August 23,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
175 
Principally by the disappearance from this competition of the following 
amateurs—Messrs. Baker, Girdlestone, Grant, Hall, Haywood and 
Mrs. Waterlow. In their places the only two amateurs who have 
come forward are Messrs. Lindsell and Machin, certainly hosts in 
themselves as far as concerns their individual powers ; but they only 
count as two accessions as against six defections ! Evidently, therefore, 
something must be done by our Committee, or there will shortly be 
more prizes than competitors, which is a most undesirable position for 
our Society to be in with regard to its principal amateur prize. 
CHALLENaE Trophy Competition from 1881 to 1894. 
Year. 
Date of 
Show. 
First. 
Second. 
Third. 
Fourth. 
No. of Com¬ 
petitors. 
1881 
R. N. G. Baker. 
Tomlinson 
T. B. Hall.... 
3 
1882 
__ 
1883 
— 
Slaughter ... 
Haywood.. 
Girdle.stone .. 
Mitchell .. 
11 
1884 
1885 
July 7 th 
Pemberton .... 
Grant .... 
Girdlestone .. 
Hales .... 
11* 
1886 
„ Cth 
Pemberton .... 
Grant .... 
Haywood .... 
Budd. 
8 
1887 
„ 5th 
Grant . 
Pemberton. 
T. B. Hall .... 
Slaughter.. 
9 
1888 
„ 7th 
R. N. G. Baker. 
Grant .... 
Slaughter .... 
T. B. Hales. 
6 
1889 
„ 6th 
Grant . 
Pemberton. 
Budd. 
Pith . 
1890 
6th 
Lindsell . 
Pemberton. 
Foster Melliar. 
Slaughter.. 
6 
1891 
„ 4th 
Lindsell . 
Budd .... 
Pemberton .. 
Slaughter.. 
5 
1892 
„ 2nd 
Lindsell . 
Budd .... 
Pemberton .. 
Slaughter.. 
4 
1893 
„ 1st 
Lindsell . 
Pemberton. 
5 
1894 
7 th. 
Budd . 
Drew. 
Pemberton .. 
Slaughter.. 
4 
* July 7th. 
N.B.—In 1882 and 1883 the competition was for thirty-six varieties; in all other 
years for forty-eight varieties. 
—Charles J. Grahame. 
Tea Kose Niphetos. 
I HAVE cultivated this great Rose in three ways—planted out in an 
open bed, where it has proved a failure!; trained to a wall, where it 
succeeds fairly well ; and planted out in a glass structure, where 
for many years it has been annually the finest and most flori- 
ferous Rose among a select number of varieties cultivated along with 
it. I have two plants. They are trained close to the glass in a cool 
fruit house, and they afford an almost uninterrupted supply of buds 
and flowers from April until November, when they stop flowering, 
not so much for the want of will as on account of a too low temperature, 
which causes buds and foliage to cease growth and fall off. 
In treating these two Rose plants I have been careful to be led by 
their natural peculiarities of growth. Pruning appears to me to be the 
most important point in their treatment, and it indeed determines the 
amount and quality of the crop of flowers. In early spring, or before growth 
commences, the plants are denuded of any weakly growths, and at the 
same time any old shoots that it is possible to replace by younger 
and more vigorous growths are also removed. Strong growths are 
consequently the only ones left, and these are shortened hardly anything. 
Fresh soil and manure is now added to the surface of the border, at the 
same time care being taken to moisten the ground occupied by the roots. 
If very large flowers are wanted the buds require to be thinned, but this 
is an operation I seldom perform, small, medium, and large buds being 
all alike valuable. 
Niphetos has the invaluable property, after the earlier flowers have 
been cut, of producing more flowers on these flowering shoots. The 
plants continue to do this throughout the growing season, the chief 
point to be attended to in order to keep them healthy being the excision 
of every weakly growth and of those portions of the stems on which 
flowers have formed. Strong growths also break at various points on 
the main stems, and these, later in the season, keep up a supply of large 
flowers. An occasional thinning of worn-out shoots is undertaken, so 
that these strong growths may have room for a full development. My 
plants have already been pruned twice in this manner, and I fully 
expect they will require two more such thinnings before growth termi¬ 
nates for the year. The excision of these weakly and worn-out growths 
is a most important feature, as remarked before ; but very necessary also 
is the periodical application of dressings of manure, to be washed-in 
by the repeated waterings required to keep the trees in vigorous 
h ealth. 
Occasional fumigation with tobacco paper keeps all insects away. 
A slight shade is given during the more sunny months. While this is 
no ways hurtful to the plants, it is, on the other hand, of much benefit 
in allowing the buds to expand slowly, and they are less liable to 
prematurely drop in pieces. I also have a feeling that the blooms are 
of greater purity when expanded under shade. Considered commerci¬ 
ally, Niphetos pays better than any other Rose. Any flowers we have 
to spare, and at any season, invariably bring a good price.—R. P. 
Brotherston. 
Tea, China, and Noisette Roses in Scotland. 
In the Journal of Horticulture (page 125) Mr. R. P. Brotherston has 
some admirable observations on Tea and China Roses and their Scottish 
cultivation, with which for the most part I entirely coincide. It is, 
however, somewhat surprising to learn that such varieties of the former 
as Niphetos. Princess of Wales, Perle des Jardins, Madame de Watteville, 
and Anna Olivier, which have been for some months among the most 
attractive Roses in my garden, do not succeed well with him. While 
such is my experience of these it can hardly be asserted (at least by 
myself) that they are “ not worth growing in Scotland.” It is, however, 
quite possible that I may be specially favoured by my parish being as 
far south as Durham in England, by having a garden sheltered from 
every wind that blows by lofty hedges and high-towering trees, likewise 
by possessing the greatly mitigating influence of the genial Gulf Stream. 
If your correspondent’s Rose garden is more inland in situation, or even 
somewhat farther north, he will have more frequent and more trying 
visitations of the frost than we have here. 
On the other hand, I am gratified to learn that such splendid 
varieties of the Tea Rose as Marie Van Houtte, Hon. Edith Gifford, 
Madame Cusin, Souvenir d’un Ami, and Comtesse de Nadaillac, which 
have proved successful here, are also in other Scottish regions cultivated 
with success; Among these has not been mentioned Ernest Metz, which 
here at least has not been very satisfactory this summer, owing doubtless 
to the lamentable weather it has experienced, though I fear that this 
Rose by reason of its size, not less than its constitution, is of somewhat 
difficult development, it does not open well. More satisfactory are 
Corinna and Miss May Rivers, which are much superior both in beauty 
and productiveness to many over-estimated natives of France, which, 
by reason perhaps of their imposing dimensions, are much more eulogised 
by contemporary writers on Rose cultivation. 
If I were asked to indicate my favourite Tea Roses I would at the 
present moment name Innocente Pirola and Madame Hoste, Medea, 
Princess of Wales, Comtesse de Nadaillac, and Marie Van Houtte. Bat 
this preference does not prevent me recognising the great merits of 
such invariably exquisite varieties as Catherine Mermet and The Bride, 
Madame de Watteville and Anna Olivier, the snow-white Niphetos and 
the always charming Souvenir de S. A. Prince, the invaluable production 
of the Oxford rosarian who bears its honoured name. 
I am in perfect accordance with your contributor when he writes of 
the peculiar sweetness of the China Roses, and their special value for 
decorative purposes. They, and their hybrids, were special favourites of 
Vibert and Laffay, and the earlier French rosarians. There can be no 
question as to their beauty and capability of impressive artistic effect. 
Among modern China Roses perhaps the most unique in its aspect is 
Laurette de Thessiny, which is almost unknown to Scottish cultivation. 
I obtained this Rose last November, and it has proved a most distinct 
and valuable acquisition. Its colour is very striking, deep rose, 
delicately suffused with yellow, which gives it as distinguished a position 
among Chinas as the superbly coloured L’Ideal occupies among other 
Noisettes. It has, however, already found a very formidable rival in 
the Duke of York, which I saw last May at the Temple Show. 
Your correspondent, writing of the Noisette, Wm. Allen Richardson, 
affirms that it requires a very warm position. Therein, I think, he is 
perfectly correct. One of my plants of this richly hued variety, which 
flowered admirably during the abnormally hot and almost tropical 
season of 1893, has this year made no effort to bloom ; but has been on 
the contrary spending all its precious opportunities in generating very 
elaborate shoots of extraordinary length, for whose preservation during 
the crucial months of winter it will I fear be somewhat difficult to 
provide; unless indeed I can remove it from the north to the 
south wall of my garden, the latter of which is already well pro¬ 
vided with other Noisette Roses which bloom more abundantly.— 
David R; Williamson. 
Events of the Week. —A few events of special interest to horti¬ 
culturists will take place during the ensuing week. As mentioned in 
another paragraph, the Committees of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will meet at the Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster, on the 28th inst. 
The summer show of the Brighton and Sussex (New) Horticultural 
Society is announced to take place at Brighton on the 28th and 29th, 
the annual exhibition of the Reading Horticultural Society being also 
held on the 29th inst. On Thursday, the 30th inst., the show of the 
Sandy Floral and Horticultural Society will be held. 
- The Weather in London.—D uring the past week the 
weather in the metropolis has been of a showery character. A heavy 
shower occurred on Saturday, and rain fell at intervals on Sunday. 
Monday was fine, but chilly in the evening, whilst it rained on Tuesday. 
Wednesday opened favourably, and at the time of going to press the 
weather appeared more settled. 
- Royal Horticultural Society. —The next meeting of the 
Society will be held in the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria Street 
Westminster, on Tuesday, August 28th. Special prizes will be offered 
by Messrs. Kelway & Son, for Gladioli, and at 3 P.M. Mr. Malcolm Dunn 
will deliver a lecture on “ Gardeners and their Employers.” 
