236 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  17,  1898. 
Eose  Show  Fixtures  in  1898. 
June  15th  (Wednesday). — York.* 
„  16th  (Thursday). — Colchester. 
„  23rd  (Thursday). — Bath  (N.K  S.). 
„  25th  (Saturday). — Windsor. 
„  28th  (Tuesday). — Southampton-j-  and  Sutton,  W’^estminster 
(R.II.S.). 
„  29th  (Wednesday). — Canterbury,  Croydon,  and  Richmond 
(Surrey). 
„  30th  (Thursday). — FJtham,  Gloucester,  and  Norwich. 
July  2nd  (Saturday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R.S.). 
„  5th  (Tuesday). — Harrow. 
„  6th  (Wednesday).— Farniugham,  Ilanleyf  and  Eedhill  (Reigate). 
„  8th  (Friday). — Ulverston. 
„  l2th  (Tuesday). — AVolverhampton.* 
„  13th  (Wednesday). — Newcastle-on-Tyne.* 
„  14th  (Thursday). — Halifax  (N.R.S.),  Canterbury  (Hospital  Fund), 
and  Helensburgh. 
„  2Gth  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
*  Shows  lasting  three  days,  j  Shows  lasting  two  days. 
The  next  list  of  fixtures  will  appear  early  in  April.  In  the  meantime 
I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  the  dates  of  any  Rose  shows,  or  other  horticul¬ 
tural  exhibitions  where  Roses  form  a  leading  feature,  for  insertion  in  that 
list. — Edward  Mawley,  Rosehank,  Berkhamsted,  Herts, 
Roses  at  Frankfort. 
AVe  are  informed  that  a  great  exhibition  of  Roses  is  to  be  held  at 
Frankfort  during,  the  ensuing  season — the  largest,  its  promoters  hope,  that 
has  ever  been  held  on  the  Continent.  The  exhibition  is  to  be  opened  early 
in  June,  and  to  be  continued  throughout  the  season. 
Sunrise. 
This  is  the  expressive  name  of  a  very  beautiful  new  Tea  Rose,  raised 
by  ^Ir.  A.  Piper.  Its  colour  is  highly  attractive — a  combination  of  bright 
apricot  yellow  and  metallic  red.  It  is  even  lovelier  in  the  bud  than  Beautd 
Inconstante,  and  opens  with  much  greater  facility.  The  raiser  tells  me 
that  it  is  his  earliest-flowering  Rose  ;  that  it  is  a  vigorous  and  abundant 
bloomer.  It  is  a  splendid  companion  for  Enchantress  and  Empress 
Alexandra  of  Russia. — David  R.  Williamson. 
Standard  Roses. 
Although  not  nearly  so  much  grown  as  was  the  case  a  couple  of 
decades  ago,  there  are  still  many  persons  who  prefer  their  Roses  in 
standard  form.  Certainly  a  well  grown  standard  has  a  better  effect 
upon  the  lawn  than  the  ordinary  dwarf ;  but  how  often  we  see  merely  a 
stick  with  a  top  like  a  worn-out  broom.  Such  a  plant,  I  venture  to  say, 
is  far  from  an  ornament. 
If  we  are  to  have  standard  Roses  with  any  show  of  beauty,  or  prospect 
of  more  than  a  couple  of  years’  life,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  select 
varieties  of  very  free  or  of  vigorous  growth.  One  cannot  reasonably 
expect  a  dwarf  or  indifferent  grower  to  make  a  good  head  on  a  bare 
stem  3  feet  or  more  from  the  ground.  Even  as  dwarfs  they  do  not  make 
much  headway.  How,  then,  can  they  derive  suflScient  sap  when  it  has  to 
be  drawn  from  so  comparatively  great  a  distance  ?  Nor  is  this  all.  AVe 
are  constantly  cutting  off  the  suckers  of  the  Briar  stock,  and  the  weakly 
growing  Rose  at  the  top  is  not  sufficiently  active  to  keep  the  Briar 
healthily  alive,  and  hence  both  rapidly  fail. 
But  when  we  grow  such  as  Duke  of  Ediburgh,  Madame  Gabriel 
Luizet,  Gloire  de  Dijon,  R&ve  d’Or,  and  Crimson  Rambler  in  this  form, 
it  is  seldom  we  fail,  simply  because  such  varieties  are  strong  and 
vigorous  enough  to  command  and  make  use  of  the  sap  the  Briar  would 
naturally  supply.  Our  free  growers  are  also  able  to  thrive  on  tall 
stems,  as  they  are  constantly  pushing  out  a  succession  of  new  growths, 
and  will  not  be  denied.  La  France,  Viscountess  Folkestone,  Augustine 
Guinoisseau,  G.  Nabonnand,  Marie  Van  Houtte,  Boule  de  Neige,  and 
Fran^isca  Kruger  may  be  given  as  examples. 
Do  not  attempt  the  weaker  growing  Roses,  such  as  Horace  Vernet, 
Louis  Van  Houtte,  Cleopatra,  Comtesse  de  Nadaillac,  and  others  as 
standards.  I  am  aware  that  many  do  so,  in  the  hope  of  keeping  such 
grand  and  heavy  blossoms  from  being  soiled  through  summer  showers. 
If  grown  on  the  hedge  Briar  stems  at  all,  let  them  be  from  12  to  18  inches 
long. 
There  are  few  if  any  prettier  ways  of  growing  R6ve  d’Or,  Blairi 
No.  2,  Madame  Berard,  Reine  Marie  Henriette,  Crimson  Rambler,  and 
others  of  extra  vigour,  than  as  tall  standards  from  5  to  6  feet.  The  Ipng 
rods  of  the  previous  summer  are  arched  over,  and  flower  through  their 
entire  length,  forming  a  perfect  half  globe  of  great  beauty.  These 
varieties  bloom  very  freely,  and  at  one  time,  so  that  the  effect  is  grand. 
Our  Persian  and  Austrian  Briars  are  best  upon  short  standards  of  2|  to 
3  feet,  when  their  slight  wooded  growths  arch  over  very  naturally  with 
the  weight  of  blossom  and  foliage. — P.  S. 
VIOLETS  IN  COLD  FRAMES. 
In  the  Violet  we  have  a  flower  that  is  always  in  great  demand,  and  if 
the  grower  has  a  few  cold  frames  he  can  readily  have  flowers  from  his 
plants  throughout  the  winter  and  spring  months.  As  it  is  a  plant  that  is 
not  difficult  to  grow,  it  behoves  every  gardener  to  do  his  best  to  insure  an 
almost  unlimited  supply.  One  often  sees  frames  filled  with  miserable 
plants  with  scarcely  a  leaf  or  flower  bud  on  them,  a  state  of  things  far 
from  satisfactory  when  we  consider  how  easy  it  is  to  have  them  growing 
and  flowering  freely.  When  the  plants  are  in  this  condition  it  is  a  sure 
sign  that  they  have  been  coddled,  or  were  allowed  to  get  dry  at  the  roots 
during  the  previous  summer  and  have  been  eaten  up  with  red  spider, 
causing  a  wholesale  damping  of  the  leaves  when  the  plants  were  put  in 
the  frame.s. 
The  Violet  being  hardy  requires  no  heat  to  grow  it.  Where,  however, 
the  convenience  exists  to  maintain  a  temperature  of  45°  with  air  on  at  all 
times,  it  greatly  assists  the  flowers  to  open  during  severe  weather.  The 
winter  that  is  just  past  has  been  an  exceptional  one  for  the  Violets  growing 
in  cold  frames,  as  it  has  scarcely  been  necessary  to  cover  the  frames  with 
mats,  and  the  plants  have  flowered  abundantly. 
Now  is  the  time  to  think  about  the  plants  for  another  season,  and  I 
will  endeavour,  in  as  clear  a  way  as  possible,  to  give  the  cultural  details 
as  carried  out  by  myself,  in  the  hope  that  it  will  benefit  others.  AVhere  a 
stock  of  plants  already  exists,  the  beginning  or  middle  of  March  is  a  good 
time  to  give  them  a  top-dressing  of  loam  and  leaf  mould,  working  it  well 
in  between  the  plants.  This  having  been  done,  give  a  watering  through 
a  coarse  rose,  as  it  will  settle  the  mould  amongst  the  crowns,  besides 
washing  the  leaves  and  flower  buds,  and  by  the  middle  of  April  they  will 
have  made  splendid  rooted  runners,  which,  in  my  opinion,  are  far  better 
than  taking  cuttings.  The  old  plants  are  then  lifted,  the  rooted  runners 
removed  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  planted  out  on  a  north  or  east  border 
which  had  been  previously  prepared  by  having  a  dressing  of  leaf  mould 
and  road  grit  dug  into  it.  I  plant  9  inches  apart  in  rows  a  foot,  asunder, 
as  this  allows  room  to  keep  the  soil  stirred  between  them  during  the 
summer.  The  plants  must  never  be  allowed  to  get  dry  at  the  roots,  or 
red  spider  will  very  soon  make  its  appearance  on  the  leaves,  and  once  it 
gets  a  hold,  it  is  very  difficult  to  eradicate,  and  besides  giving  the  plants 
a  serious  check,  it  causes  the  leaves  to  damp  badly  when  the  plants  are 
placed  in  the  frames  in  the  autumn. 
At  the  beginning  of  September  the  plants  are  carefully  lifted  and 
placed  in  frames  that  have  been  partly  filled  with  all  kinds  of  garden 
sweepings,  on  which  about  9  inches  of  equal  parts  loam  and  leaf  mould 
is  spread,  so  as  to  bring  the  plants  to  within  about  6  inches  of  the  glass. 
A  thorough  watering  is  then  given,  the  plants  are  syringed  for  a  week 
or  two,  by  which  time  they  will  be  growing  freely  again.  It  is  the 
practice  of  many  growers  to  keep  the  frames  close  for  a  few  days  after 
planting  ;  but  I  prefer  a  slight  syringing  to  encourage  fresh  growth,  and 
never  put  the  lights  on  the  frames  until  severe  weather  makes  it  a 
necessity.  The  plants  should  occasionally  be  carefully  looked  over,  and 
any  leaves  showing  signs  of  decay  immediately  removed,  or  much 
harm  will  be  done,  especially  during  bad  weather,  when  the  lights  have 
to  be  kept  on.  Marie  Louise  I  consider  far  the  best  Violet  for  growing 
in  frames.  Never  allow  plants  to  become  dry  at  the  roots,  syringe 
frequently  during  hot  weather,  and  afford  plenty  of  air. — G.  Hart. 
HEATING  WATER  IN  TANKS. 
In  the  correspondence  columns  of  the  issue  for  March  3rd  I  notice 
that  information  is  given  on  the  above  subject.  It  is  one  of  some 
importance,  as  the  advisability  of  watering  plants  with  water  of  the  same 
temperature  as  the  house  is  patent,  particularly  during  the  winter 
months. 
The  greatest  difficulty,  however,  is  that  of  taking  the  chill  off  a  body 
of  water,  and  this  can  be  obviated  at  the  time  of  laying  hot-water  pipes 
and  making  tanks  by  arranging  in  such  a  manner  that  a  pipe  flows 
through  or  round  the  inside  of  the  water  receptacle.  The  constant 
presence  of  the  heated  pipe  takes  the  chill  off  the  water,  and  renders 
it  suitable  for  appl3  ing  to  plants.  The  amount  of  piping  in  the  tank 
must  be  governed  by  its  size,  for  if  there  is  not  enough  the  warming 
influence  will  not  be  sufficient  for  a  large  body  of  water  ;  and  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  is  too  much  heating  power,  the  water  will  form  vapour, 
and  this  of  course  would  be  detrimental  to  the  plants.  This  method  of 
warming  water  is  excellent  in  early  vineries  and  Peach  houses,  where  a 
quantity  is  required  for  the  borders  during  the  opening  months  of  the 
year  ;  and  when  the  pipes  are  run  through  the  tank  in  the  first  place 
much  trouble  is  afterwards  saved. 
There  are  several  drawbacks  in  the  way  of  heating  water  in  tanks 
from  the  pipes.  In  the  first  place,  if  the  tank  is  large  it  would  take  a 
large  body  of  hot  water  to  effect  the  purpose,  and  it  is  obvious  that 
drawing  the  greater  part  of  the  hot  water  from  the  pipes  means  a  lowering 
of  the  temperature,  and  this  in  cold  weather  is  a  consideration.  Secondly, 
if  the  pipes  and  boiler  are  not  kept  constantly  flushed  rust  accumulates 
rapidly,  and  discolours  the  water  drawn  therefrom.  AA’^here  such  is  the 
case  to  an  advanced  degree  it  would  not  be  to  the  welfare  of  tender  plants 
to  water  with  liquid  contaminated  in  such  a  M  ay.  In  these  and  other 
respects  the  advantage  of  heating  water  in  tanks  by  running  pipes 
through  them  is  seen. — G. 
[The  reply  alluded  to  was  given  to  a  correspondent  who  desired  to 
have  slightly  warmed  water  in  the  absence  of  pipes  in  the  tank.] 
