52 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
July  15,  1897. 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  for  1897. 
July  16th  (Thursday). — Norwich  (N.R.S.)  and  Helensburgh. 
„  22nd  (Thursday). — Halifax,  Trentham,  and  Bedale. 
„  23rd  (Friday). — Ulverstone. 
„  27th  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  28th  (Wednesday). — Chester.* 
„  31st  (Saturday). — Liverpool.* 
*  Shows  lasting  two  days. 
Three  New  Roses. 
Roses  become  more  and  more  numerous  every  year,  but  such  is  the 
enthusiasm  displayed  in  their  culture  that  no  matter  how  many  there 
are,  they  will,  if  of  good  quality,  quickly  secure  supporters.  Amongst 
the  comparatively  recent  introductions  that  promise  to  become  popular 
are  Madame  Abel  Cbatenay,  Beaut6  Lyonnaise,  and  Souvenir  de  Madame 
Eugene  Verdier,  of  which  Mr.  Charles  Turner,  Royal  Nurseries 
Slough,  sent  us  the  photograph  from  which  our  illustration  (fig.  9)  is 
reproduced.  Each  variety  is  of  great  beauty,  and  is  classed  by  the 
raiders  as  Hybrid  Tea.  Madame  Abel  Chatenay,  which  is  shown  on  the 
left,  is  a  handsome  Rose  with  flowers  of  a  rosy  carmine  suffused  with 
salmon  and  buff.  The  flowers  are  of  fine  shape,  especially  in  the  bud 
state.  At  the  top  of  the  photograph  is  Beaute  Lyonnaise,  an  almost 
pure  white,  full  and  globular  flower,  which  is  deliciously  fragrant, 
while  at  the  bottom  we  have  Souvenir  de  Madame  Bugfene  Verdier. 
This  is  a  fine  Rose,  the  colour  of  which  is  white  suffused  with  saffron, 
and  the  bloom  is  of  good  shape.  The  blooms  shown  were  taken  from 
pot  plants  in  Mr.  Turner’s  nursery,  and  the  flowers  may  vary  a  little  in 
colour  from  plants  in  the  open  ground. 
Medea,  Marechal  Niel,  Maman  Cochet,  and  Muriel 
Grahame. 
In  the  last  number  of  the  Journal  (page  23)  Rev.  D.  R.  Williamson 
repeats  his  opinion  that  Medea  is  the  equal  of  Mardchal  Niel.  He  does 
not  state  it  as  his  opinion,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact.  It  is  my  opinion, 
and  I  haye  grown  and  shown  good  blooms  of  Medea,  that  it  is  not  fit  to 
hold  a  candle  to  Mardchal  Niel,  which  is  far  and  away  the  finest  yellow 
Rose  known. 
In  his  interesting  report  of  the  Hereford  Rose  Show  “  The  Hereford¬ 
shire  Incumbent”  alludes  (page  29)  to  Maman  Cochet  as  “long  in  bud, 
poor  habit.”  This  will  surprise  the  many  admirers  of  this  splendid 
Rose,  which  if  it  were  not  rather  late  in  blooming  I  should  expect  to  see 
at  the  head  of  Mr.  Mawley’s  analysis,  for  most  of  us  find  it  a  very  good 
grower,  of  thoroughly  vigorous  habit. 
I  am  in  hopes  that  Mr.  Lindsell  has  had  a  photograph  taken  of  his 
grand  bloom  of  Muriel  Grahame,  exhibited  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  as  it 
was  quite  worthy  of  being  ranked  with  Mr.  Burnside’s  Cleopatra  and 
somebody  else’s  Madame  Cusin,  and  other  specimen  blooms  of  note. 
The  shape  and  texture  were  perfect,  and  it  looked  as  if  it  were  capable 
of  even  further  development. — W.  R.  Railleji. 
Rosa  indica  var.  sanguinea. 
Op  the  many  varieties  of  Rosa  indica  none  is  prettier  or  makes  a 
more  charming  effect  than  this.  Like  most  of  the  class,  it  is  an  almost 
perpetual  flowerer,  and  can  be  bad  in  good  condition,  outside,  from  early 
in  May  until  October.  The  flowers  are  blood  red,  semi-double,  and  1^  to 
2  inches  across.  These,  however,  are  not  the  only  attraction,  for  the 
young  foliage  is  of  a  beautiful  bronze,  and  adds  greatly  to  the  effect. 
Like  most  of  the  class,  it  will  pass  through  ordinary  winters 
unharmed.  In  exceptionally  severe  winters,  however,  it  is  cut  to  the 
ground,  but  springs  up  again  as  warmer  weather  comes.  As  cuttings  can 
be  rooted  witn  the  greatest  ease  it  is  advisable  to  keep  a  fresh  stock  of 
plants  growing,  as  after  three  or  four  seasons  the  old  ones  usually 
deteriorate.  By  rooting  cuttings  in  July  and  potting  them  singly  into 
3-inch  pots,  then  in  February  moving  into  5  inch,  good  plants  may 
be  had  for  planting  in  May.  They  are  not  so  much  trouble  through 
the  winter  as  ordinary  bedding  “Geraniums,”  and  if  grown  as  bedding 
plants  they  will  be  found  to  give  as  great,  if  not  greater,  satisfaction 
than  many  of  the  plants  usually  used  for  the  purpose. 
The  brilliant  colour  of  the  flowers,  together  with  the  freedom  with 
which  they  are  produced  and  the  little  trouble  necessary  to  insure 
success,  should  make  this  one  of  the  most  popular  of  bedding  Roses. — 
W,  D. 
Comments. 
I  have  often  noticed  in  passing  through  life  how  very  seldom  altera- 
tions  of  dates  for  any  event  are  advantageous,  and  certainly  in  the  case 
of  the  National  Rose  Society  this  idea  has  been  strengthened.  Twice 
during  its  career  have  dates  for  shows  been  altered,  and  in  both  cases 
with  disastrous  results.  The  exhibition  at  Chester  in  1892,  and  that  of 
Portsmouth  in  1897,  were  altered  at  the  request  of  the  local  Committees, 
and  under  such  circumstances  the-  parent  Society  has  only  to  give  way. 
In  the  case  of  Chester  I  believe  it  was  utterly  uncalled  for,  and  the  result 
was,  that  while  the  day  originally  fixed  was  very  fine,  that  to  which  it 
was  altered  was  as  wet  and  unpleasant  as  it  was  possible  for  it  to  be. 
As  far  as  Portsmouth  was  concerned  it  was  of  course  unavoidable. 
The  day  at  first  decided  on  was  the  one  after  the  Jubilee  celebration  in 
London,  and  everyone  felt  that  to  hold  a  show  on  the  day  after  a  Bank 
Holiday,  and  such  a  holiday,  when  all  the  world  was  in  an  uproar,  was 
quite  impossible.  I  suppose  the  local  Committee  had  its  reasons  for 
putting  it  back  instead  of  forward,  but  at  any  rate  the  23rd  was  a  fine 
day,  and  the  18th,  to  which  it  was  altered,  was  boisterousand  wet ;  indeed, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  exceptionally  strong  manner  in  which  the  tents 
were  secured  the  York  catastrophe  would  have  been  repeated.  There 
were  other  causes  also  which  interfered  with  the  exhibition.  The  season 
was  a  late  one,  and  consequently  putting  the  show  back  was  unfavour¬ 
able  to  it ;  and  then  again  the  local  Committee  was  unfortunate  in 
losing  the  services  of  a  gentleman  who  for  twenty  years  and  more 
had  managed  the  Ryde  Show,  but  who  through  domestic  affliction 
was  unable  to  be  present.  _ 
I  may  add  yet  another  item  that  was  unfavourable  ;  the  show  was 
held  in  two  tents  instead  of  one  large  one.  and  though  they  were 
contiguous  to  one  another,  it  created  a  difficulty  which  is  always 
experienced  in  such  cases.  One  of  the  tents  was  devoted  to  the  exhibi¬ 
tion  Roses,  and  the  other  mainly  to  garden  Roses,  and  when  an  exhibitor 
is  wanted  in  one  of  these  he  is  sure  to  be  in  the  other.  All  this 
militated  against  the  success  of  the  arrangements,  and  though  Captain 
Ramsay  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost,  complaints  were  made  that 
the  judging  did  not  commence  at  the  time  it  was  announced  to  do  ;  in 
fact,  this  is  nearly  always  the  case  at  all  shows,  and  the  fault  is  generally 
not  with  the  executive,  but  with  the  exhibitors.  With  these  unfavour¬ 
able  circumstances  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  exhibition  was 
the  smallest  in  extent  and,  I  think,  the  poorest  in  quality  that  the 
National  has  ever  held. 
Many  of  the  leading  exhibitors,  both  professional  and  amateur,  were 
absent.  Neither  Messrs.  Harkness  &  Sons,  nor  the  East  Anglia  amateur 
Tea  growers,  Messrs.  Foster  Melliar,  Orpen,  Berners  or  Page  Roberts  were 
there  ;  neither  was  the  champion  grower,  Mr.  E.  B.  Lindsell.  The  two 
classes  which  most  interested  both  exhibitors  and  visitors  were  those  for 
the  cup  presented  by  Capt.  Ramsay  for  twelve  blooms,  and  that  for  the 
Prince  Memorial  cup  for  eighteen  Teas.  In  the  former  the  prize  was 
given  to  a  beautiful  box  exhibited  by  Mr.  A.  Tate  of  Downside,  Leather- 
head,  and  I  think  it  was  impossible  that  such  blooms  could  be  shown 
without  protection  of  some  sort  having  been  given  to  them.  This  stand 
was  remarkable  also  for  containing  the  two  medal  blooms  in  the 
amateurs’  division  for  the  best  H.P.  and  the  best  Tea,  the  former  being 
won  by  a  beautiful  but  not  very  large  bloom  of  Mrs.  John  Laing,  and 
the  latter  for  the  best  bloom  of  Madame  de  Watteville  I  ever  saw  staged. 
The  Prince  Memorial  cup  was  won  by  Alex.  Hill-Gray,  Esq.,  Beaulieu, 
Bath,  with  a  fine  stand  of  eighteen  blooms  of  fair  size  and  excellent 
quality.  It  was  anticipated  that  there  would  have  been  much  keener 
competition  in  this  class,  but  for  the  reasons  I  have  already  mentioned 
many  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance,  and  the  other  prizes  were  awarded 
to  almost  unknown  exhibitors. 
It  was  hardly  likely  that  at  so  early  a  date  and  in  such  a  season  that 
there  would  be  many  noticeable  flowers,  and  certainly  there  is  nothing 
in  the  newer  varieties  which  calls  for  special  notice.  There  were  good 
blooms  of  Medea,  especially  considering  that  it  is  a  Rose  that  requires  a 
warmer  season.  White  Lady,  which  is  a  creamy  white  sport  from  Lady 
Mary  Fitz william,  was  shown  in  fair  condition.  Golden  Gate  is  another 
pleasing  Tea,  and  was  placed  in  several  stands.  It  is  not,  as  persons 
might  be  inclined  to  think  from  its  name,  a  yel'ow  Rose,  but  is  a  creamy 
white  of  good  form.  Captain  Hayward  is  a  Rose  of  brilliant  colour, 
though  perhaps  not  quite  so  full  as  one  might  wish,  yet  cannot  be 
dispensed  with,  and  appeared  in  several  stands. 
It  is  not,  however,  too  much  to  say  that  the  chief  features  of  attrac¬ 
tion  were  the  collections  of  garden.  Roses.  They  were,  as  I  have  said,  in  a 
separate  tent,  and  it  was  a  great  pity  that  more  space  was  not  awarded 
to  them.  If  more  room  bad  been  left  between  the  boxes  they  would  have 
made  a  better  display.  The  Committee  of  the  N.R.S.,  being  afraid  that 
the  late  season  and  the  early  date  would  militate  against  the  exhibition 
Roses,  had  at  the  last  introduced  some  extra  classes  which  helped  to  fill 
up  the  tent.  There  were  but  few  competitors  in  any  of  the  classes,  and 
the  chief  interest  was  centred  in  the  large  class  of  thirty-six  for  nursery¬ 
men,  where  Messrs.  Cooling  &  Sons  of  Bath  carried  off  the  principal 
prize.  Amongst  their  flowers  I  noticed  Marquis  of  Salisbury,  most 
brilliant  in  colour  ;  W.  A.  Richardson,  which  in  its  way  has  not  been 
beaten  ;  Bardou  Job,  very  bright ;  Macrantha,  pure  white  5  the  true 
York  and  Lancaster,  not  the  Village  Maid  or  Gloria  Mundi  which  so 
often  do  duty  for  it  ;  Isabella  Sprunt,  a  bright  yellow  ;  Commandante 
Beaurepaire,  a  brilliantly  striped  Rose  ;  Anne  of  Gierstein,  one  of  Lord 
Penzance’s  Briars ;  Glo  re  des  Polyanthas  ;  Homere  and  other  well- 
known  favourites.  There  were  beside  these  two  not  usually  seen,  Lucida 
Plena,  a  double  variety  of  the  pretty  old  Lucida,  and  Purity,  a  seedling 
