9474 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  Norember  Is,  1897. 
Eose  Seeds. 
Will  any  raiser  of  Roses  from  seed  kindly  state  the  best  method 
of  treatment  ?  I  have  tried  sowing  in  heat,  and  in  the  open  ground, 
but  have  not  got  many  seeds  to  germinate.  Is  it  better  to  sow  them 
as  soon  as  gathered,  or  to  keep  them  until  the  spring  ?  and  if  the  latter 
plan  is  the  better  which  is  the  best  way  to  keep  them  1  As  I  have  a 
quantity  of  choice  seed  ripening  I  am  anxious  to  know  the  best  way  of 
treating  it, — W.  H.  Divers,  Belvoir  Castle  Gardens,  Grantham. 
The  Truth  About  Crimson  Rambler. 
As  the  original  cultivator  of  the  Rose  on  its  introduction  from  Japan 
in  the  year  1878,  I  may  say  at  once  that  the  paragraph  quoted  by  the 
Rev.  Alan  Cheales  in  your  issue  of  4th  inst.,  page  429,  is  substantially 
correct.  The  Rose,  along  with  a  number  of  other  plants,  was  purchased 
by  Professor  R.  Smith  for  Mr.  Jenner  in  the  public  gardens  of  Tokio. 
When  it  had  been  cultivated  for  a  year  or  two  in  the  gardens  of  Easter 
Duddingston  Lodge,  Mr.  Jenner  noticed  its  free-flowering  character,  and 
named  it  the  Engineer,  in  honour  of  the  Professor  himself. 
With  regard  to  the  name  of  the  Eose,  I  may  state  that  when  the 
plants  arrived  at  their  destination  each  was  encased  in  a  curious,  bowl¬ 
shaped  pot,  with  a  wooden  label  attached,  and  the  native  name  of  each 
plant  inscribed  thereon,  but  these  names  were  never  translated,  otherwise 
we  might  now  have  had  the  Japanese  name  for  this  popular  Rose.  My 
experience  of  the  flowering  qualities  of  this  Rose  is  that  it  does  not  do 
well  on  a  wall,  but  much  better  in  the  open,  as  it  seems  to  enjoy  a  full 
and  free  circulation  of  air. 
Dr.  Ramsay’s  remarks  in  an  earlier  issue  of  your  paper  as  to  this  Rose 
having  been  in  Mr.  Jenner’s  garden  “  forty  years  ago”  are  not  correct. — 
M.  Chapman,  Torhrex  Nursery,  Stirling. 
Canker  in  Roses. 
Several  theories  have  been  put  forward  from  time  to  time  as  to  the 
causes  of  and  remedies  for  canker  disease  in  Roses.  I  am  convinced 
it  is  not  soil  alone,  nor  is  it  the  stock  Roses  are  worked  on.  We  find  it 
on  Roses  in  widely  difFerent  soils,  on  all  of  the  many  stocks,  and  even  on 
plants  growing  on  their  own  roots.  It  appears  on  roots  and  branches, 
under  glass  and  in  the  open,  on  varieties  of  widely  different  growth  and 
classes,  and  on  the  same  when  treated  in  varying  forms  as  regards 
culture.  For  several  years  I  have  tried  many  ways  of  combatting  this 
disease,  and  although  in  some  few  instances  the  plants  certainly  seem  to 
have  benefited,  others  so  treated  have  not  been  improved  in  any  respect. 
As  a  rule  canker  is  most  troublesome  among  Marechal  Niel.  It  also 
attacks  William  Allen  Richardson  and  other  strong  growers.  It  is  found 
in  the  case  of  some  Hybrid  Perpetuals  when  worked  on  an  uncongenial 
stock.  :\rarie  Verdier,  Her  iMajesty,  S.  Reynolds  Hole,  and  Captain 
Christy  are  examples  of  some  which  have  a  great  objection  to  the  Manetti 
in  mo.st  soils  ;  yet  I  have  seen  them  doing  well  in  more  than  one  instance. 
These  are  only  a  few  examples  of  its  erratic  and  inexplicable  attacks,  and 
a  few  notes  upon  my  efforts  to  combat  the  disease  may  be  of  interest. 
It  often  happens  that  one  plant  out  of  many  will  develop  canker  with 
exceeding  rapidity,  and  yet  its  near  neighbours,  under  precisely  similar 
conditions,  are  exempt.  I  have  carefully  lifted  the  attacked  plant,  and 
given  that  and  the  soil  a  thorough  overhauling,  without  any  result. 
Healthy  plants  on  each  side  had  no  more  or  less  swelling  at  the  junction 
than  the  affected  plant. 
In  one  instance,  several  iVIarechal  Niels  were  side  by  side.  An  over¬ 
flow  drain  from  a  cesspool  ran  from  3  to  4  feet  deep  in  the  soil.  This  was 
not  made  of  the  modern  sanitary  pipes,  but  the  ordinary  drain  pipes 
used  in  agricultural  draining.  The  roots  of  the  Rose  had  penetrated 
the  interstices  and  forced  the  pipes  open,  and  the  soil  became  heavily 
charged  with  a  strong  fertiliser.  Many  of  the  roots  were  quite  dead, 
probably  from  undue  saturation  of  so  strong  a  liquid  while  dormant. 
The  plant  most  affected  developed  canker  very  badly,  but  others  escaped. 
A  house  of  Marechal  Niels  was  forced  hard,  the  plants  being  in  pots  and 
standing  upon  a  turf  bank.  When  we  came  to  remove  these  they 
were  found  so  strongly  rooted  through  the  drainage  holes  into  the  turf 
that  it  was  decided  to  leave  them,  and  a  foot  or  so  of  more  soil  was 
placed  around  the  pots,  just  covering  the  crown.  The  plants  grew 
in  a  most  luxuriant  manner ;  there  was  promise  of  a  grand  crop,  and 
buds  were  formed,  when  suddenly  the  whole  of  the  plants’  growth  put  on 
a  most  distressed  look  ;  leaves  went  brown  or  pale  yellow,  the  buds  fell, 
and  not  a  dozen  decent  flowers  were  secured.  We  found  the  roots  both 
above  and  below  the  drainage  hole  were  one  mass  of  canker,  which,  in 
this  instance,  was  no  doubt  caused  by  constriction.  The  question  is.  Had 
we  broken  the  pote  and  released  the  roots  previously  to  adding  more 
compost,  would  they  have  been  attacked  by  canker  ? 
A  grand  plant  of  William  Allen  Richardson  has  occupied  a  corner  of 
a  house  since  this  variety  was  introduced  ;  it  is,  in  fact,  our  stock  plant. 
Several  years  ago  this  developed  canker  very  badly  at  the  junction  of  the 
stock  and  Rose.  I  cut  into  this  upon  more  than  one  occasion,  rubbed  fresh 
cow  manure  into  it,  added  some  light  compost  around  the  part,  thinking  it 
might  perhaps  take  off  on  its  own  roots,  as  the  first  appearance  of  the 
disease  looked  much  like  a  lump  of  callus  formed  above  the  soil.  Now, 
although  that  plant  still  has  a  very  large  bunch  of  canker,  it  gives  us  a 
grand  crop  every  spring  and  autumn.  The  soil  is  stiff  and  rather  wet ; 
the  plant  is  upon  the  De  la  Grifferaie  stock,  and  several  hundreds  of  buds 
for  working  are  taken  from  the  plant  every  summer.  In  other  cases,  when 
W.  A.  Richardson  has  been  attacked,  I  have  known  the  plant  die  in  a 
very  short  time. 
It  has  been  said  canker  is  caused  by  undue  interference  with  the 
balance  of  growth,  and  that  cutting  away  growing  shoots,  or  hard 
summer  pruning,  is  a  sure  prelude  to  canker.  I  do  not  find  it  so.  although, 
in  several  cases,  plants  so  treated  have  been  attacked  during  the  same 
season.  If  it  was  a  cause,  how  is  it  we  find  so  many  cases  where  Marechal 
Niel — the  Rose  most  affected  by  this  disease  —  is  annually  treated  upon  the 
cutting  down  system,  in  order  to  get  long  rods  for  the  following  season’s 
forcing,  and  yet  do  not  find  canker  general  ? 
Insects  are  given  as  a  probable  cause.  That  they  aggravate  the 
diseased  part  I  fully  believe.  I  have  cut  many  scores  of  cankered  pro¬ 
tuberances  open,  and  generally  found  a  small  insect  in  them,  which,  if 
not  a  .species  of  the  rhodites  attacking  our  native  Briars  and  causing 
rose  galls,  have  a  remarkably  close  resemblance  in  their  larvae  stage. 
Insects  are  very  fond  of  the  sweet  juices  exuding  from  any  injury  to 
plants,  and  which,  if  undisturbed,  would  generally  form  healthy  callus. 
I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  constant  irritation  caused  by  the 
insects  feeding  upon  these  juices  often  tends  to  the  more  rapid  develop¬ 
ment  of  canker. 
We  sometimes  find  a  species  of  canker  breaking  out  in  little  warty 
protuberances  all  over  the  branches  of  a  Rose,  and  which  in  a  short  time 
so  cripple  the  plant  as  to  render  it  quite  useless.  Finally,  I  have  proved 
that  no  form  of  canker  is  contagious  in  any  way. — Practice, 
ISLE  OF  WIGHT. 
Macrocarpa,  Ventnor. 
Ventnor,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  lovely  places  in  the  Garden 
Isle,  contains  many  gardens  where  plants  are  grown  exceedingly  well, 
though  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  climatic  conditions  are  favourable  to 
successful  gardening.  Whilst  on  a  recent  business  visit  I  called  at 
Macrocarpa,  the  residence  of  Miss  Mitchell,  and  found  that  the  horti¬ 
cultural  department  contained  many  things  worthy  of  note.  Mr.  W.  W. 
Sheath,  the  able  gardener,  who  is  ever  energetic  and  pleasant,  w'as  busy 
getting  his  “Mums”  into  the  conservatory,  and  he  had  a  fine  lot  of 
plants  with  blooms  fit  for  any  exhibition.  Amongst  the  most  noteworthy 
I  observed  Matthew  Hodgson,  Edith  Tabor,  Mrs.  Hume  Long,  C.  H. 
Curtis,  Eva  Knowles,  Phoebus,  Madame  Carnot,  Colonel  W.  B.  Smith, 
Pride  of  Madford,  Mrs.^C.  Blick,  Chas.  Davis,  Viviand  Morel,  and  W. 
Holmes. 
In  the  greenhouses  he  had  a  good  display  of  Zonal  “Geraniums’  and 
Begonias.  As  to  the  latter  I  may  say  Mr,  Sheath  is  not  a  grower  of 
hundreds  but  of  thousands.  Several  Cattleya  labiata,  Cypripedium 
Spicerianuiu,  C.  insigne,  Odontoglossum  Alexandrse,  and  Cattleya  Lod- 
digesi  were  in  excellent  health.  A  house  of  late  Grapes  looked  remark¬ 
ably  well ;  large  bunches  with  well  coloured  berries  of  Lady  Downe’s, 
Muscat  of  Alexandria,  and  Mrs.  Pince.  The  cordon  Apple  and  Pear 
trees  looked  healthy,  and  there  were  fine  fruits  of  that  highly  appreciated 
Apple,  Newton  Wonder,  still  on  the  trees. 
Outside  were  large  specimen  plants  of  Chrysanthemums  in  full  bloom 
of  such  varieties  as  Ryecroft  Glory,  Source  d’Or,  and  Mdlle.  Elise  Dordan ; 
these  with  plants  of  Cosmos  blooming  profusely,  and  Dahlias  still  flower¬ 
ing,  gave  a  charming  effect,  with  the  autumn  leaves  that  bedecked  the 
paths  and  beds.  The  photographic  illustration  (fig.  72,  page  483)  depicts 
a  clump  of  Pampas  Grass  in  the  grounds  of  Macrocarpa. 
Ventnor  Show. 
The  Ventnor  Chrysanthemum  Society  held  its  second  annual 
exhibition  in  the  Pavilion  on  November  9th  and  10th.  The  exhibits 
were  numerous,  and  of  excellent  quality.  For  cut  blooms  Mr.  W.  H. 
Jobling,  gardener  to  Lady  Harpur  Crewe,  secured  premier  honours  in 
the  open  classes,  and  also  the  I.W.  Horticultural  Association’s  award  of 
merit  for  an  excellent  bloom  of  Iserrette,  Mr.  F.  Woods,  Steephill 
Castle,  took  first  in  the  class  for  groups,  and  also  the  I.W.  Horticultural 
Improvement  Association’s  certificate  for  cultural  merit.  Mr.  W.  Gee 
was  first  for  specimen  plants.  Mr.  W.  W.  Sheath  first  for  both  black 
and  white  Grapes.  Mr.  G.  Witty  was  first  for  tray  of  vegetables,  which 
contained  some  fine  Peas  of  Boston  Unrivalled  and  huge  Sutton’s 
Exhibition  Sprouts.  Mr.  D.  Day  was  first  for  Apples,  and  Mr.  Sheath 
for  Pears. 
The  other  principal  exhibitors  were  Messrs.  H.  Drover,  J,  Attrill, 
J.  Silsbury,  W.  Taylor,  ,1.  Moseley,  and  W.  Kingswell.  Messrs.  H. 
Drover  &  Son  staged  a  collection  of  fruit,  flowers  and  plants,  not  for 
competition,  Messrs.  J.  Cheal  &  Sons  also  sent  a  collection  of  Apples  not 
for  competition.  Much  credit  is  due  to  the  Secretary,  Mr.  W.  Knight, 
and  to  the  Manager,  Mr.  Jno.  Gill,  for  the  excellent  arrangements  and 
general  management  of  the  show. — S.  II. 
