508 
JOURNAL  OR  tiORTlOULTURR  ARtl)  CORTA&R  QARREl^RR. 
KoVetnber  2fi,  1866. 
Protection  of  Teas. 
In  thii  matter  “Practice”  makes  some  remarks  (page  426)  which 
seem  to  be  open  to  criticism.  First,  he  says  it  is  “  wise  to  have 
protecting  material  handy  in  ample  time,  and  to  make  use  of  a  little  of 
this  as  an  aid  to  more  gradual  ripening  than  often  occurs  among  our 
Teas  and  Noisettes,  with  their  late  growing  propensities.”  This  is  a 
novel  idea.  The  very  opposite  course,  of  exposing  the  wood  as  much  as 
possible  to  light  and  air,  and  even  cutting  away  unripe  shoots  that 
may  shade  it,  is  what  is  generally  recommended  for  the  full  ripening 
of  the  wood.  I  can  only  suggest  that  he  fears  such  over-ripening 
of  the  early  wood  that  it  will  break  late  in  the  season  into  fresh  growth. 
This  seems  a  very  remote  contingency  ;  the  plant  will  generally  only 
continue  to  grow  at  the  top,  and  if  a  break  does  occur  lower  down  it 
will  very  seldom  be  of  a  character  to  move  all  the  dormant  buds  ;  at 
all  events,  there  was  no  fear  of  over-ripening  this  autumn.  Then 
follows  the  statement,  “  I  am  certain  many  people  over- protect.”  That 
is  not,  or  rather  was  not,  my  opinion.  I  was  completely  prepared  to 
deny  that  any  harm  was  done  by  protection  or  over-protection,  till  I 
read  of  the  “  practice  ”  of  using  protective  material  in  such  ample 
time  as  to  make  the  ripening  more  gradual. 
I  know  of  no  harm  from  over-protection  in  winter.  “  Practice  ”  is 
astonished  at  the  announcement  of  a  most  successful  amateur  that  he 
was  intending  to  use  the  straw  covers  of  wine  bottles  and  encase  his 
Teas  entirely  in  them.  But  still  this  amateur  was  “  most  successful,” 
and  as  long  as  he  takes  proper  precautions  he  will  probably  continue  1o 
be  so.  “  Practice  ”  considers  this  actira  to  be  “  going  to  unnecessary 
extremes  ;  ”  and  then  we  have  the  terrible  dangers  that  may  accrue 
from  such  over-care.  He  “often  meets  with  cases  where  the  young 
growth  of  Roses  has  been  almost  bleached  upon  the  removal  of  their 
winter  coverings.”  Dear  me  1  is  that  all  1  Why,  what  harm  is  there  in 
that?  One  would  almost  be  tempted  to  think  that  “  Practice  ’  did  not 
know  that  after  the  removal  of  the  winter  protection  comes  the  pruning, 
when  all  fresh  growth,  whether  bleached  or  not,  is  cut  away,  as  a  matter 
of  course.  Any  grower  of  Teas  knows  that  in  an  ordinary  English 
climate  all  growth  mads  before  the  middle  of  April  is  absolutely  useless, 
and  best  removed.  Something  a  little  more  serious  than  this  must  be 
stated  as  an  objection  before  we  give  up  the  protection  that  in  many 
winters  stands  between  our  Teas  and  utter  destruction.  It  has  been 
suggested  by  other  opponents  of  protection  that  the  extra  warmth  makes 
the  dormant  buds  break  too  soon.  This  is,  of  course,  a  misapprehension  ; 
there  is  no  extra  warmth  in  protection,  which, .on  the  contrary,  keeps  a 
cold  thing  cold,  just  as  it  will  keep  a  warm  thing  warm.  Even  if  it  did 
make  some  dormant  buds  break,  and  they  came  bleached,  would  not  this 
be  better  than  that  the  plants  should  be  killed  outright  ?  One  might  as 
well  refuse  to  take  an  acknowledged  specific  medicine  for  a  fatal  disease, 
because  of  the  nasty  taste,  as  to  refuse  protection  for  such  trifies  as 
these. 
Those  of  us  who  protect  our  Tea  Roses  heavily,  do  so  not  because  of 
what  we  imagine  or  have  read  of,  but  because  of  what  we  know  by 
experience.  Several  times,  at  least  four  or  five,  almost  the  whole  of  my 
Teas  have  been  utterly  destroyed.  One  year  my  Marechal  Niels — short 
standards,  planted  slantingly,  so  that  their  shoots  were  low — were  covered 
all  over  completely  and  thickly  with  straw,  and  when  the  severe  frost 
came  there  were  several  inches  of  snow  in  addition  on  the  top  of  the 
straw  ;  nevertheless,  there  was  not  an  atom  of  life  left  in  the  whole  of 
the  row.  So  now  I  proceed  to  necessary,  not  “  unnecessary  extremes.” 
The  whole  of  my  Niels  are  laid  as  flat  on  the  ground  as  possible,  then 
covered  with  straw.  Asparagus  tops,  or  something  similar,  and  then 
covered  over  with  earth ;  in  fact,  they  are  put  into  a  pie  clamp,  in 
exactly  the  same  way  that  Mangolds  or  Potatoes  are  protected  from 
frost  in  the  open  field.  And  the  result  ?  Well,  the  past  two  winters  have 
surely  been  pretty  good  tests  of  severity  on  the  one  hand  and  mildness 
on  the  other.  There  was  no  loss  whatever  on  either  occasion.  After  the 
severe  winter  the  medal  Rose  at  the  Crystal  Palace  came  from  one  of 
the  plants ;  after  last  winter  I  had  certainly  more  blooms  during  the 
past  autumn  than  I  ever  had  before.  It  is  well  known  that  Maidchal 
Niel  is  very  sensitive,  and  ready  to  start  in  the  spring.  I  always  have  a 
few  “  bleached  ”  shoots,  but  they  are  cut  off,  and  no  harm  is  done. 
And  why  should  I  not  do  this,  if  I  can  keep  them  alive  no  other  way  1 
“  Practice  ”  considers  the  straw  cases  of  wine  bottles  “  unnecessary 
extremes.”  I  do  not  want  to  shock  him,  but  they  are  not  extreme 
enough  for  me,  and  I  absolutely  need  more  protection.  When  the  winter 
before  last  came  I  had  a  number  of  standard  stocks  budded  early  and 
well  with  Teas,  the  buds  being  apparently  extra  sound  and  ripened. 
These  were  all  protected  carefully  by  the  straw  caps,  witu  the  result 
that  hardly  2  per  cent,  survived  that  terrible  winter.  Last  winter  I 
had  again  similar  stocks,  and  this  time  I  protected  each  bud  with 
wool,  extra  thick  “  giant  ”  Berlin  wool,  wrapped  round  them,  with  the 
straw  cases  as  before  to  keep  off  the  wet.  No  doubt  they  would  all 
have  survived  in  such  an  unusually  mild  winter  without  any  protection, 
but  were  they  any  the  worse  for  such  coddling  during  such  a  warm 
season  1  Not  at  all.  Thej  were  the  best  standard  maiden  Teas  I 
ever  had ;  in  fact,  these  170  standards  were  the  only  satisfactory  Rose 
plants  I  had  last  season,  and  I  had  to  do  almost  all  my  exhibiting  from 
them.  Not  one  of  them  had  grown  or  moved  when  the  protection  was 
taken  off,  yet  if  there  was  any  truth  in  the  alleged  evils  of  over-protection 
what  wretched  things  they  would  have  been. 
“ Practice ”  says,  “provided  dwarfs  are  well  earthed  up  with  the  sur¬ 
rounding  soil  and  a  few  branches  of  Fir  or  Gorse  fixed  among  them,  I 
see  no  reason  to  fear  even  a  severe  winter.”  No,  indeed  ;  for  the  “  well 
earthing  up  ”  is  a  very  efficient  protection,  with  a  serious  drawback. 
How  deep  is  your  hoe  going  scraping  into  the  soil  in  order  to  “  well 
earth  up  ”  your  dwarf  Teas  ?  I  cannot  say,  but  I  know  that  it  cannot  be 
done  in  my  beds  without  scraping  and  injuring  the  roots ;  and  in  my 
opinion  where  it  can  be  done,  the  roots  of  the  Roses  are  not  sufficiently 
near  the  surface  for  really  good  cultivation.  “  Practice  ”  sees  no  reason 
to  fear  about  his  dwarfs  ;  but  what  about  bis  standards,  whose  heads 
cannot  be  earthed  up  ?  He  does  not  tell  us  ;  perhaps  he  does  not  know 
the  best  method,  and  1  am  sure  I  cannot  tell  him.  I  wish  I  could.  I 
can  only  say  I  am  going  to  do  the  best  I  can,  and  am  not  going  to  be  in 
the  least  afraid  of  overdoing  it.  My  aim  will  be  to  cover  the  whole  of 
the  base  of  the  scion  as  far  as  one  or  two  dormant  buds  with  the  wool, 
and  over  that  put  straw  as  best  I  may  for  a  thatch  to  keep  it  dry.  And 
if  anyone  can  tell  me  of  any  real  evilsarising  from  the  winter  protection 
of  Tea  Roses  I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  of  them,  and  pleased  to  rejoin 
that  I  have  escaped  them.  That  there  can  be  any  drawbacks  to  the 
practice  comparable  to  the  wholesale  destruction  which  it  often  averts  I 
find  at  present  impossible  to  believe. — W.  R.  Raillem. 
BOYAL  HORTIOULTTJRAL  SOCIETY. 
Drill  Hall,  November  24th. 
The  meeting  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  Tuesday  last  was  a  bright  and 
interesting  one,  particularly  in  the  Chrysanthemum  department. 
Orchids  were  seen  in  superb  form  and  great  variety,  but  fruit  and 
vegetables  were  not  numerous, 
Fruit  Committee  — Present  :  P,  Crowley.  E?q.  (in  the  chair)  ; 
with  Rev.  W.  Wilks  and  Messrs.  T.  F,  Rivera,  J.  H.  Veitch,  A.  F.  Barron, 
R.  Fife,  J.  Smith,  G.  Woodward,  G.  Wythes,  G.  T.  Miles,  W.  Bates,  T. 
Farr,  C.  Herrin,  4.  J.  Laing,  A.  Dean,  J.  Cbeal,  F.  Q.  Lane,  and  J.  Wright, 
Mr.  H.  J.  Sheppard,  High  Street,  Bedford,  sent  a  dessert  Apple 
Clapham  Beauty,  for  which  an  award  of  merit  was  granted.  Fruit 
medium  sized,  somewhat  oblate,  about  3  inches  wide  and  2  inches  high  ; 
skin  glossy,  flushed  with  crimson,  marked  with  deeper  broken  streaks 
on  the  sun  side,  yellowish  green  in  the  shade  ;  eye  rather  large,  with 
broad  somewhat  connivent  segments,  set  in  a  very  shallow  even  depres¬ 
sion  ;  stalk  half  an  inch  long,  thin,  set  in  a  rather  deep  cavity,  without 
russet ;  flesh  greenish  white,  crisp,  yet  tender,  juicy,  and  sweet,  but 
with  no  particular  flavour.  A  good  table  Apple,  but  not  of  superior 
quality. 
Messrs,  T.  Rivers  &  Son  sent  fruits  of  Brook's  Hill  Pippin,  an 
attractive,  conical,  faintly  striped  fruit,  with  long  refiexed  segments  ; 
also  a  dish  of  Apple  St.  Martins.  Fruit  somewhat  medium  sized, 
conical,  3^  inches  high,  and  about  3  inches  wide,  higher  on  one 
side  than  the  other  ;  skin  dark,  shining,  bronzy  crimson,  marked  with 
numerous  broken  purplish  crimson  streaks  on  the  sun  side,  yellowish  in 
the  shade  ;  eye  rather  small,  with  refiexed  leafy  segments  set  in  a 
shallow  slightly  puckered  basin ;  stalk  half  an  inch  long,  nearly  its  whole 
length  inserted  in  a  slightly  russety  cavity  ;  flesh  yellowish,  tender, 
and  sugary.  A  good  table  Apple,  having  a  general  resemblance  to 
American  Mother,  but  quite  distinct. 
Mr.  J.  Tallock  again  sent  his  Apple  Liverere  Favourite,  a  medium 
sized,  richly  coloured  fruit.  Because  of  its  very  dark  crimson  hue  an 
award  of  merit  was  granted  by  seven  to  five  votes  as  a  “  market  Apple,” 
for  which  purpose  attractive  appearance  seems  to  have  more  weight  than 
high  quality. 
From  the  gardens  of  the  Queen  Mr.  Owen  Thomas  sent  a  dish  of 
Royal  Windsor  Tomato,  deep  yellow,  handsome  fruits,  and  the  variety 
was  recommended  to  be  grown  at  Chiswick. 
Mr.  Thomas  also  sent  a  box  of  beautiful  Cucumbers,  Frogmore  Pro¬ 
lific,  for  which  a  cultural  commendation  was  unanimously  awarded. 
He  further  sent  twelve  splendid  Pines  worthy  of  the  table  of  an  Empress, 
and  well  meriting  the  silver-gilt  Knightian  medal  that  was  granted  with 
acclamation.  Silver  Banksian  medals  were  awarded  to  C.  E.  Shea, 
Esq.,  for  twelve  dishes  of  excellent  Apples,  with  two  of  Pears,  and  to 
Messrs.  J.  Peed  &  Son  for  a  collection,  a  bronze  medal  going  to 
Mr.  Batchelor,  gardener  to  Lieut, -Col.  Vernon,  for  a  collection 
of  fruit.  Messrs.  Hurst  &  Son,  Hinckley,  sent  a  well  coloured  fruit 
of  Bismarck  Apple  of  exceptional  size  (vote  of  thanks),  and  Mr.  G. 
Wythes  sent  samples  of  Vllmorin’s  white  Artichokes,  the  tubers  being 
6  inches  long,  but  contracted  as  if  they  had  made  a  second  growth,  but 
when  the  committeeman  returned  to  the  table  all  he  could  have  said,  if 
he  said  anything,  would  have  been  “  Thank  you  for  nothing.”  Mr. 
Wythes  is,  however,  a  man  of  mettle  and  apt  to  try  again. 
Floral  Committee. — Present :  W.  Marshall,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ; 
with  Messrs.  J.  Fraser,  H.  Herbst,  R.  Dean,  J.  H.  Fitt,  R.  Owen,  G. 
Stevens,  J,  Hudson,  J.  T.  McLeod,  C.  J.  Salter,  W.  Bain,  T.  Peed,  G. 
Nicholson,  J.  D.  Pawle,  C.  E.  Shea,  C.  E.  Pearson,  J.  T.  Bennett-Pce, 
G.  Gordon,  H.  Turner,  E.  Mawley,  and  J,  Laing. 
