130 
August  8,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Cljesliunt  Revisited. 
It  is  some  twenty- four  years  since,  under  favour  of  the  reigning 
Jupiter,  I  was  permitted  to  record  in  “  Our  Journal  ”  my  impressions 
of  Cheshunt.  A  day  or  two  ago  I  visited  it  again.  Not  much  was 
the  same,  except  the  hearty  welcome  and  graceful  hospitalities.  Then 
Hybrid  Perpetuals  reigned  supreme,  now  it  is  Hybrid  Teas  ;  then 
exhibition,  now  garden  Rosep.  The  good  old  original  guinea  Mardchal 
Niel  still  survives  which  I  was  then  shown  as  a  flourishing  plant. 
Now  it  is  a  blackened  skeleton,  though  still  carefully  cherished  in  a 
corner  of  the  home  gard-n.  Then  Cheshunt  Hybrid  had  just  begun 
the  H.T.’s,  and  the  Dijon  class  was  not;  now  how  merry  both  are,  and 
how  excellent !  Then  John  Bright  was  in  high  favour  (very  much,  I 
think,  through  his  name)  ;  Duchess  of  Vallambrosa  was  the  coming 
perfect  white,  and  the  too-much-forgotten  Duke  of  Teck,  then  next 
forthcoming  Cheshunt  Seedling.  Now  there  are  four  or  five  striking 
varieties,  grandly  independent  of  any  exhibition  duties,  except  as  they 
take  their  places  in  the  “ever  victorious”  Cheshunt  garden  classes. 
Also,  a  new  mind  dow  presides  over  the  seedlings.  “  An  Amurath  to 
an  Amurath  still  succeeds,”  a  new  Mr.  George  Paul  has  won  his  spurs 
as  a  skillul  and  succtssful  hybridiser. 
It  was  a  little  late  for  bloom,  but  I  found  plants  more  than 
rejoicing  in  the  week’s  4  inch  rainfall.  The  Rose  hedges  were 
gigantic,  and  had  been  flowery  cascades  of  the  brightest  colours.  The 
modern  Crimson  Rambler  still  showed  its  solid  cluster,  whilst  the 
shoots  made  by  Carmine  Pillar  (if  that  was  but  longer  lasting !) 
seemed  inebriated  by  the  exuberance  of  rainfall  after  the  long  dryness. 
We  hardly  looked  at  the  H.P.’s,  though  there  is  one  new  very 
excellent  one  which,  as  Herodotus  says,  I  prefer  not  to  name,  but 
which  certainly  merits  a  place  in  every  garden ;  then  there  is  also 
J.  B.  Camm  (the  only  instance,  I  imagine,  of  a  parson  naming  two 
Roses  (H.P.  and  H.B.).  Amongst  Teas,  the  two.  Maman  Cochetp, 
which  have  this  year  been  so  wonderful,  must  be  mentioned,  but  now 
it  is  the  Rugosas  and  the  climbing  Roses  here  which  challenge  chief 
admiration.  I  saw  three  Rugosas  of  great  excellence,  Blanche  Double 
de  Coubert,  pure  white,  and  almost  solid  enough  for  exhibition  ;  Mr. 
George  Paul,  jnr.  ;  atro-purpurea,  quite  the  best  colour  yet,  a  brighter 
crimson  breaking  away  from  the  old  type  of  dull  purple,  and  then 
Purple  East,  not  much  to  boast  of  in  the  way  of  colour,  but  having 
passed  into  the  Perpetuals,  new  flower  shoots  were  already  rapidly 
pushing  out  on  it  from  where  it  had  just  ceased  its  summer  flowering. 
The  Wichurianas  are  also  a  new  departure ;  they  were  in 
wonderful  foliage.  I  imagine  any  one  of  them  would  undertake  to 
make  the  ugliest  bank  “  beautiful  for  ever,”  if  only  allowed  to  follow 
its  own  sweet  will.  Amongst  novelties  Gruss  an  Teplitz,  a  very 
brilliant  clustering  red,  seemed  a  garden  Rose  of  promise;  and  so  also 
the  Dijon  Tea  Billiard  et  Barre — what  a  relief  it  is  to  turn  to 
Newtownard  names  for  pronunciation.  There  were  beds  and  beds  of 
Lady  Battersea,  also  very  attractive;  whilst  Liberty  seemed  an  A.  K. 
Williams  in  miniature.  Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  all  was 
Soleil  d’Or,  as  it  would  seem  a  yellow  Perpetual  reached  at  last.  It 
is  a  cross  between  Persian  Yellow  and  Antoine  Ducher  of  good  sub¬ 
stance,  and  a  really  indescribable  colour.  I  am  induced  to  quote  the 
description,  “  gold  and  orange  yellow,  varying  to  reddish  gold  shaded 
with  nasturtium  red.”  We  regained  the  house  just  before  another 
tropical  downpour,  my  lady  companion  happily  laden  to  an  extent 
under  any  other  circumstances  insupportable — Alan  Cheales. 
Stocks  for  Roses. 
Despite  the  many  drawbacks  experienced  this  season  in  the  way 
of  drought,  Rose  stocks  are,  on  the  whole,  in  good  condition.  Seedling 
Brier  and  Manetti  being  the  two  stocks  universally  grown  for  budding 
by  both  the  amateur  and  professional  rosarian,  I  will  confine  myself  to 
a  few  remarks  regarding  them  in  passing. 
The  Dog  Rose  can  be  used  in  both  the  cutting  and  seedling  form, 
and  for  general  purposes  it  is  without  doubt  the  best  stock  for  all 
Roses;  especially  so  is  it  in  the  case  of  Tea,  H.T.,  and  Noisette  China, 
and  most  climbers.  True,  the  Manetti  is  a  good  stock  for  the  H.P. 
class,  and  many  nurserymen  use  it  exclusively,  probably  owing  to  the 
fine  growth  to  be  had  of  it  from  the  bud,  and  also  for  the  sake  of  the 
maiden  bloom  for  exhibition  purposes.  This,  however,  I  have  often 
noticed  of  the  Manetti,  that  when  the  Rose  is  lifted  out  of  the  nursery 
line  and  transplanted  in  its  permanent  quarters,  the  real  Rose  seems  to 
fail  to  absorb  the  vigour  of  the  stock,  and  the  result  is  a  coppice  of 
Manetti  shoots,  which,  unless  carefully  removed,  soon  ruin  the  plant. 
Its  great  tendency  to  throw  suckers  is,  I  think,  sufficient  reason  to 
have  it  discarded  as  a  stock. 
Rose  de  la  Grifferaie  is  another  stock  which  I  have  used,  but  my 
experience  of  it  was  not  satisfactory  ;  indeed  I  have  found  that  the 
percentage  of  takes  on  it  was  decidedly  less  than  in  the  case  of  the 
two  already  mentioned.  Various  methods  can  .be  adopted  in  the  way 
of  planting  to  insure  of  having  the  bark  in  good  condition  for  lifting 
at  any  time  when  buds  of  the  desired  varieties  are  obtainable. 
Where  only  a  few  are  grown,  as  in  the  case  of  the  private  gardener, 
that  of  planting  in  slightly  elevated  lines  or  ridges  is  a  very  good  one, 
as  it  allows  of  the  soil  being  removed  without  much  disturbing  of  the 
roots,  and  it  is  at  the  same  time  easy  to  perform  the  operation. 
In  nurseries,  where  many  thousands  are  required  and  expense  is  a 
consideration,  it  is  usual  to  plant  in  the  ordinary  method,  and  with  a 
draw  hoe  or  spade  at  the  time  of  budding,  remove  sufficient  soil  to 
get  the  bud  inserted  as  near  the  root  as  possible,  and  where  the  bark  is 
moist  and  runs  easily.  Should  the  season  promise  to  be  a  dry  one,  an 
excellent  plan  is  to  draw  up  some  soil  in  much  the  same  way  as 
earthing  up  Potatoes  ;  by  this  means  sufficient  moisture  is  insured  to 
keep  the  bark  free.  Seedling  Brier,  which  early  in  the  season  looked 
anything  but  well,  I  have  had  treated  in  this  manner,  and  they  are  at 
the  present  time  as  good  as  could  be  desired. 
The  operation  of  budding  may  be  performed  any  time  from  the 
middle  of  June  till  the  end  of  August,  provided  the  buds  to  be  inserted 
are  fully  ripe.  The  present  is,  however,  about  the  best  time,  as  a 
plentiful  supply  of  ripened  shoots  are  obtainable.  Dormant  buds 
taken  from  shoots  that  have  just  done  flowering  give  successful  results. 
Discard  any  from  near  the  point  of  the  shoot  if  they  seem  unripe. 
Having  cut  a  bud  from  the  shoot,  upholding  between  the  forefinger 
and  the  thumb  of  the  left  hand,  remove  with  the  point  of  the  knife  the 
woody  part,  being  careful  that  the  heart  of  the  bud  is  not  torn  out  at  the 
same  time.  Now  make  a  X  shaped  cut  as  near  the  root  of  the 
stock  as  possible,  and  with  the  ivory  end  of  the  knife  gently  raise 
the  bark,  pressing  more  against  the  inner  bark  so  as  to  disturb 
cambium  layer  as  little  as  possible.  By  taking  hold  of  the  end  of 
petiole  the  bud  can  be  easily  slipped  into  its  place.  All  that  now 
requires  to  be  done  is  to  bind  up  with  raffia  or  worsted,  and  this 
part  of  the  operation  is  one  that  should  be  carefully  attended,  or 
otherwise  the  whole  may  result  in  a  failure. 
In  about  three  weeks  the  ligatures  will  require  looking  over,  and 
those  which  have  become  too  tight,  loosened  and  retied.  As  the  season 
advances  the  stocks  may  grow  so  strong  as  to  shade  the  buds,  that 
in  very  wet  weather  there  is  danger  of  their  going  off,  and  to  obviate 
this  a  timelv  dressing  of  the  foliage  and  branches  is  necessary. — 
W.  L.,  Edinburgh. 
Austrian  Brier  Roses. 
These  appear  to  us  especially  attractive  in  a  garden  when  budded 
on  standard  stems,  as  they  quickly  form  huge  bushes  when  treated 
properly,  that  ip,  pruned  but  sparingly.  There  are  four  varieties 
known  and  in  general  cultivation — the  copper  Austrian  and  the  yellow 
Austrian,  dating  from  1596  in  their  introduction  ;  Harrisoni  and 
Persian  Yellow,  both  semi-double,  and  have  blossoms  of  rich  yellow 
shades,  are  of  more  recent  origin.  Given  a  position  in  the  garden 
where  they  have  ample  room  to  grow,  they  require  but  little  attention 
beyond  training,  and  in  the  early  season  bloom  so  abundantly  that 
they  form  a  rich  display. — H.  S. 
Camellia  Sasanqua. 
At  first  sight  the  illustration  of  this  single-flowering  Camellia 
recalls  to  mind  Fremontia  californica,  though  the  petals  are  just  a 
trifle  too  fragile  in  appearance.  Thunberg  was  the  first  to  describe 
the  species,  and  this  was  about  the  end  of  the  eighteen  h  century. 
It  occurs  wild  in  Kinsin,  the  southern  island  of  the  Japanese  group, 
but  further  north  it  is  cultivated.  The  wild  plant  is  an  upright 
shrub  from  5  feet  to  10  feet  high,  and  is  in  flower  from  December  to 
February.  If  we  remember  rightly  there  is  a  specimen  in  the 
Himalayan  hou-e  at  Kew.  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons  were  the 
introducers  of  the  plant  to  this  country,  it  having  been  sent  by  Mr. 
Maries,  one  of  their  eastern  collectors,  about  the  year  1879  or  1880. 
They  have  found  Camellia  Sasanqua  much  hardier  in  their  Coombe 
Wood  nursery  than  other  members  of  the  genus,  and  it  can  be  relied 
on  to  set  its  buds  more  freely.  It  may  be  considered  by  those  who 
have  planting  to  do  this  year,  and  though  it  is  not  tender,  yet  it 
wbuld  be  erring  on  the  safe  side  to  plant  it  against  a  sheltered  wall. 
A  cool  house,  of  course,  suits  it  splendidly.  Tne  colour  of  the  flowers 
is  bright  rosy  pink  with  a  prominent  brush  of  yellow  stamens.  A 
double  white  form,  a  variety  from  it,  has  also  bean  shown.  In  1892 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  awarded  a  first-class  certificate  to  it. 
