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‘T2017 GH GOS 
SEPTEMBER. 269 
tithe! in “Tokinig ‘for’ any." * Shallone “eall’ him ‘a “muff if he expresses 
: ‘surprise when you tell him that Colchester is a famous place for flowers? 
Certainly not—he has no taste for it—no desire to know ; and, like our 
testy old colonel, he looks on it all’as moonshine and niches, I knew 
‘that there was ‘something to see there, and so a day or two after the 
‘Grand’ National’ Kose Show, having’ businéss of another kind there, I 
shot the two birds at once, and paid a visit, not only to Mr. Cant’s, but 
to Dr. Maclean. It. is of thé formér T desire’ td write now, for one 
‘must have felt interested to see the locality of the very fine co lection of 
‘Roses he exhibited at the Crystal Palace show. © Like many provincial 
‘hurserymen, Mr. Cant has a nursery attached to his residence, and 
‘another at some distance out of thé town. At the latter, of course, the 
‘Roses | are grown ; and it is for Roses that Mr. Cant is specia lly famous, 
“or for which, as our neighbours say, he has a “‘specialité.”” In the 
‘home nursery, he cultivates a general east stock, and has a large 
collection of Roses in pots. I was particularly struck, on entering the 
garden, with a beautiful bed of Rhodanthe Manglesii, such a one as 
indeed I have never seen before. The sun was very bright, not a very 
usual circumstance this cold and wet season. The flowers were fully 
expanded, and nothing could look more beautiful than it did. Mr. 
Cant is a very careful collector of seeds, and both here and in his larger 
grounds patches of many colours of considerable extent showed the care 
with which he selected them. ‘He has also a fine collection of fruit 
trees and shrubs, which seem. to thrive very well; and nothing could 
‘be neater and, more cleanly than the manner. in which the whole 
establishment was kept; and this is a great charm in our, English 
nurseries, the manner in which everything is arranged; and war made 
on the weeds, which choke the land and make it unfruitful, Half the 
pleasure of looking at a garden is spoiled by, untidiness. . Who could 
gaze much on a beauty if she had a dirty face or unkempt hair? But 
‘It is to see the Roses I am specially come, Mr. Cant ;. and so, chape- 
~roned by alittle boy, who gave me am interesting histor; y of his widowed 
“mother and himself ez passant, 1 found myself at. last atthe Rose 
nursery, which is situated in a somewhat open valley, with a brook 
running at, the bottom of it; and the lie of the valley 1s.towards the 
south, east, and consequently is not very. sheltered.. The.soil isan 
excellent one for, Roses, being a good. stiff loam; and the; vigorous 
crowth of. many_.kinds, which one looks on_as of weak habit, clearly 
proved, how well it agreed with them. But, I was quite surprised that 
“My.Cant’ should have cut such a quantity of bloom from his stock while 
he had another fine crop of flowers coming on for, the show which was 
to. be held in a few days in the Floral Hall. Care in selection, know- 
ledge of. the kinds required for exhibition, and good growth, could alone 
have secured this result.. Here I saw most of the older kinds in fine 
condition—while the newer ones, such as Monsieur de Montigny, 
Comtesse. Cecile de Chabrillant, Lord Palmerston, Duke of Cambridge, 
vc,, were opening fresh blooms. 
aa was very much surprised to, see the vigour with which Eveque de 
Nimes, was growing ; with me, and in_ other places where I haye seen 
it, its habit was peculiarly ‘delicate, but here it was fine and strong. 
