292 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  5,  1900. 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  in  1900. 
June  27th  (Wednesday). — Salisbury  (N.R.S.)  and  Richmond  (Surrey).* 
,,  28th  (Thursday). — Canterbury. 
„  30th  (Saturday). — Windsor. 
July  3rd  (Tuesday). — Westminster  (R.H.S.),  Gloucester,  Harrow  and 
Sutton. 
,,  4th  (Wednesday). — Croydon,  Hereford  and  Reigate. 
,,  5th  (Thursday).- — Bath  and  Norwich. 
„  7th  (Saturday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R.S.). 
„  10th  (Tuesday). — Wolverhampton.f 
,,  12th  (Thursday). — Brentwood,  Eltham  and  Salterhebble. 
,,  14th  (Saturday). — New  Brighton. 
„  18th  (Wednesday)  . — Cardiff.* 
„  19th  (Thursday). — Birmingham  (N.R.S.)  and  Helensburgh. 
,,  24th  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
*  Shows  lasting  two  days.  +  Show  lasting  three  days. 
I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  the  dates  of  any  other  Rose  shows  (or 
horticultural  exhibitions  in  which  Roses  form  a  leading  feature)  for 
the  next  list  of  Rose  Show  Fixtures,  which  will  appear  in  an  early 
issue. — Edward  Mawley,  Rosehanh,  Berhhamsted,  Herts. 
Rosea  and  the  Frost. 
The  winter  we  have  just  passed  has  been  a  pretty  severe  one,  and 
on  several  occasions  here  (Surrey)  the  temperature  was  low  enough  to 
test  the  hardiness  of  Roses.  Hybrid  Perpetuals  without  any  protection 
have  passed  unharmed,  as  they  usually  do  ;  but  it  is  the  Teas  which 
cause  one  to  be  somewhat  uneasy  during  severe  weather,  and  which 
rarely  get  through  our  usual  winters  without  harm  to  some  sorts  being 
done. 
The  only  variety  plants  of  which  are  completely  killed  is  Comlesse 
de  Nadaillac,  a  beautiful  Rose  truly,  but  one  that  is  unsatisfactory  in 
growth  with  most  people.  Bridesmaid,  another  fine  Tea  Rose,  has 
suffered  considerably,  as  well  as  others  of  the  family  of  sports,  or 
rather,  the  type  Catherine  Mermet,  the  above  offspring  and  The  Bride. 
These  are  a  bit  delicate  in  the  open,  but  by  protecting  them  we  may 
generally  save  the  lower  portions  ot  growth,  which  is  sufficient  to  give 
new  life.  Cleopatra,  Princess  Beatrice,  La  Boule  d’Or,  Luciole,  Ma 
Capucine,  Niphetos,  Princess  of  Wales,  Souvenir  d’Elise  Vardon.  and 
even  Madame  de  Watteville  and  Madame  Cusin  are  tender  Roses 
which,  except  for  purposes  of  showing,  are  hardly  worth  attempting 
in  the  garden.  As  exhibition  flowers  they  are,  with  one  or  two 
exceptions,  fine ;  and  one  is  inclined  to  risk  their  faults  of  tenderness 
and  want  of  vigour,  even  in  summer  time,  with  the  hope  of  obtaining 
a  good  bloom  now  and  then,  rather  than  discard  them  altogether. 
That  choice  Tea  Maman  Cochet  is  really  a  splendid  production. 
Not  only  are  the  blooms  lovely  in  themfjelves,  but  the  plant  is  so  free 
to  grow  and  hardy.  This  type  of  Tea  Rose  is  the  one  to  encourage  ; 
there  are  no  disappointments  in  store  for  those  who  cultivate  such. 
We  are  not  overdone  in  good  hardy,  free-growing  Tea  Roses  that  give 
finely  developed  blooms  as  well.  Anna  Olivier  is  one  ;  Ernest  Metz 
seems  only  fairly  hardy ;  Hon.  Edith  Gifford  will  withstand  a  severe 
winter;  Innocente  Pirola  is  but  fairly  robust ;  and  Francisca  Kruger 
and  Madame  Lambard,  although  hardy  and  good  in  every  respect  save 
one — that  is,  the  blooms  are  not  up  to  exhibition  form — are  for  that 
reason  not  popular  among  the  choicest.  In  this  category  are  Souvenir 
de  S.  A.  Prince  and  Souvenir  d’un  Ami,  otherwise  they  are  excellent 
for  general  culture. 
The  newer  class  of  Hybrid  Tea  Roses  appear  to  be  hardier 
generally,  but  that  best  of  all  among  them,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant,  is 
none  too  hardy  with  us.  Several  plants  have  failed.  Kaiserin 
Augusta  Victoria,  a  lovely  creamy  white,  is  hardy,  and  Caroline 
Testout  will  grow  well  anywhere.  Marquise  Litta  passed  the  winter 
well,  and  is  deserving  of  the  most  extended  culture.  Grace 
Darling,  not  a  reliable  show  Rose,  is  one  of  this  class,  really  beautiful 
as  a  garden  variety.  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam  and  White  Lady  seem 
hardy,  but  we  cannot  get  enough  growth  into  the  trees  to  make  them 
satisfactory  varieties  to  plant.  Viscountess  Folkestone  is  excellent ; 
there  are,  indeed,  few  better  garden  Roses,  and  sometimes  one  may 
cut  from  it  a  choice  show  bloom.  It  is  hardy  and  very  free. 
The  Rose^  that  suffered  to  any  extent  were  the  newly  planted 
ones.  These  are  on  standard  stems,  but  were  protected  with  hay  at 
the  junction  of  stock  and  scion.  Probably  it  is  only  the  tenderer 
varieties  of  Tea  Roses  that  need  any  protection,  at  least  in  a  somewhat 
favoured  county.  In  the  nurseries  of  the  neighbourhood  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  Roses  are  cultivated  without  being  in  any  way  protected. 
Still  we  do  not  find,  even  among  this  large  number,  the  very  tender 
sorts  named  grown  in  quantity.  They  are  left  to  those,  like  ourselves, 
whose  desire  is  to  get  examples  like  those  we  meet  with  and  admire  at 
the  Crystal  Palace  and  other  shows. — H.  S. 
- - - - 
Curing  Foliferons  Vines. 
There  are  several  things  that  may  have  a  tendency  to  encourage 
Vines  in  other  structures  as  well  as  greenhouses  to  produce  foliage  at 
the  expense  of  fruit.  The  first  essentials  to  strive  for  in  commencing 
to  cure  Vines  of  this  fault  are  new  gro'sjjths,  allowing  these  to  extend  in 
full  exposure  to  light,  and  pruning  the  well-ripened  stronger  wood  to 
plump  buds.  An  average  heat  of  55°  is  too  high  for  a  greenhouse  Vine 
at  this  time  of  year ;  it  implies  forcing,  or  a  temperature  in  which  a 
Vine  cannot  rest. 
During  winter,  or  from  November  to  March  inclusive,  the  temperature 
of  a  greenhouse  with  a  Vine  in  it  should  not  exceed  by  artificial  means 
40°  to  45°  at  night,  and  the  latter  in  the  daytime.  In  mild  periods  it 
will  range  rather  higher,  but  this  will  do  no  harm  provided  air  is  given 
at  50°,  and  the  temperature  is  not  allowed  to  rise  much  higher  without 
full  ventilation,  closing  the  house  at  50°.  All  the  heat  over  45°  should  be 
due  to  mild  weather  or  sun  heat ;  thus  the  Vine  will  have  rest  from  the  fall 
of  its  leaves  to  starting  again  naturally  in  the  spring.  This,  under  the 
conaitions  named,  will  be  early  in  April ;  and  after  this  the  temperature 
must  be  kept  from  falling  much  below  50°  at  night  when  the  Vine 
comes  into  leaf,  a  little  ventilation  being  given  at  this  stage  and 
freely  at  65°,  which  will  be  good  for  both  Vine  and  plants.  The  heat 
will  rise  much  higher  from  sun  influence,  and  there  is  no  need  to 
husband  it  beyond  closing,  or  nearly  so,  at  65°.  The  Vine  will  make 
rapid  progress  during  the  latter  part  of  April  and  during  May,  after 
which  fire  heat  may  be  dispensed  with  unless  unusually  cold,  but 
only  to  prevent  the  temperature  falling  below  50°  at  night.  A 
little  warmth  in  the  hot-water  pipes  when  the  Grapes  are  ripening  will 
be  of  service. 
Old  Vines  are  rather  prone  to  become  weak  in  the  wood,  especially 
on  the  spur  system,  and  the  “cure”  in  such  cases  is  to  encourage  new 
canes  from  the  base  and  cut  away  the  old  in  their  favour.  Supposing 
the  Vine  is  trained  along  the  eave  of  the  house  and  the  rods  are  taken 
from  this  part  up  the  roof  and  have  spurs  along  them  at  15  to  18  inches 
apart,  we  should  select  a  promising  growth  near  the  base  of  each  rod 
and  train  it  up  the  roof.  When  this  has  been  done  gradually  cut  away 
the  old  cane  from  below  upwards,  so  as  to  give  each  new  cane  the  full 
benefit  of  the  light,  pinching  the  laterals  at  the  first  joint,  and  the  sub¬ 
laterals  to  every  leaf  as  made. 
When  the  cane  has  grown  3  feet,  atop  it  a  joint  above  that  length  and 
take  the  lateral  from  the  uppermost  break  forward  as  leader,  and  when 
it  has  grown  another  3  feet  repeat  this  procedure,  and  stop  this  when 
1  foot  from  the  top  of  house,  all  the  laterals  and  sub-laterals  being 
pinched  to  one  leaf  as  made.  The  canes  thus  made  will  be  strong,  have 
firm  wood  and  plump  buds,  and  when  the  leaves  have  fallen  they  may 
be  shortened  to  a  promising  bud  about  2  feet  6  inches  from  the  base, 
cutting  the  lateral  close  to  the  cane.  In  the  following  spring  take  a 
shoot  from  the  uppermost  bud  forward  as  leader,  subjecting  it  to  the 
same  treatment  as  in  the  preceding  year,  and  from  the  other  growths 
select  four,  two  on  each  side  of  the  rod,  about  15  inches  apart,  rubbing 
off  the  rest.  Stop  these  at  two  joints  beyond  the  show  for  fruit  when 
the  leaf  at  the  joint  is  the  size  of  a  penny,  and  stop  the  laterals  and 
sub-laterals  to  one  joint  as  made.  It  is  not  advisable  to  crop  the  leader 
until  another  year. 
In  the  winter  prune  the  leader  to  about  2  feet  6  inches,  and  the 
side  shoots  to  two  buds.  In  the  third  year  take  a  cane  to  within 
1  foot  of  the  top  of  the  house  before  stopping  ;  take  also  four  shoots 
from  the  one-year-old  part,  and  of  the  shoots  springing  from  the 
growths  spurred  in  to  two  buds  select  the  most  promising  one  on  each 
and  rub  the  others  off.  The  cane  at  the  winter  pruning  should  be 
shortened  to  about  2  feet  6  inches  from  the  top  of  the  house,  and  the 
side  shoots  and  spur  growths  to  two  buds  each,  and  the  following  year 
the  Vine  will  be  in  full  bearing,  and  will  continue  to  carry  fruic  for 
some  years  to  come. 
It  would  also  be  found  advantageous  to  apply  a  half-inch  dressing  of 
air-slaked  lime,  pointing  in  with  fork  as  deeply  as  the  roots  allow. 
The  border  may  then  be  top-dressed  with  a  mixture  of  dissolved  bones 
three  parts,  sulphate  of  potash  two  parts,  and  sulphate  of  magnesia 
one  part,  mixed,  using  4  ozs.  per  square  yard,  and  scratching  in  lightly 
with  a  fork.  If  the  soil  be  light  it  would  be  a  further  advantage  to 
mulch  the  border  with  about  an  inch  thickness  of  horse  droppings, 
supplying  liquid  manure  occasionally  in  dry  weather. — G.  A. 
