OCTOBER. 
299 
is a most strenuous advocate for tlie superiority of the Manetti 
stock above all others, thus seconding Mr. Rivers in his recom¬ 
mendation of it. It has been said by its opponents, “Yes, it is all 
very well for such rich, deep, loamy soil as Sawbridgeworth, but it 
will not do on poorer land.” Now its success at Rushton is a com¬ 
plete answer to this ; there the soil is the very reverse of the Hert¬ 
fordshire loam ; shallow, instead of deep, hot and dry, instead of 
cool and moist, and poor instead of rich, and proves, I think, 
beyond question, that for hybrid perpetual and Bourbon Roses, 
there is no stock that excels it. But there are two points which 
Mr. Radclyffe insists upon with regard to it: 1st. That it must be 
grafted low, so as in transplanting to be able to cover the union of 
scion and stock, from whence generally roots will be sent out, and 
thus the plants acquire almost the vitality of one on its own roots; 
and, 2ndly, abundance of good stuff, or as he himself expresses 
it, my roses live like the Lord Mayor. In front of the house is a 
grand tree of Solfaterre, now full of its beautiful corymbs of 
golden flowers, from whence some may be cut at any time. The 
beauty of the trees has been somewhat spoiled by hacking off (for 
buds, &c., to give to friends) the lower branches. In a sheltered 
corner was a nice plant of Celine Forestier, but the Yellow Rose, 
to which Mr. Radclyffe trusts most, and of which he has thirty 
trees and upwards, is Triomphe de Rennes, which, too, he has 
exhibited in flrst rate order this season. “I wish,” he said, “you 
could have come in the rose season !” “ No,” was my reply, “ then 
one may see roses anywhere, but to see them now is the treat and 
there they were, glorious Jacqueminot, and vigorous Jules Mar- 
gottin, brilliant Lion des Combats, and delicate Souvenir de la 
Malmaison, large and flashy Souvenir de la Reine d’Angleterre, 
and the sturdy Geant, charming Acidalie, and blooming Duchess of 
Norfolk; and despite of all the severity of last winter, growing 
vigorously and blooming freely. The situation, as may be readily 
conceived, was favourable to their withstanding the frost, and 
when the Vicar saw it set in, he further mulched the roots and 
covered up the stems. As we went round the garden, he pointed 
to several good-sized H. P. plants on the briar ; “ These,” he said, 
“ are condemned, nothing now but Manetti for me,” and in a note 
from him since, he tells me many of them have been cast into the 
river. He quite agreed with me that on their own roots was the 
best plan, but then he thought that they would take a great deal 
of time in making large plants,—a point I am not so sure about if 
proper management is adopted. We had, of course, our chat over 
the new roses, and his opinion is that of Mr, Rivers and myself, 
that of the roses of 1859-60, Gloire de Santenay is the gem, and 
that that year was unusually productive in good sorts, far more so 
than the present, or indeed than any rose year of which we are 
aware. The peach trees, of which he has frequently written in 
the Llorist, are certainly the most glorious trio I have ever seen, 
upwards of half a century old, covering fifty-four feet of wall; 
there they were, clothed from top to bottom with fine healthy 
