82 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
August  4,  1898. 
for  growers  under  1000  planus,  and  this  was  won  by  Mr.  Moules,  of 
Hitchin,  with  a  very  good  stand  of  neat  flowers — not  over-large,  but 
clean  and  good.  _ 
There  is  always  a  certain  amount  of  interest  attaching  to  what 
are  called  medal  Roses — that  is,  the  best  Rose  in  each  division. 
This  year  further  interest  was  excited  because  an  additional  medal 
was  given  for  Hybrid  Tea  Roses,  separating  them  from  the  H.P.’s, 
so  six  medals  were  awarded  instead  of  four.  This  is  a  most  difficult 
class  to  judge,  and  one  always  hears  differences  of  opinion  expressed 
and  the  decision  of  the  judges  challenged,  according  to  the  taste  of 
the  individual.  But  this  year  the  decisions  were  generally  acknow¬ 
ledged  to  be  correct,  both  in  the  amateurs’  and  nurserymen’s 
division.  The  medals  for  the  best  Teas  were  awarded  to  that 
queen  of  the  class,  Comtesse  de  Nadaillac,  and  was  won  by  Mr.  A. 
Hill  Gray  of  Bath  and  Mr.  Prince  of  Oxford.  Mr.  Lindsell  won 
the  medal  for  the  best  H.P.  with  a  grand  bloom  of  that  chef 
(I oeuvre  of  the  late  Mr.  Bennetr,  Mrs.  John  Laing,  and  in  the 
nurserymen’s  class  by  Mr.  Townsend  of  Worcester  with  a  fine  bloom 
of  Gustave  Piganeau,  a  Rose  which  I  do  not  personally  care  for,  but 
which  certainly  has  the  merit  of  size. 
The  medals  for  Hybrid  Teas  were  won  by  two  grand  blooms, 
White  Lady,  exhibited  by  Mr.  Charles  J.  Grahame,  certainly  the  finest 
bloom  of  this  flower  that  I  have  ever  seen,  and  by  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant 
for  a  grand  bloom  of  Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant,  a  Rose  which,  if  I  rightly 
remember,  was  first  shown  as  an  H.P.,  but  has  this  year  come  out 
in  graud  style.  There  was  not,  I  believe,  a  single  first  prize  in 
which  it  did  not  figure,  and  the  dozen  shown  by  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant 
were  beyond  doubt  one  of  the  most  attractive  features  in  the  class 
for  twelve  of  one  sort.  One  was  also  very  glad  to  find  that  the 
expressed  wish  of  the  National  that  it  should  be  known  by  this 
name  and  not  by  that  which  the  American  purchaser  has  given  to 
it  had  been  loyally  carried  out  by  the  members  of  the  National. 
Messrs.  Dickson  &  Sons  had  a  fine  box  of  their  new  Rose  Ulster,  a 
Hybrid  Perpetual  of  great  freshness  and  beauty.  In  the  open  class 
for  twelve  new  varieties  there  was  not  much  that  was  absolutely 
new.  One  of  the  prettiest  in  the  stand  was  Empress  Alexandra  of 
Russia,  a  very  fine  new  Tea  which  we  owe  to  the  Waltham  Cross 
firm,  Messrs.  William  Paul  &  Son. 
There  was  one  stand  exhibited  by  Messrs.  Alex.  Dickson  &  Sons 
which  seemed  to  me  of  much  interest ;  it  was  composed  of  single  and 
semi-double  Tea  Roses,  wffich,  I  think,  are  likely  to  be  useful  for 
garden  decoration  bv-and-by  ;  they  were  of  many  shades  of  colour, 
and  beiDg  Teas,  are  likely  to  be  of  continuous  flowe'ing.  Some  of  the 
most  conspicuous  Avere  Simplicity,  yellow,  flushed  with  pink ; 
Sympathy,  yellorv  inside  of  petals,  outside  rose  flushed  with  silvery 
white  ;  Beauty,  pure  white,  large,  and  a  real  beauty  ;  Felicity,  silvery 
white,  flushed  with  pink ;  Irish  Glory,  semi-double,  pink  and  silvery 
Avhite.  Princesse  de  Yenosa,  a  new  Tea  Rose,  shown  in  Mr.  Conway 
Jones’  collection,  is  likely  to  be  a  favourite  at  any  rate  for  the  garden  ; 
the  colour  is  a  good  yellow,  shaded  with  deeper  yellow.  There  was 
not  the  keen  competition  for  the  prizes  offered  by  Lord  Penzance  and 
Messrs.  Keynes,  Williams  &  Co.  for  the  stand  of  Hybrid  Sweet  Briars, 
that  one  would  have  Avished  for;  but  the  stand  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Orpen  attracted  much  attention,  and  elicited  many  remarks  of  admira¬ 
tion.  It  contained,  amongst  others,  Lady  Penzance,  probably  the  best 
of  the  whole  series  ;  Amy  Robsart,  and  Anne  of  Gierstein.  I  was  told 
by  a  leading  grower  that  these  are  best  used  as  bushes,  and  they 
make  a  charming  display  in  shrubberies,  where  they  will  rank  among 
the  best  and  prettiest  of  flowering  shrubs. 
Garden  and  decorative  Roses,  as  usual,  attracted  a  great  deal  of 
attention,  and  are  now  exhibited  Avith  much  more  taste  than  they  used 
to  be.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son  of  Cheshunt,  and  Cooling  &  Son  of  Bath, 
ran  as  usual  a  neck  and  neck  race,  and  each  stand  had  something  of 
novelty  beside  beauty  to  recommend  it ;  thus  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son  had 
Royal  Scarlet,  an  H.P.  of  most  brilliant  colour,  and  also  their  ver\ 
pretty  DaAvn  ;  while  Messrs.  Cooliug  &  Son  had  a  fine  bunch  of  their 
new  gold  medal  Rose  Purity,  and  also  a  yellow  Noisette,  which  will  be 
useful  for  garden  decoration.  There  Avere,  besides  these,  such  Avell 
knoAvn  and  beautiful  decorative  flowers  as  Marquis  de  Salisbury, 
Gustave  Regis,  macrantha,  Paul’s  Carmine  Pillar,  Paul’s  Single  White, 
Crimson  Rambler,  Marquis  Litta,  W.  A.  Richardson,  and  Ma  Capucine. 
There  was  not  much  competition  amongst  new  seedling  Roses, 
Dut  the  judges  awarded  a  gold  medal  to  Messrs.  Cooling  &  Son’s 
Purity,  a  white  Bourbon  Rose  of  very  free  flowering  habit,  early, 
and  of  good  form  and  substance.  It  is  not  absolutely  the  first  garden 
Rose  that  has  been  so  decorated,  for  the  medal  has  been  given  to 
Turner’s  Crimson  Rambler,  but  that  Avas  an  exceptional  case,  for  it  is 
neither  a  seedling  nor  a  sport  raised  in  this  country,  hut  Avas  imported 
from  Japan,  and  so  I  think  Ave  may  say  that  Purity  may  claim  the- 
honour  of  breaking  the  ground  for  garden  Roses. 
There  Avere  one  or  two  noticeable  features  in  the  exhibition.  One 
A\ras  that  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season  the  northern  growers 
Avere  shut  out,  and  one  regretted  very  much  to  find  that  that  most 
enthusiastic  rosarian,  Mr.  H.  Y.  Machin,  was  unable  to  put  in  an 
appearance  ;  another  Avas  that  a  considerable  accession  of  new  names 
as  exhibitors  in  the  smaller  classes  appeared  in  the  lists.  There  is- 
ahvays  a  tendency  amongst  the  larger  growers  to  get  tired  of  the  Avork 
after  a  few  years.  To  this  we  OAve  the  disappearance  of  such  exhibitors 
as  Mr.  Whitwell,  Mr.  T.  B.  Hall,  and  Mr.  Baker,  and  from  the 
murmurings  that  I  heard  from  some  of  their  successors  I  shall  not 
be  surprised  if  they  were  to  follow  their  example. 
One  of  the  pleasantest  features  of  the  Metropolitan  Show  is  the 
meeting  of  so  many  old  friends  Avith  whom  one  has  been  associated 
for  the  last  twenty- tAvo  years.  It  is  a  real  pleasure  to  meet  them,  and 
to  myself,  who  must  very  shortly  be  put  upon  the  retired  list,  it  is 
very  gratifying  to  receive  the  expressions  of  good  will  from  so  many. 
We,  of  course,  know  not  what  may  be  before  us.  The  Crystal  Palace 
has  we  believe  passed  into  other  hands,  and  we  do  not  know  whether 
their  arrangements  will  be  the  same  as  at  present  ;  but  we  have  tided 
over  many  a  difficulty,  and  I  hope  this  will  be  surmounted.  In  the 
meantime  I  do  not  think  Ave  can  see  many  symptoms  of  decline  of 
interest  in  the  culture  of  the  flower,  and  if  certain  rocks  Avhich  I  see 
ahead  can  be  avoided,  we  may  hope  the  National  has  many  years  of 
success  before  it. — D.,  Deal. 
UPSIDE-DOWN  VINES. 
The  eye  of  the  Master  twinkled  as  he  led  me  towards  a  glass  structure 
in  the  corner  of  a  large  court.  I  Avas  not  quite  sure  Avhetherit  was  the 
first  fibre  of  a  new  tAvinkle,  or  the  last  shred  of  an  old  one,  for,  Avhile 
seated  together  in  his  room,  there  had  come  a  knock  at  the  door, 
followed  by  a  brief  colloquy  between  the  Master  and  a  small  boy 
affectionately  clutching  a  handful  of  sour  green  Aptples.  The  small 
boy  begged  to  intimate  that  he  had  found  the  Apiples  under  a  tree. 
The  Master  begged  to  know  what  he  wanted  to  do  with  them.  The 
small  boy  did  not  knoAV.  Thereupon  he  was  invited  to  step  outside, 
and  wait  there  until  an  idea  occurred  to  him.  Ten  seconds  afterwards 
the  small  boy  hastily  reaptpeared,  prompted,  I  have  reason  to  believe, 
by  some  pointed  suggestions  from  a  band  of  disgusted  bigger  boys 
without.  Had  the  idea  come  ?  Yes  sir,  he  would  like  to  eat  them. 
There  was,  I  sav,  a  doubt  as  to  whether  it  was  the  lingering 
remnants  of  the  tAvinkle  which  accompanied  the  Master’s  permission, 
or  a  new  one  inspired  by  some  fresh  reflection,  that  I  pierceived  as  Ave 
approached  the  house.  But  when  we  entered  this  doubt  resolved 
itself  into  thin  air.  The  structure  was  a  vinery,  15  to  20  feet  long  by 
about  10  feet  wide,  a  lean-to.  The  Vines— Black  Hamburgh— had 
been  planted  against  the  back  wall,  and  the  rods  turned  down  at  the 
ridge.  In  the  case  of  one  they  had  been  stopped  when  the  tipis  - 
reached  theeave ;  but  in  the  case  of  another — and  to  this  there  hangs  atale 
— a  rod  had  been  turned  when  it  reached  the  eave,  trained  horizontally, - 
and  new  rods  taken  up  from  it,  so  that  the  up-growing  new  rods  ran 
parallel  Avith  the  down-groAving  first  rod.  Thus  one  Vine  was  in  the 
most  unblushing  way  trying  to  stand  upon  its  head ;  while  the 
other,  after  pierforming  that  acrobatic  feat,  had  turned  over  a  new  leaf 
and  was  assuming  the  perpendicular  again. 
But  in  the  fact  of  a  Vine  being  trained  up  a  back  Avail  and  down 
the  roof  there  is  nothing  new.  I  have  somewhere  read  of  a  case 
where  rods  so  trained  rooted  in  the  soil  at  the  base,  and  the  rods 
severed  at  the  apex  of  the  root,  and  so,  in  truth  and  fact,  did  stand 
upside  down.  The  real  topsy-turveyism  came  in  another  phase  of 
treatment.  It  appears  that  the  Master  was  away  from  home  for  some 
time  in  the  spring, -and  returning  at  Whitsuntide  saw  that  the  right- 
end-cum-wrong-end  Vine  was  not  looking  very  well.  It  had,  it 
must  be  stated,  set  its  berries.  Nmv,  the  Master  read  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  for  many  years,  and  in  particular  he  studied  the  articles 
on  Grape  growing  by  Mr.  Win.  Taylor  when  at  Longleat.  From 
them  he  had  imbibed  the  idea  that  healthy  root  action  is  the  secret  ol 
success.  Surveying  his  indisposed  Vine  Avith  tender  solicitude,  the 
idea  occurred  to  him  that  there  Avas  something  Avrong  at  the  roots. 
Not  having  the  Rontgen  rays  available,  he  felt  compelled  to  go  in  for 
dissection.  He  pulled  that  part  of  the  border  to  puces,  removed  every 
particle  of  soil,  tied  up  the  roots  with  bass,  and  then  made  up  a  neAV 
border.  All  this,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  done  while  the  Vine 
Avas  in  full  groAvth  and  crowded  Avith  bunches.  Astonishing  to  relate, 
the  expiration  of  six  weeks  finds  it  in  exuberant  health,  and  carrying 
far  superior  bunches  to  the  one  Avhich  was  not  touched. 
The  Vines  Avere  planted  three  years  ago,  and  last  year  carried 
eighty  good  bunches.  The  border  is  barely  larger  than  most  p>eople- 
