390 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
May  ,  18*7. 
/ 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  for  1897. 
June  7th  (Monday).— Cambridge. 
„  9th  (Wednesday). — Chelmsford. 
„  15th  (Tuesday). — Ryde. 
„  18th  (Friday). — Portsmouth  (N.R.S.), 
„  23rd  (Wednesday).— Richmond,  Surrey. 
„  24th  (Thursday). — Colchester. 
„  25th  (Friday).— Maidstone. 
„  26th  (Saturday). — Windsor  and  Dorking. 
29th  (Tuesday) — Canterbury,  Hereford,  Sutton,  and  Westminster 
(R.H.S.). 
„  30th  (Wednesday). — Croydon,  Ealing,  and  Reading. 
July  2nd  (Friday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R.S.). 
„  7th  (Wednesday).— Glasgow,  Hanley ,*  Hitchin,  Reigate,  Leeds, f 
and  Tunbridge  Wells. 
,,  8th  (Thursday). — Bath,  Gloucester,  Harrow,  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
and  Woodbridge. 
„  13th  (Tuesday).— Wolverhampton.f 
„  15th  (Thursday). — Norwich  (N.R.S.)  and  Helensburgh. 
„  17th  (Saturday) — New  Brighton. 
„  22ud  (Thursday). — Halifax  and  Trentham. 
„  27th  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  28th  (Wednesday). — Chester.* 
*  A  show  lasting  two  days.  f  Shows  lasting  three  days. 
The  above  are  the  only  dates  that  have  as  yet  reached  me.  I  shall 
be  glad  to  insert  in  the  next  list  any  further  fixtures  that  may  be  sent 
me,  whether  of  Rose  shows  or  of  horticultural  exhibitions  where  Roses 
form  a  leading  feature. — Edward  Mawley,  Rosebank',  Berkhavisted, 
Herts. 
NATIONAL  ROSE  SOCIETY. 
Southern  Show.- 
This  year  the  National  Rose  Society  will  hold  its  Southern  Show  in 
the  Victoria  Park,  Portsmouth,  on  Friday,  June  18th,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Isle  of  Wight  Rose  Society.  The  parent  Society  schedules 
twenty-six  classes,  and  the  prizes  consist  of  cups  and  money.  This 
Southern  meeting  is  happily  becoming  more  and  more  popular  every 
year,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  great  seaport  will  thoroughly 
uphold  the  reputation  that  has  been  achieved  at  the  many  other  towns 
visited  in  previous  years.  The  near  approach  of  the  Jubilee  festivities 
may  perhaps  tell  slightly  against  the  show,  but  not,  it  is  anticipated, 
very  much.  The  weather,  by  which  Roses  and  rosarians  are  so  much, 
and  sometimes  so  hardly  governed,  will  have  great  influence,  and  all 
growers  will  be  glad  to  see  the  last  of  the  cold  easterly  and  north¬ 
easterly  winds  that  have  prevailed  of  late. 
Metropolitan  Show. 
Friday,  July  2nd,  will,  it  is  hoped,  find  the  Crystal  Palace  once  more 
a  feast  of  Roses,  for  on  that  day  the  N.R.S,  holds  its  great  metropolitan 
show.  Every  Rose  grower  who  is  an  exhibitor  strives  his  utmost  to  be 
at  the  Palace,  and  those  who  do  not  stage  go  to  criticise,  and  sometimes 
condemn,  the  flowers  of  those  who  do.  The  centre  transept  on  show  day 
is  a  picture  of  beauty  and  a  dream  of  fragrance.  Already  speculations 
are  afloat  as  to  who  will  win  the  trophies,  but  the  time  of  year  is  young, 
too  much  so,  in  fact,  for  anyone  to  prophesy  with  any  confidence  and 
likelihood  of  being  correct.  If  the  weather  be  kind  to  all  growers  we 
shall  see  an  exhibition  that  will  be  worthy  of  the  year,  even  amongst  the 
many  magnificent  schemes  that  are  afoot  in  celebration  of  Her  Majesty’s 
Diamond  Jubilee.  Owing  to  ad  verse  circumstances  the  competition  in 
'  many  classes  was  decidedly  weak  last  year,  while  the  blooms  in  several 
instances  were  not  at  all  in  character;  but,  all  being  well,  it  is  hoped 
the  contest  this  year  will  be  keener  by  reason  of  both  the  increased 
number  and  the  higher  quality  of  the  flowers  staged. 
Northern  Show. 
Excellent  have  been  the  Roses  staged  at  many  shows  by  the  groweis 
of  the  Eastern  Counties,  and  this  year  they  will  on  Thursday,  July  15th, 
at  Carrow  Priory,  Norwich,  have  an  opportunity  of  improving  their 
reputation  by  taking  some  of  the  prizes  offered  by  the  N.R.S.  Amongst 
the  thirty-four  classes  enumerated  in  the  schedule  there  are  two  in  which 
“  Jubilee  trophies”  are  offered,  one  to  nurserymen,  and  the  other  to 
amateurs.  The  first-named  class  is  for  thirty-six  distinct  single  trusses, 
and  the  winner  will  hold  the  50-guinea  challenge  trophy,  receiving  in 
addition  a  Memorial  gold  medal.  The  amateurs’  clasB  is  for  twenty-four 
distinct  single  trusses,  and  again  the  50-guinea  trophy  will  be  held  by 
the  premier  winner  for  one  year,  and  a  Memorial  gold  medal  The  local 
society  known  as  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Horticultural  Society  will 
hold  its  annual  show  at  the  same  time  and  place. 
HARDY  FLOWER  NOTES. 
With  all  the  wealth  of  other  flowers,  we  welcome  the  first  of 
the  Tulips  to  bloom.  The  Tulip  has  its  faults,  but  it  has  its 
glories  too,  and  ere  the  season  is  over  I  hope  to  say  something  of 
some  of  the  rarer  species  and  varieties  yet  to  flower.  Reading  the 
other  day  in  Henry  Van  Oosten’s  curious  old  work,  “The  Dutch 
Gardener  or,  the  Compleat  Florist,"  the  first  English  translation 
of  which  was  published  in  1703,  I  was  amused  by  hi*  indignation 
at  the  criticism  the  Tulip  received  even  in  his  day.  Van  Ooiten 
seemed  to  think  it  necessary  to  defend  or  excuse  the  absence  of 
perfume  in  what  appears  to  have  been  his  favourite  flower.  In 
the  chapter  headed  “How  you  may  judge  whether  a  Tulip  be 
handsome  or  no,”  he  says  that  those  who  love  ihe  July  flowers 
(Carnations)  more  than  the  Tulips  “  would  do  well  to  consider 
that  Flowers  ought  chiefly  to  please  the  Sight  and  that  the  Smell 
gives  them  no  Beauty.”  He  proceeds: — “And  they  who  value 
Flowers  chiefly  for  their  smell  may  supply  themselves  with  Per¬ 
fumes  and  not  upbraid  this  Queen  of  Flowers  for  want  of  that 
Quality  which  derogates  not  in  the  least  from  her  Beauty,  nor 
renders  her  less  pleasing  in  a  Florist’s  Eye.” 
Yet  Van  Oosten  notwithstanding,  most  of  us  will  admit  that 
the  pleasant  perfume  of  some  other  flowers,  present  in  only  a  few 
of  the  Tulips,  would  be  very  acceptable  in  these  flowers,  which, 
when  we  understand  their  value  aright  by  study  of  their  most 
effective  uses,  will  be  even  more  appreciated  than  now,  popular  as 
they  are.  The  first  of  my  Tulips  came  into  flower  somewhere 
about  the  6th  or  7th  of  April.  This  was  one  of  several  lots  of 
wild  dwarf  species,  collected  and  sent  by  our  good  friend  Mr. 
Edward  Whittall,  of  Smyrna,  in.  1894  or  1895  It  appears  to  be 
closely  allied  to  T.  Biebersteiniana,  which  is  itself  a  variety  of 
sylvestris.  The. flowers  are  bright  yellow,  and  open  out  well  in 
the  sun,  making  a  bright  spot  on  the  rockery  on  which  they  grow. 
This  Tulip  is  only  about  6  inches  high.  The  only  distinguishing 
marks  on  the  parcel  were  the  numbers  attached  by  Mr.  Whittall, 
which  are  555  No.  1  ;  but  I  hope  he  may  be  able  to  supply  me 
with  more  information,  if  he  has  got  the  species  identified  at  Kew. 
The  next  to  bloom  was  that  noble  Tulip,  Greigi  aurea  zonata, 
of  the  beauty  of  whose  spotted  leaves  and  grand  crimion  and 
yellow  flowers  I  have  before  spoken.  I  have  not  yet  enjoyed  a 
glimpse  of  it  this  season,  but  the  recollection  of  the  past  beauty  of 
former  years  is  indelibly  imprinted  upon  my  memory,  and  the 
name  of  the  flower  brings  afresh  to  view  its  glossines*  and  exquisite 
colouring.  The  next  have  been  two  out  of  a  number  of  bulbs 
collected  in  Chios  by  a  good  friend  of  mine,  Mr.  D.  W.  Leighton 
of  the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company,  now  temporarily  on  duty  in 
that  disturbed  island,  Crete.  These  Tulips,  belonging  to  the  same 
section  as  Oculus-solis,  are  rather  tall,  but  of  very  beautiful 
colouring.  Pink  is  hardly  the  word  to  describe  the  colouring,  but 
it  might  do  if  we  could  imagine  a  transfusion  of  terra-cotta  through 
the  deeper  colouring  of  the  segments.  The  fine  Tulipa  Kauf- 
manniana,  honoured  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  with  a 
first-class  certificate  at  a  late  meeting,  is  not  going  to  flower  this 
year  ;  But  as  I  spoke  of  it  la*t  spring  I  need  not  refer  to  it  further 
at  present.  This  was  figured  on  page  335. 
It  is  evident  that  there  is  an  iucreasing  interest  in  such  Tulips 
as  these  which  owe  none  of  their  beauty  to  the  florists’  art. 
Though  this  is  the  case  we  may  yet  hope  to  see  them  taken  in 
hand  with  a  view  to  securing  greater  variety  and  more  beautiful 
flowers.  Among  the  species  in  cultivation  there  is  none  more 
distinct  than  Tulipa  biflora,  whose  flowers  are  not  borne  Bingly  on 
the  stem,  as  is  usual  in  the  genus,  but  are  produced  in  greater 
numbers,  from  two  to  five  being  generally  found.  This  Tulip 
look*  odd  in  its  way  beside  the  others,  its  forking  *tems  attracting 
attention  by  their  peculiarity.  The  flowers,  white  with  yellow 
eye  inside  and  tinged  with  green  on  the  exterior,  look  quiet  and 
unassuming  if  compared  with  their  more  showy  sisters.  For  a 
quiet  nook  in  tbe  rock  garden  there  may  be  brighter,  but  there 
will  be  few  more  interesting  flowers.  T.  biflora  was  introduced 
from  the  Caucasus  about  ninety  years  ago,  and  forms,  we  are  told, 
the  connecting  link  between  the  true  Tulips  and  those  of  the  sub¬ 
genus  Orithyia.  The  form  here  is  the  larger  one  known  as  biflora 
major.  It  requires  no  special  advice  a*  to  cultivation,  unless  one 
may  suggest  that  it  might  have  a  place  sheltered  as  far  as  possible 
from  late  spring  frosts,  my  flowers  having,  been  destroyed  this  year 
from  this  cau*e. 
One  may,  at  present,  bring  to  a  close  these  remarks  on  Tulips 
with  a  reference  to  an  ea.rly-flowering  one  not  coming  within  the 
category  of  the  popular  Dutch  varieties  now  so  brilliant  in  the 
garden.  There  are  many  Tulips  which  were  grown  long  ago,  but 
were  relegated  to  obscurity  when  these  plants  became  valued  as 
“  bedders  ”  only,  with  the  result  that  only  those  of  the  gayest 
colours,  or  of  a  distant  effect,  were  in  favour.  How  much  we 
lo*t  by  this  we  begin  to  feel  now  ;  but  happily  in  odd  corners  of 
