April  25,  1836. 
374  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDEiTER 
The  Prince  Memorial  Prize  Fund, 
I  HAVE  to  acknowledge  the  following  subscriptions  either  received 
or  promised  : — The  Very  Rev.  The  Dean  of  Rochester,  President  N.R.S., 
£5  ;  Miss  Slay,  £3  3s.;  Messrs.  Yeitcb  &  Sons,  £2  2g. ;  C.  J.  Grahame, 
Esq.,  £2  2s.;  E.  B.  Lindsell,  Esq.,  £1  Is.;  H.  V.  Machin,  Esq.,  £1  Is.  ; 
Messrs.  Paul  &  Son,  £1  Is.  ;  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant,  £1  1*.;  Mr  Frank  Cant, 
£1  Is. ;  Rev.  J.  H.  Pemberton,  £1  Is. ;  C.  E.  Shea,  Esq.,  £1  Is. ;  Messrs. 
Prior  &  Son,  £1  Is  ;  Mr.  J.  Burrell,  £1  Is. ;  Rev.  F.  R.  Burnside,  10s. ; 
Joseph  Hinton,  Esq.,  10s.  6d.;  Rev.  A.  Foster  Melliar,  10s.;  J.  D. 
Pawle,  Esq.,  10s. ;  J.  T.  Stray,  Esq.,  10s.  6d.  ;  Edw.  Mawley,  Esq.,  10s. ; 
Messrs.  Geo.  Bunyard  &  Co.,  10s. ;  S.  P.  Badd,  Esq,  £1  Is.  ;  Rev.  H.  H. 
D’Ombrain,  £1  Is.;  The  Rev.  H.  A.  Berners,  £1  Is. — D.,  Deal, 
Yellow  Roses. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Roses  in  which  yellow  largely  pre¬ 
dominates  are  great  favourites  with  us,  far  more  so  than  they  are  with 
those  abroad,  although  in  the  South  of  France  such  kinds  as  Safrano 
are  very  largely  grown,  and  the  question  which  has  arisen  as  to  the 
respective  merits  of  climbing  Perle  des  Jardins  and  Marbchal  Niel 
shows  that  this  interest  is  still  maintained.  Amongst  the  dwarfer  Tea 
Roses  there  are  many  in  which  yellow  largely  predominates,  but  into 
which  other  hues  also  enter  ;  but  it  is  not  of  these  that  I  wish  to  say  a 
few  words,  but  of  those  whose  respective  merits  have  been  warmly 
debated  in  the  columns  of  the  Journal ;  nor  do  I  intend  to  enter  on  the 
merits  of  the  Gloire  de  Dijon  family. 
There  is  one  Rose  of  which  nothing  has  been  said  in  this  amicable 
discussion,  I  mean  Cloth  of  Gold,  and  yet  1  regard  it  as  the  finest  of 
all  the  climbing  yellow  Roses.  Under  the  name  of  Chromatella  it  is 
largely  grown  in  the  South  of  Europe,  and  it  has  been  taken  too 
much  for  granted  that  our  climate  is  not  sufficiently  warm  for  it; 
and  perhaps  this  is  true,  except  in  some  favoured  localities.  When  I 
came  to  this  parish  in  East  Kent,  about  twenty-eight  years  ago,  there 
was  a  magnificent  tree  of  it  on  the  front  of  a  house,  which  was  every 
year  laden  with  blooms.  The  house  faced  about  south-west,  and  the 
soil  of  the  garden  was  a  light  sandy  loam  ;  it  had  then  a  stem  which 
must  have  been  9  inches  in  circumference,  and  bad  some  250  blooms 
on  it.  What  a  sight  it  was  I  The  si  out  footstalks  bore  each  flower 
proudly  erect,  and  no  one  who  saw  it  could  fail  to  wish  that  they 
could  grow  it  equally  well.  Cloth  of  Gold  is  seldom  seen  either  in 
gardens  or  on  the  exhibition  table,  but  from  the  abo^e  experience 
I  think  it  might  be  oftener  grown,  and  certainly  if  I  had  a  large 
garden,  in  which  there  was  a  Rose  house,  I  should  give  this  grand  flower 
a  place. 
Marhchal  Niel  I  have  never  considered  a  suitable  Rcse  for  out  of 
door  cultivation  ;  not  simply  because  it  may  be  accused  of  being  a  shy 
bloomer,  a  character  which  I  do  not  think  it  deserves  in  the  South,  but 
chiefly  because  of  the  pendent  character  of  its  blooms.  Here  again  I 
may  refer  to  my  experience  in  this  place.  At  the  time  the  Cloth  of 
Gold  was  flourishing  as  1  have  described,  theie  was  a  cottage  just  outside 
the  borders  of  my  parish  on  which  there  was  an  equally  fine  plant  of 
this  Rose  ;  it  was  budded  on  a  standard  Briar  and  trained  against  the 
front  of  the  cottage  ;  it  was  covered  with  bloom,  but  it  looked  as  if  the 
tree  were  hung  with  dead  Roses.  The  outer  petals  were  all  discoloured 
and  Bodden,  yet  if  you  gathered  one  it  was  of  the  most  intense  and 
brilliant  yellow  ;  but  this  sad  defect  of  its  habit  took  away  from  it  any 
pretentious  beauty,  and  unless  where  it  is  protected  this  must,  I  think, 
always  be  the  result.  I  remember  seeing  at  a  well-known  garden  in  the 
West  of  England  a  large  bed  of  this  Rose  pegged  down,  and  if  only  the 
flowers  had  held  themselves  up  it  would  have  been  grand,  but  unfor¬ 
tunately  their  pendent  cbaiacter  entirely  defeated  the  owner’s  intentions 
and  the  next  season  the  plants  were  all  taken  out.  Nor  have  I  ever  seen 
it  in  any  position  out  of  doors  where  it  might  be  called  a  thing  of  beauty. 
Then  all  who  have  grown  it  know  very  well  that  it  is  subject  to  a  gouty 
attack  at  the  point  of  junction  between  the  stock  and  the  Rose,  and  this 
after  a  few  years  either  kills  the  plant  or  so  cripples  it  that  it  has  to  be 
taken  away. 
Perle  des  Jardms  in  its  climbing  form  is  not  subject  to  either  of  these 
objections.  It  is  very  robust,  vigorous,  and  is  not  injuied  by  severe 
weather,  as  Cloth  of  Gold  unquestionably  is  ;  it  holds  its  flowers  erect,  and 
is  not  therefore  subject  to  the  complaints  which  are  made  of  Marbchal  Niel. 
The  normal  form  is  an  exceedingly  vigorous  Rose  with  very  beautiful  dark 
foliage,  and  the  climbing  form,  as  it  is  called,  retains,  nay,  rather  inten¬ 
sifies  this  characteristic  ;  but  (ah,  those  buts)  it  has  one  serious  defect  in 
the  eyes  of  a  rosarian — viz  ,  that  it  so  often  comes  with  what  are  called 
cleft  bloomB.  This  is  a  defect  which  it  shares  with  Madame"  Riza  de 
Bare  and  Belle  Lyonnaise  amongst  the  Dijon  Teas.  Still,  with  all  this 
I  think  it  is  the  most  desirable  for  outdoor  culture  of  any  yellow  Rose 
excepting  the  Dijon  Teas. 
These  latter  will  always  be  considered,  from  their  hardiness  and  free 
flowering  character,  the  best  suited  for  garden  decoration  by  the  great 
mass  of  horticulturists  ;  but  I  think  there  is  still  room  for  a  good  hardy 
free  growing,  free  flowering  Noisette.  My  ideal  would  be  a  hardier  Cloth 
of  Gold,  or,  shall  I  say,  a  Mardchal  Niel,  that  would  hold  itself  erect. 
These  are  possibilities  within  the  reach  of  careful  and  scientific  hybri- 
disers,  and,  great  as  has  been  the  success  of  raisers  of  Roses,  I  do  not 
see  why  these  and  other  much  desired  results  may  not  be  obtained. 
— D.,  Deal. 
ROSE  GROWING. 
( Continued  from  page  346.) 
Planting. — We  will  suppose  that  all  possible  preparation  has  been 
made,  and  will  now  pass  on  to  planting.  I  notice  the  trade  recommend 
one  precaution  in  respect  of  this  when  the  Roses  arrive,  which  is 
too  often  neglected,  and  that  is,  immediately  after  unpacking  giving 
both  roots  and  branches  a  thoroughly  good  sprinkling  with  water.  One 
can  never  be  quite  sure  how  long  they  have  been  on  the  road,  or  what 
they  may  not  have  undergone  of  drying  up  at  the  time  of  digging.  It 
will  be  necessary  also  to  protect  against  cold  winds,  the  roots  never  can 
prosper  if  they  get  shrivelled  before  planting.  Roses  on  Manetti 
stocks,  as  all  know,  should  be  planted  rather  deeper  than  those  on  the 
Briar  ;  the  point  of  junction  in  this  case  should  be  entirely  buried. 
Standards  are  better  planted  rather  shallowly,  but  ought  to  be  staked  at 
once,  and  trodden  round  very  carefully.  I  prefer  iron  stakes  to 
wooden ;  they  cost  very  little  more,  and  last  ten  times  as  long. 
Care  should  be  taken  after  planting  to  see  that  all  are  correctly 
labelled  ;  zinc  labels  are  the  best.  These  should  be  fastened  on  with 
copper  wire  to  little  iron  spikes  placed  in  front  of  the  plants,  or  as 
giving  name  to  a  whole  row.  Roses  must  never  be  left  going  on 
wearing  their  own  labels,  as  if  the  name  be  lost  at  the  showing  time  it 
may  be  a  serious  matter. 
Happily  now,  since  English  seedlings  have  come  so  much  to  the 
front,  names  have  become  both  more  pronounceable  and  Bpellable.  They 
are  not  so  dreadfully  sentimental,  souvenirs  of  So-and-so,  neither  so  ultra- 
aristocratic.  Dukes  and  marquises,  friends  and  relations,  are  now 
coming  into  vogue.  Last  year  Mr.  George  Paul  did  me  the  honour  to 
call  a  Rose  Alan  Cheales.  It  is  not  yet  in  the  catalogue,  and  I  must 
confess  to  a  certain  apprehension  when  that  takes  place.  My  friend, 
the  Rev.  H.  B.  Camm,  some  years  ago  found  himself  depicted  as  “  bright 
rose,  globular,  very  full.”  I  see  one  catalogue  calls  some  young  lady,  a 
Miss  Penelope  Mayo,  “very  full  and  perfectly  round,”  and  another, 
Emily  Laxton,  is  said  to  be  “prettiest  when  half  open.”  I  suppose  that 
means  half  awake.  Our  gracious  sovereign  lady  Her  Majesty  is  spoken 
of  by  Bennett  as  “  flesh  colour,  petals  stout,  pleasantly  reflexed,” 
whatever  that  means. 
Dean  Hole  boldly  encountered  and  explained  his  own  synonym, 
when  Mr.  George  Paul  entitled  him  “  of  great  substance  ”  (like  its 
namesake),  “and  of  a  very  deep  crimson  complexion”  (such  as  the 
original  might  be  supposed  to  assume  after  carrying  a  box  of  Roses  up 
the  Crystal  Palace  stairs,  or  on  hearing  some  remarks  made  in  disparage¬ 
ment  of  horticulture). 
Time  of  Planting . — November  s  by  far  the  best  month  for  this,  but, 
if  gone  over,  Roses  may  be  put  in  at  any  time  during  the  winter  whenever 
the  weather  is  open,  though  then  there  will  be  danger  of  being  quite 
frozen  in.  as  frost  may  come  on  at  any  moment.  In  planting  Teas  I 
should  prefer  a  very  moderate  manuring,  though  they  like  the  best  of 
loams,  and  are  partial  to  leaves  or  leaf  mould  for  rooting  into.  One 
old  lady,  mentioned  by  Dean  Hole,  is  said  to  have  regularly  put  her 
tea  leaves  to  her  monthly  Chinas,  without,  however,  obtaining  the  Tea 
Roses  she  had  expected.  I  would  further  suggest  that  the  ground  be 
prepared  at  least  a  month  before  the  planting  to  give  it  time  to  settle 
down,  and  every  gardener  will  agree  this  should  not  be  done  in  wet 
weather.  There  are  some  soils  that  you  cannot  go  on  at  all  under 
such  circumstances,  and  even  for  the  best  disposed  you  are  liable  to 
cany  away  more  specimens  of  the  subsoil  than  is  necessary,  being 
reduced  to  the  same  condition  with  your  boots  at  which  somebody  or 
other  seems  to  have  arrived  at  generally  when  Charles  Lamb  remarked 
to  him,  “  Oh  1  David,  David,  if  dirt  were  trumps  what  hands  you  would 
hold  1  ” 
Protecting . — I  think  Roses  in  general  are  apt  to  be  too  much  coddled. 
I  sometimes  see  great  strong  standards  deeply  muffled  round  the  roots 
with  long  strawy  manure,  as  if  in  danger  of  taking  cold  through  getting 
wet  at  their  feet ;  whilst  the  top,  perhaps  a  tender  Tea,  has  been  left 
without  any  protection  whatever.  A  moderate  amount  of  frost,  say  20° 
tor  H.P.’s  and  10°  for  Teas,  1  consider,  at  the  right  time,  will  do  healthy 
plants  more  good  than  harm.  Beyond  that  it  may  be  serious,  and  pre¬ 
cautions  should  be  taken.  Earthing  up,  as  Mr.  Prince  of  Oxford,  now, 
alas  1  lost  to  us,  used  to  recommend,  is  the  best  plan  with  the  Teas  class, 
and  with  all  tender  Perpetuals  ;  then,  at  the  worst,  the  plants  can  only 
be  killed  down  level  to  the  ground. 
Fern  is  a  good  protector  tied  on  to  the  top  of  standards,  or  scattered 
over  bush  Roses  ;  long  straw,  where  it  can  be  used,  has  the  further 
advantage  to  some  soils  when  dug  in  afterwards  as  manure;  but  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  provide  against  frost  anything  like  below  zero  ; 
then  heavy  looses  will  inevitably  take  place.  The  case  is  that  of  the 
gentleman  whose  mercury  went  quite  into  the  bulb  of  the  thermometer, 
and  he  said,  “  If  it  could  have  got  any  lower,  he  did  not  know  how  cold 
it  might  not  have  been.”  As  regards  Teas  in  a  bed  by  themselves, 
it  may  be  as  well  every  winter  to  have  a  slight  iron  framework 
erected  over  them,  over  which  mats  can  be  placed  at  any  time,  and 
taken  on  and  off  according  to  the  weather. — Alan  Cheales, 
(To  be  continued.) 
