54 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
July  16,  1898. 
Rose  Show  Fixtttees  in  1896, 
July  16th  (Thursday). — Halifax, 
„  2l8t  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  25th  (Saturday). — Manchester. 
„  29th  (Wednesday).  —  Chesterfield,  Glasgow  (St.  Mungo  Rose 
Society). 
Aug.  6th  (Wednesday). — Chester.* 
„  19th  (Wednesday). — Shrewsbury.* 
*  A  show  lasting  two  days. 
The  Reading  Rose  Show. 
May  I  thank  Mr.  D’Ombrain  for  his  kind  notice  of  Mr.  Strange  and 
myself  1  Our  colleague,  the  third  Hon.  Local  Secretary  here,  Mr.  Mount, 
has  also  worked  hard  for  the  Show.  We  were  all  much  pleased  with 
the  visit  of  the  N.R.S.,  but  from  what  I  hear  I  fear  it  has  not  been  a 
pecuniary  success.  Our  most  able  and  energetical  R.H.S.  Secretary, 
Mr.  Walker,  expected  £200  gate  money,  and  only  got  £120.  May  I  add 
to  Mr.  D’Ombrain’s  remarks  on  Maman  Cochtt,the  Tea  silver  medallist, 
the  curious  fact  that  it  also  won  a  bronze  medal  for  Mr*.  Falcon-Steward 
(sister  of  Mr.  Strange)  in  the  local  classes  ?  It  is  a  show  Rose  of  great 
promise. — A.  C. 
Ulverston  Show. 
Just  as  we  are  going  to  press  we  learn  that  at  the  Northern  Show  of 
the  National  Rose  Society  now  in  progress  at  Ulverston  the  N.R.S.  gold 
medal  for  a  new  Rose  was  awarded  to  Messrs.  Dickson  &  Sons,  New- 
townards,  who  exhibited  Muriel  Grahame.  We  also  learn  that  Messrs. 
Harkness  are  cupwinners  in  the  open  class,  a  similar  honour  falling  to 
the  Rev.  J.  H.  Pemberton  in  the  amateurs’  section. 
Prizes  for  Ulverston. 
Mr.  H.  V.  Machin  writes  : — “  I  was  commissioned  by  the  Com¬ 
mittee  of  N.R.S.  to  purchase  three  pieces  of  plate,  as  first,  second,  and 
third  prizes  respectively  for  thirty-six,  distinct,  single  trusses  (amateurs), 
to  be  competed  for  at  Ulverston.  I  placed  the  order  in  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  Hutton  &  Son  of  West  Street,  Sheffield,  and  out  of  justice  to  the 
firm  I  feel  bound  to  say  that  I  am  confident  that  Victor  C.  W.  Caven¬ 
dish,  Esq  ,  M.P.,  the  donor,  will  be  pleased  with  the  prizes,  as  also  will 
the  persons  to  whom  they  are  awarded.  The  first  prize  is  a  revolving 
soup  tureen,  which  can  be  used  as  a  breakfast  dish  for  hash.  See.,  or  fish  ; 
value  £6  ;  very  good  value,  too.  Second  prize,  a  beautiful  salver,  with 
Roses  and  Fern  engraved  on  it,  equally  good  ;  and  the  third  prize  a 
lovely  little  butter  dish,  with  festoon  of  Roses  on  each  side.  There  are 
inscriptions  on  all.  It  will  only  be  necessary  to  add  the  name  of  the 
winner  on  each.” 
Roses  at  the  Crystal  Palace. 
A  FEW  particulars  respecting  the  recent  exhibition  of  the  National 
Rose  Society  at  the  Crystal  Palace  may  be  of  interest  to  some  of  your 
readers.  Owing  to  the  trying  nature  of  the  weather,  and  the  extremely 
forward  season,  the  number  of  blooms  of  exhibition  Roses  staged  in 
competition  was  6064,  or  nearly  800  less  than  the  average  for  the  eight 
previous  Metropolhan  shows  of  the  Society,  and  less  than  at  any  of  the 
last  twelve  exhibitions  except  1893.  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland 
were  all  represented,  and  for  the  first  time  a  Scotch  firm  competed  for 
the  nurserymen’s  champion  challenge  trophy.  Roses  came  from  no 
fewer  than  twenty-one  different  English  counties,  while  the  total 
number  of  exhibitors  amounted  to  seventy-three,  sixty-one  of  whom 
were  prizewinners. — Edwd.  Mawley,  Hon.  See.  H'.B.S. 
The  Great  Rose  Tournament. 
The  day  so  anxiously  looked  forward  to  by  all  Rose  growers  and 
Rose  lovers  throughout  the  United  Kingdom  has  come  and  gone;  the 
lists  of  Ashby -de-Ia-Zouche  were  not  more  anxiously  regarded  by  the 
spectators  than  were  the  Rose  stands  on  July  4th.  Would  those  who  had 
BO  often  carried  off  the  prizes  again  be  winners?  or  would  some  unknown 
knight  come  victorious  from  the  fray?  Such  questions  as  these  are 
always  present  to  the  minds  of  rosarians  on  the  great  day,  and  its  issues 
are  always  looked  forward  to  with  intense  interest. 
The  anticipations  that  had  been  formed  with  regard  to  the  show 
were,  I  think,  fully  realised.  It  was  believed,  especially  after  Reading, 
that  in  so  early  a  season  many  exhibitors  would  be  unable  to  come 
forward,  and  that  the  general  quality  of  the  Roses  would  be  below  the 
average,  and  so  it  turned  out  to  be.  The  show  was  no  doubt  an  inferior 
one,  and  many  of  the  usual  competitors  did  not  put  in  an  appearance. 
Exeter  and  Torquay,  and  the  South  of  England  generally  were  unrepre¬ 
sented,  while  many  of  those  living  nearer  London  were  likewise  unable 
to  exhibit.  When  one  is  obliged  to  say  that  Dr.  Budd,  Mr.  W.  H. 
Fowler,  Messrs.  Sandford  and  Curtis,  Jefferies,  Hill,  Gray,  Berners,  and 
others  did  not  put  up  any  stand,  it  will  be  seen  how  great  was  the 
deficiency.  Some  said  it  was  the  poorest  show  the  Society  had  ever 
held  ;  but,  as  I  have  before  said,  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep  in  mind 
former  exhibitions,  so  as  to  be  able  to  pronounce  definitely.  There 
were  some  stands  which  obtained  prizes  of  which  the  owners  said  they 
had  never  set  up  so  bad  a  lot,  and  in  fact  I  do  not  recollect  seeing  so 
poor  a  collection  of  seventy-twos.  Of  course  there  were  a  few  good 
flowers,  but  there  have  been  years  when  not  one  of  the  boxes  shown 
would  have  received  any  recognition  whatever.  There  were  some  good 
Teas,  but  the  generality  of  these  were  below  the  average  ;  neither  were 
there  any  startling  blooms,  such  as  in  a  good  season  caused  them  to  be 
in  everyone’s  mouth ;  and  so  again  in  the  classes  for  new  Roses,  the 
greater  bulk  of  them  were  of  home  origin,  and  Messrs.  A.  Dickson  and 
Sons’  stand  of  twelve,  which  took  the  first  place,  was  composed  exclusively 
of  their  own  flowers.  Of  the  'foreign  claimants  to  the  distinction  of 
being  placed  in  National  Rose  Society’s  catalogue  very  few  put  in  an 
appearance.  The  truth  is  that  growers  find  it  much  safer  to  rely  upon 
the  much  better  plants  that  they  can  obtain  of  the  home-raised  varieties 
than  upon  the  weaklings  which  they  receive  from  the  continent. 
The  schedule  is  a  most  varied  one,  thanks  to  the  liberality  of  many 
of  our  members.  Growers  of  all  kinds  had  opportunities  offered  to 
them,  and  had  the  season  been  more  favourable  it  is  a  matter  of  some 
doubt  where  the  Roses  could  have  been  placed.  The  medal  Roses  were 
not  found  among  the  novelties,  but  among  such  old  flowers  as  Innocente 
Pirola,  Her  Majesty,  The  Bride,  and  Duchesse  de  Morny,  and  it  will  be 
seen  that  Marie  Baumann,  which  has  been  so  often  selected  as  the 
premier  Rose,  had  to  give  way  to  others.  Of  course,  one  has  seen  medal 
Roses  much  superior  to  those  which  obtained  the  awards  this  year  ; 
indeed,  the  question  was  put  by  two  of  our  most  experienced  rosarians 
whether  they  were  obliged  to  award  the  medal,  as  it  was  so  difficult  to 
find  a  Rose  up  to  their  standard.  No  gold  medal  was  awarded  for  a 
new  seedling,  but  Mr.  Frank  Cant  received  a  commendation  for  his  new 
Rose,  Mrs.  Frank  Cant.  _ 
With  regard  to  the  exhibition  itself  it  was  held  in  the  nave  in  front 
of  the  great  organ.  The  Committee  had  been  much  exercised  by  what 
they  considered  the  inad(  quacy  of  the  space  and  its  inconvenience  ;  but 
I  am  not  sure  whether,  after  all,  it  was  not  quite  as  convenient  as  when 
held  in  the  long  transept.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  too,  that  notwith¬ 
standing  the  unfavourable  character  of  the  season  there  were  very  few 
prizes  untaken.  The  nurserymen’s  trophy  went  again  to  the  north, 
and  Mr.  Pemberton  succeeded,  after  six  years,  in  wresting  the  amateur 
trophy  from  Mr.  Lindsell,  who  has  held  it  for  that  time  with  one  excep¬ 
tion.  Mr.  Orpen  secured  the  Harkness  cup  and  also  the  Tea  trophy  for 
the  present  year,  so  the  fortunes  and  glory  of  the  war  change  from  year 
to  year  ;  and  there  are  one  or  two  facts  noticeable  in  the  personnel  of 
the  exhibitors.  That  very  liberal  supporter  of  the  Society,  Mr.  C.  J. 
Grahame,  has  shown  what  we  may  expect  from  him  in  his  new  home  at 
Leatherbead.  It  has  been  an  unfavourable  time  for  new  planted  Roses, 
yet  for  all  that  he  has  gallantly  moved  upwards — a  foretaste,  no  doubt, 
of  future  triumphs.  Then  the  prizes  gained  by  Messrs.  Harkness  &  Sons 
and  Alexander  Dickson  &  Sons  show  how  largely  they  have  benefited  by 
their  new  ventures ;  the  rich  unctuous  soil  of  Hitchin  and  the  famous 
classic  ground  at  Ledbury  have  materially  aided  them  in  carrying  off 
the  honours  which  they  have  won.  The  Newtownards  firm  must  have 
especially  felt  the  benefit  of  their  move,  when,  instead  of  the  long,  and 
to  Roses  destructive,  journey  from  the  North  of  Ireland,  they  were  able 
to  bring  the  flowers  up  from  Hereford .  One  notices  among  the  smaller 
exhibitors  some  new  names,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  I  think  that 
under  the  new  regulations  some  of  these  will  creep  up  by-and-by  into  the 
higher  classes.  It  would  be,  I  think,  futile  after  the  copious  reports  given 
in  the  Journal  to  go  over  the  ground  again,  but  there  are  one  or  two 
things  I  should  like  to  note.  _ 
I  think  some  of  the  most  satisfactory  exhibits  were  the  boxes  of 
twelve  of  one  variety,  and  of  these  I  think  the  most  conspicuous  were 
a  beautiful  box  of  Mrs.  Sharman  Crawford,  which  I  am  inclined  to 
think  is  the  best  Rose  Dicksons  have  sent  out  ;  a  grand  box  of  Mrs. 
John  Laing,  shown  by  Mr.  George  Mount,  and  a  beautiful  box  of  that 
little  known  Rose  Comtesse  de  Ludre,  shown  by  Messrs.  Mack  &  Son. 
The  Marchioness  of  Londonderry,  shown  by  Messrs.  A.  Dickson  and 
Sons,  and  a  grand  stand  of  twelve  of  Capt.  Hayward,  shown  by  the 
same  firm.  It  has  been  doubted  by  soma  whether  this  would  ever  be 
full  enough  for  exhibition,  but  this  stand  will,  I  think,  set  this  at  rest. 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant  was  also  well  shown,  though  not  so  extensively  as  one 
might  have  wished,  but  why  will  some  exhibitors  persist  in  giving  it 
its  American  alias  instead  of  that  which  obtained  for  it  the  gold  medal 
of  the  National  ?  It  is  understood,  I  thought,  that  the  English  name 
was  the  one  by  which  it  was  to  be  recognised,  at  least  on  this  side  of  the 
water.  No  new  Rose  of  foreign  origin  has  become  so  popular  as 
Maman  Cochet ;  it  was  constantly  exhibited,  and  appears  to  be  a  most 
constant  Rose.  If  Muriel  Grahame  (Dickson  &  Sons)  retains  the 
character  of  the  flower  exhibited  by  Mr.  Lindsell,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  it  will  be  a  most  valuable  acquisition. 
Garden  Roses  again  formed  the  most  attractive  feature  of  the 
exhibition,  and  such  exhibits  as  those  set  up  were  likely  to  increase 
their  popularity,  although  the  earliness  of  the  season  had  deprived  us  of 
many  of  our  beautiful  single  Roses.  Stands  shown  by  Messrs.  Paul  and 
Son,  Cheshunt,  Messrs.  Cooling  &  Son  of  Bath,  and  Mr.  H.  V.  Machin  of 
Worksop,  were  far  in  advanceof  any  we  have  yet  seen,  whether  as  regards 
the  variety  and  quality  of  the  flowers  or  the  manner  of  their  setting  up.  It 
