June  5,  1902. 
4P7 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GAROEXER. 
Rose  Notes  from  Newton  Mearns,  N  B. 
■  Once  again  the  most  intere.sting  time  of  all  in  the  year  has 
come  round,  so  far  as  the  ro.sarian  is  concerned.  After  such  a 
Auuter  as  the  one  which  we  have  just  experienced,  the  rosarian 
i^  waiting  patiently  at  tlie  beginning  of  the  season  to  see  if  all 
is  safe.  The  Rose  enthusiast  in  the  district  has  been  looking 
forward  to  having  a  successful  year  with  his  plants.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  season  the  growtli  of  last  year’s  wood  to  be  cut 
away  was  much  riper  than  for  ih’any  years  back.  Pruning  com¬ 
menced  about  the  middle  of  March,  and  atfthat  time  Rose  trees 
looked  most  promising,  and  with  the  slight  rain  showers  the 
breaking  away  of  the  buds  soon  commenced.  With  the  approach 
of  April  gi’owth  ceased  altogether  on  account  of  cold  winds,  which 
prevailed,  and  the  sharp  frosts  experienced  each  morning.  With 
the  approach  of  May  several  degrees  of  frost  were  registered, 
and  cold  winds  still  prevailed.  This  had  the  effect  of  not  only 
retarding  the  growth  of  the  shoots  of  the  earlier  varieties,  but 
has  given  the  buds  of  the  later  kinds  a  dormant  appearance. 
Many  Roses  in  this  distinct  at  the  time  of  writing  have  shown 
no  signs  of  breaking  their  budS  -yet.  The  varieties  whicli  have 
suffered  most  through  blight  are  Mrs.  W.  G.  Grant,  White  Lady, 
La  France,  Caroline  Te.stout,  Her  Majesty,  Marchioness,  of 
Londonderry,  Marquis  Lita,  and  Sheila.  It  is  sad  to  see  such 
beautiful  shoots  of  Sin  to  4in  all  blighted. 
The  Teas  have  escaped  with  less  injury;  but  this  is  no  doubt 
due  to  their  ivinter’s  covering  not  being  removed,  and  to  cutting 
back  later  than  the  others,  and  giving  better  protection  other- 
nfse.  A  few  of  the  varieties  that  have  suffered  by  the  weather 
are  Golden  Gate,  Maman  Cochet,  Souv.  de  S.  A.  Prince,  Souv.  de 
Pres.  Carnot,  White  Maman  Cochet,  and  Ernest  Metz.  These 
varieties  all  showed  signs  of  life  in  March,  but  the  biting  winds 
of  April  and  May  did  great  harm. 
However,  a  welcome  change  in  the  conditions  of  the  atmo¬ 
sphere  has  at  last  come,  and  rain  has  fallen.  A  certain  amount 
of  risk  is  attached  to  early  pruning  or  thinning  of  shoots, 
especially  in  such  atmospheric  conditions  as  we  were  lately 
passing  through.  Feeding  with  liquid  manure  has  been  delayed 
on  account  of  the  late  cold  weather  and  absence  of  rain.  The 
'‘worm  i’  the  bud”  has  made  its  appearance,  but  no  damage 
has  been  done  yet,  the  shoots  being  of  little  consequence.  Wall 
Roses  have  suffered  much  from  this  pest,  and  handpicking 
appears  to  be  the  only  remedy  for  this  insect,  which  means  a 
great  loss  of  time  to  the  rosarian.  At  the  present  time  there  is 
little  hopes  of  having  blooms  for  the  Coronation  week,  and 
even  although  the  weather  should  at  last  pick  up,  still  Rose 
blooms  shall  be  far  distant  in  this  district  ei^en  at  the  beginning 
of  July. — R.,  May  20. 
- - 
Some  Impressions  of  tie  Temple  Slow. 
Let  me  explain  at  the  outset  that  I  am  not  new  to  Temple 
Shows.  I  have  been  to  a  good  many  of  them,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  28th,  when  I  passed  through  the  shady  courts,  bj^  the 
little  fountain — .sacred  to  the  memory-  of  Tom  Pinch  and  his 
gentle  sister  Ruth — and  on  to  the  gardens,  the  great  spread  of 
canvas,  the  concourse  of  people,  and  the  general  air  of  every¬ 
thing  seemed  to  appeal  to  me  iit  the  words  of  the  showman  at 
the  fair,  “  Hullo !  here  we  are  again.”  Temple  sIioav.s  do  not 
change  much;  perhaps  there  is  no  need  for  it,  judging  by  the 
interest  manifested  year  by  year.  But  still,  the  fact  remains. 
Every  year  the  same  tents  are  fixed  in  exactly  the  .same  places, 
the  old  faces  seem  to  greet  you — this  is  a  great  charm,  for  friends 
are  met  and  acquaintances  renewed  at  the  annual  gathering  of 
gardeners  on  the  banks  of  Father  Tham'es — and,  if  you  happen 
to  be  an  old  Temple  show  goer,  you  need  no  guide  book,  as  you 
know  pretty  well  where  to  find  the  principal  exhibits.  Some 
people  chafe  at  this  annual  sameness,  but  how  we  should  miss 
our  old  fi’iend  the  show  if  it  ceased  to  be !  Ma3'  that  day  be  a 
long  way  off. 
When  I  arrived  most  of  the  rush  and  bustle  of  staging  was 
over,  and  tho.se  who  had  been  hard  at  it  since  daybreak  were 
getting  a  little  respite,  and  comparing  notes  as  to  the  amount 
of  sleep  they  had  had  for  the  last  day  or  two.  The  committees 
were  on  their  rounds  of  inspection,  burly  policemen  barred  the 
opening  to  the  marquees,  and  everybody  outside  seemed  to  have 
settled  down  to  a  state  of  waiting,  when  a  whi.^per  went  round: 
“■  The  King  and  Queen.  -  They  are  going  through,  ami  wiU--eome 
outtlus  waj;.”  Resting  and  waiting  were  forgottej^  then,  except 
the  waiting  for  their  Majesties.  There  was  hd  exctteiUent,  no 
fu.ss,.  no  display’.  It  was  just  a  private  view  for  all  of  us,  and 
though  the  doffing  of  hats  was  the  only  demonstration,  Ihc 
welcome  of  the  King  and  Queen  amongst  tlieir  gardeUi  c  subjects 
was  as  loyal  as  it  will  be  when  they  pass  through  the  crowded 
.streets  on  Coronation  Dajn  They  went  as  quietly  as  they  canu- 
and  the  word  was  pa.ssed  round  that  their  Majesties  were 
delighted  with  all  they  saw.  When  they  had  gone  people 
remarked  to  each  other  how  well  they  looked,  just  as  though 
they  wei'e  speaking'  of  intimate  friends.  This  is  the  waj’ 
gardening  Britons  ti’eat  their  King  and  Queen. 
A  few  jwars  ago  I  remember  several  exhibitors  set  up  little 
groups  of  plants  out.side  the  tents,  presumably  because  there 
was.  no  room  for  them  in  the  interior,  and  the  deTmrture  once 
made  has  extended  jmar  by  year.  Now  it  is  an  institutimi,  and 
this  .sea.son  there  was  quite  a  display  outside.  A  good  idea  too, 
for  after  jostling  with  the  crowd  in  the  heated  marquees  it  was 
quite  a  relief  to  get  outside  and  have  a  breath  of  fresh  air  with 
.something  to  see  at  the  .same  time.  The  Japanese  pigmy  trees, 
exhibited  by  Messrs.  Barr  and  Sons  in  an  open-fronted  tent, 
attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention,  but  it  is  amusing  to  see 
English  gardeners  sniff  at  that  style  of  horticulture.  Of  the 
two,  they  seemed  to  prefer  the  topiai'y  work  shown  by  Messrs. 
W.  Cutbush  and  Sons,  though  from  the  general  remarks  I  over¬ 
heard  I  do  not  think  clipped  trees  gain  much  in  favour.  I  think 
the  outdoor  group  from  Gunner.sbury  might  have  had  a  more 
prominent  position,  and  probably  some  people  overlooked  it. 
The  fan-shaped  .scented  Pelargoniums,  White  Marguerites,  and 
Water  Lilies  exhibited  by  Mr.  Hudson  formed  one  of  the  chief 
features  of  the  outdoor  .show. 
When  the  policeman  at  the  entrance  at  last  condescended  to 
allow  me  to  enter  the  big  tent  a  curious  thought  .struck  me. 
Suppo.sing  I  had  fallen  asleep  there  on  show  day  last  year 
and  wakened  in  the  same  place  this,  should  I  have  known  that 
a  j'ear  had  elapsed  ?  I  scarcely  think  .so,  for  everything  seemed 
so  familiar — the  glorious  bank  of  Roses  across  one  end,  the  centre 
table  laden  with  precious  Orchids  representing  a  fortune,  the 
gaudy  Caladiums  banked  up  on  the  well-known  lines,  the 
Sawbridgeworth  Nectarines  (apparently  the  .same  trees  and  the 
same  fruits  as  were  there  last  year,  though,  of  course,  they  were 
not,  except,  perhaps,  the  tree.s),  the  great  collection  of  flowering 
trees  and  shrubs,  the  bank  of  golden  Azaleas,  and  all  the  rest. 
I  had  seen  them  all  before,  or  something  very  like  them;  but, 
bless  you,  one  never  thinks  of  that  at  a  Temple  Show.  What 
did  it  matter  if  Smith’s  Clematises  were  not  quite  so  good  as 
last  year?  They  were  there,  and  there  were  beautiful  specimens 
of  many  kinds  all  round  that  I  mu.st  briefly  comment  on  in  the 
next  paragraph. 
Orchid  lovers  had  plenty  to  attract  their  attention,  though 
I  fancy  the  aristocratic  flower  has  been  more  largely  represented 
at  previous  shows.  Rare  and  beautiful  blooms,  however,  were 
displayed  in  variety  sufficient  to  be  bewildering,  and  awards  to 
novelties  were  freely  given.  Close  to  the  Orchids  were  “  Orchid 
Cannas,”  and  Messrs.  Cannell’s  representative  had  a  host  of 
inquirers  round  him.  Rarely  does  one  see  .such  a  collection  of 
these  showy  flowers  as  was  exhibited  by  the  Swanley  firm.  I 
made  a  few  notes  mj'self  for  future  consideration,  and  amongst 
the  vaneties  that  .struck  me  most  were  Black  Pi'ince  (a  verj'  dark 
flower),  Duche.ss  of  York  (spotted  orange),  and  Elizabeth  Hoss 
of  .something  the  same  hue.  The  Caladiums  shown  by  Messrs. 
.1.  Peed  and  Sons  Avere  quite  up  to  their  usual  standard,  but 
there  was  something  flat  and  formal  about  the  Avay  they  were 
.staged.  I  could  have  lingered  a  long  time  before  the  magnificent 
group  of  floAvering  shrubs  set  up  by  Messrs.  Jas.  Veitch  and  Sons, 
AA'liich  AA'as  indeed  superb ;  but  a  crOAvd  of  other  people  Avere 
CA'idently  of  the  same  turn  of  mind,  so  I  AV'as  jostled  on. 
Cutbush’s  corner  struck  me  as  being  filled  in  a  very  pleasing 
manner.  The  .succes.sful  attempt  at  artistic  grouping  presented 
a  contrast  to  the  solid  banks  of  floAver  all  round,  and  the  Carna¬ 
tions,  Roses,  and  yelloAv  Richardias  Avere  superb.  I  AA’as  much 
taken  up  AA’ith  the  pretty  pink  Clematis  Nellie  Moser  at  one  corner. 
Pink  Pearl  appeared  to  be  the  floAver  that  attracted  most  atten¬ 
tion  in  Me.ssrs.  J.  WaterePs  superb  group  of  Rhododendrons, 
and  this  Avas  not  to  be  Avondered  at.  It  is  a  beautiful  variety 
of  a  flesh-coloured  pinky  shade,  and  both  petals  and  trusses  ai’e 
exceedingly  large.  What  has  been  done  in  the  improvement  cf 
hardy  Azaleas  AAas  demonstrated  by  the  group  of  these  lovely 
floAV'ers  shoAA-n  by  Messrs.  R.  and  G.  Cuthbert.  I  obserA’ed  that 
they  got  a  Silver  Cup;  some  people  thought  tliat  a  Gold  Medal 
Avould  not  liaA’e  been  too  much  for  them.  At  any  rate,  they  made 
a  grand  display.  “  Oh !  ” — such  AA  as  the  long-draAvn  expres.sion 
of  covetousness  of  a  young  lady  Avho  looked  Avith  hungry  c.ves 
on  Mr.  Leopold  de  Rothschild’s  Cherries,  Avhich  hung  temptingly 
on  the  trees;  but  they  Avere  there  to  be  seen,  not  eaten. 
