August  12,  18s*7. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
151- 
Eoses  Marechal  Niel  and  Medea. 
Now  that  the  great  rash  of  Eoses  is  over  we  may,  perhaps,  give  a  few 
words  to  varieties  which  have  once  more  proved  the  best  and  most  stable 
in  what  has  been  far  from  an  ideal  Eose  season.  Mrs.  John  Laing, 
A.  K.  Williams,  and  others  never  fail  us,  nor  do  such  grand  Teas  as 
Innocente  Pirola,  Catherine  Mermet,  The  Bride,  and  Souvenir  de  S.  A. 
Prince,  no  matter  what  the  season  may  be  ;  and  it  certainly  seems  that 
we  shall  be  able  to  say  the  same  of  Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant,  Muriel  Grahame, 
Mrs.  E.  G.  Sharman  Crawford,  and  Medea.  Medea  has  been  especially 
good,  and  the  magnificent  examples  I  have  seen  in  stands  from  various 
parts  of  the  country  are  ample  proof  of  its  general  usefulness.  Although 
not  a  climber,  or  with  quite  so  sweet  a  scent  as  Mai^chal  Niel,  I  venture 
to  say  it  is  more  perpetual  in  blooming.  I  would  be  the  last  to  say  a 
word  against  an  old  favourite,  but  at  the  same  time  we  must  not  forget 
a  new  friend,  and  in  Medea  we  have  the  best  of  dwarf,  free  growing,  and 
blooming  yellows,  of  a  deep  lemon  shade.  I  note  that  the  N.E  S. 
Catalogue  Committee  remarks  upon  it  as  requiring  a  warm  and  dry 
season  ;  but  do  not  all,  even  Marechal  Niel,  from  the  Teas  and  Noisettes 
need  the  same  ?  Like  “  W.  E.  Eaillem,”  I  have  found  Mardchal  Niel  a 
good  late  summer  and  autumnal  bloomer  upon  old  standards,  but  Medea 
has  the  same  invaluable  habit  as  Marie  Van  Houtte  and  a  few  more — 
viz.,  flowering  from  first  to  last,  and  producing  successional  crops  with 
great  rapidity.  “  W.  E.  Eaillem,”  many  of  us  know,  can  and  does  grow 
Teas  second  to  none,  and  although  I  do  not  for  a  moment  imagine  him 
to  be  disparaging  Medea,  I  fear  some  readers  would  be  inclined  to  take 
his  recent  notes  as  implying  such. 
Medea  has  been  grandly  shown  at  the  Temple  for  several  years  ;  if 
was  the  best  pure  lemon  yellow  Tea  at  Portsmouth  and  the  Crystal 
Palace,  and  very  few  winning  stands  of  Teas  or  Noisettes  during  this 
season  have  been  minus  an  example  of  Medea.  Comparatively  speaking 
it  is  a  new  Eose,  and  is  certainly  the  best  and  one  of  the  most  lasting 
yellows  we  have,  if  we  except  the  deeper  shades  of  Mardchal  Niel  and 
Perle  des  Jardins. — A.  Piper.  _ 
I  CANNOT  agree  with  your  correspondent  “  W.  E.  Eaillem  ”  that  the 
Mardchal  Niel  Eose  is  "  thoroughly  perpetual  in  the  open  ground.” 
No  good  gardener  would  ever  think  of  planting  it  as  a  perpetual 
flowering  Eose.  Over  the  last  twenty  years  I  have  taken  part  in  the 
cultivation  of  thousands  of  this  beautiful  variety,  and  however  ”  intelli¬ 
gently”  pruned  should  never  expect  to  get  more  than  a  single  crop  of 
flowers  from  it. 
Although  of  smaller  size  and  paler  in  colour  Medea  is  thoroughly 
perpetual,  and  rarely  does  it  produce  a  shoot  in  summer  or  autumn — 
from  June  to  November — that  is  not  crowned  with  flowers.  If  Marechal 
Niel  is  so  perpetual  as  “  W.  E.  Eailem  ”  proclaims  it  to  be,  how  is  it  that 
so  few  specimens  are  found  at  the-summer  exhibitions  ?  for  surely  such 
a  grand  Eose  would  add  lustre  to  any  box.  Some  few  of  our  largest 
market  establishments  for  cut  Eoses  have  discarded  this  variety,  mainly 
owing  to  its  non-perpetual  character. 
Not  only  is  Medea  thoroughly  perpetual,  but  it  is  one  of  the  most 
exquisitely  formed  Eoses  I  know  of,  reminding  one  in  a  marked  degree 
of  the  superb,  but  shy-blooming.  Cloth  of  Gold. — Walter  Easlea 
Waltham  Cross.  _ 
I  AM  quite  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  anyone  can  institute  a  com¬ 
parison  between  these  two  Eoses.  The  one  is  the  acme  of  perfection  as 
far  as  colour  is  concerned,  and  the  other  a  light  lemon  coloured  Eose. 
In  habit,  too,  they  are  entirely  distinct.  The  Mar4chal  is  a  strong  grow¬ 
ing  Noisette,  sending  out  shoots  from  10  to  12  feet  long,  or  even  more  ; 
Medea  is  a  vigorous  Tea,  but  of  upright  growth,  and  requires  a  warm, 
dry  season  to  develop  it.  I  should  as  soon  think  of  comparing  it  with 
Mardchal  Niel  as  I  should  Madame  Hoste  or  Francisca  Kruger,  or  any 
other  of  the  lighter  coloured  yellow  Eoses  of  the  Tea  class. 
Another  question  which  seems  to  have  been  evoked  by  this  discuseio*^ 
is  whether  Mardchal  Niel  can  be  called  really  a  garden  Eose.  As 
regards  hardiness,  I  think  it  might  be  well  entitled  to  this  character.  I 
have  seen  it  flourishing  all  through  the  southern  counties,  standing  with 
some  slight  protection  such  as  is  generally  given  to  Teas  onr  most  severe 
winters  ;  but  there  is  one  defect  about  it  which  must  ever  be  a  bar  to  it- 
being  considered  desirable  for  this  purpose — namely,  the  flowers  all  hang 
down  their  heads,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  when  it  is  trained  against 
the  wall  you  see  nothing  but  the  outside  petals  of  the  flower,  which  is 
generally  discoloured.  We  have  had  two  or  three  plants  of  it  on  some  of 
our  cottages  here,  but  they  were  a  failure.  The  plants  grew  well  and 
flowered  freely,  but  when  looked  at  from  a  slight  distance  the  plant, 
looked  as  if  it  were  covered  with  dead  flowers  ;  and,  of  courie,  the  same 
holds  when  it  is  grown  as  a  standard  or  half-standard. 
I  recollect,  too,  an  enthusiastic  Eose  grower  with  whom  it  was  so 
great  a  favourite  that  he  had  a  large  bed  on  his  lawn  planted  with 
it.  The  Eoses  grew  most  vigorously,  and  were  pegged  down,  but  he  was 
so  disgusted  with  the  complete  failure  of  the  appearance  of  the  bed 
that  he  grubbed  up  the  plants  before  the  next  season.  The  place  for  the 
Mardchal  is  unquestionably  the  roof  of  the  greenhouse,  where  its  rich 
golden  goblets  hang  down  and  display  their  full  beauty.  No  one  *vho 
has  seen  a  good  plant  of  it  in  this  position  will  ever  wish  to  place  it  in 
any  other. 
It  is  certainly  somewhat  curious  that  although  this  Eose  appeared 
in  1864  that  nothing  comparable  to  it  has  appeared  in  the  thirty-three 
years  that  have  elapsed  since  then.  If  one  could  obtain  a  Eose  of  the 
same  colour  with  the  upright  growth  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold  it  would  be 
indeed  a  grand  acquisition.  Climbing  Perle  des  Jardins  has  in  the  same 
way  been  compared  by  others  to  Marechal  Niel ;  but  like  the  flower 
from  which  it  sported  now  nearly  twenty-five  years  ago  in  America,  it 
is  very  uncertain  in  form  and  apt  to  come  cleft ;  this,  of  course,  detracts 
from  its  appearance  and  value,  so  Pradel’s  Eose  still  stands  facile 
princeps  in  its  class — and  he  would  be  a  fortunate  man  who  obtained  a 
flower  which  would  put  it  into  the  background.  We  know  that  the 
Marechal  is  not  long  lived,  although  I  have  had  a  plant  of  it  in  my 
small  house  for  fifteen  years  or  more  ;  but  it  is  showing  signs  of  giving 
way,  and  instead  of  the  hundreds  of  blooms  I  used  to  have  on  it,  1  have 
only  had  a  few  dozen  this  year,  having  had  to  cut  away  a  good  part  of 
the  tree  last  autumn,  and  I  am  afraid  the  remainder  will  follow  this 
year. — D.,  Beal. 
Seasonable  Work. 
Just  because  the  bulk  of  our  Eoses  are  past,  we  must  not  allow  the 
slightest  neglect  in  the  Eose  garden.  Budding  must  be  finished,  stale 
flowers  cut  off,  summer  pruning  practised  among  climbers  and  pegged- 
down  Eoses  of  the  Hybrid  Perpetual  class  ;  mulchings  should  be  applied 
after  a  good  watering  where  rains  have  not  visited,  and  general  attention 
given  in  all  branches.  It  will  be  particularly  helpful  to  give  a  thorough 
soaking  of  weak  liquid  manure  to  plants  against  walls.  These  absorb 
so  much  moisture  in  themselves  that  no  shower  does  much  good  unless 
driving  direct  upon  the  wall,  and  our  plants  are  more  often  than  not 
carrying  an  extra  amount  of  growth  and  confined  to  a  narrow  border. 
—A.  P. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Drill  Hall  — August  10th, 
The  exhibits  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  this  date  were  not  very  numerous 
but  the  quality  was  high.  Herbaceous  flowers  were  the  most  conspicuous, 
but  Apples  and  Orchids  were  splendidly  staged  though  only  in  small 
nuinbers. 
Fruit  Committee, — Present  :  P.  Crowley,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ; 
with  Eev.  W.  Wilks,  T.  F.  Eivers,  J.  H,  Veitch,  A.  F.  Barron,  G. 
Eeynolds,  J.  Smith,  F.  Q.  Lane,  H.  Balderson,  G.  Wythes,  T.  Farr,  A. 
Dean,  and  J.  Wright. 
Messrs.  W.  Fell  &  Co.,  Hexham,  sent  fruits  of  the  Logan  Berry,  the 
result  of  a  cross  between  the  Easpberry  and  Black  Currant,  effected  in 
America.  The  habit  of  growth,  and  to  a  less  extent  the  character  of  the 
fruit,  resembles  the  Easpberry.  An  award  of  merit  has  been  previously 
granted  for  the  Logan  Berry,  exhibited  by  Mr.  Bunyard. 
Gooseberry  Golden  Gem,  a  seedling,  the  result  of  a  cross  between 
Antagonist  and  Whitesmith,  sent  by  Messrs.  James  Veitch  &  Sons,  was 
at  once  adjudged  an  award  of  merit.  The  fruits  are  of  good  size,  clear 
amber,  smooth,  and  of  excellent  flavour.  The  variety  is  said  to  be  a 
free  upright  grower, 
Mr.  J,  Moody,  gardener  to  F.  F.  Blayden,  Esq.,  Sultan  House,  Sutton- 
on-Hull,  sent  a  new  Tomato,  of  medium  size,  with  a  distinct  nipple.  To  be 
tried  at  Chiswick.  Mr.  Wadds,  Cliveden,  Maidenhead,  sent  a  bunch  of 
Wilson  Junior  Blackberry,  fine  fruits  ;  also  tearing  stems  of  the  Kitta- 
tiny,  smaller  fruits,  but  far  better  in  quality — indeed,  very  good  indeed. 
It  is  stated  they  were  grown  in  strong  moist  soil.  An  award  of  merit 
was  granted  for  the  Kittatiny. 
Mr.  W.  W.  Smythe,  The  Gardens,  Basing  Park,  sent  bearing  plants 
of  Kidney  Beans,  the  result  of  crossing  the  Dwarf  Beau  and  Scarlet 
Runner,  The  stronger  of  these  plants,  named  Goliath,  was  bearing  fifty 
handsome  pods,  and  the  variety  was  recommended  to  be  tried  at 
Chiswick.  Mr.  George  Keif,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Abbot,  South  Villa,  sent  a 
box  of  Royal  George  Peach,  grown  within  two  miles  of  Charing  Cross. 
They  would  be  entitled  to  be  described  as  grand  if  they  had  been  grown 
under  the  most  favourable  conditions  in  the  country,  and  would  have 
won  a  first  prize  at  almost  any  show.  A  cultural  commendation  was 
unanimously  awarded. 
Messrs.  G.  Bunyard  &  Co.  sent  thirty-six  dishes  of  chiefly  Apples, 
though  including  Apricots,  Peaches,  and  Pears.  The  Apples  were 
remarkably  fine,  though  indications  were  not  wanting  of  some  of  them 
at  least  having  had  the  assistance  of  glass  ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  the 
exhibit  was  highly  meritorious,  and  a  silver  Knightian  medal  was 
unanimously  awarded.  Mr.  Miller,  gardener  to  Lord  Foley,  Ruxley 
Lodge,  Esher,  was  granted  a  silver  Banksian  medal  for  a  collection  of 
fruit. 
Floral  Committee. — Present  ;  W.  Marshall,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ; 
with  Messrs.  J.  Fraser,  C.  T.  Druery,  H.  B.  May,  R.  Dean,  F.  T.  Fitt, 
0.  Thomas,  H.  Turner,  H.  J.  Jones,  C.  E.  Pearson,  J.  D,  Pawle, 
J.  Walker,  W.  Bain,  R.  M.  Hogg,  J.  Fraser,  and  J.  Jennings. 
Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Chelsea,  staged  a  large  collection  of 
hardy  annuals.  The  number  of  kinds  was  considerable,  and  the  colours 
had  been  placed  so  as  to  produce  the  best  possible  effect.  There  were 
Lavateras,  Sweet  Sultans,  Calliopsis,  Godetias,  Sunflowers,  Marigolds, 
Clarkias,  Phloxes,  Verbenas,  Larkspurs,  Asters,  Stocks,  Bartonia, 
Calendulas,  Cornflowers,  and  many  others.  This  was  somewhat  of  a 
change  from  the  perennials  that  have  so  constantly  been  shown.  The 
