April  8,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
297 
June  17th  (Thursday). — Colchester  and  Ryde. 
„  18th  (Friday). — Portsmouth  (N.R.S.). 
„  26th  (Saturday). — Windsor. 
,,  29th  (Tuesday). — Canterbury,  Sutton,  and  Westminster  (R.H.S.). 
,,  30th  (Wednesday). — Croydon. 
July  2nd  (Friday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R  S.). 
„  7th  (Wednesday).— Glasgow  and  Reigate. 
,,  8th  (Thursday). — Bath,  Gloucester,  and  Woodbridge. 
„  15th  (Thursday). — Norwich  (N.R  S.)  and  Helensburgh. 
„  22nd  (Thursday). — Halifax  and  Trentham. 
„  27th  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
The  above  are  the  only  dates  definitely  fixed  that  have  as  yet  reached 
me.  I  shall  be  glad  to  insert  in  the  next  list,  which  will  be  issued  about 
the  middle  of  April,  any  farther  fixtures  that  may  be  sent  me. — 
Edward  Mawley,  Rosebank ,  Berkhampsted,  Herts 
Rose  Notes. 
The  interesting  note  upon  budding  Roses  so  early  as  February  16th, 
which  “  W.  R.  Raillem  ”  records  in  your  issue  of  April  1st,  inspires  a  few 
notes  upon  seasonable  work  in  the  rosery.  By  the  way,  I  may  say  that 
this  early  budding  is  by  no  means  new  to  us  in  the  south  coast  counties, 
and  although  I  have  not  budded  so  early  as  February  16th  it  has 
frequently  been  done  in  March.  Hedge  Briars  that  have  stood  over  from 
the  previous  summer  have  only  to  make  a  little  growth  at  the  points  of 
their  branches  to  admit  of  the  bark  lifting  freely.  It  has  been  our 
practice  to  utilise  such  stocks  for  new  Roses.  The  plants  are  pushed  on 
under  glass,  and  the  resulting  buds  taken  as  soon  as  we  can  lift  the  bark 
of  the  Briars.  This  was  begun  in  March  during  the  present  season,  and 
many  will  be  budded  by  the  time  these  notes  can  appear. 
Why  should  we  not  use  the  Hybrid  Sweet  Briars  as  stocks,  seeing 
they  are  very  vigorous,  hardy,  and  more  precocious  than  the  normal  type 
of  Sweet  Briar  1  At  present  (April  2nd),  and  for  some  fortnight  past,  it 
has  been  easy  to  lift  the  bark  of  these  early  Roses.  But  it  may  be  asked, 
Where  is  the  benefit  of  this  early  insertion  of  buds  ?  In  the  case  of  new 
or  very  scarce  varieties  we  can  often  secure  a  plant  from  a  bud  that 
would  otherwise  be  lost  so  far  as  the  increase  of  stock  was  concerned. 
My  plan  has  been  to  cut  back  close  as  soon  as  the  bud  was  firmly  set, 
applying  a  little  French  or  home-made  grafting  wax  to  the  wound 
immediately.  This  conserves  the  whole  of  the  sap  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Rose  bud,  which  soon  pushes  into  growth,  and  is  oftentimes  little 
behind  a  maiden  plant  of  the  same  variety  that  was  budded  the  previous 
summer. 
Taken  all  round  our  Roses  are  not  at  all  forward  for  early  April,  and 
unless  we  get  more  sun  and  less  cold  winds  I  fear  the  earlier  date  found 
necessary  for  the  Portsmouth  gathering  of  the  National  Rose  Society  will 
prove  too  early  to  secure  even  our  best  garden  and  single  Roses  in  their 
full  beauty.  We  generally  look  to  the  early  or  Southern  meeting  of  the 
N.R.S.  to  supply  the  finest  of  our  so-called  garden  Roses,  Why  “  garden 
Roses  ?  ”  and  why  not  “  singles  and  semi-doubles  ?  ”  They  do  not 
include  such  as  Marie  Van  Houtte,  G4n4ral  Jacqueminot,  Gloire  de 
Dijon,  and  others,  certainly  much  more  deserving  of  the  name  Garden 
Roses  than  the  majority  of  those  now  classed  under  that  heading.  But 
if  we  venture  into  the  realms  of  classification  we  are  in  trouble  immedi¬ 
ately  we  step  over  the  border  line,  and  many  rosarians,  as  well  as  the 
all-round  florist,  must  be  weary  of  the  subject. 
Pruning  and  spring  mulching  should  be  completed  by  now,  and  it  is 
high  time  we  cut  back  all  budded  stocks,  whether  dwarfs  or  standards, 
and  also  commence  cutting  away  the  numerous  eyes  certain  to  break 
from  all  young  hedge  Briars.  Dwarf  maidens  need  a  careful  examina¬ 
tion  at  the  same  time.  Our  plan  is  to  remove  a  little  of  the  soil  when 
budding  dwarfs,  and  as  the  stocks  are  planted  very  shallow,  a  little  soil 
being  drawn  up  to  them  so  that  they  have  the  appearance  of  Potatoes 
earthed  up,  there  is  little  to  remove  before  the  bud  can  be  placed 
well  down  upon  the  roots  of  the  stock.  This  earthing  keeps  the  bark 
soft  and  pliable,  so  that  it  is  much  easier  to  lift  when  inserting  the  bud. 
We  prefer  the  bud  to  remain  exposed  all  through  the  winter,  having 
experienced  better  results  than  when  covered  up.  This  appears  strange, 
because  we  find  earthing  up  of  dwarf  plants  a  great,  in  fact  a  perfect 
safeguard  against  injury  from  frost  to  the  lower  eyes,  and  it  would  seem 
that  the  same  rule  should  hold  good  with  dormant  buds  upon  dwarf 
stocks.  But  such  has  not  been  our  experience,  or  that  of  our 
neighbours.  _ 
But  I  am  wandering  somewhat  from  seasonable  work.  I  wished  to 
point  out  the  need  of  carefully  looking  over  dwarfs  for  suckers,  even  to 
going  over  them  three  or  four  times  before  drawing  any  of  the  surround¬ 
ing  soil  around  the  Rose  bud  once  more.  Choose  a  time  when  the 
ground  works  well,  or  go  over  the  plants  an4  place  a  little  prepared 
compost  around  the  growing  bud  after  it  has  made  some  4  to  6  inches,. 
The  Rose  growth  is  apt  to  swell  very  rapidly,  and  oftentimes  overruns- 
the  stock  in  this  direction.  A  dressing  of  soil  not  only  aids  the  RoBe- 
and  stock  to  unite  better,  but  induces  own  shoots  from  the  Rose. 
Be  careful  to  stake  early,  and  also  to  secure  the  maiden  growths 
upon  standards.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  undoubtedly  best  to  have  a 
stake  that  will  support  both  Briar  and  Rose.  Trade  growers  generally 
use  split  sticks  of  from  2  to  3  feet  in  length,  according  to  the  vigour  of 
the  variety.  These  are  securely  fastened  to  the  Briar  stem  some  foot  or 
so  below  the  maiden  growth,  and  the  latter  tied  to  the  stick  projecting 
above.  With  the  amateurs’  few  a  stake  is  not  so  much  an  object  from 
point  of  cost  as  with  those  growing  several  thousands,  and  I  recommend 
this  in  preference.  Some  consideration  should  be  given  to  the  relative 
heights  of  varieties.  To  put  the  same  stake  to  La  France  or  Baroness 
Rothschild  that  would  be  suitable  for  Madame  Gabriel  Luizet  or 
Margaret  Dickson  is  absurd  ;  while  if  they  were  reversed  the  support 
would  be  quite  useless  to  the  two  last  named  varieties. 
Insects  will  soon  be  prevalent.  I  noted  many  aphis  in  sheltered 
corners  during  the  few  sunny  days  of  late  March.  Soon,  too,  we  shall 
have  the  Rose  maggot  or  grub,  more  than  one  species  of  caterpillar  and 
other  insect  pests  at  our  favourites.  There  is  nothing  more  successful 
than  hand-pickiDg  in  this  case,  and  the  more  prompt  we  are  to  do  this 
the  better  it  will  be.  It  does  not  take  long  to  look  over  a  few  Roses  if 
one  take  it  in  hand  before  the  enemy  has  become  numerous,  and  three 
or  four  brief  visits  are  more  effectual  besides  being  less  labour  in  the  end. 
Under  glass  we  are  now  in  iul!  beauty  ;  even  an  unheated  house  is 
carrying  a  fine  show  of  bloom.  The  chief  points  are  to  battle  steadily 
and  pert  everingly  against  insects,  and  to  be  sure  that  only  mild  measures 
are  used.  These  will  be  ample  if  one  persevere,  and  more  than  ever  so 
if  early  measures  were  taken.  This  is  the  secret  of  success  in  all  plant 
culture.  Of  course  it  is  easy  to  kill  the  insects  at  any  time,  but  it  is- 
far  from  an  essy  task  to  do  so  when  well  established  without  great  risk 
of  serious  injury  to  the  plant  as  well. 
All  Roses  in  pots  will  enjoy  a  little  liquid  manure  now,  and  climbers 
turned  into  borders  or  tubs  should  have  a  liberal  supply.  Ventilation 
is  an  important  item  at  this  season.  Cold  winds  are  so  often  accom¬ 
panied  by  bright  sun,  the  temperature  rises  rapidly,  and  yet  we  fear  to 
ventilate  on  account  of  a  slight  draught  of  keen  air.  Afford  a  little 
ventilation  early,  instead  of  delaying  until  the  sun  has  caused  the 
temperature  to  rise  too  high.  Of  course  everyone  is  aware  that  draughts 
are  the  chief  source  of  mildew,  and  will  be  careful  to  apply  all, 
ventilation  upon  the  sheltered  side. 
Even  a  slight  shade  is  admirable  should  clear  weather  Bet  in.  This 
need  only  be  very  slight  indeed,  just  enough  to  break  the  burning  power 
of  the  sun,  and  yet  not  detract  from  its  light  and  influence.  In  a  house 
devoted  to  Roses  a  slight  damping  down  of  liquid  manure  is  a  great 
help  to  the  foliage  late  in  the  afternoon  and  early  in  the  morning. — 
Practice. 
Emigrants’  Information. — The  April  Circulars  of  the  Emigrants’ 
Information  Office  and  the  new  annual  editions  of  the  Handbooks 
show  the  present  prospects  of  emigration.  This  is  the  best  season  of 
the  year  for  emigrants  to  go  to  Canada,  but  there  is  no  demand  for 
anyone  except  farmers  with  capital  and  experienced  farm  labourers. 
All  emigrants  are  specially  warned  against  paying  premiums  or  other 
fees  to  any  agency  or  person  in  this  country  for  situations  as  farm 
pupils  with  farmers  in  Canada.  They  should  in  all  cases  apply  to  the 
Canadian  Government  Agents  here  or  to  this  Office.  In  New  South 
Wales  the  number  of  unemployed  persons  is  now  inconsiderable,  and 
the  prospects  of  the  colony  generally  are  improving.  In  Victoria  the 
supply  of  labour  in  Melbourne,  Warrnambool,  Sale,  and  elsewhere  is- 
sufficient,  except  that  there  is  an  opening  for  good  farm  hands  in  parts. 
The  drought  has  greatly  affected  the  harvest,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
the  average  yield  of  Wheat  will  be  under  5  bushels  an  acre  ;  better 
prices,  however,  will  be  received.  In  accordance  with  the  recommen¬ 
dations  of  the  Mildura  Commission  the  Government  has  made  an 
advance  of  money  to  the  settlement  on  certain  conditions.  Iu  South 
Australia,  owing  to  the  continuance  of  dry  weather,  farms,  orchards,  and 
fruit  trees  have  suffered  considerably,  and  the  demand  for  labour  is 
small,  though  there  has  been  some  demand  for  married  couples  without 
encumbrances  for  station,  farm,  and  domestic  service.  Queensland  has 
made  fairly  satisfactory  progress  during  the  last  year,  and  the  able- 
bodied  population  is  generally  well  employed.  There  is  a  fair  demand 
at  Rockhampton  for  practical  farm  labourers  and  ploughmen.  In 
Western  Australia  the  population,  though  rapidly  increasing,  is  still 
not  more  than  140,000,  and  therefore  the  demand  for  labour  is 
necessarily  limited.  In  New  Zealand  all  kinds  of  employment  at 
Auckland  have  been  plentiful,  and  all  the  factories  and  mills  are  beiDg 
worked  full  handed.  In  most  other  parts  also  of  the  colony,  both  in 
large  towns  and  in  country  districts,  employment  has  been  good,  as  is 
usually  the  case  during  the  summer  season.  Shearers,  harvesters,  and 
farm  hands  have  been  equally  busy,  but  with  the  completion  of  shearing 
and  harvesting  the  demand  for  these  has  declined.  According  to  a  large 
number  of  official  reports  from  all  parts  of  Cape  Colony,  dated  the  end 
of  1896,  the  cost  of  living  has  considerably  increased  owing  to  drought 
and  the  approach  of  rinderpest. — Emigrants'  Information  Office,: 
31,  Breadway,  Westminster. 
