habits like tulips and delphiniums. Myself, I would hesitate to recommend roses to the 
neighbor around the block without asking a lot of questions. I suggest that you read my 
new book, ‘‘Hennessey on Roses,” before giving your friend advice, After that you won't 
give any advice without a lot of studying of the book, 
Along with these goes the unthinking practice of recommending to your friend, who 
may never have grown a rose plant, the thing with the most gorgeous blooms, never for 
a moment thinking about the fact that it may have all of the faults and troubles of a 
prima donna and you exult in its beauty, forgetting that the starter-in may become dis- 
gusted with the amount of effort used for a few blooms. The most abuse is with the 
variety, “THE DOCTOR,” which has a fundamentally weak plant, and even though I 
have apparently worked wonders, it still is ONLY for the connoisseur who is willing to 
put up with the plant’s idiosyncrasies. Here are others that I have built up a great 
deal, but as yet do not have the vigor that a novice should have in his varieties: Picture, 
Steed Island. Though they are closely getting to the point that they are on good 
plants. 
Possibly the most startling advance I have made is with the variety Orange Nassau, 
and as I have a good crop of this this season I will reduce my price to $1.25. While this 
is still a low grower and should be planted not farther than 16 inches apart, so that the 
plant will shade the soil, as the foliage is to some extent heat toxic even though the 
blooms will stand any condition, it may be planted in full sun or full shade and will be 
exotically beautiful in either case, and it is the bloomingest plant that I have even seen, 
with those perfect buds of Capucine orange, with the reverse pure gold, opening to a 
perfect pointed reflex petalled rose. Plant many of these, as it will be impossible to pass 
it without cutting one or more of them. Remember, if you plant it in full sun, plant 
them not further than 16 inches apart. 
Most of my varieties are such performers that they should not be planted closer than 
30 inches for the sections of the country that have hot summers and 3 to 314 feet in the 
Pacific Northwest, according to variety. These instructions are only good if all other 
Hennessey instructions are followed. 
ROSE GOSSIP 
In my work of putting real plants under beautiful roses it is necessary to understand 
that it takes as much as five years to get the plants of some varieties so that they are good 
garden performers. I can improve a variety as much as 50% a budding (that is, each 
crop). I have some varieties, such as the old Tea Roses, that apparently were static for 
three seasons, then in one more selection they would attain three times their former vigor. 
Apparently the inferior strain had been more or less stabilized through many years of 
indifferent propagation. This all means that every season I propagate a variety I improve 
it a great deal. 
Good news for my customers! For the first time in several years I will have a fairly 
good crop and expect to have enough to fill orders, at least until March 1, without sub- 
stitution, except with the following varieties: Angels Mateu, Golden Dawn, Lady Leacon- 
field, Mme. Jules Bouche, Picture, Pedralbes, Treasure Island; and though I have a fair 
amount of The Doctor, because of the wonderful improvement I have made in the variety 
I will have to say no more orders accepted for it after January 15. 
I will give comparisons and why certain varieties have been dropped: Eclipse, because 
Soeur Therese holds the color better and is more vigorous; Dickson’s Red because it 
doesn’t grow well in the hot sections; Goldeness Mainz and Golden State both because of 
lack of vigor and blackspot in the hot sections; Lady Mandeville did not grow well 
enough in the heat nor bloom; Signora for Girona in the hot sections, where it 1s 
marvelous as well as powerfully fragrant, with a perfect bud a// of the time. 
we 
