Ffibruary G, 18PJ J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
103 
fail to ripen properly if the roots are in a cold retentive border.— 
•J. H. W., Leicester. 
FLOWER CULTURE FOR PROFIT. 
Tea Roses Planted Out. 
Continuing my remarks from page S."!, the handsome and 
profitable Marechal Niel must have special attention. This variety 
must annually form long fairly stout shoots, otherwise it is not in 
a profitable state. It succeeds admirably trained and pruned some¬ 
what on the old extension system piactisei with Grape Vines. 
This consists of laying in two main branches right and left along 
the front plate of roof, these not being stopped till the end of the 
liouse at least is reached, this being a pretty good season’s growth. 
From these permanent branches, that are to be the following season 
a number of lateral growths, should be trained up the roof at short 
intervals, only the points of these being taken out in the autumn. 
These strong shoots will early in the following spring push out a 
bloom at nearly every joint, a single tree being, when at its best, 
capable of producing two or three thousand blooms. Directly the 
last of these are over, all these flowering shoots must be cut hard 
back to near the main branches, and this will result in strong 
young shoots, pushing out the requisite number of which should 
be trained over the roof to flower the following season. If pre¬ 
ferred a more informal method of training may be adopted, strong 
leading branches, and some of them will attain a length of 24 feet 
in one season, being trained over the roof in any direction. These 
will flower grandly the following season, and in addition also push 
out strong shoots in places where extra vigorous flowering shoots 
are cut well back. The latter will bloom freely, and in their turn 
must be cut back directly they have ceased to flower, in order to 
obtain the requisite number of flowering growths for the next 
season. The time will come (I never met with any exceptions) 
when the early summer pruning will be followed by a second crop 
of flowers, and this instead of being a matter for congratulation is 
much to be regretted, as it is a sure sign of weakness and decay. 
This weakness in the Marechal Niel ought always to be anticipated, 
other young trees being planted to take their place while yet the 
original trees are in good health, or otherwise there will be ulti¬ 
mately an unfortunate break in the supply. If they do not canker 
at the point of union with the stock, or at some of the principal 
joints in the case of own-root plants, they are yet liable to wear 
out. As a rule, the stems, whether these be worked or not, fail to 
keep pace with the very rapid growing branches, and in time a 
rupture in the sap vessels takes place. 
On page 30 the best method of propagating Tea Roses was 
given, and with these may be included Noisettes. If my advice is 
taken a considerable number of Marechal Niel will be struck every 
season, flowered once, and then thrown away as being of less value 
than newly raised plants. Each should be grown with a single 
growth only ; the longer and stouter these become the more profit¬ 
able they will prove. A well grown young plant in an 8-inch or 
slightly larger pot can be made to produce blooms in February or 
thereabouts to the value of 6s., and a good average would be 4s. 
per plant. The aim should be to get them rooted early, and in 
their flowering pots in time to spend a few weeks in the open sun¬ 
shine. When introduced into a moderately warm forcing house in 
November and December the growths may either be trained up 
wires on the roof, or say the trellising occupied by Melons or 
Cucumbers, during the summer, and if this is not convenient then 
may the plan of lightly training the plants round a few upright 
stakes be adopted. In the latter case the plants ought to be given 
good room, and raised well up to the light. A fairly large bud 
ought to be taken from nearly every joint, and if a little pale in 
colour they will yet sell readily. 
Tea and Noisette Roses generally, as I have previously pointed 
•©ut, will bear moderately hard forcing, but in a more intermediate 
temperature, ranging from 50° by night to 60° in the daytime, they 
form much the finest blooms, and remain longer in a vigorous and 
also floriferous state. All through the winter and early spring 
months they must be protected as much as possible from cold 
currents of air, otherwise mildew is liable to be very trouble- 
•some. Ncr ought they ever to become dry at the roots, the 
■only rest those constantly under glass need being the prevention of 
flowering during the summer and early autumn months, and abun¬ 
dance of air admitted at the same time. As a rule, the Teas will 
yield what may be termed three crops before Roses are abundant 
in the open. To do this, however, they must be well assisted at 
the roots, especially after they have exhausted the original soil in 
the borders. They pay well for being treated much the same as 
Grape Vines at the roots, this taking the form of occasionally 
partially lifting in the autumn, the front of the border being 
renewed with fresh compost, and the surface lightly bared to the 
principal roots, and top-dressed. The least that can be done is to 
give frequent liberal supplies of liquid manure, or some kind of 
special manure may be washed down to the roots. Nor must the 
foliage of roof-trained plants especially be neglected. These ought 
to be freely syringed in the afternoon of every clear hot day, 
otherwise red spider may be the cause of most of the leaves falling 
prematurely. For a similar reason shading of some kind ought to 
be afforded during the hottest part of the year. If a decoction of 
quassia chips and softsoap is mixed with the syringing water, 
enough being used to make it quite bitter to the taste, green fly 
will not be very troublesome ; but should it gain the upper hand 
two or three fumigations with tobacco paper is the surest method 
of getting rid of it. Mildew may sometimes be checked by coating 
the affected parts w'ith sulphur, but this is not often really effective 
in other than hot weather. The following will be found an ex¬ 
cellent remedy for mildew. Place I j lb. of sulphur, 2 ozsof lime, 
and six quarts of water in a saucepan, and boil down to three 
quarts. After the solution has settled strain through a muslin bag, 
store in a jar, and mix with the syringing water at the rate of one 
wineglassful to four gallons of water. 
Many succeed in growing abundance of good Roses, only to mar 
their work by carelessly consigning them to the markets. It is 
worse than useless to send fully expanded flowers, and it is also very 
unwise to send all good and second-rate alike together, as in either 
case the lowest prices will be returned for the whole lot. The 
plants ought to be gone over fi’equently, all buds about half 
expanded cut and placed in pans of water in a very cool room till 
the time has arrived for packing. We favour the parcel post for 
smaller consignments, heavier lots being sent by rail. Prior to 
packing the buds are sorted over, so many being classed as first, 
and the rest as second quality, these being duly noted down on the 
invoice accompanying each box. We use a variety of boxes accord¬ 
ing to circumstances, but none of them is deep, two layers of 
blooms being as many as ought to go in one package. The bottom 
of each is thinly covered with fresh clean moss, and on this the 
heaviest, and in most instances the best blooms are closely and 
flatly packed. In comparatively cool weather a strip of moderately 
stout paper in all that is needed to divide the bottom from the 
top layer of blooms, but in the summer common Fern fronds or 
Spinach leaves on the top of each layer serve to keep all cooler and 
fresher ; finish off with more paper, and then sufficient moss or 
cotton wool to rather more than fill the box. The lid ought always 
to close down lightly, as should it not do so the rough usage the 
packages invariably experience must result in great damage to the 
contents. 
Mare ffial Niel still realises the best prices, the great demand for 
these evidently not being on the wane. Very frequently 6s. per 
dozen (wholesale) can be obtained for the best blooms, not neces¬ 
sarily at the beginning of the season, and that too in small provincial 
towns, and they rarely fetch less than 4s. per dozen. The second 
quality blooms range from 3s. 6d. per dozen to 2s., but healthy 
plants produce but few poor blooms. In this neighbourhood a plant 
covering the roof of a small span-roofed house annually produces a 
crop valued at not less than £25, the owner, it must be added, 
retaining a considerable number of the blooms. The next best in 
point of value are good blooms of Lamarque, The Bride, and 
Niphetos, there being always a demand for white Roses. For these 
we sometimes get as much as 6s. per dozen, but more often than 
not we have to be content with 3s. 6d. for the best quality, and 2s. 
for the rest. Catherine Mermet if well grown produces extra fine 
blooms, and for these 63. each can be had, but 3s. per dozen is 
perhaps the average. Tellow Roses are far more popular than 
those of a pink shade, and sometimes realise slightly better prices ; 
but whatever may be the retail price we seldom get more- than 
33 . fid. for either Isabella Sprunt, Madame Falcot, Etoile de Lyon, 
Comtesse de Nadaillac, and other varieties I have previou.sly named. 
Buds only of Safrano and W. A. Richardson are of value, but as 
the former especially is imported in such large quantities the price 
at first or at the present time is 2s. fid. per dozen, and later on 
Is. 61; even at this price w-e find the former very profitable, a 
strong roof plant being apparently inexhaustible.—M. H. 
PLANT FOOD. 
It was remarked in a previous communication that inside 
borders and pot-grown plants were absolutely under the control of 
cultivators, and manures could consequently be applied without any 
disturbing elements interfering with their efficacy. Another 
remark was made to the effect that much more manure could 
be advantageously applied in both cases than is generally considered 
necessary. It may be of interest to amplify these remarks in the 
present article; and taking borders first, it has to be noted that well 
fed trees. Vines, Peaches, &c., under otherwise fair treatment, 
