March 7, 1889. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
193 
Souvenir de Gabriel Drevet, and Souvenir de Thfirese Levet. Of these 
three are from Guillot and one from Levet, whilst amongst the Hybrid 
Perpetuals the raisers are Schwartz, Lacharme, Margottin, Guillot, 
Ducher, and Leveque. I have mentioned these few facts, because really 
the only ground we have for estimating the value of the forthcoming 
Roses is not the descriptions of the raisers, but the character of those 
who give the descriptions as tested by the productions of former years. 
There is very little comfort in wading through the list of ten or a dozen 
Roses from one raiser when you know that he has hardly given us a 
Rose worthy of attention, or that in another case, although there may 
be a nugget here and there, yet so much quartz has to be broken before 
you get to it that it is hardly worth the trouble. 
With these opinions, then, I come to consider the Roses which are 
now offered to us. I shall confine myself to French Roses, and to those 
of the Hybrid Perpetual and Tea and Noisette divisions, leaving on one 
side the Moss, Polyantha, and other Roses, and as I have done in former 
years, so now, I shall give them under the names of their several 
raisers or introducers. 
Hybrid Perpetuals. 
Here as usual we find as far as numbers are concerned that the 
list is headed by 
M. EUGENE VERDIER. 
| Comtesse Bertrand de Blacas. —Bright rose colour, with cupped 
flowers. 
Comtesse Eu. —Light cherry colour, shaded with red, flowers globular. 
l)uc d Orleans. —Brilliant red, lighted up with lighter red and 
carmine ; said to be of the form of Annie Wood. 
Edouard Michel. —Bright carmine red, shaded with currant red, 
edges reflexed. 
Felix Ribeyre. —Deep rose, edged with silvery rose. 
Prince de Beira. —Bright rose, shaded with red. 
Professor Jolibois. —Flowers cupped, deep red, shaded with carmine. 
Princesse Marguerite d'Orleans. —Soft rose, shaded deeper. 
This is a^ tolerably numerous batch for one grower, but I believe 
Mons. E. Verdier is in the habit of, as many nurserymen do with 
other things, buying the productions of other raisers. One notices, 
too, how the stream seems to run on rose or rose-coloured flowers. 
LEVfeQUE. 
Comtesse Branicha. —Flowers large, silver ruby rose. 
Comtesse Rnquette Buisson. —Clear rose, shaded deeper. 
Comtesse O' Gorman. —Bright red, shaded poppy red and purple. 
Ferdinand Jamin. —Colour very bright red, very free flowering. 
Marquise de Salisbury. —Rosy flesh colour, deeper centre ; very large 
and well formed. 
Moser. —Blackish purple, lighted with scarlet and crimson. 
Victor Lemoine. —Dark red, shaded with purple and brown. 
SOUPERT ET NOTTING. 
Comtesse Julie de Sehulenburg. —Crimson purple, shaded velvety 
maroon. J 
Oscar II. —Brilliant carmine, with silvery reflex. 
PERRIER. 
Eugene Perrier. —Seedling from Ghent des Batailles. Flowers solitary, 
erect, colour carmine, reverse of petals white. 
LIABAUD. 
Jules Responds. —Flowers globular, scarlet red shaded, shaded 
purple. 
Marie Metral. —Salmon rose, habit of Ghnhral Jacqueminot. 
Souvenir du Baron de Rochetallee. —Flower globular, cinnamon 
Madame Brpgner. —Flower erect, bright red, and fragrant. 
Madame Martin. —Bright salmon rose, with silvery margin. 
MADAME SCHWARTZ. 
Mons. Trievoz .— Bright rose, shaded with carmine. Hybrid Perpetual; 
an improved Victor Verdier. 
GUILLOT. 
Marguerite Bondet. —Plant fairly vigorous; flower large erect, colour 
tender rose and lilac shaded shaded with silvery white ; very fragrant. 
PERNET PERE. 
Souvenir de Joseph Pernet. —Flowers amaranth red, margined with 
dark crimson and purple, 
GAUTREAU. 
Souvenir de Victor Gautreau .— Flower medium size, deep red, 
shaded with velvety crimson.—D., Deal. 
(To be continued.) 
POTATOES. 
AUTUMN v. SPRING PLANTING: EARTHING v. NON-EARTHING 
i HAVE been a reader of your Journal for many years—upwards of 
forty— when Donald Beaton, Fish, and others were constant contributors. 
I remember many articles about Potato planting, for about that time 
Potato disease was new to us. There were different remedies suggested, 
and I tried several. Of all the different recommendations the most suc¬ 
cessful with me was early planting and no earthing up. I have been 
reading an article in your issue of January 21st, which seems to recom¬ 
mend a totally different system, a plan which, in my hands (for it was 
the old plan), I found very inferior to early planting and no earthing. 
It happened to me to put the two plans to the test in this manner. 
Soon after my own Potatoes were planted, one of my men applied to me 
for a piece of garden ground for growing his own vegetables. The only 
piece available happened to be where I was about to plant Potatoes in 
October. As he had no seed, I supplied him with some. Mine were 
duly planted in October. He objected, and kept the seed I gave him till 
April. Here, then, was a fair test of the two modes of cultivation. He 
planted his, and in due course earthed them up. In the autumn, when 
the two lots were dug, the difference was so great that, prejudiced as my 
man was, he willingly acknowledged the defeat, and in proof ever after 
adopted autumn planting and no earthing up. Since that period, having 
had several gardeners, I have had to witness the different modes in my 
own garden. My convictions remain strongly in favour of autumn 
planting with no earthing up. 
The chief objections, I admit, are that the ground may not always 
be ready in October. This does not affect the system of no earthing up, 
which I consider contrary to all physiology of plant life, but which, 
from the length of my letter already, I cannot now enter upon.— 
W. H. 0. 
The season of 1888 was a bad one for Potatoes in nearly all dis¬ 
tricts, the cooking qualities being much impaired by continual rains 
and the absence of sun. Potatoes are fairly largely grown in South 
Hants, by cottagers especially, who have their “ fancy ” as to variety 
and method or time of planting. Some commence planting the first 
week in March, beginning with the late sorts first. Such men generally 
get a much better crop of tubers than those who delay the planting till 
the middle of April. But I am digressing. I intended to record a few 
facts about certain varieties of Potatoes which were grown hereabouts 
last year. At one time our collection of varieties numbered forty, but 
now four is nearer the number. Our object is quality when cooked, as 
the first consideration, and not outward appearance. To my way of 
thinking there is no kind of Potato that possesses the same flavour as 
the old-fashioned Rock, which is objected to by many persons for the 
reason that it is a bad colour when cooked, being rather yellow in ap¬ 
pearance. Until last year we were always able to dig new Potatoes on 
the 28th of May from a south border close under a wall, the variety 
being Early Rose, the flavour of which was much appreciated by some 
as an early sort. Last season these were not ready for use for fully a 
fortnight later, and then were very watery. Myatt’s Prolific is our next 
early ; this, as a rule, is of capital quality, but last year they boiled like 
soap, so close were they in the flesh, very small were they also. As a 
rule this variety is a capital cropper. Our next sort is Sutton’s Early 
Regent, which produces an abundant crop, generally of good quality, 
but not over-large, in fact rather undersized are the tubers. One ad¬ 
vantage of this variety is the short haulm which it grows, requiring only 
a small space between the rows. It is a useful variety to plant on an 
east or west border, where tall growth cannot be tolerated. This variety 
fared in the same way last season as the others named as to quality. 
Midsummer Kidney we generally depend upon to produce useful tubers 
about the beginning of July of the best quality, but even this sort failed 
last year and were badly diseased, although growing in a good position, 
a south border. Sutton’s Seedling was the best both in crop, quality, 
and disease resisting, and will be more extensively planted during the 
coming season. Reading Russet has long been a favourite here, but is 
now losing ground, the tubers are so small, although a change of seed is 
ofren obtained. Sutton’s Satisfaction was good in all ways last year, 
and will be planted again. 
The main winter supply was afforded by Magnum Bonum grown in 
the fields. Although a good cropper and disease resister, and of good 
appearance, I consider the flavour is but third iate, even in a good 
season. Last year they were very bad when cooked, and are so at the 
present time. Beauty of Hebron was largely grown in this neighbour¬ 
hood last year, and receives great praise on all points ; its cooking 
qualities were much above the average of last season’s list. Perhaps the 
most popular Potato in this neighbourhood is the White Elephant, the 
results being especially satisfactory, an enormously heavy crop, and of 
good quality even last season As a winter Potato it is much prized.—S. II. 
As I had recently read from an eminent gardener some very depre¬ 
catory remarks concerning Magnum Bonum Potato, I was much 
amused to find Mr. Mees writing of it in terms of high approbation. It 
would be just as well before gardeners run amuck at this Potato or that 
Pea, or something else, if they would remember the fact that elsewhere 
it wi 1 thrive and crop admirably. I am sure there is hardly a variety 
of Pea or Potato in existence the which will not find champions some¬ 
where. It is so common a practice on the part of gardeners to declare 
that only this, that, or the other kind of vegetable will do with them, 
although there are scores of varieties they have never tested. If it were 
simply stated that such kind or other would not do in this or that 
garden, all might be well, but sweeping condemnations without founda¬ 
tion are most unfair. Now, Mr. Mees rightly refers to the season of 
1888 as being for Potatoes a very unfavourable one. That is quite true ; 
indeed, we have not had a worse season for years. Even apart from 
the disease, which was bad enough, the excessive rainfall, low tempe¬ 
rature, and lack of sunshine were sufficient to render the Potato crop an 
