April  2,  1896 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
305 
For  covering  stems  of  trees,  fences,  walls,  or  rambling  over  pillars, 
this  Rose  is  one  of  the  best.  It  is  nothing  unusual  to  see  growth  in  one 
season  attain  to  a  length  of  10  feet,  especially  where  the  soil  is  of  a 
heavy  character.  Being  an  evergreen  Rose  is  much  to  be  preferred  to 
the  ordinary  deciduous  sorts.  During  the  summer  it  blooms  most  pro¬ 
fusely  in  clusters,  so  much  so  that  a  plant  growing  in  a  southern  aspect 
is  literally  smothered  with  white  flowers.  From  cuttings  this  Rose 
is  quickly  increased,  if  half  ripened  shoots  are  firmly  inserted  in  the 
open  ground  in  September.  By  the  following  year  plants  6  feet  high 
are  attainable. — S.  P.  H. 
Rose  Old  Tuscany. 
Now  that  single  flowering  Roses  are  likely  to  take  a  prominent 
position  in  the  embellishment  of  gardens  intending  planters  should  not 
omit  the  above  variety.  It  is  perhaps  one  of  the  oldest  of  Rosea,  but 
most  beautiful,  the  bright  crimson  blooms  are  6  inches  in  diameter.  It 
roots  freely  from  cuttings,  and  flowers  the  first  season. — S. 
Mar£chal  Niel  and  Perle  des  Jardins. 
A  controversy  without  bitterness  is  almost  as  rare  as  a  Rose  without 
thorns.  “  H.  D.”  and  I  do  not,  in  our  opinions  regarding  the'valueof 
certain  familiar  varieties  of  the  queen  of  the  garden  entirely  harmonise, 
but  that  does  not  prevent  us,  I  am  gratified  to  find,  being  friendly  in  our 
attitude  towards  each  other ;  for  that  love  of  Nature  in  which  we  equally 
participate  is  a  beneficent  stream  of  tendency  making  for  peace.  It 
also  tends  strongly  towards  the  ultimate  realisation  of  knowledge  and  of 
truth.  Most  writers  would  have  regarded  me  as  a  microscopic  critic 
and  resented  my  interference,  but  your  contributor,  while  manfully  and 
effectively  combating  my  theories,  terminates  his  article  with  expressions 
of  generous  praise. 
I  admire  his  advocacy  of  Reine  Marie  Henriette,  which  certainly 
has  great  attractiveness  when  in  bud  or  half-blown,  but  when  fully 
expanded  loses  half  its  charms  —  at  least  for  me — and  so  far  as  I 
am  concerned  he  may  continue  to  entitle  it  “  The  Red  Gloire.”  It  is 
perhaps  after  all  as  fair  to  do  this  as  to  call  Augustine  Guinoisseau 
the  White  La  France  ;  for  the  purity  of  the  latter,  however  greatly 
it  may  have  benefited  by  the  law  of  heredity,  is  somewhat  stained, 
yet  the  relationship  in  the  one  instance  is  considerably  closer,  as  I 
have  previously  indicated,  than  it  is  in  the  other  ;  for  Augustine 
is  a  veritable  child  of  the  fairest  and  most  fragrant  of  all  Hybrid 
Teas,  while  Reine  Marie  is  only  a  granddaughter  of  the  venerable 
Gloire  de  Dijon  (I  presume  that  in  the  case  of  “  Pedigree  Roses  ” 
such  phrases,  when  accurately  descriptive,  are  admissible.  And  in  any 
case  they  constitute  a  variety  in  the  form  of  expression  and  lend 
material  assistance  in  breaking  the  long  monotonies  of  horticultural 
terminology). 
Your  correspondent  exhibits  Homeric  courage  in  his  fearless  com¬ 
parison,  in  the  face  of  all  the  great  British  rosarians,  of  Perle  des  Jardins 
with  Mardchal  Niel.  How  would  the  former  compare  with  the  latter 
magnificent  variety  if  placed  anywhere  near  it,  both  rows  being 
exhibited  “  in  the  highest  possible  phase  of  their  beauty  ”  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  show  1  Could  the  colour  of  this  pearl  of  great  price,  however 
beautiful,  be  compared  in  the  matter  of  delicacy  and  artistic  perfection 
with  that  of  the  loveliest,  in  my  estimation,  of  all  Noisettes  1  I  greatly 
fear  that  the  Perle  des  Jardins  would  not  be  regarded  by  all  authorities  as 
the  pearl  of  the  exhibition. 
That  Perle  des  Jardins  is  hardier  than  its  more  highly  endowed  rival, 
and  perhaps  also  more  productive  when  grown  in  the  open  air,  I  cannot 
doubt.  The  former  has  also,  unquestionably,  as  “  H.  D.”  insists,  a  more 
perpetual  habit,  which  gives  it  great  value  as  a  garden  Rose  ;  but  in 
form  and  complexion,  if  not  also  in  fragrance,  no  yellow  variety  with 
which  I  have  the  privilege  of  being  intimately  acquainted  approaches 
Marechal  Niel.  It  would  be  worth  while  growing  it,  as  I  do  in  my 
garden,  if  only  to  see  it,  in  all  its  imperial  majesty,  once  in  several 
years.  Its  greatest  limitation  is  undoubtedly  its  extreme  susceptibility, 
by  reason  of  its  satin-like  texture  and  closely  folded  petals,  to  atmo¬ 
spheric  influences.  A  cold,  wet,  sunless  season  it  cannot  tolerate,  when 
it  has  reached  its  full  floral  development,  and  is  expanding  into  the 
massive  grandeur  and  glorious  realisation  of  the  perfect  flower. 
Perle  des  Jardins  comes  considerably  later,  usually  at  a  period  when 
the  weather  is  much  more  favourable  ;  and  it  has  also  the  advantage, 
compared  with  Mardcbal  Niel,  of  a  greatly  longer  but  not  more  gracious 
reign.  Our  greatest  earthly  glories,  such  as  those  of  the  rainbow,  the 
sunrise  and  the  sunset,  are  always  short-lived,  and  so  it  is  also  with  that 
Empress  of  Roses. 
My  supreme  favourites  among  yellow  Tea  Roses  are  Medea,  Madame 
Hoste,  Princess  Beatrice,  Madame  Chedain  Guinoisseau,  and  Marie  Van 
Houtte.  The  colours  of  these  are  as  beautifully  varied  as  those  of  the 
Gorge,  so  much  loved  by  Linnaeus,  varying  from  the  brightest  saffron  to 
the  palest  primrose. — David  R  Williamson. 
Rose  Culture. 
This  was  the  subject  of  a  paper  read  by  the  Rev.  Alan  Cheales  before 
a  recent  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Reading  and  District  Gardeners’ 
Mutual  Improvement  Association.  Needless  to  say  the  lecture  was  of 
the  most  practical  and  interesting  character,  and  was  enlivened  by  witty 
sayings  and  pleasant  lines  of  poetry,  with  tales  of  the  ardent  and 
disappointed  exhibitor.  The  subject  was  exceedingly  appropriate  at 
this  time  when,  taking  into  consideration  that  the  National  Rose 
Society,  in  conjunction  with  the  Reading  Horticultural  Society,  will  be 
holding  its  show  at  Reading  in  June  next.  Mr.  Cheales  commenced  his 
paper  by  saying  that  it  had  long  been  his  wish  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  the  Association,  yet  when  he  received  the  kind  invitation  from  the 
Secretary  it  was  with  some  amount  of  trepidation  that  he  accepted,  as 
he  knew  he  would  have  to  speak  to  practical  men  ;  still,  he  yielded  to 
no  one  in  his  devotion  to  the  queen  of  flowers,  and  he  could  give  them 
an  experience,  as  a  grower  and  exhibitor,  extending  over  thirty  years. 
When  he  delivered  a  lecture  on  “  Roses”  before  the  members  of  the 
Reading  Literary  and  Scientific  Society  he  devoted  himself  entirely  to 
the  literary  and  scientific  side  of  the  question  aad  not  so  much  to  the 
practical  part.  Therefore,  when  coming  to  speak  to  practical  men  he 
decided  to  treat  the  subject  from  a  practical  standpoint ;  thus  his  paper 
would  really  be  “  Rose  Culture.”  By  desire  he  would  divide  his  paper 
into  two  parts,  so  that  discussion  could  take  place  at  the  middle  and  end, 
thus  insuring  all  points  being  thoroughly  discussed. 
Boses  in  General. — Preparing  the  Ground,  Planting,  Protecting,  and 
Pruning. — Many  valuable  hints  were  given  under  the  various  headings, 
the  following  being  specially  worthy  of  notice.  The  ground  should 
always  be  well  prepared  for  Roses,  as  no  other  flower  answered  so  readily 
to  kind  treatment.  November  was  considered  the  best  month  for 
planting.  Hybrid  Perpetuals  would  stand  20°  of  frost  and  Teas  10°. 
Earthing-up  was  certainly  the  best  protection  for  Teas.  Hard  pruning 
always  gave  the  most  excellent  results.  For  H.P.’s,  the  last  week  in 
February  he  found  the  best  time,  and  the  last  week  in  March  for  Teas. 
For  climbing  Roses  the  knife  should  be  spared  as  much  as  possible. 
The  second  part  of  the  lecture  was  devoted  to  propagating,  hybridis¬ 
ing,  and  obtaining  blooms  for  exhibition.  The  quickest  results  were 
obtained  by  budding,  but  attention  should  be  given  to  the  raising  of 
cuttings  and  seedlings.  A  few  years  back  France  was  to  the  front  with 
seedling  Roses,  but  latterly  England  has  rapidly  come  to  the  front,  and 
far  outstripped  her  neighbours  across  the  sea.  Cuttings  should  be 
inserted  in  October,  and  if  all  went  well  they  would  make  nice  little 
plants  for  planting  out  the  following  June.  As  to  the  best  Roses  for 
exhibition,  he  would  refer  them  to  Mr.  Mawley’s  annual  audit  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture,  but  for  the  best  six  Roses  for  all  purposes 
(three  H.P.’s  and  three  Teas)  he  would  give  them  Marie  Baumann, 
A.  K.  Williams,  Mrs.  John  Laing,  Marhchal  Neil,  The  Bride,  and 
Souvenir  d’Elise  Yardon.  Reference  was  also  made  to  HybriiTeas, 
which  seems  to  be  the  Rose  of  the  future — Climbing,  Bourbon,  Austrian 
Briars,  Sweet  Briars,  Noisettes,  and  Lord  Penzance’s  seedlings. 
The  lecturer  concluded  by  strongly  urging  as  many  as  possible  to 
compete  for  the  valuable  prizes  at  the  forthcoming  Rose  show,  and 
trusted  that  Reading  would  do  credit  to  the  most  popular  of  flowers. 
The  interest  was  greatly  enhanced  by  the  beautiful  collection  of  flowers 
that  was  brought  by  the  following  members  : — Mr.  Turton,  Maiden 
Erleigh  Gardens,  Rosea  of  various  varieties  and  Violets;  Mr.  Bright, 
Whiteknights  Park  Gardens,  a  large  bunch  of  Marhchal  Neil  Roses  ;  Mr. 
Hobbs,  gardener  to  W.  B.  Williams,  Esq.,  Caversham,  Mardchal  Neil  and 
Niphetos  Roses  ;  Mr.  Lees,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Marsland,  The  Wilderness, 
Violets  ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  some  grand  specimens  of  Primula 
obconica  by  Mr.  Townsend,  gardener  to  Sir  William  Farrer,  Sandhurst 
Lodge.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  to  the  lecturer  and  to 
those  members  who  had  brought  the  flowers. 
[A  delightful  (because  so  diversified  and  poetical)  paper,  read  last 
October  before  the  Reading  Literary  and  Scientific  Society  by  Rev.  Alan 
Cheales,  is  published  in  manual  form  by  Messrs.  Langley,  Reading.  We 
shall  refer  to  it  again.] 
VEGETABLE  MARROW  CULTURE. 
Like  Tomatoes,  Vegetable  Marrows  are  not  grown  so  much  as  they 
should  be.  Large  rough-growing  sorts  with  fruits  like  cattle-feeding 
productions  are  not  likely  to  make  anyone  grow  them  for  frequent 
use  in  the  kitchen,  but  some  of  the  small-fruiting  varieties  are  so 
suitable  for  the  dinner  table,  and  so  excellent  in  flavour,  that  when  once 
they  are  fairly  and  rightly  introduced  no  one  would  allow  a  season  to 
pass  without  having  quantities  of  them.  In  sending  vegetables  to  the 
kitchen  some  years  ago  we  were  never  asked  for  a  second  supply  of  the 
large  Marrows,  but  since  the  small  ones  have  been  sent  in  they  are  put 
on  the  bill  of  fare  repeatedly,  and  many  of  them  are  preserved  for  winter 
use.  No  Vegetable  Marrow  for  the  table  should  be  more  than  2  lbs.  in 
weight.  If  two  or  three  times  the  weight  of  this  they  will  be  coarse  and 
tough,  and  void  of  the  true  pleasing  flavour. 
In  raising  young  Vegetable  Marrow  plants  a  slight  heat,  such  as 
that  afforded  by  a  gentle  hotbed  or  frame,  is  a  great  assistance  in 
germinating  the  seed  and  pushing  forward  the  young  plants  ;  but  when 
the  season  has  advanced  so  far  as  this  they  may  be  raised  under  a  hand- 
light  or  in  the  open,  and  plants  of  all  descriptions  should  now  be  daily 
exposed  to  the  air,  as  a  few  weeks  hence  they  will  be  planted  in  their 
fruiting  quarters.  This  may  be  on  a  manure  or  refuse  heap,  as  they  do 
exceedingly  well  on  such  positions,  and  they  will  also  succeed  on  small 
