190 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Jft.t 5, 1859. 
experiment I made at Shrublaud Park was tliis very plan, 
but it was only half finished when I left. It is strange 
if I have not mentioned it somewhere in The Cottage 
Gardener, but I forgot whether I did or not. 
Samuel Gilbert was allowed to have been the most 
practical and the best authority for lloses among the 
men of his time; and in his “ Yade Mecum ” he tells of 
the way to flower tire double-yellow Hose to absolute 
perfection. I shall first give his plan in his own words, 
and then my own experiment, as far as it went. Hirst of 
all, however, I must apologise for keeping this old book 
so long ; but there are several passages yet which I wish 
to work in as the time comes round. “ Rosa luleuflore 
plena, the double-yellow Hose, smaller shoots and leaves, 
of a paler yellowish-green than the single kind; the 
flowers very thick and double. Its glory consists in its 
form and colour.” He mentions two other inferior va¬ 
rieties of it, and the single yellow ; and after saying that 
worked Hoses were not so good, or so thrifty to bear as 
on their own roots, he goes on to say—“ The double¬ 
yellow bears not so well when thus natural [that is, on its 
own roots], nor in the sun as other Hoses, but must be 
placed in’the shade ; and for its better bearing and fairest 
flowers, first, in the stock of a Frankfort Hose [as Gil¬ 
bert’s father-in-law, Mr. Hea, well advised] put in the 
bud of a single-yellow Rose near the ground, which will 
quickly shoot to a good length. About a foot higher in 
that sprout put on to it the bud of a double-yellow 
Hose, the best kind, which, growing, keep suckers from 
the root [as in all other Hoses inoculated], and rub off 
all buds but of that kind desired. When big enough to 
bear, the preceding winter prune it very near, cutting off 
all the small shoots, and only leave the bigger, cutting 
off the tops of them also as far as they are small. In the 
spring when it buds for leaves, rub off the smallest of 
them [this is as our disbudding], and when it buds for 
flowers, if too many, let the smallest be wiped off, 
leaving so many of the fairest as you think the strength 
of the tree may bring to perfection, which should be a 
standard then up to a wall, and rather shaded than in too 
much heat of the sun, and in dry weather sometimes 
watered ; by which means you may expect fair and beau¬ 
tiful flowers, such that will recompense you in their pro¬ 
pagation.” 
Now, is that not a most remarkable passage on the 
practice of the Hose grower two hundred years back ? for 
it is just so long since Gilbert’s father-in-law acted thus. 
Let the Messrs. Rivers, Paul, Lane, Francis, Cranston, 
Tiley and Turner unite, and see if they can suggest a 
better mode for the management of anj r Brier Hose what¬ 
ever. Let even The Cottage Gardener attempt the 
task, and my word for it, Gilbert was a Hose grower to 
the backbone, and would bloom Isabella Grey to per¬ 
fection. 
It was only in 1850, or 1851, that it was thought a tre¬ 
mendous novelty and innovation for The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener to recommend and describe the summer pruning 
in July of all the Hybrid, Chinese, and other Hoses of 
their stamp. Yet will you believe it, I now find that 
that was the common practice of Gilbert and his father- 
in-law P but they “ sheai’ed ” their plants after they went 
out of bloom, and pruned them in winter and spring. 
“ Shearing off ” the young wood at the end of spring, 
“ for retarding the blowing,” was also a common practice 
then. 
The first question is, What is the Hose here called the 
Frankfort Hose, which seems to have been the Maneili 
Stock of Gilbert’s time? I think I know that Rose; 
but you had better take Gilbert’s own description of it, 
if you mean to try to bloom the old double-yellow, and 
keep to the letter of his plan. “ Rosa Franc ofurtensis, the 
Frankfort Hose, hath the button [fructification] under it 
bigger than any other, the flowers thick and double, of a 
bluish-red colour, and sweet scent, but seldom opens 
fair, but curled and crumpled.” That is the Stock to 
work the single-yellow Rose on first, and the double¬ 
yellow on that, or double-worked as we say. 
When we have a stock for any particular purpose, 
either for flowers or fruits, ten to one if all the kinds will 
“ take ” on it, as we say ; in that case, all the kinds which 
did not take on the particular stock are debarred from 
the “purpose.” Here another move takes place. Some 
kind, on the other hand, does better on this stock than on 
the wilding, or crab, or whatever the original may have 
been ; and this betiermost graft is used extensively in 
the first grafting or budding. The shy kinds are worked 
on the bettermost, so that there are three distinct parts 
in such worked plants ; first, the stock, the bottom part, 
then the union stock, and then the head. What is the 
best “ union ” for the double-yellow Hose? Gilbert used 
the single yellow, which he describes as growing “ as high 
as the damask, the young shoots full of small, hairy 
prickles, of a dark-reddish colour, small leaves, single 
flowers, but five leaves [petals] a-piece, of a pale-yellow 
colour, being naturally a wild Hose.” Is that the yellow 
Austrian, or what? 
The union Hose which I worked for my experiment 
was the Rersian Yellow, the second best yellow Brier we 
know of. The old double yellow itself being still the 
first and fairest yellow Brier in the world. My stock was 
the common Boursault, because it grew the best on the 
chalk; but being such a spawner from the roots, the 
moment it is checked in growth it is not fit for stocks at 
all. But, indeed, any of the dwarf-Rose stocks which are 
now in use will do for the double-yellow Brier just as 
well as the Frankfort, or Manetii, and the single Austrian 
Brier will make a capital union. See that neither the 
stock nor union has a bud that will over start above 
ground. I have no faith whatever in “ rubbing off,” and 
“ pulling ” suckers ; not but the practice would do, but 
Argu9 himself could not see to all his Hoses, if he were a 
gardener in these days ; and, if he were an amateur, he 
would be thankful for being relieved from any unneces¬ 
sary call upon his time; and that it may be unnecessary 
to look after suckers from properly prepared stocks we 
all ought to know it to be quite true. But I incline to 
the belief that the single-yellow Brier of Gilbert is lost, 
and that it was the parent of the double one we now want 
to bloom freely, for he describes the “ Rosa A ustriaca jlore 
Phoenicia in all parts like the last [the single yellow] ; 
the chiefest difference in the colour of the flowers, the 
i nside of the leaves [petals] of a fine scarlet, and the out¬ 
side of a pale brimstone colour.” 
For watering Hoses and all manner of plants there is 
nothing better yet than old Gilbert’s plan:—“Use not 
well-water for tender plants, for it is so strained through 
the earth, or rather barren sands or rocks, and for want 
of the sun so chill and cold, that, having no nourishment 
—rather the contrary—doth more hurt than good. 
Rivers that run quick and long on sharp gravel are little 
better; but if you are forced to use such, let it stand 
some time in tubs in the sun mixed with dung. Let the 
quantity and quality of the dung mixed with the water 
be according to the nature of the plants [hear]. If your 
plants be great growers and require heat, then put horse- 
dung in your water. If your water be bad, then put 
dung into it to help it; let it stand in the sun and open 
air uncovered. If your plants be fine and tender, then 
put sheep or cow-dung, deer or asses’ dung, into the 
water. The worse the ground, and the more barren, be 
sure to put in the more dung. Take care you water no 
plants with standing stinking ditch water; for sweet 
water [this liquid manure] not too clear, and fresh mould, 
is as proper for tender plants as sweet and good food, 
warm and clean lodging, for tender and fine-bred persons.” 
Rain water and river water, into which the drainage of 
towns runs, and large ponds exposed to the sun, he also 
dilates on and recommends. “ In summer, or all warm 
seasons, the evening is the best for watering ; because the 
water will have time to sink into the earth and the plants 
