43  G 
May  20,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  for  1897, 
June  7th  (Monday). — Cambridge. 
„  9th  (Wednesday). — Chelmsford. 
„  15th  (Tuesday). — Ryde. 
„  16th  (Wednesday) — York.-)-  • 
„  18th  (Friday). — Portsmouth  (N.R.S  ). 
„  23rd  (Wednesday). — Richmond,  Surrey. 
,,  24th  (Thursday). — Colchester. 
,,  25th  (Friday). — Maidstone. 
,,  26th  (Saturday). — Windsor  and  Diking. 
,,  29th  (Tuesday)  — Canterbury,  Hereford,  Sutton,  aDd  Westminster 
(R.H.S.). 
t<  30th  (Wednesday)  — Croydon,  Ealing,  Farnham,  and  Reading. 
July  2ud  (Friday)  — Crystal  Palace  (N.R  S.). 
„  7th  (Wednesday). — Glasgow,  Hanley,*  Hitchin,  Reigaie,  Leeds, f 
and  Tunbridge  Wells 
,,  8th  (Thursday). — Bath,  Gloucester,  Harrow,  Newcastle-on-Tyne,f 
and  Woodbridge. 
„  13th  (Tuesday). — Wolverhampton  .-)- 
„  15th  (Thursday).— Norwich  (N.R  S.)  and  Helensburgh. 
„  17th  (Saturday) — New  Brighton. 
„  22ud  (Thursday). — Halifax  and  Trentham. 
„  27th  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  28th  (Wednesday). — Chester.* 
„  31st  (Saturday). — Liverpool.* 
*  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,  Herkhanisted, 
Herts. 
Comments  and  Impressions. 
During  the  twenty  years  that  the  Journal  has  furnished  me  with 
abuudant  instruction  and  entertainment  week  by  week,  the  Rose  pages 
have  always  been  eagerly  and  closely  read,  greatly  to  my  advantage  in 
the  early  struggles  to  overcome  difficulties  connected  with  successful 
culture.  Rarely  have  I  contributed  my  experiences,  however,  probably 
from  a  consciousness  that  it  is  not  easy  to  write  anything  fresh  upon  a 
subject  which  has  been  so  ably  and  fully  treated  by  the  veterans  of  the 
Roie  world.  Still  the  Journal  writers  seem  to  be  united  in  such  a  close 
brotherhood,  and  the  Editor  so  frequently  encourages  his  readers  to  add 
to  the  common  Btore,  that  it  becomes  almost  a  duty  to  help,  with  the 
hope  that  such  hints  as  may  be  given  will  assist  someone  starting  on  the 
“  thorny  ”  path.  That  is  one  of  my  objects,  but  I  may  now  and  then 
take  a  step  in  advance  ;  and  if  this  first  letter  pass  safely  through  the 
preliminary  ordeal  and  reach  the  world  of  readers,  ae  is  hoped  it  may,  I 
shall  feel  emboldened  to  try  the  exp-riment  again. 
Some  time  since  I  was  talking  with  a  friend  of  horticultural  pro¬ 
clivities  who  has  courted  the  favour  of  many  flowers,  each  of  which  has 
possessed  his  mind  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  in  turn,  and  he 
confessed  very  earnestly  that,  notwithstanding  his  seeming  fickleness, 
his  true  love  it  the  Rose.  Solemn  vows  were  made,  too,  that  he  would 
prove  his  loyalty  to  the  queen  of  flowers  by  again  entering  the  fateful 
arena  of  show  competition.  There  are  many  flower  lovers  like  my 
friend,  whose  hearts  are  large  and  whose  admiration  for  Nature’s  most 
charming  productions  is  unbounded,  and  yet  there  is  some  one  flower 
which  has  the  chief  place  and  retains  it  against  all  others.  With  regard 
to  the  Rose,  the  great  and  enduring  quality  is  that  its  charms  are  ever 
fresh ;  it  is  like  a  valued  friend  whose  depth  of  character  we  have 
fathomed,  and  whoee  merits  have  been  proved.  Even  though  it 
possesses  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  gentler  sex  in  regard  to  the 
fact  that  it  is  “  uncertain,  coy,  and  hard  to  please,”  yet  we  reap  ample 
reward  for  devotion  in  our  fair  queen’s  smiles  when  we  watch  the 
exquisite  beauties  of  the  developing  flowers. 
Perhaps  these  thoughts  have  been  suggested  by  a  morning  inspection 
of  my  Roses,  which  has  brought  to  mind  the  working  and  watching  of 
many  years,  their  attendant  disappointments  or  happy  realisation  of 
wishes.  It  brought  back  memories,  too,  of  the  early  days  when,  after 
initiation  into  the  mysteries  of  budding,  I  watched  with  pride  the 
development  of  the  buds  which  had  “  taken.”  Since  then  I  have 
budded,  grown,  and  studied  many  thousands  of  Roses ;  but  it  is  ques¬ 
tionable  if  keener  pleasure  has  been  derived  from  any  than  was  afforded 
by  these  first  exploits.  _ 
The  satisfaction  of  being  able  to  cat  bountiful  baskets  of  delicious 
blooms  for  home  use  or  friends  is  indeed  great ;  so,  too,  the  rosarian’s 
heait  warms  at  the  sight  of  the  “  first  prize  ”  secured  to  a  stand  of 
flowers  at  a  show.  But  the  memories  of  early  floral  triumphs,  young 
though  they  were,  are  more  lasting,  becau-e  the  impressions  were  made 
when  the  mind  was  more  plastic  and  experience  restricted.  It  is  the 
same  in  many  other  things,  for  I  remember  on  one  occasion  having  a 
most  entertaining  conversation  with  the  late  Dr.  Hogg  on  a  similar  subject, 
and  be  related  with  much  gusto  the  following  anecdote: — In  preparing 
one  of  the  earlier  editions  of  the  ‘  Fruit  Manual”  for  the  press  he 
found  that  he  had  not  included  in  it  an  Apple  which  was  well  known  to 
him  in  Scotland,  and  remembered  from  his  boyhood’s  days  as  possessing 
an  exquisite  flavour.  Diligent  search  amongst  the  fruit  collections  in 
the  South  failed  to  reveal  this  wonderful  variety,  and  the  Doctor  under¬ 
took  a  journey  over  the  border  mainly  with  a  view  to  its  rediscovery. 
It  was  indeed  found.  “  But,”  said  he,  in  concluding  his  story, 
“  never  was  I  more  disappointed  in  my  life,  for  the  Apple  proved  to  be  a 
flavourless,  useless  variety,  greatly  inferior  to  hundreds  known  to  my 
later  years.”  _ 
Much  the  stme  might  prove  to  be  the  case  with  regard  to  the  Roses 
and  other  flowers  of  early  youth,  difficult  though  it  seems  to  realise. 
Certainly  my  memories  of  the  Roses  which  adorned  the  country  garden  in 
ray  boyhood’s  home  represent  them  as  superior  in  most  respects  to  any 
I  have  been  able  to  grow  since.  Arbours  and  arche9  were  draped  and 
festooned  with  profusely  flowered  and  varied  climbing  and  trailing  Roses, 
while  the  Roses  in  beds  cut  in  the  grass  appear  to  have  been  so  rich  in 
colours  and  fragrance,  and  to  have  afforded  so  long  a  succession  of 
handsome  flowers,  that  my  best  efforts  have  never  enabled  me  to  repro¬ 
duce.  One  of  the  old  favourites,  however,  may  be  cited  as  an  exception, 
the  good  old  Gdodral  Jacqueminot,  for  this  at  least  is  fully  up  to 
memory’s  standard,  and  is  even  now  one  of  our  most  valued  Roses  of 
its  class  and  colour — speaking  from  a  garden  rather  than  an  exhibition 
point  of  view,  though  blooms  are  still  seen  in  leading  stands.  Another 
which  I  remember  well  as  especially  handsome  was  Cramoisie  Superieure, 
but  though  I  have  had  a  variety  under  this  name  several  times  it  has 
never  seemed  to  approach  that  in  my  mind.  Some  of  these  old  Roses 
are  delightful  garden  plants,  and  without  attempting  to  classify  them 
we  may  set  down  as  examples  of  those  for  beds  the  old  China,  Fellenberg, 
and  Aimde  Vibert,  while  as  climbers  there  are  numbers  which  are  most 
floriferous.  It  is  after  all  as  a  garden  plant  that  the  Rose  must  have  the 
greatest  number  of  admirers,  and  while  fully  recognising  the  interest 
and  help  derivable  from  the  shows  it  is  yet  in  the  garden,  however 
pretentious  or  bumble  it  may  be,  that  we  secure  the  greatest  pleasure 
from  our  favourites. 
Occasionally  if  the  Editor  deem  my  contribution  of  sufficient  value, 
I  shall  hope  to  refer  to  some  of  these  old  Ro3es  more  particularly,  to 
state  my  experiences  and  observations  with  the  more  recent  varieties,  to 
comment  freely  on  Rose  gardens  and  exhibitions,  and  to  give  such  cul¬ 
tural  hints  from  time  to  time  as  may  be  seasonable  and  of  general 
interest.  As  this  is  only  a  preliminary  letter  which  has  extended  some¬ 
what  beyond  its  intended  limit,  1  can  only  now  say  that  a  cultural  topic 
to  which  my  first  notes  will  be  devoted  is  respecting  the  use  of  artificial 
manures  as  partial  or  entire  substitutes  for  stable  or  farmyard  manure. 
Here  I  shall  probably  be  disturbing  the  Rose  growing  traditions  of 
many,  but  what  I  have  to  record  is  simply  the  result  of  my  own 
experience,  and  must  therefore  be  taken  on  that  basis.  It  had  long 
been  my  belief  that  in  some  soils  a  large  amount  of  stable  manure  wa9 
not  merely  unnecessary  for  Roses,  but  positively  hurtful  to  certain  varieties, 
and  I  determined  to  endeavour  to  ascertain  how  far  some  of  the  simpler 
chemical  manures  could  be  employed  with  advantage  as  substitutes, 
while  obtaining  the  required  vigour  of  growth,  substance  of  bloom,  and 
clearness  of  colours.  Though  there  is  much  more  to  investigate  some 
interesting  results  have  been  observed,  and  are  at  least  suggestive. — 
Midland  Rosarian. 
[The  insertion  of  these  notes  is  the  best  evidence  of  their  acceptability, 
and  our  correspondent  can,  if  he  can  find  time,  contribute  much  that  is 
interesting,  suggestive,  and  useful  pertaining  to  the  Rose.) 
CONSERVATORY  MANAGEMENT. 
Supplementary  to  my  notes  in  the  issue  of  April  1st,  page  280,  I 
send  the  following  account,  together  with  a  photograph  of  the  conser¬ 
vatory  at  Walton  Lea.  The  house  is  40  feet  long  by  25  feet  wide.  At 
the  west  end,  or  that  which  is  represented  as  most  distant  in  the  picture, 
is  a  fine  specimen  Camellia  of  the  alba  plena  variety,  with  smaller 
plants  on  each  side  of  it  of  Donckelaari.  Borders  about  4  feet  wide  run 
along  each  side  of  the  house,  in  which  the  climbers  are  planted,  and  on 
which  plants  are  also  arranged. 
On  the  centre  floor  are  arranged  three  groups  similar  to  the  one  seen 
in  the  foreground  of  the  picture.  At  the  time  of  photographing  the 
bouse  was  furnished  chiefly  with  Azaleas,  Deutzia  gracilis,  and  other 
miscellaneous  plants.  Of  the  former  the  following  are  among  the 
varieties  grown: — Due  de  Nassau  (cf  which  there  are  several  fine 
pyramidal  plants  7  feet  high  and  4  feet  through),  Souvenir  de  Prince 
Albert,  Stella,  Model,  Baronne  de  Vriere,  Due  de  Brabant,  Mdlle.  Marie 
Planchon,  B.  S.  Williams,  Dr.  de  Mill,  Bernhard  Andreas  alba,  Apollo, 
Sigismund  Rucker,  Balsaminiflora,  Madame  Van  der  Cruyssen,  and  others. 
It  may  interest  the  readers  of  the  Journal  to  know  that  this  house, 
as  well  as  the  other  plant  and  fruit  houses,  are  open  to  the  public  of  the 
neighbouring  town  of  Warrington  twice  each  year  (two  days  on  each 
<  ccasion) — in  the  spring  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  Azaleas  or 
Camellias,  in  the  autumn  for  seeing  the  Chrysanthemums  respectively. 
On  these  occasions  visitors  to  the  number  of  several  thousands  attend  the 
gardens.  Special  arrangements  are  made  to  facilitate  their  passage  through 
the  houses  and  grounds.  These  show  days  are  looked  forward  to  with 
great  interest,  and  the  privilege  accorded  is  highly  appreciated.— P.  W. 
