1879 , ] 
ROSE (n.r.) HARRISON WEIR.-MARKET PLANTS.-XU. 
81 
EOSE (II.P.) HARRISON WEIR. 
[Plate 491.] 
« IIIS £ne new Rose was raised at tlie 
Royal Nursery, Slougli, by Mr. Charles 
Turner, to whom we owe the oppor¬ 
tunity of figuring it. The variety is one of the 
very highest order of merit, and in his portrait 
of its lineaments, Mr. Fitch has very faithfully 
brought out its leading characteristics, which 
may be summed up in the words—depth of 
form, and intensity of colour. It is of a re¬ 
markably vigorous constitution, with bold and 
effective foliage, and the flowers are very large, 
deep and full, symmetrically cupped, and very 
fragrant. The petals are broad, smooth, and 
stout, and of a rich velvety crimson, enlivened 
with scarlet, very bright and dazzling on the 
face of the petals, which have a slight purplish- 
rose tinge on the reverse. Mr. Turner, who 
describes it as a good autumnal bloomer, in¬ 
forms us that it is a seedling between Charles 
Lefebvre and Xavier Olibo, resembling the 
former in its form and habit, and the latter in 
its colour. It is, no doubt, a grand addition to 
our English seedling Roses, and one which may 
be expected to hold its place in our Rose- 
gardens for years to come. That a Rose 
which has flowers of the brightest tint of 
crimson-scarlet, and of great depth and fullness, 
and possesses a fine robust constitution, should 
gain public recognition, is not to be wondered 
at, and therefore we are not surprised to hear 
that last season it won First-class Certificates 
from the Royal Botanic Society on July 10th, 
the Royal Horticultural Society on July 23rd, 
and the Oxford Horticultural Society on July 
31st. It is to be sent out in June of the 
present year.—T. Moore. 
MARKET PLANTS.—XII. 
Lily of the Valley. 
« HE sweet Lily of the Valley— Conval~ 
laria majalis —is always a great favour¬ 
ite in spring, and it can be had for 
a lengthened period, beginning with flowers 
forced into heat in January and February, and 
going on to April, when .flowers are gathered 
from those plants that have been grown in 
protected pits, and Anally from plants in open 
beds. Lilies of the Valley are received from 
France, Holland, and Germany, in the form of 
clumps and as single crowns. A few of these 
are potted and placed in a brisk bottom-heat 
as soon as necessary, or they are planted out 
in cocoa-nut refuse in a forcing-pit, in both 
cases the temperature being high and very 
moist. The late Mr. Standish, of Ascot, who 
used to grow Lilies of the Valley very largely 
to cut from, made use of crowns, in preference 
to clumps. Thev were first of all planted out- 
of-doors in a bed of soil, put on the top of a bed 
of leaves and dung, and covered with mats, or 
some such material, to protect them from rain 
and frost. As these showed signs of growth, they 
were taken into one of the forcing houses, and 
planted in leaves and dung, both warm and 
moist, and finally put into pits and plunged in 
a hot-bed to get them into bloom. There are 
several ways of forcing the Lily of the Valley 
into bloom, but that followed by Mr. Standish 
will give a good general idea of a very suitable 
method. It is worthy of note that Lilies of 
No. 18. IMPERIAL SERIES. 
the Valley do not put forth any roots during 
the time of forcing ; and they are thrown away 
afterwards, as they are not considered to be 
worth keeping, being obtained from abroad 
annually, at a moderate cost. 
Turning now to Lilies of the Valley grown 
in the open ground, I may instance Messrs. 
Hawkins and Bennett, of the Lily Nursery, 
Twickenham, as perhaps the largest growers of 
Lilies of the Valley in this way. Their 
nursery contains a large number of beds, some 
newly planted, and some that have been 
established for a few years ; by this means the 
annual supply is always maintained. A bed of 
Lilies wdll last about six years; and it is not 
till the third year that a good crop of flowers 
is gathered. When a new bed is made, the 
spot of ground selected for the purpose is 
trenched to the depth of two feet, but enough 
of the soil is taken out to bring what remains 
some four inches below the level of the usual 
surface. On this is placed a layer of a well- 
jirepared compost, made up of leaf-mould, 
rotten cow-dung, and well-decomposed stable- 
dung, well mixed together ; on this the Lily 
roots are placed, covered with two inches of 
soil, and surfaced over with a good dressing of 
fresher manure, two to three inches in depth. 
The first year some growth is made. The 
second year a few flowers are produced. The 
third year a good crop is obtained. As soon 
as the leaves die away in the summer, the bed 
G 
