December 19, 1889. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
529 
recording to Munro, are universally used as lance-staves. The speci¬ 
mens seen were large clumps, the stems 20 feet high, 1 inch in diameter, 
the nodes at the base a foot apart, the upper ones bearing each a 
crowded cluster of short leaf branches. When old the stem is bright 
yellow. It is a well marked handsome Bamboo. 
B. vwletcens, Carr.—A beautiful Chinese Bamboo, which was intro¬ 
duced into Jardin d’Acelimatation in 1870, in the branch of which at 
Hycres a fine clump was noted. The stems are 10 feet high, three- 
quarters inch in diameter, much branched towards the top, the inter¬ 
nodes somewhat flattened on one side, and striped with violet on a 
greenish ye’low ground, The leaves are glaucous on the under side. 
Young plants of it are in the Kew collection. 
B. viridi-glaucesetns, Hort.—One of the handsomest of cultivated 
Bamboos. It is quite hardy in England, and in France it is one of 
the commonest. It grows very rapidly, has handsome foliage, trans¬ 
plants easily, and a first-rate pot plant. It is frequently used in 
France for the embellishment of entrance halls, and is very effective. 
The stems of the Riviera plants were over 20 feet high, very slender, 
the nodes about a foot apart, dark green when young, bright yellow 
when mature. 
B. vulgaris, Wendl. (B. Thouarsi).—Some astonishing large healthy 
specimens of this well-known species were met with. Apparently it 
does not require tropical treatment such as it usually gets. At Hyeres, 
Cannes, and Nice it is especially fine ; in the last named place measur¬ 
ing 40 feet through, and the canes 35 feet high. The plant in the 
Palm house at Kew must be thirty years old ; it has not yet flowered. 
The Standard Rose Stock for the Future. 
For a number of years the culture of Roses has been increasing to 
such an extent that nurserymen began to be at a loss whence to obtain 
stocks for dwarf Roses as well as for standards. The custom has 
become general to grow seedlings of Rosa canina as well as the Manetti, 
polyantha, and other kinds for this purpose ; but with all these there 
are so many well known inconveniences that it would be most desirable 
to find a more suitable type for a stock. Everywhere nurserymen have 
been trying to procure such a species, and we also have been experi¬ 
menting for upwards of ten years, choosing especially Central Asiatic 
kinds for the purpose of having a stock which would be perfectly hardy. 
The beautifully straight stems nearly without thorns of Rosa laxa, Betz, 
brought us to the idea that this species would answer our purpose. Our 
attention once fixed upon it, we soon found other qualities, which will 
put it above all competition for this special purpose. 
While others are very troublesome through the numerous shoots 
arising directly from the roots, Rosa laxa never forms any suckers. The 
stems are not only perfectly straight and nearly without thorns, but 
they scarcely branch out at all, and, moreover, they are very hard and 
firm, containing very little pith ; for this reason they will withstand any 
amount of frost and proved perfectly hardy without any protection even 
in the severe winters of 1870 and 1879 to 1880. 
Another very important thing is the relatively short season of 
growth of Rosa laxa. While Rosa canina and its congeners keep grow¬ 
ing late in autumn until frost forces them to rest, Rosa laxa will finish 
growing by the middle of September. In consequence the Roses budded 
on it rest in good time, and so to ripen their wood thoroughly, so they 
will resist frost much better and become far more hardy when budded on 
R. laxa. Roses forced to rest early in this way will of course be excel¬ 
lent for forcing purposes. Any kind of Roses takes easily when budded 
on Rosa laxa. They will join firmly, while for instance Roses budded on 
the Manetti will sometimes fall off again. We possess a variety of 
standard Roses as well as dwarf ones budded two and three years ago 
on Rosa laxa so as to be perfectly able to judge. 
Growing standards of Rosa laxa is of the very easiest description. 
The plants are to be treated just like other nursery stock, but not to be 
cut back until the growth to be used for a stem is formed and has 
attained its height. We possess large pieces of land occupied by such 
standards of Rosa laxa, and to a grower of Roses it would be a pleasure 
to walk through them and to see the clean straight rows of standards. 
While such pieces of land planted with other stock Roses are hardly to 
be kept clean on account of the suckers and branches and rather look 
like wilderness than an orderly nursery piece, these are as clean quarters 
of the nurseries as any, and we can comfortably walk through the rows. 
All these are qualities which will put Rosa laxa above any other Rose 
for a stock. Besides, it is an ornamental shrub, resembling somewhat 
Rosa pomifera.— Otto Froebel. 
Tea Roses for Early Flowering. 
These have frequently large quantities of leaves at pruning time, and 
for years all healthy ones were preserved and allowed to fall naturally, 
which they do in a short time after the plants have started into growth. 
Frequently these old leaves are infested with red spider, aphides, or 
mildew, and remain upon the plants sufficiently long to give the culti¬ 
vator some trouble. For the past two or three years we have removed 
the foliage during the operation of pruning, the house is also thoroughly 
fumigated two or three times in succession before the plants are started 
into growth. We have not observed any ill effects resulting by the 
removal of the leaves. It is a certain method of clearing out insects and 
the destruction of any spores of mildew that may still be upon them. 
Renovating Plants in Pots. 
Where plants have been forced for some years and subjected to 
repotting annually, there is certain to be some that have failed to do 
satisfactorily. Whether these are Teas or II.P.’s the best method of 
restoring them again to health and vigour is to give them a season’s rest 
—that is, allow them to come forward steadily and almost naturally in 
cold frames. Plants in this condition should be turned out of their pots 
and the old soil carefully picked from their roots. If the soil about 
them is not thoroughly sweet, the whole should be removed. Place the 
plants in much smaller pots, according to the size of the plants, in a 
compost of good loam, one-third leaf mould, one-seventh of manure, and 
a liberal quantity of sand. In reducing the roots all the fibres possible 
should be retained and the plants placed in cold frames. It is wise to 
plunge the pots to prevent evaporation, and thus avoid having to water 
them. The majority of the plants given this treatment and carefully 
watered during the early months of the year, will start strongly and 
grow vigorously afterwards. It is useless to shake them out and then 
force them into growth ; it would ruin them. They will flower just before 
flowers can be had from those in outside borders, and will prove very 
acceptable at that season of the year. It will be necessary to repot 
them directly they have flowered, and therefore small pots in which, 
to start them is strongly advised.— Northerner. 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS—A CATALOGUE COMMENTARY. 
( Continued from page 401.') 
Annie Wood (Verdier, 1866).—Here we have a Rose with habits and 
manners (fortunately) peculiar to itself. A fine strong grower, with fair 
foliage, liable to mildew but not much injured by rain, and a very free 
bloomer. A great quantity of buds form on each stem ; the top bud of 
all, which one would naturally reserve, is nearly always cracked, hollow,- 
and distorted, before it is much bigger than a thimble, and sometimes 
has a great green pip in the centre. You may search for the best shaped 
bud all over the stem, and do away with all the others for its sake. Even 
then, nine out of ten buds will show a great eye before they are more 
than half expai d :d, and the tenth will do it soon after being cut. You 
make up your mind to discard the sort altogether ; but, just at the close 
of the season a beautiful bloom makes its appearance on a shoot you 
had not noticed, with brilliant colour and good imbricated shape ; and 
the plants are spared to serve you just the same trick another season. 
The title of my paper being what it is, it seems impossible to avoicT 
sooner or later lugging in the time-honoured anecdote of the traveller, 
who, describing the “ manners and customs ” of some native tribes he 
had been visiting, was constrained to dismiss one of them with the terse 
remark, “ Manners none—customs disgusting.” If it be possible to say 
anything so bad of a Rose, 1 am doubtful whether I shall find any more 
worthy candidate in the N.R.S. catalogue than Annie Wood. 
I see that a Rose called “ Professor Edward Regel,” of which I know 
nothing, is stated to be “ in the way of ” Annie Wood. If it be too late 
for the Professor to mend his ways, I should strongly advise his friends 
to keep his unfortunate predisposition iu the dark. 
Baron de Bunstettin (Liabaud, 1871).—A stronger grower with good 
foliage, liable to mildew and to be injured by rain. Very early ; one of 
the first to show flower buds. A poorly shaped flat bloom at the best, 
and but a small proportion of them come good, but a beautiful dark 
colour, being perhaps more “velvety” than any Rose. Requires a hot 
season, and yet very liable to “ burn ” in a bright sun. Is held by the 
N.R.S. to be identical with Mons. Boncenne. With me the Baron has 
seemed rather the better grower, but that may have been chance. Fairly 
free blooming, and fair size, but does not last well, and is not much use 
as an autumnal. 
Baroness Rothschild (Pernet, 1867).—A Rose by itself, with very 
distinct manners, belonging to all its family, which is not large as yet. 
Of “robust” habit—i.e.,with comparatively short,thick,stumpy, upright, 
stiff wood, and grand foliage right up to the blooms, which are generally 
produced singly ; Dot liable to be much injured by mildew, red rust, or 
rain. The blooms general'y come well, of what the N.R.S. calls the 
cupped shape ; but I should have thought the perfect form was globular, 
and I have never had it of real cupped shape, like Anna de Diesbach 
or Coupe d’Hdbb, without a very visible eye. One of the very best of 
autumnals, and of the fullest size, but quite scentless. A party of 
villagers came to see my Roses one day, and one good dame who was 
behind all the others stooped to catch the perfume of a fine bloom of the 
Baroness, which had attracted much notice. She was disappointed, but 
saw the reason at once. “Ah I they’ve sniffed all the scent out of 
this ’ere one ! ” Is rather wanting in fulness of centre, apt to open 
quickly in hot weather, and must be cut small for exhibition. It may 
be only fancy, but I have half suspected deterioration in this fine Rose 
of late years ; it seems less fine and less lasting than it used to be. Is 
much inclined to sport to white. Mabel Morrison and White Baroness 
were comparative failures, but Merveille de Lyon has achieved a great 
success. Mabel Morrison has, however, amply atoned for personal 
failure by its wonderful progeny, Her Majesty. I do not know whether 
The Puritan, a new Rose of 1887, too young to have its fortune told, 
but apparently of bad manners in the open, is also a white descendant, 
