392 
JOURNAL  OF  horticulture  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Jlay  6, 
COLEUS. 
During  the  bright  days  of  summer,  when  the  air  is  warm,  the 
brilliant  light  shows  up  the  lovely  colour  shadings  of  these  popular 
plants  to  advantage.  It  has  often  struck  me  how  different  are  the 
appearances  of  plants  when  seen  under  varying  conditions  of  light  and 
shadow.  Look  at  the  leaves  of  a  well-colourea  Coleus  on  a  dull  day  ; 
they  are  even  then  bright  and  attractive.  But  to  see  their  charms 
displayed  to  the  best  advantage  bright  sunshine  is  necessary ;  then 
the  colours  appear  to  be  wonderfully  intensified,  and  to  sparkle  with 
life  and  vividness.  As  decorative  plants  Coleus  are  of  great  value. 
True  they  do  not  last  long  in  rooms,  except  in  the  lightest  position ; 
but  then  they  are  easily  and  quickly ,  growm,  and  moreover  supply 
such  novel  colouring,  that  they  may  be  regarded  as  indispensable 
plants  in  the  majority  of  gardens. 
Various  methods  of  propagation  may  be  adopted  with  equal 
success.  When  close  frames  in  a  propagating  pit  are  at  disposal 
cuttings  root  quickly  if  plunged  in  bottom  heat,  or  when  inserted  in 
pots  or  boxes  placed  on  the  hot-water  pipes  of  a  Cucumber  or  j\Ielon 
house  root  quite  as  certainly  if  the  soil  is  kept  moist,  and  when 
placed  in  full  sunshine  on  shelves  near  the  glass  in  a  warm  moist 
house  roots  are  quickly  emitted,  and  the  young  plants  kept  remarkably 
sturdy  till  ready  for  potting  off.  This  ought  to  be  done  as  soon  as 
the  plants  are  well  rooted.  A  compost  consisting  of  two  parts  loam 
to  one  of  leaf  soil,  with  a  little  sharp  sand  added,  is  one  that  suits 
young  plants  well. 
During  the  summer  time  I  always  water  the  plants  thoroughly  as 
soon  as  potted,  and  then  allow  the  soil  to  get  fairly  dry  before  water 
is  again  applied.  After  potting  the  plants  should,  if  possible,  be 
placed  on  a  shelf  near  the  glass,  and  be  stopped  as  soon  as  they  begin 
to  grow  freely,  then  by  the  time  they  are  ready  for  potting  they 
invariably  want  more  head  room,  and  can  be  placed  on  a  stage  in  a 
light  position.  Those  plants  intended’  or  decorat’ ve  purposes  should 
be  potted  into  5,  6,  or  7-inch  pots,  according  to  their  size,  at  this 
stage  using  a  much  richer  compost ;  one  formed  of  equal  parts  loam 
and  hotbed  or  well  decayed  manure  answers  splendidly,  as  the  Coleus 
is  a  gross  feeder,  and  will  thrive  amazingly  in  a  soil  far  too  rich  for 
the  majority  of  plants — in  fact,  they  will  grow  and  colour  wonderfully 
well  on  a  manure  heap  placed  in  a  "warm  house. 
Plants  stopped  in  a  young  state  as  previously  directed  will  send 
out  numbers  of  young  shoots;  these,  if  staked  out,  or  tied  to  wire 
placed  under  the  rim  of  the  pot  will  form  the  foundation  of  a  shapely 
plant.  Those  in  .o-inch  pots  will  re(iuire  no  other  stopping,  but  those 
potted  into  7-inch  ones  will  require  the  points  of  the  side  shoots  to  be 
removed  once.  Tlie  above  remarks  in  regard  to  stopping  and  tying 
are  applicable  to  the  formation  of  bush  plants,  which  are  generally 
the  most  popular.  If  U  few  pyramidal-shaped  ones  are  required  the 
plants  should  be  allovved  to  grow  freely  without  stopping  for  a  time, 
and  be  given  plenty  of  room  to  promote  the  production  of  strong  side 
shoots.  If  the  main  growth  is  trained  to  a  straight  stake  some  varieties 
will  branch  naturally,  and  the  main  shoot  will  not  require  stopping 
until  the  required  height  is  reached. 
I  have,  however,  found  it  difficult  to  get  some  varieties  to  branch 
freely  without  stopping  the  central  shoot ;  in  such  cases  I  pinch  when 
the  plant  has  reached  the  height  of  9  inches,  and  train  up  the  stronger 
of  the  two  terminal  shoots  produced,  the  other  being  removed.  When 
large  plants  are  wanted  for  exhibition  purposes,  the  training  in  the 
early  stages  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  already  described,  and  during 
subsequent  stages,  stopping  and  tying  are  regularly  performed  as  growth 
takes  place,  the  former  being  done  for  the  last  time  three  weeks  before 
the  plants  are  wanted  to  be  at  their  best,  the  last  tying  being  per¬ 
formed  a  fortnight  later.  For  the  final  potting  the  soil  must  be  used 
in  a  rough  state,  but  should  consist  of  the  same  ingredients  as  those 
recommended  for  plants  in  5  and  6-inch  pots.  Throughout  the  period 
of  growth  Coleus  ought  to  be  given  plenty  of  heat  and  moisture,  and  be 
kept  near  the  glass,  no  shade  being  given  except  when  grown  in  very 
light  houses.  iNIany  cultivators  object  to  syringing  Coleus,  but  I  con¬ 
sider  it  decidedly  beneScial  to  do  so  in  bright  weather,  and  I  practise 
what  I  preach. 
To  get  highly  coloured  leaves  the  soil  must  be  packed  with  roots, 
the  plants  well  exposed  to  light,  and  weak  liquid  manure  be  applied 
two  or  three  times  weekly.  Before  the  plants  are  used  either  for 
decoration  or  exhibition  purposes  they  may  be  gradually  hardened  by 
a  freer  circulation  of  air.  The  follorving  varieties  are  some  of  thq  best 
in  cultivation ; — Petit  Robert,  Countess  of  Dudley,  Beckwith’s  Gem, 
\  esuvius.  Faith,  Elegans,  Ilermit,  Dr.  Jackson,  Cloth  of  Gold, 
Hart’s  Conqueror,  and  Arthur  Whitley. — Plantsman. 
SoAviNG  Asters  Outdoors. — Aster  seed  sown  now  in  a  warm  position 
outdoors  will  germinate  freely.  Select  a  well-prepared  friable  piece  of 
ground,  and  draw  drills  an  inch  deep  and  10  inches  apart.  Sow  the  seed 
thinly  and  cover  with  fine  soil.  Thin  out  as  the  plants  touch  each  other, 
leaving  them  finally  6  inches  asunder,  or  more  if  necessary. — E.  D.  S. 
Duration  of  Rose  Shows. 
I  OBSERVE  in  the  list  of  Rose  shows  in  your  Issue  of  April  28th,  that 
at  Southampton  and  Hanley  the  exhibitions  last  two  daj’s  !  and  at  York, 
Wolverhampton,  and  Newcastle,  they  are  of  three  days  duration  !  ! 
Advancing  age  is  frequently  attended  with  failing  memory,  so  possibly 
I  am  incorrect  in  thinking  that  many  years  ago  it  was  resolved  by  the 
N.R.S.  that  Rose  shows  of  more  than  one  day  duration  should  not  be 
recognised,  and  that  on  this  occasion  all  the  members  of  the  N.R.S.  swore 
by  their  (Rose)  gods  that  they  would  abjure  |wo-days  shows.  -May  I  ask 
whether  this  resolution  (if  there  ever  were  such  a  resolution)  has  been 
rescinded,  and,  if  so,  when  1 
It  has  never  been  my  misfortune  to  witness  a  two-days  Rose  show, 
and  I  trust  that  I  shall  never  be  guilty  of  a  crime  of  sufficient  enormity  to 
condemn  me  to  such  a  sight.  But  I  have  been  under  the  impression  that 
Rose  exhibitions  were  intended  by  N.R.S.  to  encourage  the  cultivation  of 
ihe  queen  of  flowers  in  its  greatest  beauty.  I  read  yesterday  that  the 
hippopotamus  is  extinct,  but  I  presume  that  there  still  exists  some 
rusarian  who  thinks  that  the  taste  for  a  Rose  “  in  its  most  perfect  stage  of 
possible  beauty  ”  is  enhanced  by  a  two-days  Rose  show. — Henry  B. 
Biron. 
Some  op  the  Newer  Roses. 
Although  raisers  of  Roses  in  France  and  Germany  still  continue  to 
pour  in  a  quantity  of  new  varieties,  they  neither  excite  the  interest  that 
they  used  formerly  to  do,  nor  do  they  add  very  much  of  value  to  those 
which  we  have  already  had.  It  was  different  in  former  days,  when  there 
was  always  an  anxiety  to  know  what  Lacharme,  or  Guillot,  or  Eugene 
Verdier  and  others  had  to  offer  us,  and  we  were  pretty  sure  to  obtain 
amongst  the  mass  of  indifferent  flowers  one  or  two  prizes.  But  now-a-days 
we  miss  the  names  of  some  of  our  oldest  raisers,  and  the  jiresent  genera¬ 
tion  does  not  seem  to  be  so  successful  as  that  which  preceded  it. 
There  are  one  or  two  things  which  strike  one  in  looking  at  the  last 
list  of  novelties.  We  miss  in  the  first  place  the  large  number  of  Hybrid 
Perpetuals  we  used  to  obtain.  In  the  list  for  last  autumn  there  are  only 
si.x  of  these.  Then,  again,  we  find  a  very  large  number  of  Teas,  and  a 
considerable  quantity  of  Hybrid  Teas.  Of  the  latter  it  is  impossible  to 
say  until  we  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them  whether  they  are  really 
Hybrid  Teas,  or  are  so  like  either  the  H.P.’s  or  Teas  that  they  should  be 
classed  among  them.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son  say  very  truly  in  their 
catalogue  that  in  some  of  these  the  Hybrid  Perpetual  strain  is  so  marked 
that  they  ought  to  be  included  in  that  class  ;  while,  again,  there  are 
others  in  which  the  Tea  percentage  is  so  strong,  as  in  Kaiserin  Augusta 
Victoria,  that  they  might  very  well  be  included  in  the  Tea  class. 
Another  point  is  that  so  many  of  the  British-raised  Roses  are  now 
included  in  their  catalogues.  I  notice  one  curious  error  in  Guillot’s  new 
catalogue — viz.,  in  ascribing  Muriel  Grahame  to  Dingie  &  Conard,  the 
American  raisers,  thus  depriving  our  old  friend  Mr.  Brown  of  Reigate  of 
the  honour  of  obtaining  it,  and  yiessrs.  Dickson  &  Sons  of  sending  it 
out.  The  altered  circumstances  with  regard  to  the  French  Roses  have 
been  accentuated  by  the  considerable  number  that  we  now  have  of  home- 
raised  flowers.  These  are  from  time  to  time  exhibited,  and  rosarians 
have  the  opportunity  t)f  seeing  them  at^ur  exhibitions,  and  so  being  able 
to  judge  of  their  value,  or  otherwise,  witnout  trusting  to  the  magniloquent 
descriptions  which  the  foreign  raisers  attach  to  their  novelties. 
In  looking  through  the  list  of  novelties  of  the  last  few  years,  it  is  a 
very  remarkable  fact  that  not  one  Hybrid  Perpetual  of  foreign  origin  has 
been  of  sufficient  value  to  be  placed  in  our  catalogue  ;  thus,  in  the  supplement 
of  the  National  Rose  Society,  published  in  1890,  there  is  not  one  H.P.  of 
foreign  origin.  Comtesse  de  Ludre  is  indeed  there,  but  then  it  was'  a 
Rose  raised  in  1880,  and  owes  its  introduction  in  the  list  to  one  very  fine 
bloom  shown  at  the  Crystal  Palace  Exhibition  ;  it  is,  however,  I  believe  a 
V'Ty  uncertain  Rose,  and  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  found  in  many  stands. 
Due  d'Orleans,  a  Rose  of  1889,  also  raised  by  Eugene  Verdier,  has  found 
a  place  there,  but  it  is  not  a  very  well-known  Rose,  though  some  growers 
speak  highly  of  it.  It  is,  in  truth,  amongst  the  Teas  and  Hybrid  Teas 
that  the  French  growers  try  to  keep  up  their  reputation.  For  instance, 
til  ere  is  that  grand  Rose  Mamah  Cochet,  sent  out  in  1893  by  Cochet, 
which  has  established  for  itself  a  high  position.  It  is.  of  a  deep  flesh 
colour,  with  rose  tints  in  the  outer  petals,  and  sometimes  they  are  edged 
with  bright  rose,  which  make  it  very  attractive.  There  is  now  announced 
a  white  Maraan  Cochet ;  should  it  be  really  white,  and  of  the  form  and 
substance  of  the  type,  it  will  be  grand  acquisition  to  our  white  Teas. 
Amongst  our  home-raised  Teas  Sylphe  (W.  Paul  &  Son),  which  was 
sent  out  in  1895,  is  unquestionably  a  fine  flower.  It  is  an  ivory  white 
tinted  with  peach  colour,  with  a  creamy  pink  centre  ;  the  petals  are 
very  deep  and  stiff  ;  the  habit  is  vigorous,  and  very  free- flowering.  Of 
Muriel  Grahame  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  anything.  It  is  a  distinct 
sport  of  Catherine  IMermet,  and  resembles  that  flower  in  everything  but 
colour.  Doubts  have  been  expressed  in  some  quarters  as  to  the  vigour 
