484 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 1, 1893. 
TEA ROSES. 
Under the head of " Symposium of Tea Roses,’ a 
series of papers appears in the Rose Annual contri¬ 
buted by growers of the Tea Rose in different parts 
of the country, dealing with the general management 
of this popular flower. The Rev. A. H. Berners, 
writing from Ipswich, states in reference to the most 
suitable stock, that in his garden where the subsoil 
is gravel, he finds out of the many stocks he has 
tried “ only two which will do justice to the Queen of 
Flowers, viz., standards and Briar cuttings.” By 
the former I presume he means the ordinary Briar 
stems from the hedgerows employed for standard 
Roses. Mr. Berners states the seedling Briar is 
useless ; “ year after year it makes little or no 
growth, and for the future it must know no place in 
the home of Roses. On standards and half standards 
the Tea Rose thrives most luxuriantly.” I may add 
that the form of the half standard is no.v being 
much employed for Tea Roses ; it serves to keep the 
blossoms of the more pendant growing varieties from 
being splashed by rain. I was particularly struck 
with this fact when inspecting the garden of Mr. W. 
Herbert Fowler, of Taunton, in August last, where 
Tea Roses do splendidly as low standards on Briar 
stocks. Mr. Berners holds that a warm, porous soil 
is the best for Tea Roses, “provided a plentiful 
supply of manure is dug into the ground when the 
beds are made.” As the Tea Roses at Harkstead 
are grown in a gravelly soil, whea planting is done 
the top spit is taken off, the subsoil thoroughly 
broken up, a dressing of well decomposed manure 
placed upon the gravel, the surface soil removed 
being returned. “ In early spring all the beds are 
mulched with stable manure, and twice every week 
during the flowering season they are fed with liquid 
cow manure, which from its cooling nature is far the 
best manure for a hot gravelly soil.” Mr. Berners 
names the following varieties as growing vigorously 
on Briar cuttings:—Amazone, Anna Olivier, Com- 
tesse de Nadaillac, Francesca Kruger, Jean Ducher, 
Marie Van Houtte, and Souvenir de S. A. Prince. His 
favourite aspect for Tea Roses is a west one, pro¬ 
tected from north and east winds. In regard to 
winter protection, though the Rose garden at Hark¬ 
stead is situated on high ground and exposed to the 
cruel east wind which blows straight from the North 
Sea, Mr. Berners states his losses are few owing to 
his precautions in the matter of protection. He says, 
“ The first week in December every plant is covered 
with long straw litter from the stable yard ; round 
the standards and half standards -this is placed, 
covering the union of the bud and stock, and is not 
removed until the end of March or the first week in 
April. It is tied together with strong pieces of 
raffia. The dwarfs are treated in a similar manner, 
the litter being shaken into the centre of the plants.’’ 
Mr. John Harkness, who lives as far north as 
Bedale, alludes to the damage caused by the frost 
of last Whitsuntide—“ Black Whitsuntide ” as he 
terms it—when not only the Teas, but H. Ps., 
mosses, and hardy Scotch Roses were blackened to 
the core. At Bedale the soil is moderately heavy, 
naturally well drained, and resting on yellow clay. 
Manure from the farmyard is used in preference to 
any other, though occasionally spent hops, pig 
manure, half inch bones, fish manure, and nitrates 
are used; the soil, though used for twelve years for 
Roses, shows no sign of being played out. At 
Bedale the stocks used for Tea Roses are the 
seedling and cutting Briars, and Mr. Harkness states 
the blooms from half standards are later than 
those from dwarfs. 
At Hereford resides the Rev. T. R. Burnside, a 
highly successful grower of Tea Roses, and though 
the Teas will grow in most soils where there is good 
drainage, Mr. Burnside’s favourite soil is a sandy 
loam of fair depth. In his garden he has some very 
stiff loamy clay, and he finds such sorts as Catherine 
Mermet, the Bride, Innocenta Pirola, and Souvenir 
d’Elise Vardon, do very well on the stiff soil, 
probably because these four varieties like moisture 
better than some of the other Teas. Mr. Burnside 
favours the before-mentioned stocks, but the seedling 
Briar also, and he adds, “if you want fine exhibi¬ 
tion blooms the dwarf seedling Briar is facile 
princeps. The best height for these standards is 
is from 3 to 4 ft.” Mr. Burnside thinks that stocks 
obtained by cuttings of Rosa polyantha may become 
useful for Teas in the future. The cuttings strike 
very easily, and make quite a network of roots. 
In regard to protection, Mr. Burnside says the 
simplest way to protect the dwarfs is to earth them 
up like Potatos, and tie a good quantity of bracken 
in the centre of the tree, as this serves to keep out a 
great deal of frost, and he prefers bracken to dung 
as a winter protection to the surface soil of the beds. 
Mr. E. Mawley, Berkhampstead, Mr. W. H. 
Williams, Salisbury, the Rev. J. A. Williams, 
Worcester, and Mr. George Paul, Cheshunt, all 
contribute papers, and they are in general agreement 
with the authorities I have named.— R. D 
-- 
ROSES AND THEIR CULTURE.* 
The country that has done most for our national 
emblem is France, more than all other countries in 
the world. English nurserymen are under great 
disadvantages compared with the French, as it is 
only in very fine seasons that our Roses bear seed, 
and even then they are not all good, very few 
germinate. Therefore we cannot raise many. 
But I think we ought to do more than we do 
in the way of getting new Roses, and a gratify¬ 
ing reward we should very likely find by skilful 
cross-breeding. It would give English people a 
chance of purchasing new English Roses without being 
compelled to get nearly all from France. In the 
first place, to get new Roses find out good seed-bear¬ 
ing varieties with a strong constitution, but which 
may be improved. Roses like General Jacqueminot, 
Duke of Edinburgh, Homer, Madame Berard, 
Madame G. Luizet, Jean Ducher, Anna Ollivier ; 
those sorts are generally good seed-bearing varieties, 
having something good in them. But if you have a 
desire to improve upon them these may be hybridised 
by any other good sort. Sometimes it is to improve 
shape and colour. To know when the pollen is ripe 
you will have to watch them opening the petals. 
Crossing Roses should be done by a camel-hair 
brush, conveying the pollen carefully to the flower 
to be hybridised. If the Roses are against the wall 
nail the shoots you have done, or, if in the open, 
support them with a stick, and protect from wind 
and rain or insects until the pod is formed. The 
pips should remain on the stem till October; then 
gather and place them in dry sand till February or 
March. The seed must then be rubbed out from 
the husk, and, if from tea-scented varieties, should 
be sown in sand, loam, and leaf mould, and covered 
about half an inch in depth. Hybrid perpetuals 
and Bourbons germinate better and the plants come 
stronger. They should be sown in the open ground 
They are best sown in drills in light soil, raked over 
and patted down with the spade. Some come the 
first year and some take two or three years in 
coming. When they get into the second pair of 
rough leaves transplant into good soil; but you must 
try and look after the mildew, for it is almost sure 
to prove fatal to them if they get it. A dusting with 
sulphur is a good thing. And if you think there is 
something in the leaf and no flower, bud it as soon 
as you can; but if you do not bud them do not 
prune them. They will flower as seedlings, but not 
as good as when budded. I think nearly the first 
English-raised Rose was sent out from the Exeter 
Nurseries, and that is the old Devoniensis. This 
fine variety was raised by George Foster, Esq., of 
Oatlands, near Devonport, produced from the old 
yellow China fertilised by yellow noisette. It 
flowered the first year, but it was small and weak. 
But when budded on a strong stock it proved a fine 
variety. 
HYBRID PERPETUALS. 
This is a very beautiful class of Rose, and very 
hardy. They thrive best in a deep rich soil. The 
first hybrid perpetual was obtained by crossing the 
hybrid China and Bourbon with the China, Bour¬ 
bon, and tea-scented varieties. It has, perhaps, done 
more in the last twenty-five years than before. They 
are well adapted for any kind of purpose, and for 
pot-culture there is nothing to surpass them. For 
standards only the strong and vigorous sorts should 
be worked. These poor growers and a good many of 
them are the best exhibition Roses. They do not 
make head enough, and they always look sickly and 
soon die. But if people, when they wanted standard 
Roses, would have nothing but strong-growing varie¬ 
ties I am sure they would be pleased with them. I 
don't think anything looks better than than standard 
* A paper read at the last meeting of the Devon and Exeter 
Gardeners'Association by Mr. W. Connett, Rose grower to 
Messrs. R. Veitch & Son 
Roses, with their free-branching graceful heads. 
But if people will go into the exhibition sort they 
will never get good standards. Dwarf hybrid per¬ 
petuals are best on the manetti stock, which has been 
in cultivation upwards of thirty years, having been 
introduced by Mr. Thomas Rivers. They do best 
on light soil, but do'well on any soil. They do well 
on the seedling Briar, and thive best in cold, stiff 
clay soil; but on light loams or peaty soil they do 
not do so well. I would always recommend the 
manetti on the seedling Briar; they flower later. 
They also do well on the cultivated Briar for heavy 
soil. On their own roots they do not flower nearly 
so free as when worked on the manetti. Planting 
from October until the middle of April, great care 
should be taken not to plant too deeply. The union 
of the bud with the stock should be two inches below 
the surface. Do not put the manure on the bare 
roots, but first shake some fine mould over them, put 
plenty of manure with the remaing soil, fill it in, tread 
firmly, if the shoots are very long cut off twelve or 
eighteen inches. In manuring the Roses, cow manue 
is the best. It is a good thing to apply a little dress¬ 
ing in the autumn for protection against frost. Prun¬ 
ing should be done during March. There is no art 
in the whole practice of gardening which requires so 
much knowledge and tact. A man may be able to 
use a knife, but he should forsee the effects which 
each cut will produce. In shortening the shoots of 
the majority of hybrid perpetuals, five or six eyes 
should be left, but when of a very strong growth 
shorten the branches to about 12 in., keeping the 
centre of the head well thinned, for if you cut back 
Roses too hard they make wood and not much flower. 
Teas. 
This beautiful class of Roses is distinguished from 
all other by their fragrance and delicate colour. 
They are suitable for planting out in houses or culti¬ 
vating in pots, and when planted out of doors the 
chief thing for their successful cultivation is a soil 
well drained, for, if it is not, it must be made so. A 
light, rich soil is best for them* And as a light pro¬ 
tection against frost dried ferns is a good thing—it 
does not exclude the circulation of air. It must be 
removed in mild weather. For pot culture the soil 
should be half loam and half leaf mould, dung, and 
sand. Pot firm. Gardeners should never buy Tea 
Roses worked on the manetti stock, for they soon 
die; they do very well the first year, or when 
grafted in great heat they grow and make good 
plants. But if you knock them out you will find 
very little root. Therefore Roses which you want 
as climbers will not do. They must be on the Briar 
or La Griffiere. The old blush Tea was introduced 
from China in 1810 ; this and the old yellow Tea, 
introduced about the same time, became the parents 
of all the beautiful varieties in this class. Some of 
the most vigorous can be grown as standards. 
Moderate, and not close, pruning is best; the weak 
and unripe cut out. You should not cut back until 
first week in April, as the early growth is often killed 
by the spring frost. 
(To be continued.) 
-- 
DENDROBIUM INFUNDIBULUM 
JAMESIANUM. 
During the spring months, when the popular species 
of Dendrobium are engrossing the attention of culti¬ 
vators, the subject of this note with the allied 
species, is liable to be overlooked or neglected. A 
smaller number of cultivators, however, treat it with 
more consideration, and are amply repaid by the 
results. The variety which we illustrate is a native 
of the hills that separate Burmah from Siam, where 
it grows upon rocks exposed to the sun. We there¬ 
fore find that the stems are shorter and stouter than 
those of the typical D. infundibulum. Another 
distinction is that the interior of the side lobes of 
the lip is covered with short roughish points, and 
the large blotch in the throat is cinnabar red. Both 
the type and the variety are by some considered as 
alpine forms of D. formosum, and we cannot there¬ 
fore be surprised to find that they thrive in a cooler 
atmosphere than that species. D. i. Jamesianum 
may therefore be grown and flowered successfully in 
the cool end of the Cattleya house or even amongst 
the Odontoglossums, where it is sometimes placed. 
Plenty of moisture must be given the plant while 
making its growth, and the atmospheric moisture 
should also be abundant. 
