messrs. G. Bunyard & Co.’s collection in the same class also com¬ 
prised some charming Roses, the Bourbon Madame Isaac Pereire being 
as fine in substance as a Hybrid Perpetual. The Hybrid Noisette Madame 
Francois Pittett, white, most floriferous and attractive, was noteworthy. 
The Bourbon Cannes la Coquette, somethinglike a miniature La France 
Rose, is a charming variety, and was well represented by fresh buds 
and half opened flowers, and the Hybrid China Paul Ricaut, bright 
crimson and sweet, was one of the best varieties. 
Messrs. Cranston & Co. had a stand of Hybrids, including Brennus, 
Madame Plantier, Juno, Madame Alfred Carriere, Blairii No. 2, and 
Fulgens amongst the best. 
Class 4, collection of single Roses of decorative value, not more than 
six trusses of each variety.—Only one collection of these was shown, 
namely that from the Rev. J. H. Pemberton, which included several 
semi-double varieties as well. Of the singles were shown R. rubiginosa 
(Sweet Briar), R. cinnamomea plena, small, pale pink ; R. rugosa alba, 
the white Japanese Rose, and R. lucida, soft crimson with a cluster of 
golden stamens ; but one of the most beautiful of all was the striped 
Damask, crimson, blush and white in small streaks. Amongst the semi¬ 
double varieties were a pretty China Rose, several Damask Roses, the 
fine white Fdlicitfi Perpetud, a deep velvety crimson Tuscany, and the 
delicately beautiful Maiden’s Blush. 
Class 5, collection of Climbing Roses, not more than six trasses of 
