542 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 2. 1904. 
The Hybrid Tea Rose. 
Its Development and its Future. 
Ten years have' passed since the National Rose Society, in 
the' face of considerable'opposition, decided to form a separate 
class for the Hybrid Tea, and it is now impossible to help 
being struck by the great diversity of opinion which was ex¬ 
pressed at the time this class was initiated. . Indeed, for several 
years many rusarian® appear to have quite pooh-poohed the 
idea that Hybrid Tea® .were the coming race, and writing in 
1894 Mr. Fo'ster-Melliar says that: A.t present they are 
an unsatisfactory class. It is very difficult even now to draw 
a decided line as to where there isi sufficient strain from the 
Tea® to warrant the division,; and it seems more than probable 
that the task will become almost impossible when the Hybrid 
Teas are crossed back again into the Hybrid Perpetuals or 
Teas as they have been already in two or three instances.” 
Finally, lie winds up by declining to accept the ruling 
of the N.R.S. in the matter, and adds: “ I have included the 
so-called Hybrid Teas among the large group of Hybrid Per¬ 
petual®, for they are both perpetual and hybrid.” Yet, surely 
if the classifying of the Hybrid Tea, was considered a, difficulty 
in 1894, the task is still harder to-day. And in spite of the 
discouragement which this class met with on its inception, 
no one will deny that a® at present constituted it is held in 
much greater esteem by the general public than is the 1 so-called 
Hybrid Perpetual class, a large proportion of which is not per¬ 
petual, and indeed, when compared with the, Hybrid Tea, ha® 
no right to the term fit all. Of course, strictly speaking, no 
class of Rose is perpetual, as even the Chinas, which are 
naturally random-blooming, take short periods of rest during 
the season. It is very singular that such an inaccurate de¬ 
signation as Hybrid Perpetual should have been, adopted. 
Hybride Remontant, which is the French ‘term, indicates the 
character of this class considerably better, because the literal 
meaning of “ remontant ” is “to grow again.” Undoubtedly, 
a great deal of the confusion which now exists is simply and 
solely due to this incorrect nomenclature, whereby we are 
taught to describe such Roses as Her Majesty, Mme. Gabriel 
Luizet, and other summer blooming kinds as perpetuals. It 
is easy to imagine the disappointment occasioned to purchasers 
of many of these Hybrid Perpetuals which for a, short season 
once a year yield a harvest of bloom and only a, few stray 
blossoms in the autumn. As, regards stocks, all my plant® 
are on the Brier. There is nothing to excel it. At the R.II.S. 
Rose Conference in 1902 Mr. Pembertoni asked: “What is a 
Hybrid Tea? " and after lie had discussed the question at some 
length came to the conclusion that no really satisfactory de¬ 
finition, could be framed. After such an, eminent authority has 
failed, we can scarcely hope to see this question finally 
answered. The old definition of a, Hybrid Tea, was a cross 
between a Hybrid Perpetual and a T'earscented variety, but 
at the present day many other methods of hybridising are 
employed by raisers in order to produce Hybrid Teas. In 
order to better illustrate my meaning, I will mention a few 
examples of Roses now in cultivation, together with their 
parentage : -—- 
1. Jeanne Buatois, a, new Hybrid Tea, which has gained 
several medals abroad, and appears to be a promising variety. 
Parentage—Merveille de Lyon (Hybrid Perpetual) x Mme. 
Eugene Resal (China,). 
-■—Marie Louise Poiret, an excellent Hybrid Tea, the result 
of crossing Mme. Caroline Test-out (Hybrid Tea) ’with Mar¬ 
quise Litta. (Hybrid Tea). 
3- —Papa Lambert, a cross between White Lady (Hybrid 
Tea) and Marie Beaumnnn (Hybrid Perpetual). 
4— Grossherzogin Victoria Melita, Safrano /Tea) x Mme. 
Caroline T'estout (Hybrid Tea). 
These four examples go to prove one point—i.e., that as far 
as parentage is concerned, it is absolutely impossible to lay 
down a definition, of a Hybrid Tea which would have any 
semblance of being practical. At the same time, I should 
like to point out that the term Hybrid Tea. is not an imposture 
like that of Hybrid Perpetual. The former is explanatory in 
that it tells us in nearly every case whether a Rose is a good 
autumnal bloomer or not, while the latter leaves us quite in 
doubt upon, this point. However, until we arrive at a more 
practical garden classification of Roses, the' only way out of 
the difficulty is for the National Rose Society to take the 
matter in hand, and if there appears to be any doubt as to 
which classes newly introduced varieties ought to 1 belong, a 
committee of experts might be appointed to classify them 
when occasion arises. 
Were it not for the' fact that Hybrid Teas as a class are very 
deficient in good red and crimson varieties', the Hybrid Per¬ 
petuals would have declined more rapidly in public favour 
than even they have done. This is undoubtedly the weak 
point of the Hybrid Tea, class generally, and, as each year goes 
by, one looks in vain for a. Hybrid Tea with the dazzling red 
of Victor Hugo and the form of Kaiserin Auguste Victoria. 
One thing is quite certain, we cannot, possibly dispense with 
some of the splendid red Hybrid Perpetuals until equally good 
forms and colours make their appearance amongst the Hybrid 
Tea®. Marquise de Salisbury, Liberty, and Griiss an Teplitz 
are the only good reds' in, the whole Hybrid Tea, class, while 
from an exhibitor’s point of view Liberty is the only one 
worth growing at all. In, my garden Liberty lias been a 
success outdoors, and one can safely say that it is one of the 
most Auriferous crimson Roses ever introduced. Although the 
N.R.S. do not include this variety ini their list of Hybrid Teas 
suitable for exhibition, probably on account of it being a 
little undersized, it, is nevertheless a favourite with some 
exhibitors. At Wolverhampton,' last July, in the class for 
twelve dark Roses, Mr. G. Mount won first prize with a grand 
box of this variety, beating several exhibitors who had relied 
upon A. K. Williams. This was in itself a rather surprising 
feat, but those who saw this fine box were greatly surprised 
■with the exquisite shape and richness of colour, and quite 
agreed with the verdict of the judges. The difficulties which 
present, themselves to raisers who are striving to produce a 
race of Hybrid Teas which shall be equal both in richness of 
colour, vigour and hardiness to the many fine Roses of the. 
Hybrid Perpetual section are numerous and great. First, of 
all, we must bear in mind that it, has taken, years of skilful 
and patient, work to bring this fine race to such perfection, 
whereas the, Hybrid Teas, with the sole exception of Cheshunt 
Hybrid and La, France, are a, comparatively new race, and. 
did not really claim much attention, until Mi*. H. Bennett in 
trod need Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Grace Darling, and Vis-.’ 
count,ess Folkestone between the years 1882 and 1886. These: 
fine varieties quickly sprang into, favour, and raisers were not 1 
slow to recognise the great possibilities of this new race. In¬ 
deed, for twenty years a,t least the efforts, of most of our great 
raisers, have been almost solely directed towards its improve 
men.t, and yet, up to the present we have to confess that there 
is riot a single red or crimson Hybrid Tea. fit to compare with 
Horace'Vernet, Louis van Houtte, or Senateur Vaisse. 
Crofs in tics Valf, of Evesham. —The rain which came or 
May 21st, the warm showers of last week, and the heavy rair 
of Thursday and Friday last have been very welcome to gar 
deners and farmers alike. Although there was plenty of 
moisture in the subsoil, the surface was very dry, and tin 
absence of rain was becoming serious. Last week the growth o 
all crops was wonderfully rapid, and it would be difficult t< 
over-estimate tjie beneficial effects of the downpour. The wash 
ing the fruit trees had, on Friday particularly, should hel{ 
to clear them from blight. Aphis blight has recently appeared 
extensively in many of the gardens in the Vale of Evesham 
and has been laying a heavy toll upon the Plums. A grea 
deal of the fruit, has also fallen off the Plum trees, arid then 
are many Pear trees which gave wonderful promise, but wil 
carry very little fruit. Nevertheless, there is likely to be ai 
abundance of fruit of all sorts, although Plums will perhap: 
not be the great crop at one time anticipated. Growers art 
expecting to make satisfactory prices all through, and man; 
have already sold large quantities of Plums. One grower soli 
100 tons of Plums several months ago. After the long rain; 
season of winter, conditions have greatly favoured the gar 
dener, and the outlook this season is very promising. 
