92 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 1,18fS?. 
GRACE DARLING. 
Not the woman whose noble deed has made her name a household 
word in this our sea-girt isle, but the Rose—a variety that will not, I 
think, be soon lost sight of. But what i3 she 1 I ask, because at the 
Bath Rose Show of 18S8 it most unfortunately fell to my lot to be 
obliged to disqualify a splendid stand of twenty-four Teas coming from 
that prince of Tea growers, Mr. Prince. It was a very painful task to 
my brother judge and myself, but looking at the N.R.S. catalogue I 
did not see what other course we could adopt. I had a long talk after¬ 
wards at the railway station with my old friend Mr. Prince himself, 
who, I am bound to say, took the disqualification most kindly. The 
stand was so much ahead of all the others that even without the Rose, 
judged by points, the stand must have led by many points. 
I was unable to get to Bath this year, but I have asked myself 
several times this season, looking at the reports of shows—Did we do 
right ? Several times I have seen in your reports of Rose shows this 
same Grace Darling figuring amongst the Teas, and at the Gloucester 
Show there is my old friend, nothing daunted, taking first for eighteen 
Teas, and amongst them is this same Grace Darling. Nor is it to be 
wondered at if in amateur collections this Rose should appear in a Tea 
stand, for certainly in the catalogue of one of the most successful 
nurserymen this year amongst the Teas I notice the same name. Again 
I ask, What is she ? Looking at the foliage, the style of growth, and the 
flowers I should place her among the Hybrid Teas. I have not seen an 
N.R.S. list of Roses for 1889, but in 1888 she was distinctly placed in 
this “ black ” list, and as far as my judgment goes rightly, but I should 
be very glad to know what her position really is. 
The National is our law-giver, like the Marylebone in cricket, or 
Wimbledon (for the new shooting ground will be unable to shake off 
the aroma of the name of Wimbledon for a long time) in rifle shooting. 
The rule of head quarters must be law, and I apprehend must govern 
the ideas and decisions of judges, even when the exhibition is not 
affiliated to the National. As nothing is more annoying to the exhibitor 
and the judges than disqualification the point should be definitely 
settled.-Y. B. A. Z. 
THE ROSE CONFERENCE. 
I had looked forward much to the Rose Conference. I had never 
been to the Royal Horticultural Gardens, or, as it chanced, to any part 
of the neighbourhood of Chiswick, and, as a humble lover of gardening, 
I hoped to see much to instruct. Class I in the schedule of exhibits 
was a magnificent idea, and as an exhibitor I expected a wonderful 
sight, worthy of the biggest gold medal ever struck. I was much in¬ 
terested in the prospect of seeing and hearing some of the great French 
Rose growers, and was prepared to listen respectfully to the learned 
Doctor from St. Petersburg, but I am not acquainted with the Russian 
language, and confess that I contemplated the possibility of new Roses 
with Russian names with consternation. 
The excellent book of arrangements instructed me, hailing from the 
east, to find my way by rail to Gunnersbury station, which the map 
showed to be near to the gardens. I did so in good time, and having 
alighted alone, inquired my way of a railway official. “ Jem,” says he 
to a subordinate, “ Where’s the Show ? ” It was rather odd, I thought, 
that he did not know himself, and under the circumstances I was not 
much surprised that Jem was nearly as ignorant ; he could only opine 
that it was “ Somewhere past the Green.” I would inquire outside, 
and did go of a man mending some palings. “ Can you tell me the way 
to the Royal Horticultural Gardens ?” No, he knew nothing about it. 
“ Do you mean to say,” said I, wondering more and more, “ that you 
never heard of the Royal Horticultural Gardens !” “ No,” he answered 
emphatically, “ I never did, and what’s more, I-” Ah ! a vulgar 
fellow, but I will inquire at that respectable shop, where I shall be 
fully directed, no doubt. The chemist was most courteous, but he, too, 
appealed to his boy, and the underling again was not without a glimmer 
of knowledge. He also fancied it was “ Somewhere past the Green.” 
“ The Green ?’’ “ Yes, Turnham Green.” Ah 1 to be sure ; this was 
more like. A very old conundrum, which alluded to the boiling of 
Peas, came into my mind, and suggested at least a flavour of horticul¬ 
ture. I started, therefore, in the direction which I was informed would 
lead me to the Green, and very soon was fortunate enough to meet a 
policeman,’ leisurely strolling along his beat. Ah ! I thought, now I 
shall be accurately directed ; how useful these men are to wandering 
strangers from the country like myself. “ Can you tell me the way to 
the Royal Horticultural Gardens?” Of course, his face brightened 
with intelligence at once. “ First turn to the right, and you will see 
the Gardens before you just at the bottom of the street.” Much 
cheered I hastened on, and there they were. But I don’t see any 
entrance gate. “ Hullo 1 what’s this ?”—“ Messrs. -, Nursery¬ 
men, &c.,” on a large board. Fortunately my mind had not time to 
grasp the full enormity of the fact that even the policeman of the place 
did not know of the existence of the Royal. Horticultural Gardens, 
before I spied the nurseryman himself among his young trees. He did 
know, and kindly directed me, and in a short time I was entering the 
gates, less sanguine than before, but at least in the company of a real 
live rosarian, Mr. B., who joined me as I came in. 
Now for the exhibition tent and class 1. Well, I think we will draw 
a veil, confess Sutton to have been first and Chiswick second 
in exhibition Roses on July 2nd, omit any reference to classes, and 
briefly mention anything that appeared worthy of note to a lover of 
Roses and Rose shows. A very fine bloom of Madame Lacharme, as- 
good a specimen as I ever saw, quite equal to Merveille de Lyon, caught 
my eye in some stand whose owner’s name I have forgotten, and showed 
that one great flower at least had escaped the clutches of Sutton. 
Messrs. Rumsey showed Julius Finger, H.P., and Viscountess Folkestone- 
well, and a fine bloom of Madame Montet came from Messrs. Keynes 
and Williams. Of newer Roses the buttonhole Noisette L’Ideale, shown 
by Mr. G. Paul, is charming, and will make a beautiful pair with W. A. 
Richardson. Rosa rugosa alba is lovely ; there is such distinct character- 
in the foliage and refreshing vigour and brightness of green in the 
young shoots that it is a beautiful plant by itself, even without the fine 
single white flowers or the bright red heps which follow. Duchess of 
Albany, H.P., is, I hope and do not doubt, better than as shown. Of the 
character of the botanical specimens I am not competent to speak, but 
I had hoped to see many appliances for Rose growing shown, and had 
intended to exhibit some caps for protecting Tea blooms myself, but- 
had not been able to test them sufficiently. 
And now, after some refreshment, for the Conference. The Presi¬ 
dent’s opening address was capital. It was, perhaps, in some degree his- 
fault that the readers of papers which followed seemed dull by comparison,, 
but where were the foreigners ? Alas ! they were not there. And at the- 
conclusion of Mr. W. Paul’s interesting paper on Rose classification, I 
left to catch my train, wondering at the quantity of groups and sub¬ 
species that are unknown to myself, and some others perhaps, whose Rose 
world consists of nothing but H.P.’s and Teas, and thinking how difficult- 
it will be to disentangle them all twenty years hence at the present rate 
of hybridising. How interesting, by-the-by, a paper on the breeding 
of Roses would have been, not only on the raising of chance seedlings 
by some of the French growers and our own two Pauls (though perhaps 
these last do hybridise), but also by Mr. Bennett par excellence, whose 
seedlings have made such new departures, and by Messrs. Dickson, who, 
though hampered by distance from the metropolis, have yet accom¬ 
plished such good results, and earned our confidence in the new Roses 
they issue. 
I have not heard any account of the proceedings on the second day. 
We know that the Royal Horticultural Society has had of late many 
difficulties to contend with, which we trust may be successfully sur¬ 
mounted, so that it may take and hold its proper position in the country. 
It must still, however, be a matter of regret in the interests of the 
Rose that the Conference was not a more pronounced success ; but no- 
blame on this head can possibly be attached to Messrs. Mawley and 
Wilks, of whom it may well be said:— 
“ ’Tis not in mortals to command success : 
But they did more—deserved it.” 
—W. R. Railleh. 
RED SPIDER. 
Red spider is, perhaps, the most destruciive of all the insects 
which the horticulturist has to combat. Being small, and con¬ 
fining its first attacks to the under side of the leaves, it is not easy 
of recognition in its early stages of development ; but in a very 
short time foliage attacked by it assumes a sickly, yellowish 
appearance on the upper surface, and the parts immediately over 
the spots where the insect is at work become dotted with a number 
of minute whitish specks if the leaves are those of the Peach or 
Fig tree, but if they are those of the Vine the specks are of a 
yellowish hue. These specks or dots increase in size until the 
whole leaf acquires a yellow and mature appearance, and its powers 
of exhalation and inhalation being destroyed it falls off. The 
small specks or dots on the upper surface of the leaves are the 
best evidence of the presence of red spider, and if the under side 
of such leaves be examined there will be observed between the- 
principal nerves a number of minute insects. These, on being touched 
with the point of a pin, will be seen to move about at a rapid rate,, 
and if observed with the aid of a lens they will be found to be in 
constant motion, busy on that part of the leaf which they have 
for greater security enveloped in a network of the finest threads- 
conceivable. If measures be not taken to check the spread of the 
insect on its first appearance it will rapidly wrap the leaf in a fine 
network, and will not cease its work of destruction until the juices- 
of the leaf have been so completely exhausted that it becomes 
totally incapable of performing any of its functions, and falls. 
It is well to remember that the leaf of a Vine or other plan?, 
may have every appearance of being attacked by red spider, and 
yet that the insect may not be present; for the upper surface of 
1 a partly scorched leaf has much the same aspect as one suffering 
