14 
well into the ground by irrigation. A top- 
dressing of rotted stable manure will also 
prove very valuable under such conditions. 
ENGLISH ROSE CHAT. 
Before this short paper is in print the 
battle of Roses will be over. There may be 
a few skirmishes here and there, but the 
great pitched battles have, all been decided, 
and though many a young soldier in the 
Rose world has given promise that the bat- 
talions of the army will be efficiently offi- 
cered when its great generals have retired 
from the fight, yet both with professionals 
and amateurs the leaders of the past few 
years still mark themselves as pre-emin- 
ently fitted for the position they have so 
long and honorably held. Now and again 
fortunes may vary. Climatic influences 
may differ locally so as to cause pre-eml- 
nent success or very partial failure, but the 
fact stands forth undeniable and undenied 
that the prestige of the giants of the Rose 
world remains unassailed. 
After all, the Rose season is, to the 
thinking man, a parable. It is a diminu- 
tive picture of human life. It has its Joys 
and its griefs, its failures and successes ; 
it carries with it the lesson that is thou- 
sands of years old, “Nil sine labore,’ and 
it has the infinite blessing that every one 
who strives to do his duty enjoys a con- 
sciousness—a happy consciousness—thati 
sometimes failure is better than success. 
While the idle or indifferent sit down and 
yield to difficulties, the hopeful and trust- 
ful rosarian works on, brave under re- 
verses and modest under success. 
Well, the Rose season has eventuated 
much, ad I thought it would, though in 
many cases I have been: agreeably sur- 
prised. With me it has been a year of 
light Roses, the dark ones have, as a rule, 
been inferior. The early growth was weak, 
and the blooms in consequence’ lacked sub- 
stance. Here and there have been happy 
exceptions. Fisher Holmes has quite held 
its own. Captain Hayward, most beautiful 
but too ephemeral—the intense heat of the 
first fortnight in July was too much for this 
lovely Rose. Alfred Colomb and Marie 
Baumann, after the early shows, have been 
quite up to their usual standard, and Ul- 
rich Brunner—never failing—has given 
_ most useful blooms. Duchess of Bedford, 
again, very much backward at first, has de- - 
veloped a few lovely flowers. But here, 
so far as dark Roses are concerned, my 
good news almost ends. When one comes to 
the lighter varieties the tale is different. 
Marie Finger has been superb. Margaret 
Dickson, Clio, and Mrs. Laing have de- 
lighted me. Mrs. Cocker has been excellent, 
and Her Majesty of better shape than 
usual with me. As I anticipated somewhat 
early this season, the Hybrid Teas (whose 
appellation is still a mystery to me) have 
been charming. La France, very good; 
Killarney, perfectly bewitching; Madame 
Cadeau-Ramey, excellent; Mamie, of good 
form, color, and substance; Viscountess 
Folkestone, charming; Caroline Testout, 
very good ; Mildred Grant, not so good, but 
fair—this Rose is apt to come coarse with 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
"eae Ocr. 1, 1903 
me when it has size; Bessie Brown, at 
times very lovely; and Edith D’Ombrain, 
most promising. I think very highly of 
this Rose, and I believe it will be well 
worthy of its name, and I do not think a 
higher compliment can be paid it. Teas 
have been quite good of late, notably the 
never-failing Maman Cochet. Madame 
Hoste, Medea, Rubens, Cleopatra, Anna 
Olivier Madame Bravy, The Bride, Muriel 
Grahame, Innocente Pirola, and Souvenir 
de S. A. Prince have been especially good. 
Sylph, too often imperfect, has given me 
many pretty blooms. While speaking of 
Hybrid Teas, I forgot to mention Clara 
Watson, and while thanking the Rey. 
David R. Williamson for his too courteous 
remarks, I am{happy to endorse his opinion 
of this variety. It is an excellent flower, 
and I was pleased to see it in, I think, 
Messrs. Harkness & Co.’s prize seventy-two 
at the Temple Gardens. 
As a little boy will pick out of his cake 
afew of the finest plums for a “bonne 
bouche,” I reserye Frau Karl Druschki for 
this final post of honor. This is.a superb 
Rose, having every quality that the queen 
of flowers should possess. It is a most 
vigorous grower and abundant bloomer, 
and its flowers are of excellent quality and 
shape, and in its color it stands alone. 
What is itsjparentage I saw some grafted 
plants of this Rose in Mr. Mount’s home 
on July 3. They were grafted in January, 
and had some 8 ft. of growth on single 
stems, and as far as I can judge the vigor 
of this Rose in the open will be equal to 
that of any H.P. in existence. Papa Lam- 
bert ought to be decorated for giving to 
the Rose world such a magnificent variety. 
Readers will have had enough of me by 
this time, sd I will close for the present. 
Henry B. Brron—The Gardener, 
POLYANTHUS PRIMROSES. 
Polyanthus Primroses is a convenient de- 
signation applied to a race of handsome 
' Primroses, the first blooms of which are of 
the true Primrose type; that is, one flower 
is borne upon a stem 3 or 4 in. or so in 
length, followed by Polyanthus stems, 
generally stout and erect, and_ bearing 
large trusses of fine blooms on short pedi- 
cels. Seeing that these two characters— 
the Primrose character and the Polyanthus 
character—are combined in the same indi- 
vidual, we are bound to recognise the fact 
that the Primrose and the Polyanthus are 
but two forms of the same species, and not 
two distinct species. I think we may as- 
sume that the Primrose was the original 
_type, and that the Polyanthus has been 
derived from it. That the two are as inti- 
mately related as the Peach and Nectarine, 
_which are simply forms of the same fruit, 
is seen in the fact that the common yellow 
Primrose of the fields, if subjected to good 
cultivation in gardens, will produce Poly- 
anthus stems. 
The Polyanthus Primrose makes a very 
effective and delightful spring blooming 
plant. To secure strong plants, it is well 
to sow seeds in pots or boxes of a good 
sandy compost which is well drained. I 
find germination hastened, first by sowing 
thinly, and second by placing a piece of 
glass over the box or pots in which the 
seed is sown, care being exercised to keep 
the surface nicely moist. As a matter of 
course, with a glass covering evaporation. is 
slow, and very little water is really re- 
quired. When the plants have developed 
their second or third pair of leaves they 
should be pricked off into other boxes or 
pots, be kept in a cool, shady place for a 
time, and then, when they show signs of 
growth, the pans can be stood out in the 
open, though not in the full glare of the 
sun in the hottest part of the day. That 
they must have necessary water goes with- 
out saying. 
R. Dran—The Girdener. 
SMITH & MENZEL 
Aldgate, South Australia, 
Specialty Growers. 
We grow three or four specialties in very large 
quantities for mail orders, and these lines carry 
to any part of Australia safely by post. See 
advertisement elsewhere. SMITH & MENZEL. 
The Royal Exchange 
PRINTING OFFICE 
Nos. 114 and 115, 
Royal Exchange Basement, 
King William Street, 
ADE AIO. & 
Every kind of Printing Executed 
at the shortest notice and at 
cheapest rates. 
Business Cards, Circulars, 
Billheads, Letter Headings, 
Receipt Forms, Order Books, 
Pamphlets, Programmes, 
Tickets, Placards, &c., &c., &c. - 
Everything for the Warehouse, 
the Office, the Manufacturer, the 
Business House, the Concert Hall, 
_ or Private Functions. 
Seedsmen’s, Florists’, and Nur: 
serymen’s Catalogues and Lists a 
Specialty. 
C. K. BALDWINSON, Manager. 
Printer for the ‘‘ Australian Gardener.” 
S.A. HORTICULTURAL AND FLORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Patron—His Excellency the Governor, Sir George R. Le Hunte, K.C.M.G. 
President Sir Edwin Smith, K,C.M.G. 
Roser ss HO WwW , 
Town Hall, Adelaide, Thursday, October 22. 
Grand Display of Roses, Pot Plants, Cut Flowers and Vegetables. Decorated Dinner Tables 
See prizs schedules for the “ President’s Special Prizes” for Roses, &c., &c. 
W. CHAMPION HACKET', Hon, Sec, 
