536 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  30.  1>«S*8. 
Souvenir  cl’un  Ami,  The  Bride,  M.  Furtado,  alba  rosea,  Madame  C usin, 
Madame  Hoste,  Souvenir  de  S.  A.  Prince,  Comtesse  deNadaillae,  Princess 
of  Wales,  and  Hon.  Edith  Gifford.  ^Ir.  B.  Cam  was  second  with  good 
triplets  of  Cleopatra,  Madame  Hoste,  Souvenir  de  S.  A.  Prince,  Souvenir 
d’uu  Ami,  and  Jean  Ducher  ;  Mr.  D.  Prior  third  with  good  blooms,  which, 
however,  lacked  the  colouring  that  was  so  noticeable  in  the  other  stands. 
For  twelve  blooms,  one  variety,  Mr.  G.  Prince  was  first  with  a  grand 
box  of  ]\[ar^ehal  Niel  ;  IMr.  B.  Cant  second  with  an  exhibit  of  Cleopatra  ; 
and  Mr.  D.  Prior  third  with  Souvenir  de  S.  A.  Prince. 
Single  Roses  were  very  bright  and  attractive.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son, 
Cheshunt,  were  placed  first  for  a  very  fine  display.  The  varieties  were 
Paul's  Royal  Scarlet,  a  grand  single  Rose  ;  Paul’s  Single  White,  Carolina, 
Lady  Penzance,  R.  rugosa.  Rose  Bradwardine,  Paul’s  Carmine  Pillar, 
macrophylla,  rugosa  alba,  pomifera,  and  Nutkatense.  Mr.  G.  Cooling 
was  second  with  good  trusses  of  Cooling’s  Single  Crimson  Bedder, 
macrantha,  and  the  Austrian  Briars. 
The  competition  in  the  amateurs’  section  was  very  similar  to  that  in 
the  open  classe.*.  The  boxes  staged  were  undoubtedly  good,  but  many  well 
known  exhibitors  were  missing.  For  twelve  distinct  Roses,  Mr.  Alex. 
Hill  Gray,  Beaulieu,  Bath,  was  first  with  a  very  strong  stand  of  Teas,  the 
varieties  were  Souvenir  d’Elise  Vardon,  Comtesse  de  Nadaillac  (grand), 
Hon.  Edith  Gifford,  Maman  Cochet,  Anna  Olivier,  The  Bride,  Princess  of 
Wales,  M*rdchal  Niel,  Catherine  Mermet,  Marie  Van  Houtte,  Princess 
Beatrice,  and  Golden  Gate.  This  exhibit  also  won  the  piece  of  plate  pre¬ 
sented  by  IMessrs.  G.  Cooling  &  Sons.  Rev.  ,T.  H.  Pemberton,  Havering- 
atte-Bower,  Romford,  was  second  with  good  blooms  of  Caroline  Testout, 
Marchioness  of  Dufferin,  Anna  Olivier,  and  Souvenir  d’un  Ami.  Mr.  S.  P. 
Budd,  Bath,  third.  The  last  named  exhibitor  was  first  for  six  triplets, 
with  excellent  examples  of  ^Madame  Cusin,  Alarie  Van  Houtte,  Princess  of 
Wales,  and  Countess  of  Pembroke. 
The  Rev.  Robt.  Powley,  Upton,  Scudamore,  was  placed  first  for  twelve 
distinct  varieties.  The  competition  lor  six  varieties  was  keenly  contested, 
Mr.  H,  P.  Landon,  Brentwood,  being  placed  first ;  Mr.  L.  Parry,  Stinsford 
House,  Dorchester,  second. 
IMr.  Conway  Jones,  Hucclecote,  Gloucester,  won  the  Prince  Memorial 
cup  for  Teas  and  Noisettes. 
Mr.  Alex.  Hill  Gray  was  placed  first  for  eighteen  distinct  varijties  of 
Teas  and  Noisettes  with  a  very  strong  exhibit.  The  best  varieties  were 
Anna  Olivier,  Princess  of  Wales,  Souvenir  de  Therese  Level,  and  Marie 
Van  Houtte. 
Miscellaneous  exhibits  were  a  great  feature,  Messrs.  G.  Cooling  &  Son 
making  a  fine  display  of  garden  Roses,  Palms,  and  other  decorative  plants  ; 
also  a  splendid  exhibit  of  Paeonies,  comprising  most  of  the  popular  kinds, 
such  as  Madame  Calot,  fulgida  Artemense,  Princess  Galitzen,  and  Baron 
Jas.  de  Rothschild. 
Messrs.  P.  Barr  &;  Sons,  King  Street,  Covent  Garden,  staged  one  of 
their  well-known  displays  of  hardy  flowers,  the  chief  features  being  large 
collections  of  Paeonies,  Irises,  Ixias,  Delphiniums,  and  a  variety  of 
herbaceous  plants. 
Messrs.  R.  Veitch  &  Son,  Exeter,  had  a  very  attractive  exhibit,  com¬ 
prising  rock  plants,  Water  Lilies,  and  an  imposing  display  of  hardy 
flowering  plants,  the  whole  forming  a  very  bright  arrangement. 
Rose  Conference. 
The  conference  held  by  the  National  Rose  Society  in  conjunction  with 
the  exhibition  at  Bath  proved  a  very  successful  meeting  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  of  the  Coldstream  Guards  band,  which  was  discoursing  sweet 
music  on  the  lawn.  Most  of  the  prominent  rosarians  were  present,  indeed, 
it  might  be  described  as  a  meeting  of  experts,  though  the  general  public 
were  fairly  represented.  Mr.  R.  B.  Cater,  Bath,  occupied  the  chair,  and 
apologised  for  the  compulsory  absence  of  the  Mayor.  After  a  few  brief 
remarks  he  introduced  Mr.  F.  Cooling,  who  was  booked  to  read  the  paper 
on  “  Rose  Pruning.” 
The  essayist  commenced  by  dividing  his  subject  into  two  divisions — 
namely,  Roses  that  require  close  or  hard  pruning,  and  those  which  require 
very  little  pruning  in  spring.  In  the  case  of  pruning  Hybrid  Perpetuals 
the  first  year,  Mr.  Cooling  advocated  following  the  orthodox  advice — 
Prune  strong  growing  varieties  to  five  or  six  eyes,  while  the  weaker  sorts 
should  only  be  allowed  three  or  four. 
Referring  to  garden  Roses,  the  essayist  commenced  by  saying  there 
was  far  too  much  pruning  done  to  these  Roses  at  the  present  time,  an 
opinion  subsequently  endorsed  by  the  other  experts  present.  What  was 
really  required  was  a  thinning  out  of  the  growths  at  the  proper  season, 
this  being  done  as  soon  as  flowering  ceased.  By  removing  the  part  that 
had  completed  its  work,  the  plant  was  enabled  to  utilise  its  energies  in 
building  up  the  young  growth  for  next  season’s  flowering,  and  allowing 
the  sun  and  air  to  thoroughly  mature  and  ripen  the  wood.  By  adopting 
this  system  the  young  wood  is  vigorous  yet  firm.  In  the  autumn  or  early 
spring  these  growths  should  not  be  shortened,  or  not  to  any  great  extent, 
but  be  simply  bent  or  pegged  down.  The  result  would  be  wreaths  of 
Roses  throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  plants. 
The  Noisettes,  and  especially  Mardchal  Niel,  should  be  pruned 
hard  as  soon  as  the  flowering  period  was  over,  probably  in  May  or  June. 
Select  a  few  of  the  best  growths  that  quickly  appear,  and  rub  out  all 
weakly  breaks.  In  September  or  October  these  growths  should  be 
pinched,  or  pruned  back  a  few  inches,  to  plump  up  the  eyes.  The  Bourbon 
Roses  require  moderate  pruning  in  spring.  The  Austrian  and  Penzance 
Briars  should  not  be  topped  at  all,  but  thinning  is  necessary,  especially  in 
the  latter  section.  The  Banksians,  Crimson  Rambler,  and  Paul’s 
Carmine  Pillar  Roses  require  little  pruning.  The  strong  shoots  should 
be  encouraged  and  laid  in  almost  their  full  length.  Mr.  Cooling  then 
alluded  to  the  magnificent  garden  Roses  to  be  seen  in  our  cottage 
gardens,  which  were  rarely,  if  ever,  pruned,  and  suggested  that  gardeners- 
might  take  an  object  lesson  from  them. 
Mr.  Ed,  Mawley,  the  popular  Secretary  of  the  R.H.S.,  after 
complimenting  Mr.  Cooling  on  his  concise  paper,  said  he  was  under  the 
impression  that  the  mode  of  pruning  depended  on  the  object  in  view. 
If  we  required  exhibition  Roses  we  must  prune  hard  ;  on  the  other  hand, 
for  a  garden  display,  the  less  pruning  the  better. 
The  Rev.  J.  H.  PEMBERTON  doubted  very  much  whether  we  really 
knew  much  about  Rose  pruning,  for  some  of  the  best  Roses  he  had  ever 
exhibited  were  produced  on  bushes  that  were  left  unpruned.  He  then 
alluded  to  the  fact  that  average  gardeners  pruned  all  their  Roses  alike, 
without  regard  to  their  method  of  flowering  ;  as  a  consequence  many 
of  the  Briars  never  bloomed  at  all.  He  thought  at  the  present  time  wo 
had  far  too  much  of  the  knife  in  our  garden  Roses  and  too  little  sun. 
He  maintained  the  latter  was  far  more  important  in  the  production  of 
Roses  than  the  pruning  knife.  He  also  thought  our  Hybrid  Teas  were 
cut  far  too  much. 
Mr.  Grant  followed  in  the  same  strain,  instancing  the  wild  Roses.  It 
was  preferable  to  leave  garden  Roses  alone,  as  far  as  pruning  proper  is 
concerned.  The  cardinal  points  were  :  Remove  all  used  up  wood,  and  leave 
the  strongest  shoots.  These  do  not  require  topping  in  the  spring.  In  the 
case  of  weakly  growers,  pruning  becomes  a  necessity  to  obtain  good  results. 
Mr.  Alex.  Hill  Gray,  in  tbe  course  of  some  humorous  remarks, 
dwelt  chiefly  on  the  pruning  of  the  Mardchal  Niel.  When  he  first  went  to 
reside  in  Bath,  he  protected  his  plants  of  this  variety  with  straw  ;  but 
during  the  winter  months  the  mice  barked  the  whole  of  them,  so  that  he 
had  no  Roses  the  following  summer,  but  the  plants  made  such  a  growth 
that  he  was  repaid  the  succeeding  year  with  a  wealth  of  magnificent 
Roses.  This  lesson  taught  him  to  prune  hard  as  soon  as  flowering  ia 
finished,  a  practice  he  now  religiously  follows.  He  finds  this  Rose  likes  a 
dry  climate,  and  will  not  grow  satisfactorily  in  a  damp  one.  As  an  instance, 
he  alluded  to  the  unsatisfactory  state  this  variety  is  in  in  the  counties  of 
Devon  and  Cornwall. 
Mr.  F.  Griffith,  Kotagira,  Nilgiris,  Southern  India,  somewhat 
puzzled  the  meeting  by  asking  when  he  should  prune  his  Roses,  seeing 
that  he  had  no  winter  season  whatever.  Mr.  Grant  advised  him  to  prune 
when  the  plants  appeared  most  at  rest,  which  he  would  find  about  two 
months  out  of  each  year. 
Mr.  Landon,  Brentwood,  and  Mr.  Challis  followed  with  a  few 
remarks. 
Mr.  Cooling  replied  to  the  various  questions  put  to  him.  The 
meeting  then  accorded  him  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks,  and  a  very  pleasant 
gathering  was  brought  to  a  close. 
RYDE,  I.'W. — June  23rd. 
The  above  Society  held  its  annual  exhibition  on  Thursday  last  in  the 
beautiful  grounds  of  Westmont  by  kind  permission  of  General  Berthon, 
and  notwithstanding  the  backward  season  some  excellent  stands  of  fresh 
and  bright  flowers  were  produced.  Teas  were  very  prominent  throughout 
the  stands,  and  also  the  H.T.’s  ;  while  the  H.P.’s,  although  generally 
rather  undersized,  were  an  excellent  colour. 
In  the  open  class  for  thirty-six  blooms,  in  not  less  than  twenty-four 
varieties,  Messrs.  F.  Cant  &  Co.,  Colchester,  won  the  gold  medal,  the  silver- 
gilt  medal  being  taken  by  Mr.  R.  E.  West,  Reigate.  These  exhibitors 
took  the  same  order  in  the  class  for  twenty-four  blooms,  distinct,  both 
showing  well.  For  twelve,  distinct,  amateurs,  Mr..R.  E.  West  was  a  good 
first ;  Mr.  D.  Seaton,  Bitterne,  second.  For  a  miscellaneous  collection  of 
garden  Roses,  Messrs.  F.  Cant  &  Co.  were  first,  and  Mr.  G.  H.  Kent, 
gardener  to  kirs.  Croft  Murray,  Ryde,  second.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams,  Shirley, 
won  the  first  prize  for  a  bouquet  of  Roses  with  a  very  tasteful 
arrangement. 
Several  classes  were  restricted  to  Isle  of  Wight  growers.  For  twenty- 
four  distinct  varieties,  Mr.  J.  0.  Brook,  Fernside,  Ryde,  won  the  silver 
medal,  beating  Mr.  G.  H.  Kent,  who  was  second.  Mr.  .J.  0.  Brook  was 
also  first  for  eighteen  distinct  blooms.  Tn  the  class  for  twelve  distinct, 
Mrs.  E.  C.  Murray  was  first,  Mr.  G.  Williams,  Gatcombe,  second,  and  Mr. 
J.  Lee  White,  Cowes,  third.  For  twelve  H.  P.’s  only,  Mr.  .J.  O.  Brook  was 
again  first,  and  IMr.  Gr.  Williams  second.  Mr.  J.  O.  Brook  was  also  first 
lor  eighteen,  six  varieties,  three  of  each.  Mr.  G.  Honeybourn,  gardener 
to  Lady  Daly,  Ryde  ;  Mr.  Frank  Rashly,  Haven  Street ;  Miss  Carter, 
Ryde ;  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Murray  were  the  prizetakers  in  the  minor  classes. 
For  a  table  decorated  with  Roses,  with  any  foliage,  Mr.  Lee  White, 
Cowes,  was  first,  W.  A.  Richardson  being  the  chief  variety  employed  with 
chaste  effect ;  Miss  K.  Collyer,  Ryde,  was  second.  Baskets  of  Roses, 
ladies’  sprays,  gentlemen’s  buttonholes,  and  epergnes  of  cut  flowers,  as 
well  as  floral  designs.  All  helped  to  add  attraction  and  interest  to  the 
exhibition. 
The  collection  of  wild  flowers  was  one  of  the  best  that  has  been  seen 
in  the  Island  for  some  time,  the  wet  and  cold  spring  having  helped 
towards  the  development  of  the  native  Orchids,  that  are  chiefly  found  on 
the  hills.  The  Bee  Orchis,  Ophrys  apifera,  is  very  plentiful  and  fine  this 
year  ;  the  Black-fly  Orchis,  Ophrys  muscifera,  was  finely  developed  ;  and 
also  the  Butterfly  Orchis,  Habenaria  chlorantha  ;  as  well  as  the  (Ireen 
Man  and  the  Frog  Orchis.  These  and  the  varieties  of  0.  maculata,  some 
so  fine  as  to  remind  one  of  O.  foliosa,  formed  a  very  interesting  and 
attractive  feature  to  the  botanists  and  others  interested  in  the  native 
flora.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams,  Shirley  Nurseries,  Southampton,  exhibited  a  fine 
collection  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants  and  border  Pinks,  and  was  awarded 
the  certificate  of  merit  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Improvement 
Association.  Mr.  Butcher  and  Mr.  Mundell,  late  of  IMoor  Park,  Rick- 
mansworth,  were  efficient  staging  Superintendents  ;  and  Mr.  J.  Eley  an 
obliging  and  energetic  Hon.  Sec. 
