November  30,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
471 
National  Rose  Society.— Official  Catalogue. 
The  fourth  edition  of  the  official  catalogue  of  the  National  Rose 
Society  is  probably  the  best  of  the  series.  To  exhibitors  of  Roses  it 
must  prove  invaluable,  as  will  it  to  all  growers  of  the  queen  of 
flowers  who  desire  to  have  a  concise  guide  embodying  true  descriptions 
of  the  best  varieties  in  cultivation.  There  are  six  plates,  representing 
respectively  a  Hybrid  Perpetual,  a  Hybrid  Tea,  a  Tea  or  Noisette, 
each  of  these  being  in  exhibition  character,  with  three  types  of  what 
are  popularly  termed  garden  Roses;  all  are  well  executed.  The  lists 
of  varieties  include  Hybrid  Perpetuals,  Hybrid  Teas,  Teas  and 
Noisettes,  Bourbon,  with  the  “  Garden  ”  or  decorative  Roses.  In 
every  case  the  lists  have  been  brought  right  up  to  date,  and  the 
descriptions  have  been  most  carefully  prepared.  In  addition  to  the 
above,  selections  of  varieties  are  given  for  specified  purposes,  such  as 
twenty-four  Hybrid  Perpetuals,  twelve  Hybrid  Teas,  and  twelve  Teas 
and  Noisettes  for  exhibition  ;  twenty-four  for  pot  culture,  twenty-four 
for  standards,  twenty-four  for  bedding,  twelve  for  pillars,  twelve  for 
arches,  and  twelve  for  climbing  on  walls.  The  catalogue,  which  is 
splendidly  printed  on  highly  toned  paper,  may  be  procured  from  the 
Rev.  H.  H.  D’Ombrain,  V.M.H.,  Westwell  Vicarage,  Ashford,  Kent; 
or  E.  Mawley,  Esq.,  Rosebank,  Berkhamstead,  for  2s.,  post  free. 
Planting  Roses. 
Ground,  except  in  very  damp,  undrained  positions,  is  usually  in 
good  condition  for  planting  Roses  in  December.  Very  wet  weather,  or 
during  a  hard  frost,  are  unsuitable  times  on  any  soil,  but  when  the 
surface  is  comparatively  dry  and  not  sticky  the  planting  may  be 
carried  on.  Supposing  the  plants  were  obtained  early,  and  for  want 
of  opportunity  could  not  be  permanently  planted  for  several  weeks, 
they  would  not  take  any  harm  if  the  roots  were  carefully  laid  in  the 
soil.  Plants  so  stored  often  commenced  to  form  new  roots  simply 
because  the  soil  is  warm  and  suitable,  and  it  would  be  a  great 
advantage  to  have  them  in  this  condition  if  carefully  moved  and 
planted  quickly,  so  as  not  to  expose  the  young  delicate  fibres  to  the 
drying  influences  of  the  air.  When  laying-in  the  plants  to  be  left  for 
any  length  of  time  the  damaged  parts  of  the  roots  ought  to  be  cut 
smoothly.  This  will  undoubtedly  facilitate  the  emission  of  roots  whether 
laid  in  temporarily  or  planted  permanently. 
The  soil  in  which  Roses  succeed  best  is  loam  of  a  fairly  strong 
character,  rich  and  deep.  The  depth  of  any  soil  will  be  increased 
by  well  working  the  subsoil  which,  if  poor,  will  be  much  improved 
in  the  process.  A  light  or  sandy  soil  may  be  improved  for  Roses  by 
the  addition  of  loam  tending  to  a  clayey  character.  On  the  other  hand 
a  stiff  and  retentive  soil  is  not  suitable  until  it  is  improved,  by 
opening  materials  and  amelioration  of  its  texture  by  frost.  The 
addition  of  wood  ashes,  road  sweepings,  decayed  leaf  soil  and  vegetable 
refuse  will  all  help  in  the  work  of  improvement  and  bring  it  to  a 
good  mechanical  condiiion.  For  a  heavy  soil  thoroughly  decayed 
stable  manure  is  the  best  enricher,  but  light  soils  need  stronger 
manurial  additions,  hence  cow  and  pig  manure  will  be  more  suitable, 
adding  also,  if  possible,  some  strong  loam. 
Prepare  the  soil  for  Roses  by  deep  digging,  trenching  two  spades  deep 
or  2  feet.  Place  the  manure  between  the  two  spits.  It  may  be  worth 
while  in  cases  where  a  few  beds  are  being  prepared,  and  the  soil  is 
poor,  to  remove  it  to  the  depth  named,  and  replace  with  a  compost 
consisting  of  loam  and  one-third  manure. 
In  trenching  soil  for  Roses  the  bringing  up  of  bad  subsoil  to  the 
surface  must  be  avoided ;  for  this  reason  the  practice  of  bastard 
trenching  is  to  be  recommended.  The  soil  ought  to  be  prepared 
deeply  previous  to  planting,  because  that  is  the  only  time  when  it  can 
be  improved  in  this  way  without  lifting  the  Roses  and  replanting. 
Roses  for  beds  and  borders  are  best  grown  as  dwarfs  and  standards. 
Dwarfs  may  be  planted  20  inches  apart.  Standards  should  be  3  feet 
asunder.  The  smaller,  or  half-standards,  may  be  2$  feet  apart.  The 
holes  for  planting  should  not  be  deep  but  comparatively  wide,  so  that 
the  roots  may  be  easily  accommodated.  Some  fine  compost  must  be  at 
hand  to  spread  over  the  roots,  but  let  them  be  carefully  pruned, 
removing  all  damaged  parts  if  not  done  previously.  This  is  a  very 
important  preliminary  to  planting.  In  inserting  the  plants,  prepare  a 
wide  convex  mound  of  soil  in  the  station,  and  on  this  place  the  plant 
with  its  roots  ramifying  all  round  and  spread  out  to  their  full  extent. 
If  they  are  sufficiently  numerous  they  may  be  arranged  in  layers,  and 
each  layer  be  covered  with  fine  compost  sprinkled  carefully  over  from 
the  stem  outwards.  The  latter  is  a  detail  not  always  considered,  but 
if  it  is  followed  it  will  prevent  the  smaller  fibres  being  turned  upwards 
or  in  a  wrung  direction. 
The  trouble  of  pruning  the  bruised  roots  and  the  laying  out  of  the 
fibres  in  planting  is  worth  attending  to,  because  of  the  readier  manner 
in  which  new  roots  are  formed.  Should  there  be  any  suckers  springing 
from  the  stock,  which  is  likely  to  happen  with  the  standard  and  half¬ 
standard  forms,  they  must  be  removed,  or  it  is  certain  that  they  will 
be  troublesome. 
The  standards  may  be  placed  the  same  depth  as  previously,  but  the 
dwarfs  rather  lower.  See  that  the  soil  is  worked  well  among  the 
roots  and  the  additional  soil  is  made  firm,  but  it  is  not  desirable  to 
stamp  or  tread  it  down,  causing  a  strain  or  tension  upon  the  roots 
which  may  tear  them  away  from  their  origination.  It  is  important 
that  the  standards  should  have  stakes  in  or  er  to  prevent  their 
receiving  damage  by  wind.  Long  shoots  may  be  reduced  in  length  but 
not  shortened  closely.  A  mulching  of  light  manure  over  the  roots  is 
desirable  to  afford  some  protection  from  severe  frost. — D.  Edwards. 
FRUIT  TREES  IN  ROTS. 
(i Continued  from  page  423.) 
W here  pot  culture  is  undertaken  it  must  be  the  first  consideration 
in  the  houses  devoted  or  partially  devoted  to  it.  We  sometimes  see 
a  half-span  range  with  traiued  trees  on  the  roof,  and  trained  trees  on 
the  back  wall,  with  pot  trees  underneath,  or,  perhaps,  a  span-roof 
orchard  house  with  traiued  trees  on  the  roof  on  both  sides.  We  cannot 
expect  any  success  if  the  pot  trees  are  doomed  to  such  positions  as  these. 
Failure  may  always  be  looked  for,  unless  the  maximum  of  light  is 
afforded. 
If  the  planting  out  of  trained  trees  is  adopted,  they  must  be 
confined  to  the  back  wall ;  pot  trees  may  then  be  expected  to  succeed 
to  some  extent  in  front  of  them,  near  the  glass ;  or,  in  the  case  of  the 
span-roofed  house  the  planted  out  trees  might  be  trained  vertically  in 
the  centre,  and  the  pot  trees  be  arranged  round  the  sides. 
In  any  case,  to  make  the  most  of  the  room  at  disposal,  pot  trees 
alone  should  be  allowed.  If  trees  are  put  out  into  permanent  positions, 
room  for  extension  must  be  allowed  to  secure  the  best  results,  and 
when  the  roof  is  covered  the  house  is  of  little  use  for  any  other 
purpose.  This  system  must,  however,  be  adopted  if  the  labour 
at  command  is  inadequate  to  work  the  system  of  pot  culture 
successfully. 
There  is  another  particular  in  which  the  advantage  is  notably  on 
the  side  of  the  pot  trees,  at  least  in  the  case  of  Peaches,  Nectarines, 
and  Cherries.  There  is  an  erroneous  impression  abroad  that  they  are 
comparatively  short-lived.  This  is  by  no  means  the  case  ;  as  a  matter 
of  fact  their  longevity  is  quite  remarkable.  Nor  does  their  fertility 
show  any  marked  signs  of  declension  as  they  increase  in  age  and  size. 
To  become  convinced  of  this  one  has  only  to  make  an  inspection  of 
the  Sawbridgeworth  Nurseries,  and  observe  the  wonderful  specimens  of 
huge  pyramid  Peaches  and  Nectarines  in  comparatively  small  pots — 
quite  a  unique  collection.  Still  more  remarkable  are  the  Sawbridge¬ 
worth  Cherries  in  pots.  An  examination  of  them  will  show  at  once 
why  Cherries  sometimes  fail  in  the  open  ground  and  against  walls,  when 
the  growth  has  been  too  luxuriant,  and  severe  pruning  with  subse¬ 
quent  canker  has  been  the  result.  Grand  crops  are  produced  year  by 
year,  and  very  fine  individual  fruits,  as  attendants  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Rojal  Horticultural  Society  know  full  well.  Since  we  began  to 
grow  pot  trees  at  Gunnersbury  only  one  death  has  taken  place,  and 
that  was  the  case  of  an  Apple  that  had  been  subjected  to  forcing. 
The  health  of  the  trees  is  uniformly  good. 
Readers  will  doubtless  want  a  more  detailed  account  of  our  methods 
of  culture  than  has  hitherto  been  given  concerning  such  things  as  when 
and  what  to  purchase,  when  to  pot  and  repot  and  how  to  do  it,  what 
soils  are  suitable,  with  particulars  as  to  watering,  ventilation,  tempera¬ 
tures,  pruning,  thinning,  gathering,  and,  finally,  the  out-of-door  treat¬ 
ment  and  selections  of  the  most  useful  varieties. 
The  best  time  to  purchase  is  in  the  autumn  when  the  wood  is 
well  ripened.  They  may  then  be  sent  for  long  distances,  but  should 
be  packed  securely  and  carefully.  It  is  desirable  to  purchase  in  the 
autumn,  as  the  trees  can  then  be  repot1  ed  before  frosts  set  in, 
particularly  if  they  have  to  be  wintered  out  of  doors.  The  trees 
that  are  selected  by  the  purchaser  should  have  been  established  and 
grown  in  pots  for  not  less  than  two  seasons  previously  ;  the  only 
exception  that  can  be  made  to  this  statement  is  in  the  case  of  Cherries. 
When  knocked  out  of  the  pots  the  whole  of  the  soil  should  be  s  en  to 
be  permeated  with  roots.  Young  trees  should  be  chosen  so  that  any 
tendency  to  luxuriant  growth  can  be  better  controlled.  I  prefer  trees 
of  pyramidal  habit  to  standards;  some  of  the  former  will  gradually 
tend  to  develop  the  habit  of  the  latter. 
Towards  the  end  of  September  the  potting  of  the  trees  that  are  to 
be  forced  is  commenced.  Time  is  thus  afforded  for  root  action  to  begin 
again  before  the  trees  are  excited  into  growth.  The  potting  of  the 
