30 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  H,  1895. 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  for  1895. 
July  nth  (Thursday). — Bath,  Great  Malvern  (Hereford  Rose  Society), 
Helensburgh,  Wood  bridge,  and  Worksop. 
,,  12th  (Friday). — King’s  Lynn. 
,,  13th  (Saturday). — New  Brighton. 
„  17th  (Wednesday). — Derby  (N.R.S.). 
„  18th  (Thursday). — Canterbury  (Kent  Hospital  Fete)  and  Halifax. 
„  20th  (Saturday). — Manchester. 
„  23rd  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  2-lth  (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,  Bosehanli,  BerMamsted,  Herts, 
Isle  of  Wight  Rose  Show. 
Ix  your  this  week’s  paper  you  give  a  report  of  the  Isle  of  Wight 
Show,  and  remark  that  Mr.  Frank  Cant  took  the  lead  last  year.  This  is 
not  the  case,  as  I  obtained  the  first  prize  in  both  the  large  classes  last 
season.  I  simply  write  this  to  point  out  an  error  which  could  not  have 
been  made  if  you  had  referred  to  your  report  of  last  year’s  show. — 
B.  R.  Caxt. 
[We  willingly  make  the  correction.  The  conductors  of  gardening 
journals  have  to  take  repoits  as  they  are  sent  to  them,  and  it  is  quite 
impracticable  to  compare  them  with  reports  of  preceding  years.] 
Impressioxs  of  Gloucester. 
Gloucester,  under  exceptional  circumstances,  was  asked  to  waive 
its  claims  to  the  National  show  last  year  in  favour  of  Windsor,  and  I  do 
not  think  the  local  authorities  have  had  cause  to  regret  their  courtesy 
and  good  feeling.  Everything  was  done  to  make  the  show  a  success. 
The  active  and  energetic  Secretary,  the  Rev.  T.  Holbrow,  who,  as  several 
of  his  friends  said,  is  the  Gloucestershire  Rose  Society,  and  the  thoroughly 
business-like  Committee,  work  together  with  a  will,  so  that  everything 
that  could  possibly  tend  to  the  comfort  of  all  concerned  was  secured, 
while  the  splendid  hospitality  of  the  Mayor  added  not  a  little  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  meeting. 
With  regard  to  the  exhibition  itself,  it  was,  I  think,  to  many  a  great 
surprise,  and  to  an  uncritical  eye  the  long  lines  of  boxes  with  the  rich 
and  varied  colouring  of  the  Roses  would  seem  to  be  the  very  acme  of 
perfection  ;  but  others  knew  too  well  through  what  a  trying  time  they 
had  passed,  and  that,  beautiful  as  they  seemed,  there  were  two  defects 
which,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  generally  apparent.  The  blooms 
were  mostly  smaller  than  usual,  and  the  substance  of  the  flowers  was 
thin  ;  the  exceptions  were  those,  I  think,  where  the  plants  had  been 
grown  on  heavy  soil.  Notably  amongst  nuserymen  Messrs.  Harkness 
and  Sons  came  out  first,  and  their  box  of  forty-eight  well  kept  up  their 
reputation.  These  were  not,  however,  as  many  imagined,  plucked  from 
their  nurseries  at  Bedale,  but  from  their  new  ground  at  Hitchin.  The 
stand  contained  some  very  beautiful  and  bright  flowers,  and  amongst 
them  that  which  gained  the  silver  medal  amongst  the  H.P.’s  nursery¬ 
men’s  flowers.  East  Anglian  growers  were  not  quite  so  much  to  the 
front  as  on  some  former  occasions,  although  Messrs.  Prior  &  Son  made 
an  advance  in  their  exhibits.  In  the  same  way  Messrs.  Merryweather 
of  Southwell,  Townsend  k  Sons  of  Worcester,  and  Jeft’eries  of  Cirencester 
exhibited  some  excellent  stands,  but  the  latter  firm  stated  it  was  the 
first  time  they  had  ever  exhibited  in  June,  and  that  generally  their 
Roses  were  not  in  bloom. 
The  Cup  Coxtest. 
The  prizes  for  amateurs  were  pretty  widely  distributed,  and  a  very 
sharp  contest  took  place  for  the  silver  cup  presented  by  the  High 
Sheriff  of  Gloucester.  The  contest  lay  between  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Pember¬ 
ton  and  Mr.  Lindsell  of  Hitchin,  and  persons  who  imagine  that  judging 
is  for  an  experienced  Rose  grower  an  easy  matter  might  have  gained  a 
lesson  by  watching  the  three  experienced  Rose  growers  who  had  to 
adjudicate  the  prizes.  The  boxes  were  examined  over  and  orer  again, 
points  carefully  noted,  and  ultimately  the  decision  was  given  in  Mr. 
Pemberton’s  favour,  and  certainly  the  stand  was  of  great  excellence. 
New'  Roses— Mrs.  Jefferies. 
I  have  but  very  little  to  record  in  the  way  of  new  Roses  ;  there  was 
nothing  staged  for  competition  in  the  class  especially  set  apart  for  a 
new  seedling,  but  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  there  was  not  a  Rose  there 
of  which  we  shall  hear  something  hereafter  ;  this  was  a  yellow  Rose 
raised  and  exhibited  by  Messrs.  Jefferies  &  S.nis  of  Cirencester,  and 
shown  in  their  stand  of  twenty-four.  It  is  said  to  be  a  seedling,  and  it 
looks  like  it,  between  Cloth  of  Gold  and  Marechal  Niel  ;  it  does  not 
droop  so  much  as  the  latter,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  it  will  hold 
itself  up  when  strongly  grown  much  in  the  manner  of  its  other  parent. 
It  has  been  called  Mrs.  Jefferies,  and  I  hope  will  prove  itself  worthy  of 
its  name ;  it  is  a  strong  growing  climbing  Rose,  well  formed,  and  not 
partaking  at  all  of  the  Dijon  character.  Should  it  continue  to  exhibit 
these  characteristics  it  will  be  a  valuable  addition  to  our  climbing 
Roses. 
Medal  Roses— Comtesse  de  Ludre. 
The  medals  for  the  best  Roses  in  the  show  were  awarded,  amongst 
nurserymen,  to  Messrs.  Harkness  &  Sons  for  the  best  H.P.,  and  like  the 
Rose  which  obtained  a  similar  honour  at  the  Crystal  Palace  last  year  it  was 
one  of  which  very  few  growers  seem  to  have  heard,  and  yet  Comtesse  de 
Ludre  was  sent  out  fifteen  years  ago  by  Eugene  Verdier,  and  is  another 
instance  of  how  a  good  flower  may,  through  the  multitude  of  claimants 
for  recognition,  be  overlooked.  The  colour  is  bright  carmine  red,  shape 
and  substance  good.  The  best  Tea  in  the  same  class  to  which  the  medal 
was  awarded  was  a  very  beautiful  bloom  of  Ethel  Brownlow,  which  is 
every  year  obtaining  a  higher  position  in  this  beautiful  class  ;  it  is  very 
varied  in  its  colouring,  and  this  medal  bloom  was  very  bright.  In  the 
amateur  division  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Pemberton  gained  the  medal  for  a 
grand  bloom  of  Horace  Vernet,  a  variety  which  he  grows  well.  The 
medal  for  the  best  Tea  was  awarded  to  the  Rev.  A.  Foster-Melliar  for  a 
grand  bloom  of  La  Boule  d’Or,  a  flower  not  often  seen,  for  it  is  not  very 
easy  to  open ;  such  a  season  as  the  present,  therefore,  suiting  it  well. 
Local  Exhibits. 
There  is  one  very  satisfactory  matter  on  which  the  Gloucestershire 
Rose  Society  is  to  be  much  congratulated — viz.,  the  manner  in  which  its 
local  exhibits  have  improved.  I  can  recall  the  time  when  they  were  of 
such  a  character  that  one  would  have  gladly  put  them  under  the  stage 
had  such  a  thing  been  permitted.  It  is  very  different,  however,  now.  I 
do  not  allude  to  such  exhibitors  as  Mr.  Conway  Jones,  who  can  hold 
his  own  anywhere,  but  generally  to  those  who  have  from  time  to  time 
joined  the  Society  and  competed  at  its  exhibitions.  The  stands  were 
very  creditable,  and  give  promise  of  still  better  things,  and  this  is  really 
the  cause  why  local  societies  are  so  valuable  ;  they  urge  on  exhibitors 
who  after  a  while  are  not  contented  with  home  honours  but  enter  the 
lists  of  our  metropolitan  exhibitions. 
Mr.  Burnside. 
I  think  that  all  who  know  him  were  glad  that  although  Mr.  Burn¬ 
side  had  removed  to  the  Midlands,  and  the  greater  portion  of  his  fine 
collection  had  been  dispersed,  he  was  able  again  to  engage  in  the  warfare 
and  carry  off  a  prize.  Thus  then  are  my  few  impressions  of  the  National 
Rose  Society’s  show  in  Gloucester,  the  first  of  the  three  to  be  held  this 
year,  and  it  may  be  the  best  of  the  three  ;  for  of  this  no  one  can  tell 
even  now,  although  we  are  in  a  few  days  of  the  Metropolitan  show. — 
D.,  Deal, 
CRiMspx  Rambler  at  Home. 
For  some  time  past  one  of  the  first  questions  horticulturists  have 
asked  has  been.  Have  you  seen  Crimson  Rambler  ?  Naturally,  during 
the  period  immediately  succeeding  its  introduction,  many  persons  were 
compelled  to  respond  in  the  negative.  At  the  present  time,  however, 
it  is  fairly  safe  to  assume  that  most  flower  lovers  have  seen  this  Rose  at 
some  of  the  exhibitions.  Just  now  one  might  propound  another  query  and 
say.  Have  you  seen  Crimson  Rambler  at  home  ?  The  probabilities  are  that 
many  persons  would  again  have  to  answer  in  the  negative.  To  these 
the  writer  would  say.  Take  the  first  train  you  can  catch  in  daylight  to 
Slough  and  see  it,  for  the  spectacle  is  superb  ;  but  more  of  this  later. 
Rosarians  and  non-rosarians  who  visited  the  National  Rose  Society’s 
show  at  the  Palace  would  see  the  magnificent  examples  of  Crimson 
Rambler  that  were  staged  by  Mr.  Charles  Turner  ;  but  to  appreciate  the 
fall  decorative  value  of  this  remarkable  variety  it  must  be  seen  growing 
in  all  its  luxuriance  and  clothed  with  its  clusters  of  glowing  flowers. 
To  see  them  at  home,  Mr.  Arthur  Turner  was  sought  out,  and  asked 
if  a  visit  could  not  be  paid  at  once.  With  the  courtesy  that  he  is  noted 
for  this  gentleman  replied,  “  Come  when  you  like,”  and  the  very  earliest 
chance  was  decided  on  then  and  there.  Of  course  great  things  were 
expected,  but  greater  were  found.  As  the  train  sped  along  the  imagina¬ 
tion  was  allowed  to  picture  what  we  were  going  to  see,  with  a  result  of 
building  a  fairly  high  castle  ere  Slough  was  reached,  and  yet  it  did  not 
do  credit  to  the  Rose  at  home.  Most  of  our  readers  know  that  it  is  but 
a  short  walk  from  the  station  to  the  Royal  Nurseries,  so  that  we  were 
soon  with  Mr.  Arthur  Turner  and  Mrs.  Charles  Turner  in  their  delightful 
home  at  the  top  of  the  nursery.  A  short  chat  in  the  cool  was  very 
enjoyable,  but  time  was  scarce,  and  we  bad  soon  to  turn  out  in  the 
broiling  sun,  tracks  being  first  made  to  the  Carnation  houses — but  of 
these  more  anon. 
Leaving  the  houses  we  walk  away  to  the  open  ground,  getting 
glimpses  of  Roses  and  other  flowers  on  our  way  until  we  come  to  the 
first  row  of  the  Polyautha  of  Polyanthas.  In  this  case  it  was  in  the 
form  of  a  hedge  composed  of  plants  two  years  old  from  the  bud  and 
worked  on  the  Manetti  stock.  These  specimens  have  been  cut  down 
once,  and  are  now  carrying  extraordinary  numbers  of  flowers  in  immense 
symmetrical  trusses.  The  row  presented  a  carpet  of  crimson  on  a  green 
ground  when  viewed  at  a  distance  of  a  few  yards,  and  put  all  the  other 
Roses  in  the  vicinity  completely  in  the  shade.  The  plants  here  were 
about  3  or  4  feet  in  height,  but  the  shoots  being  made  which  will 
produce  the  flowers  next  season  are  considerably  longer,  stouter,  and 
better  in  everj'  way.  These  will  have  only  the  unripe  points  removed,  it 
having  been  found  that  hard  pruning  is  not  conducive  of  floriferousness. 
Thus  entirely  new  growths  are  requisitioned  every  year,  and  apparently 
each  is  stronger  than  its  predecessor. 
