466 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  '  June  2,  1898.  '' 
■trees,  every  one  seems  to  be  composed  of  a  series  of  spurred  cordons,  tor 
each  branch  stands  otxt  from  any  other,  separate,  and  with  ample  room, 
reaching  to  lengths  of  from  8  to  12  feet,  so  placed  that  if  swayed  by  the 
wind,  they  do  not  in  any  case  beat  one  against  another.  When  I  saw 
the  Apple  trees  recently  nearly  all  were  in  full  bloom,  for  flowering  is 
rather  later  on  the  north  than  on  the  south  side  of  London,  Should  the 
set  be  as  good  as  the  blossom  warrants,  then  the  crop  next  autumn  would 
be  worth  seeing.  Trees  of  this  nature,  planted  20  feet  apart,  and  so 
trained,  should  in  bulk  yield  a  wonderful  crop.  Mr.  Salter,  at  Woodhatch 
Reigate,  prunes  his  bush  trees  in  just  the  same  way,  and  he  obtains  fine, 
results  and  noble  fruits. — A  VisiTOB. 
New  Roses. 
I  HAVE  read  with  much  interest  “  D.,  Deal's,"  contribution  on  this 
special  subject  to  page  426.  While  on  the  whole  coinciding  with  his 
observations,  I  think  he  somewhat  underestimates  the  value  of  Clara 
Watson,  which  was  in  ray  own  garden  during  last  summer  the  grandest 
of  the  Hybrid  Teas.  I  am,  aware,  however,  that  it  does  not  succeed  so 
admirably  in  other  regions  ;  and  perhaps  the  weather  is  too  hot  for  it 
occasionally  in  the  south  of  England.  I  am  glad  to  find  that  Clio  is 
appreciated  by  your  veteran  contributor.  Waltham  Standard  I  have  in 
my  garden  for  the  first  time  this  year  ;  but  I  had  the  privilege  of  seeing 
it  last  summer  at  its  native  place  in  magnificent  bloom. 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant  is  very  bright  and  beautiful  in  its  earlier  stages  of 
floral  development  ;  I  do  not,  however,  find  it  quite  so  impressive  when 
fully  expanded.;  the  promise  it  gives  in  bud  form,  however  great,  is  by  no 
means  realised.  In  this  respect  I  think  it  is  much  inferior  to  La  France 
or  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam,  the  richly  fragrant  and  nobly  endowed  varieties 
from  which  it  was  derived. — David  R.  Williamson. 
New  Roses  of  1897-8. 
Now  that  the  spring  lists  have  arrived,  it  may  be  of  some  service  to 
amateur  growers  to  know  those  which  have  been  found  really  good  by 
other  rosarians  than  the  raisers.  Unfortunately  we  have  a  formidable 
list  each  year,  and  few  of  them  are  of  sterling  merit.  Those  I  name,  and 
briefly  describe  below,  have  either  flowered  well  in  this  country,  or  have 
been  seen  by  more  than  one  reliable  authority.  They  may,  therefore,  be 
considered  worthy  of  trial  by  those  with  only  small  Rose  gardens.  I  do 
not  propose  touching  upon  any  but  those  varieties  sent  out  in  1897,  or 
during  the  present  spring. 
Killaenby. — This  made  a  favourable  impression  on  me  on  more 
than  one  occasion.  It  is  a  constant  bloomer  and  of  free  habit.  The 
flowers  are  large,  the  buds  pointed,  of  great  length,  and  the  colour  a 
unique  combination  of  flesh  shaded  with  white  and  pale  pink.  It  is  a 
good  Rose,  and  will  be  a  general  favourite  when  known. 
Daisll — Though  only  a  moderate  grower,  this  variety  flowers  freely, 
and  the  blooms  are  large,  full,  and  of  perfect  form.  Colour  a  rosy  pink 
suffused  with  soft  silvery  pink.  It  has  the  merit  of  being  exceedingly 
■fragrant. 
Countess  of  Caledon. — The  N.R.S.  “card  of  commendation” 
was  accorded  to  this  at  Derby  in  1895.  I  have  grown  it,  and  find  it 
a  good  habited  variety,  and  quite  perpetual.  The  colour  is  rich  carmine 
rose,  and  the  flowers  are  splendidly  formed. 
Robeet  Duncan. — A  grand  Rose,  with  large  flowers  composed  of 
stout  petals  of  a  bright  rosy  lake  colour.  It  is  one  of  the  best  flowers  of 
this  shade. 
Bbbyl. — This  is  likely  to  be  useful  because  of  its  free  habit  and 
continuous  blooming.  The  long  pointed  buds  are  sure  to  be  popular  as 
coat  flowers,  being  of  a  distinct  deep  golden  yellow,  and  very  highly 
scented. 
Aeds  Rovee. — In  this  variety  we  have  a  deep  crimson  and  maroon 
climber.  It  should  prove  useful  considering  that  most  of  our  climbers 
are  light  in  colour. 
Mueiel  Geahame.— Of  this  I  need  say  nothing,  as  it  has  been 
written  about  so  often,  and  is  now  so  well  known. 
White  Maman  Cochet. — As  its  name  implies,  this  is  a  sport  from 
Maman  Cochet.  It  has  done  well,  and  is  evidently  a  great  acquisition  to 
our  white  Roses. 
PUEITY. — An  aptly  named  Rose  that  appears  to  me  well  adapted  for 
pillars  and  garden  decoration.  Its  colour  is  pure  white  when  fully  open, 
but  faintly  flushed  with  pale  flesh  during  the  younger  stages. 
Mbs.  Feank  Cant — In  1897  this  was  awarded  a  “card”  at  the 
N.R.S.,  and  is  a  distinct  H.P.  with  silvery  white  edges  and  clear  pink 
centre. 
Mbs.  F.  W.  Sandfoed. — This  is  a  pale  blush  sport  from  Mrs.  John 
Laing,  and  will  probably  be  one  of  our  best  light  Roses. 
1  Mbs.  Rumsey. — Much  has  been  written  of  this  Rose  which  deserved 
attention.  It  is  a  deep  pink  sport  from  Mrs.  Geo.  Dickson,  is  mildew  proof, 
and  a  grand  autumn  bloomer.  It  is  good  either  in  pots  or  in  the  open. 
Empbess  Alexandea  of  Russia. — This  variety  flowered  well  with 
me  last  autumn,  and  is  a  free  grower.  It  is  of  unique  colour,  rich  lake 
red,  orange,  saffron,  and  fiery  crimson  being  all  intermingled. —  A.  Pipee 
Uckfield. 
METROPOLITAN  NOTES. 
The  great  metropolis  possesses  countless  attractions  for  country 
residents,  in  which  even  such  stay-at-home  and  duty-serving  men  as 
gardeners  share,  but  though  the  pleasure  of  “  sight-seeing  ”  may  form 
some  portion  of  the  programme,  yet  a  horticulturist’s  beloved  and 
absorbing,  though  exacting  business, always  enters  largely  into  the  motive 
and  objects  of  a  journey  to  London.  There  we  expect  to  find  the 
concentration  of  all  that  money,  skill,  and  energy  can  produce,  and  in 
consequence  many  valuable  lessons  can  be  learned  on  a  short  trip  if  the 
true  gardener’s  eagerness  for  knowledge  be  the  guiding  force.  It  is  the 
constant  demand  for  up  to  date  information,  the  desire  for  advance  with 
the  perpetual  freshness  and  varying  nature  of  the  subjects  which  render 
the  horticulturist  an  eager  and  hfe-long  student.  This  is  equally  true 
whether  he  be  an  amateur  or  professional,  and  if  proof  were  required  it 
were  only  necessary  to  point  to  the  horticultural  journals,  and  the 
wonderful  mass  of  literature  devoted  specially  and  solely  to  the  subject. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  enlarge  upon  the  attractions  of  horticulture, 
all  readers  of  our  excellent  Journal  are  familiar  with  them,  but  I  will 
try  to  record  a  few  of  the  ideas  acquired,  and  to  note  what  interested  me 
on  a  recent  trip  to  the  great  city  and  its  suburbs.  Perhaps  the  first 
object  of  attraction  to  a  visitor  from  a  rural  district  where  towns  are 
small,  are  the  shops,  and  to  a  horticulturist  the  florists’  and  fruiterers’ 
emporiums  in  the  best  localities  present  much  to  admire,  interest,  and 
instruct,  if  they  be  observed  with  “  seeing  eyes.” 
At  one  period  of  my  life  a  kindly  employer  gave  me  the  opportunity 
to  visit  Paris,  a  great  event  in  a  gardener’s  career,  and  I  well  remember 
how  deep  an  impression  was  produced  in  my  mind  by  the  florists’  shops 
and  the  grove-like,  tree-planted  boulevards  and  avenues  of  that  city.  The 
florists’  establishments  were  really  tastefully  arranged  exhibitions  of  their 
choicest  productions.  Scarcely  a  shop  was  seen  in  which  bouquets, 
wreaths,  crosses,  and  vases  were  not  displayed  with  as  much  taste  and 
effect  as  were  employed  in  the  individual  objects.  It  was  a  revelation  to 
one  accustomed  to  the  plain,  practical  methods  of  the  British  shop¬ 
keeper  ;  it  was  also  a  sound  lesson,  as  certainly  a  beautiful  object  pays 
for  being  displayed  to'the  best  advantage.  The  thought  was  in  my  mind 
at  the  time  that  if  the  dressmakers  and  milliners  have  to  go  to  Paris  for 
their  novelties  in  fashions,  so,  too,  might  our  florists  seek  for  hints  in 
their  department.  _ 
Some  years  have  elapsed  since  my  travels  in  French  territory,  and  in 
that  time  a  great  change  has  taken  place  in  the  florists’  shops  of  the 
metropolis.  It  is  now  possible  to  take  a  tour  through  the  principal  West- 
end  streets  and  to  see  as  tasteful  floral  displays  as  could  be  wished.  The 
windows  are  suitably  draped  with  curtains,  or  wha  acts  as  a  foil  to  the 
colours  of  the  flowers  ;  foliage  plants  are  set  here  and  there  in  groups 
or  singly,  and  even  loose  flowers  in  stock  for  use  are  arranged  in  vases 
with  the  greatest  care  and  skill.  _ 
All  this  means  a  considerable  expenditure  in  labour  and  time,  and 
the  employment  of  real  artists  in  flowers  to  do  the  work  ;  but  it  pays, 
and  to  a  commercial  people  this,  after  all,  is  the  test  of  good  work.  The 
principle  is  the  same  as  that  which  regulates  the  sale  of  imported  fruits  ; 
all  our  foreign  competitors  have  found  an  advantage  in  sending  their 
wares  here  well  and  tastefully  packed,  tempting  to  purchasers,  and  offering 
a  kind  of  guarantee  of  value  for  money.  We  Britishers  have  too  much  of 
that  John  Bullism  which  prompts  us  to  say,  as  it  were,  “We  offer  you 
a  first-class  article  ;  take  it  or  leave  it,  as  you  like  and  the  fact  is  that 
many  a  “  first-class  article  ”  in  consequence  is  “  left  ”  because  another 
is  set  before  us  in  a  more  tempting  manner,  and  the  vendor  seems  to  be 
bowing  politely  and  saying,  ‘‘Honour  me  by  trying  my  goods  ;  I  am  sure 
you  will  come  again.”  _ 
Many  novel  and  pleasing  designs  were  noted  in  the  objects  displayed, 
but  two  facts  strike  one  generally  as  a  divergence  from  past  methods. 
One  is  the  extensive  employment  of  the  so-called  “  Russian  Moss,”  a  kind 
of  lichen,  for  wreaths  and  crosses,  a  purpose  for  which  its  clear  grey 
colour  tits  it  admirably,  and  it  is  certainly  an  improvement  upon  the 
dingy  or  dirty-looking  moss  sometimes  seen.  Large  quantities  of  this 
lichen  are  now  imported  in  neat  square  boxes,  and  it  comes  out  as  clean 
and  fresh  as  if  it  had  been  just  gathered  ;  it  also  lasts  for  a  considerable 
time  without  deterioration.  Another  point  is  that  coloured  flowers  are 
much  more  generally  used  in  wreaths  and  crosses  than  formerly.  Violets 
and  dark  blue  Pansies  have  been  commonly  employed  for  long  past,  but 
now  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  Roses,  or  even  Orchids,  introduced  into 
such  designs.  _ 
In  a  Regent  Street  florist’s  I  saw  one  of  the  most  beautiful  crosses 
that  ever  came  under  my  notice  ;  it  was  about  3  feet  high,  the  ground¬ 
work  being  entirely  in  large  double  white  Stock  blooms,  set  singly,  but 
closely,  and  from  the  centre  of  the  cross  arose  a  most  charming  cluster  of 
Cattleyas,  Lselias,  and  Dendrobiums,  with  a  few  long  sprays  of  Lily  of 
the  Valley  and  Asparagus.  The  arrangement  was  most  artistic,  and 
rich  as  the  colours  were  there  was  nothing  garish  or  offensive  to  the 
most  fastidious  taste,  unless  colours  are  objected  to  altogether. _ 
A  Counteyman. 
(To  be  continued.) 
