14 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  4, 1895. 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  for  1895. 
July  4th  (Thursday). — Eltham  and  Norwich. 
„  6th  (Saturday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R  S.). 
„  9th  (Tuesday). — Ipswich,  Westminster  (R.H.S.),  and  Wolver¬ 
hampton.* 
„  10th  (Wednesday). — Chelmsford,  Farnham,  Hitchin,  and  Eedhill 
(Reigate),  TJlverston. 
„  11th  (Thursday). — Bath,  Great  Malvern  (Hereford  Rose  Society), 
Helensburgh,  Woodbridge,  and  Worksop. 
„  l2th  (Friday). — King’s  Lynn. 
,,  13th  (Saturday). — New  Brighton. 
„  17th  (Wednesday). — Derby  (N.R.S.). 
„  18th  (Thursday). — Canterbury  (Kent  Hospital  Fite)  and  Halifax. 
„  20th  (Saturday). — Manchester. 
j,  23rd  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  24th  (Wednesday). — Chesterfield  and  Newcastle-on-Tyne.* 
„  25th  (Thursday). — Trentham. 
Aug.  3rd  (Saturday)  and  5th. — Liverpool.! 
*  A  show  lasting  three  days.  f  A  show  lasting  two  days. 
— Edward  Mawley,  Rosehanh,  BerTtliaimted,  Herts. 
A  Great  Rose  Show. 
3656  Rose  blooms  were  staged  in  competition  at  the  National  Rose 
Society’s  Show  at  Gloucester,  on  June  27th.  The  above  total  does  not 
include  the  Roses  exhibited  in  the  section  for  garden  Roses,  and  in  the 
decorative  classes.  With  the  exception  of  those  at  Birmingharn  in 
1890,  and  Chester  in  1892,  this  was  the  largest  provincial  exhibition  the 
Society  has  yet  held. — Edward  Mawley. 
William  Allen  Richardson. 
My  blooms  of  this  Rose  are  almost  white  this  season,  only  faintly 
coloured  cream.  Why  is  this  ?  Once  before  I  observed  this  paleness. 
Is  it  from  watering  where  the  main  soil  is  clay  ? — A.  M.  B. 
|_By  far  the  most  richly  coloured  blooms  we  have  seen  this  year  were 
produced  by  a  plant  growing  against  a  wall  which  only  received  the 
morning  and  afternoon  sun.  A  plant  in  the  same  garden  on  a  south 
aspect  had  flowers  both  smaller  and  paler.] 
Low  Standard  Roses. 
1  have  often  wondered  that  dwarf  standard  Roses  are  not  more 
extensively  planted.  They  form  such  beautiful  objects  in  the  flower 
garden.  If  on  stems  1  to  1^  foot  high,  when  well  grown  the  flowers  are 
brought  within  a  pleasant  distance  of  the  eye  and  nose,  delighting  the 
former  and  regaling  the  latter.  It  is  so  easy,  too,  to  keep  the  surface 
of  the  ground  loose  and  the  weeds  down  by  frequent  hoeing  under  the 
heads.  I  have  a  short  avenue  of  them  in  my  garden  which  everyone 
admires.  Some  of  the  plants  are  thirty  years  old,  yards  in  circum¬ 
ference,  with  hundreds  of  flowers  on  each.  They  form,  indeed,  an 
exquisite  picture  of  floral  beauty. — Wm.  Paul,  Waltham  Cross. 
New  Roses. 
In  your  last  issue  (page  563)  the  lasting  qualities  of  our  new  Roses, 
Queen  Mab  and  Sylph,  are  noticed  as  being  fresh  in  colour  and 
fragrance  after  having  been  in  water  for  six  days.  As  a  raiser  or  intro¬ 
ducer  of  new  Roses,  the  durability  of  the  flowers  has  always  been  a 
principal  aim  with  me  (see  “  Rose  Garden,”  ninth  edition,  page  119), 
and  those  who  possess  my  Princess  Beatrice  and  Star  of  Waltham  have 
flowers  that  will  last  for  twelve  or  fourteen  days.  The  transitoriness  of 
single  Roses  is  in  my  judgment  a  fatal  bar  to  their  extended  use,  either 
in  garden  or  house  decoration.  Their  lives  are  numbered  not  by  days, 
but  by  hours ,  They  are 
“  Like  the  snowfall  in  the  river. 
A  moment  white,  then  melt  for  ever.” 
— Wm,  Paul  (o/  William  Paul  Son'),  Waltham  Cross. 
A  Trio  of  MARficHAL  Niel. 
The  three  giant  Marechal  Niel  Rose  trees  at  Stockfield  and  Street- 
bridge,  in  Roy  ton,  belonging  to^Ir.Mellor  and  Mr.  L.  Baron  respectively, 
which  during  the  past  few  weeks  have  been  envied  by  all  true  lovers  of 
the  queen  of  flowers,  have  ceased  to  bloom.  Since  the  first  Sunday 
in  May  up  to  within  about  a  fortnight  ago  no  fewer  than 
30,000  Roses  have  been  cut  from  these  trees.  From  Mr.  Mellor’s 
tree  at  Stockfield,  which  is  the  largest  of  the  three,  15,000  Roses  have 
been  cut  and  sold.  When  the  Roses  were  in  bloom  the  glass  houses  in 
which  they  grow,  and,  in  fact,  the  village  of  Streetbridge  itself,  were 
fragrant  with  the  scent  arising  from  them.  The  trees  are  massive,  and 
the  doorways  leading  to  the  summer  houses  would,  but  for  the  pruning 
knife,  soon  get  blocked  by  the  profusion  of  the  climbers.  Hundreds  of 
people  visited  Streetbridge  when  the  Roses  were  in  bloom,  many  coming 
from  distant  parts. — (“  Oldham  Weekly  Chronicle.”)  <  ‘ 
PEONIES  AT  ALTRINCHAM.  .  . 
On  a  recent  visit  to  Messrs.  Clibran  &z  Sons’  Nurseries  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  see  their  large  collection  of  Chinese  Paeonies,  comprising 
many  thousands  in  the  height  of  perfection,  the  sight  being  a  truly 
magnificent  one.  In  the  early  days,  when  the  old-fashioned  crimsoii 
held  undisputed  sway,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  imagine  the  glories 
of  an  np-to-date  collection,  where  for  brilliancy  of  colour,  remarkable 
combination,  diversity  of  form,  and  freedom  of  flowering,  Pseonies  stand 
unrivalled  for  open  beds  and  borders  during  the  early  summer  months. 
What  a  change  the  hybridist  has  made  in  the  appearance  of  the 'flowers  ! 
As  there  are  so  many  varieties  catalogued,  it  becomes  a  tiresome 
task  to  make  a  choice,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  would  com¬ 
mence  or  care  to  add  to  their  collection  I  have  made  a  selection  that 
I  can  strongly  recommend,  and  which  I  hope  may  be  helpful  to  many 
readers.  Augustine  d’Hour,  purple  scarlet,  white  reflection  ;  ‘Albert 
Crousse,  silvery  peach ;  Achille,  delicate  pink  ;  Baroness  James  de 
Rothschild,  silvery  rose  ;  Canari,  white  with  yellow  centre  ;  Charles 
Binder,  soft  lilac  purple,  extra  large  flower  ;  Countess  de  Montlavet, 
pink,  centre  white,  mixed  with  carmine  ;  Crimson  King,  intense 
crimson,  exquisitely  scented  ;  Carlotta  Grisi,  rose,  centre  carmme  and 
white,  fragrant ;  Duchesse  d’Orleans,  pale  rose,  salmoh  centre ; 
Duguesclin,  deep  rose  suffused  light  pink  ;  Etendard  du  Grand 'Hblnme, 
brilliant  rose  purple,  fragrant ;  Engine  Verdier,  rosy  pink,  bliish’cehtre, 
rose  stamens,  scented  ;  festiva  maxima,  pure  white,  centre  carmine, 
fragrant  ;  Faust,  blush  white,  centre  chamois  ;  flavesCehs,*'  creamy 
white,  rose  scented ;  grandiflora  rosea  lutescens,  guard  ‘  petals  pink 
spotted,  carmine  centre,  sweet;  Jeanne  d’Arc,  rosy  pink,  White  and 
rose  centre;  Marie  Lemoine,  pure  white,  golden  anthers';  Monsieur 
Galland,  blood  red,  shaded  violet,  extra  large  ;  plenissima  rosea  superba, 
bright  rose,  silvery  white  reflection,  fragrant ;  Prince  de  Spin  Dyck, 
rosy  pink,  light  centre,  large  ;  Pauline,  salmon  rose,  shaded,, and;  tipped 
white ;  Taglioni,  pink  suffused  white  ;  Ville  de  Poisy,  s'atih]^  rose, 
shading  to  white. 
In  single  and  Anemone-centred  varieties  a  charming  pMr  are  Duke 
of  York,  Anemone-flowered,  outer  petals  crimson,  with  gbldfen  and 
crimson  stamens  ;  and  Duchess  of  York,  white  with  thread-like  stamens. 
Four  others  very  fine  are  Crimson  Perfection,  with  golden  stamens  ; 
Delicatissima,  pale  pink,  golden  stamens  ;  Lord  Stamfbfd,  violet 
crimson,  gold  and  crimson  stamens;  and  Pride  of  Oldfield,  an  enormous 
flower,  pink  guard  petals,  sulphur  stamens. 
Their  cultivation  offers  very  few  difficulties,  the  chief  points  being* 
an  open  bed  or  border  exposed  to  the  sun,  rich  soil,  liberal  treatment  in 
manure,  both  forked  in  and  heavily  mulched.  Messrs.  Clibran ’’do  not 
allow  the  roots  too  long  without  being  disturbed,  but  take  up  and  divide 
every  three,  four,  or  five  years. — A  Visitor. 
R.H.S.  EXAMINATION. 
I  HAVE  read  (page  470)  the  answers  to  the  first  set  of  questions 
given  at  the  recent  examination  in  horticulture.  I  should  like  to  say  a 
few  words  about  a  few  mistakes  made  in  some  of  them  by  the  writer 
“  E.  D.  S.,”  and  also  to  one  made  on  page  500  by  “  A  Reader.” 
"  E.  D.  S.”  says,  “  Plants  absorb  by  means  of  their  roots  organic  and 
inorganic  elements.”  But  of  the  eleven  he  quoted  as  elements  only  six 
of  them  are  such,  the  other  five,  which  are  as  follows,  potash,  soda,,  lime, 
magnesia,  and  silica,  being  compounds.  He  left  out  altogether  one  of 
the  most  essential  of  all  the  elements — viz,,  phosphorus.  '“'E.  D.  S.” 
also  claims  that  the  spongioles  are  of  equal  importance  for  the'  absorption 
of  water  as  root-hairs,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  for  while  the  ekttemities  of 
the  roots  are  able  to  absorb  a  very  small  quantity  of  water,  the  Tbot-hairs 
are  great  absorbers.  '  ,  * '  ' 
The  fact  that  the  tips  of  Calceolaria  roots  were  eaten  kway 'by  the 
grubs  of  the  leather  jacket  does  not  prove  that  the  plants'  'drooped 
because  the  spongioles  could  not  take  up  water,  but  rather  on  account 
of  the  growing  points  of  the  roots  being  destroyed  no  new  growth 
could  take  place,  consequently  no  new  root-hairs,  and  the  old  ones  soon 
die  and  the  cell  wall  becomes  almost  impervious  to  water.  His  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  Onion  was  rather  wide.  An  Onion  is  a  bulb,  and  not,  as  he 
said,  an  underground  stem.  The  best  definition  of  a  bulb  I  know  of  is 
in  Hooker’s  “Primer  of  Botany,”  and  I  think  the  following’  are  the 
correct  words  used  : — “  A  bulb  is  a  stem  with  undeveloped  interhodes, 
covered  with  thick  scaly  leaves.”  The  organ  represented  by  an  Onion 
is  distinctly  that  of  a  stem  and  bud. 
On  page  500  “  A  Reader  ”  says,  “  So  far  as  science  has  made  it  clear 
it  seems  that  root-hairs  are  the  only  mediums  by  which  food  is  absorbed.” 
This  is  only  partly  correct,  for  although  the  root-hairs  are  great 
absorbers  of  water  and  plant  food,  the  other  cells  on  the  same'  part  of 
the  root  which  have  not  developed  teem  absorb  moisture,  '  Therl  are 
some  plants  under  certain  conditions  do  not  develop  root-hairs,  and 
others  only  sparingly  ;  if  water  and  food  could  only  be  absorbed  through 
the  root-hairs  how  would  these  plants  be  nourished  ? 
Let  us  now  take  Question  1. 
(a)  What  substances  do  plants  absorb  by  means  of  their  roots  ? 
explain  the  process  of  absorption. 
