December  1.  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
419 
N.R.S.  ANNUAL  GENERAL  MEETING. 
The  twenty-second  annual  general  meeting  of  the  National  Rose 
Society  will  take  place  at  the  rooms  of  the  Horticultural  Club,  Hotel 
Windsor,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster,  on  Thursday,  December  8th, 
at  3.30  p.m.  ;  to  receive  report  of  Committee  ;  to  pass  the  accounts  ; 
to  elect  the  Committee  and  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  ;  and  for  the 
transaction  of  other  general  business.  The  annual  dinner  will  take  place 
at  the  Hotel  Windsor  at  5.30  p.m.,  R.  B.  Cater,  Esq.,  President  of  the 
Bath  Floral  Fete  Committee,  in  the  chair.  Members  and  their 
friends  are  earnestly  invited  to  attend  this  pleasant  annual  gathering 
of  rosarians. 
NOTES  ON  ROSES. 
Inserting  Cuttings. 
STRONG-growing  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  may  be  readily  increased 
by  inserting  a  number  of  good  cuttings  in  some  fairly  sheltered 
position  in  the  open  ground.  The  cuttings  must  be  selected  from  the 
central  parts  of  strong  shoots,  where  the  wood  is  firm  and  stout,  also 
approaching  a  well-ripened  condition.  Wood  only  of  the  current 
season  is  suitable,  and  the  cuttings  must  be  prepared  of  the  length  of 
6  inches.  The  base  of  the  cutting  must  be  just  below  a  joint.  Only 
the  leaves  on  the  portion  of  stem  inserted  in  the  ground  need  removal, 
but  all  the  buds  both  below  and  above  should  be  left.  The  ground 
must  be  well  worked  and  plenty  of  sand  added.  Form  a  neat  trench 
with  the  spade,  and  place  the  cuttings  so  that  they  will  be  two-thirds 
of  their  depth  in  the  soil  when  that  is  filled  in  and  made  firm  about 
them.  The  rows  may  be  8  or  9  inches  apart,  the  cuttings  occupying 
a  space  of  3  inches  between  each  other. 
Rooting  does  not  actually  take  place  until  spring,  but  a  callus  is 
formed  at  the  base  of  the  cutting  soon  after  insertion,  which  has  the 
effect  of  maintaining  the  cutting  fresh  until  the  activity  of  the  sap  in 
spring  encourages  the  production  of  roots.  The  cuttings  may  remain 
until  the  following  autumn  where  they  are  inserted.  They  can  then 
be  lifted  and  planted  permanently. 
Preparing  Soil  for  Planting. 
A  loamy  soil  which  is  moderately  strong,  rich,  and  deep,  is  the 
best  for  Roses,  but  most  soils  may  be  made  suitable.  Sandy  soils  are 
light,  and  dry  too  quickly,  but  they  can  be  much  improved  by 
manuring  with  strong  manures,  such  as  cow  and  pig  manure,  and  the 
addition  of  clayey  loam.  Soils  of  a  very  heavy  and  retentive  character, 
such  as  very  stiff  and  clayey  soil,  require  well  breaking  up,  incor¬ 
porating  wood  ashes,  leaf  soil.decaved  vegetable  refuse,  road  sweepings, 
and  decomposed  stable  or  farmyard  manure. 
In  the  case  of  very  poor  soil  it  may  be  desirable  to  remove  about 
18  inches  of  it,  filling  up  with  three  parts  good  loam  well  mixed  with 
one  part  manure.  Ordinary  fertile  soil  may  with  advantage  be  trenched 
2  feet  deep,  though  not  bringing  the  subsoil  to  the  top.  Add  manure 
between  the  spits,  good  decomposed  farmyard  manure  being  the  best, 
with  a  liberal  addition  of  wood  ashes  and  soot,  the  latter  more 
sparingly  than  the  former.  Wet  soils  must  be  drained  for  Roses  to 
succeed.  Drain  pipes  are  the  best  means  of  carrying  away  superfluous 
moisture  from  the  subsoil,  placing  them  at  a  depth  of  3  feet,  and  pro¬ 
tecting  with  rubble  or  broken  bricks. 
Roses  worked  on  Manetti  stocks  are  best  for  light  sandy  loams. 
For  stiff  and  clayey  soil  those  on  Briar  stocks  are  superior.  Teas  and 
Noisettes  do  best  on  the  Briar,  but  the  soil  may  be  less  stiff  for  these 
Roses  than  the  stronger  growing  Hybrid  Perpetuals. 
Planting  Roses. 
A  distance  of  2  feet  is,  as  a  rule,  the  best  for  the  majority  of 
Roses  when  planting  in  beds  or  borders.  Climbing  Roses  planted 
against  walls  or  fences  may  have  more  space,  one  plant  being  required 
to  cover  a  large  area.  The  comparatively  small  and  weaker  growing 
varieties  may  have  space  allotted  them  in  proportion  to  their  habit,  the 
Monthly  or  Polyantha  Roses  only  requiring  a  foot  of  space  between 
each  plant.  With  extra  vigorous  varieties  of  any  class  it  is  better  to 
allow  sufficient  space  to  admit  of  extension  rather  than  permit  crowding 
in  a  circumscribed  limit. 
The  roots  of  Roses  ought  to  be  prevented  from  becoming  dried  by 
exposure  to  the  atmosphere  from  the  time  of  lifting  until  planting. 
Success  in  quickly  re-establishing  them  in  fresh  quarters  depends 
largely  upon  maintaining  the  young  and  fibrous  roots  fresh  and 
healthy.  Plants  received  from  a  nursery  ought  to  be  unpacked 
without  delay,  carefully  laying  them  in  damp  soil  before  attempting  to 
plant  any. 
Plant  in  dry  weather,  when  the  soil  is  not  sticky.  A  thorough 
examination  must  be  made  of  the  roots  before  planting,  as  it  is 
essential  that  bruised  and  broken  portions  be  cleanly  cut  away  to  firm 
and  uninjured  parts.  Strong  thick  roots  without  any  young  fibres 
attached  may  be  shortened  back,  but  preserve  as  many  of  the  young 
slender  roots  as  possible,  merely  insuring  that  their  points  are  cut 
smoothly  should  they  be  in  any  way  damaged.  In  the  case  of  standard 
and  half-standard  trees  on  Briar  stocks,  as  well  as  dwarfs  on  these  or 
other  stocks,  it  is  indispensable  that  sucker  growths  from  the  stocks 
be  removed,  or  they  may  cause  trouble. 
Vigorous  plants  which  have  made  wood  freely  may  with  advantage 
have  the  wood  or  long  shoots  reduced  in  length,  especially  if  the  roots 
have  been  freely  shortened,  deferring  the  final  pruning  till  the  end  of 
March.  There  will  be  a  more  equal  balance  between  the  roots  and 
shoots,  and  less  strain  upon  the  former.  Dwarfs  ought  to  be  planted 
rather  lower  than  previously,  but  standards  should  be  planted  same 
depth  as  before.  Spread  out  the  roots  to  their  full  extent,  spreading 
light  loamy  soil  among  them  from  the  stem  outwards,  and  avoid  allow¬ 
ing  them  to  come  in  contact  with  manure.  Standards  ought  to  be 
staked  and  made  secure,  so  that  the  roots  cannot  be  displaced  by  wind. 
Mulch  also  with  light  manure. — E.  D.  S. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Scientific  Committee. — Present  :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the 
chair)  ;  Mr.  Bennett-Poe,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Mr.  Michael,  and  Rev.  G. 
Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Tea  plants  attacked  by  mites. — Air.  Michael  gave  an  interesting 
account,  of  a  new  species  of  Acarus.  sent  by  Mr.  E.  E.  Green,  Hon. 
Gov.  Entom.  of  Eton,  Pundaluoya,  Ceylon.  They  were  forwarded  in 
tubes  filled  with  sterilised  air,  a  plan  which  Air.  Green  had  found  very 
useful  for  preserving  fleshy  injects  in  their  natural  form  and  colours. 
He  also  forwarded  specimens  of  young  Tea  leaves  attacked  by  the  mite, 
which  causes  considerable  damage  and  loss  of  crop  on  the  Tea  estates  in 
Ceylon.  Mr.  Green  writes  as  follows: — “Some  years  ago  I  gave  a 
description  and  figures  of  this  mite  in  a  little  pamphlet  on  ‘Insect  Pests 
of  the  Tea  Plant.’  For  purpose  of  registration  I  gave  it  the  provisional 
name  of  Acarus  translucens,  but  I  find  that  this  name  is  already  occupied 
hv  a  different  mite,  described  by  Nietner  in  his  ‘  Enemies  of  the  Coffee 
Tree  ;  ’  therefore  the  insect  is  still  nameless.  I  should  be  glad  to  have  it 
properly  identified.  It  is  curious  in  laying  two  different  kinds  of  eggs, 
one  form  being  quite  smooth,  and  another  form  rather  larger  and  beauti¬ 
fully  beaded.  The  latter  is  the  most  usual,  and  I  have  watched  the 
emergence  of  the  mite  from  this  egg.  I  have  only  recently  noticed  the 
smooth  egg9.  The  immature  insects  are  very  sluggish,  the  mature  ones 
decidedly  active.  Thev  attack  the  young  leaves  only.  As  each  bud 
unfolds  they  move  up  on  to  it.  deserting  the  older  leaves,  which,  however, 
are  permanently  injured.  The  attack  of  the  mite  imparts  a  brown  scaly 
character  to  the  leaf  cuticle,  which  persists  throughout  its  life.  W  hen 
the  unopened  leaf  bud  is  attacked,  tbe  punctures  are  concentrated  upon 
the  groove  and  the  infolded  edges.  This  forms  a  permanent  scar,  appear¬ 
ing  like  a  strong  sub-lateral  nervure  on  the  expanded  leaf.  Mr.  Michael 
observed  that  the  mite  was  one  of  the  Tarsonomi,  a  group  only  lately 
known,  but  proving  to  be  great  destroyers  of  vegetation — e.q.,  Box  trees 
at  Turin  were  all  destroyed  in  one  season.  Professor  Canastrini  of  Padua 
discovered  that  the  mite  bored  between  the  epidermises  of  the  leaf. 
Another  species  attacks  the  Sugar-canes  of  Barbadoes,  but  ^  does  not 
appear  to  be  so  injurious,  though  fresh  canes  swarmed  with  the  Tarsonomi. 
Few  species  are  known  as  yet,  but  they  are  very  destructive.  They 
are  extremely  minute,  and  have  consequently  escaped  detection  until  the 
last  few  years. 
Dahlia  crossed  with  the  Sunflower. — Air.  Lowe  sent  fresh  examples  of  his 
supposed  hybrid.  They  were  very  much  arrested  in  growth,  and 
malformed  ;  but  they  would  otherwise  be  regarded  as  Dahlias.  It  may 
be  observed  that  M.  Martin  Cahazac  sttempted  to  cross  the  Dahlia  with 
the  Chrysanthemum  ;  but  in  his  case,  as  with  Mr.  Lowe,  the  supposed 
hybrid  did  not  appear  to  be  very  marked.  ( Gard .  Chron.  Dec.  11th,  1897, 
p.  417.) 
Pear-within-Pear. — Mr.  W.  J.  Clarke,  Manor  House,  Benbrook,  Market 
Rasen,  sent  an  example  of  this  not  uncommon  monstrosity  ;  and  Mr. 
Bennett-Poe  brought  another  example.  The  Pear  has  no  core,  but  in  its 
place  the  apical  bud  develops  into  another  pseudo-Pear  ;  the  terminal  bud 
then  attempts  to  produce  a  third  or  more,  finally  a  tuft  of  small  leaves  at 
the  top  represents  the  still  growing  terminal  bud. 
Pyrus  crenata.  —  Dr.  Masters  remarked  that  this  tree  is  peculiar  for 
retaining  its  large  and  handsome  leaves  for  a  time,  after  most  other 
deciduous  trees  have  shed  theirs.  I  he  leaf  exhibited  was  from  a,  tree  in  a 
garden  at  Ealing.  It  is  a  native  of  Nepaul,  and  was  described  and 
figured  in  the  Gard.  Chron.,  Jan.  3rd,  1874,  p.  17. 
NYMPHiEAS  AND  Bees. — Like  “A  Gardener  and  Bee-keeper” 
fpage  393),  I  have  not  observed  bees  at  any  time  working  on  Nymphmas. 
I  have  occasionally  seen  flies  on  the  flowers,  but  they  did  not  seem  to 
work  much  upon  them.  M.  Latour-AIarliac  has  not,  so  far  as  I  know, 
made  public  the  means  by  which  he  has  produced  his  charming  hybrids, 
but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  has  been  done  bv  careful  cross- 
fertilisation.  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  bees  are  even  more  at¬ 
tracted  to  certain  flowers  by  the  odour  than  by  the  colour. — S.  Arnott. 
