474 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
June  6,  1901. 
Mildew  on  Roses  under  Glass. 
The  atmospheric  conditions  that  favour  the  propagation  and 
development  of  this  pest  are,  according  to  my  experience,  ao  directly 
opposed  in  some  respects  to  those  indicated  by  Mr.  Shoesmith, 
page  343,  that  1  have  been  induced  to  reconsider  the  question,  fearinc 
lest  I  may  have  formed  erroneous  conclusions.  The  temperature  of  a 
house  or  pit  in  which  Roses  are  being  prepared  and  forced  during  the 
autumn,  winter,  and  early  spring  seasons  must,  of  necessity,  be 
comparatively  cool;  the  ventilation  during  this  period  may  also  be 
considerably  restricted  with  advantage.  If,  at  the  same  time,  the 
atmosphere  be  kept  very  damp,  the  conditions  produced  are  precise'y 
those  which  I  have  found  conduce  to  the  germination  of  mildew 
spores.  They  may  not  be  c  mspicuous  for  a  time,  but  the  spores  are 
present,  and  only  require  a  slight  increase  of  temperature  to  enable 
them  to  develop  rapidly.  Roses  grown  under  such  conditions  will  for 
a  time  make  rapid  and  exuberant  growth — too  much  so.  As  spring 
advances  and  the  sun’s  rays  gain  power,  free  ventilation  must  oi 
necessity  be  given.  Then  c  mes  the  crisis.  The  too  luxuriant  growth 
will  not  bear  this  free  admission  of  air  without  injury,  a  check  ensues, 
mildew  seizes  the  favourable  opportunity,  and  spreads  rapidly.  With 
a  comparatively  dry  atmosphere  during  the  early  period  of  forcing,  the 
plants  will  grow  more  slowly,  less  luxuriant,  and  more  hardy,  and 
when  the  time  arrives  when  abundant  ventilation  must  he  given,  the 
plants  will  not  only  bear  it  without  injury,  but  they  will  be  better  able 
to  withstand  the  attack  of  mildew.  If  I  could  possibly  prevent  it  I 
would  not  allow  a  drop  of  water  to  be  spilt  on  the  floor  ot  the  house 
during  this  early  period  of  forcing,  fully  believing  that  the  moisture 
arising  trom  the  damp  soil  in  the  pots  or  borders  would  be  more  than 
sufficient  to  produce  the  requisite  amount  of  atmospheric  moisture, 
until  the  period  arri  ved[when  the  increased  power  of  the  sun  necessitated 
free  ventilation,  and  the  consequent  increased  evaporation  rendered  the 
damping  process  necessary. 
Mildew  will  germinate  in  a  damp,  cool  atmosphere,  but  it  cannot 
do  so  in  a  cool  dry  one.  Roses  wili  grow  luxuriantly,  and  mildew 
will  germinate  and  develop,  in  a  comparatively  cool  atmosphere 
holding  in  suspension  85  to  95  per  cent,  of  moisture,  while  in  a 
similar  temperature,  if  the  atmospheric  moisture  be  reduced  to  65  to 
85  per  cent.,  the  plants  will  grow  slowly  and  sturdily,  and  in  such  an 
atmosphere  mildew  cannot  flourish. —  1’.  Chaelis,  The  Gardens, 
Wilton  House. 
Ornamental  Species  of  Roses. 
With  the  introduction  of  so  many  beautiful  trees  and  shrubs  into 
our  gardens  during  the  last  few  years  we  could  not  have  been  much 
surprised  if  the  Rose  had  lost  a  little  of  its  popularity,  and  had  not 
been  grown  on  quite  such  a  large  scale  as  formerly.  Instead  of  this, 
however,  it  has  steadily  increased  in  favour,  the  only  noticeable 
difference  being  that  the  perpetual  flowering  Teas  and  Hybrid  Teas 
have,  in  many  instances,  supplanted  the  more  shy  blooming  Hybrid 
Perpetual;*.  In  another  direction  we  also  see  the  Rose  used  on  a 
greater  scale  than  heretofore — that  is,  in  the  cultivation  of  the  many 
rambling  semi-double  forms,  of  which  Crimson  Rambler  is  such  a 
good  example,  and  in  the  semi-double  bushy  varieties,  of  wnich  the 
rugosa  hybrids  are  among  the  best.  In  addition  to  these  there  is  yet 
another  group,  composed  of  the  most  ornamental  of  the  various  species, 
which  is  gradually  creeping  into  our  gardens,  and  making  for  itself 
a  wide  circle  of  friends.  The  majority  of  these  species  are  very  old 
introductions,  a  few  are  of  recent  date,  but  the  greater  number  are 
comparatively  rare.  Though  from  a  florist’s  point  of  view  they  may 
not  be  ot  so  much  use  as  the  H.P.’s  and  Teas,  they  are  in  their  own 
place  quite  as  useful,  as  they  can  be  grown  for  a  number  of  years  in 
(daces  where  the  highly  bred  varieties  would  soon  dege  erate,  and 
probably  die.  Grouped  with  other  subjec  s  in  the  shrubbery  their 
effectiveness  is  at  once  recognised,  dwarf  species  making  masses  of 
colour  in  the  foreground,  while  taller  growers  add  colour  and  brightness 
to  distant  parts  of  the  border.  The  more  compact  habited  ones  are’ 
also  allowable  on  the  borders  of  the  lawn,  few  things  being  prettier 
than  a  bed  of  R.  lutea  or  spinosissima. 
Then  the  stronger  growers  may  be  placed  in  the  wild  garden, 
plantation,  or  park;  or  may  even  be  employed  for  undergrowth  where 
dense  cover  is  required,  and  in  addition  to  fulfilling  a  useful  purpose, 
add  grace  and  beiuty  for  a  period  of  several  weeks  while  in  flower. 
The  free-flowering  qualities  and  beauty  of  the  Dog  Rose  are  well 
known,  and  the  same  effect  can  be  produced  by  at  least  thirty  other 
sp'  cies.  Nor  is  the  flowering  of  these  plants  their  only  recommenda¬ 
tion,  for  the  majority  have  another  period  of  beauty  in  autumn,  when 
covered  with  large  crops  of  bright  red  or  almost  black  fruit,  and 
beautifully  tinted  yellow,  green,  and  red  foliage ;  for  this  reason 
alone  we  admit  a  number  of  shrubs  into  our  gardens,  but  when  the 
two  qualifications  are  combined  a  stronger  case  is  made. 
Cultivation. 
The  cultivation  of  the  species  is  of  the  simplest.  Good  stiff  loam 
is  their  favourite  soil,  and  this  should  be  deeply  trenched  before 
planting.  If  at  all  poor,  manure  should  be  added  while  trenching, 
and,  whether  or  not,  a  free  use  of  rotten  leaves  will  be  found 
beneficial.  When  planting,  plenty  of  room  should  be  given,  as  they 
grow  very  quickly.  Own-root  plants  only  should  be  planted,  the 
majority  can  be  rooted  easily  from  cuttings;  others,  the  very  spiny 
ones,  such  as  spinosissima,  for  instance,  being  propagated  by  means  of 
layers.  An  annual  pruning  will  be  found  necessary  in  many  cases. 
This  should  be  done  in  winter,  and  should  consist  of  thinning  out, 
not  cutting  back  shoots.  At  the  time  of  pruning  the  stronger  shoots 
of  lutea,  spinosissima,  and  other  dwarf  growers  may  be  pegged  down 
to  fill  up  vacant  spaces.  This  pegging  down  also  improves  the 
appearance  of  a  group  when  in  flower,  as  the  growths  are  not  then 
so  much  of  the  same  height. 
Of  species  there  are  close  on  100  to  select  from,  but  of  these  about, 
twenty-five  can  be  selected  as  superior  to  the  others.  They  vary 
considerably  in  height  and  habit ;  some,  as  Wichuriana,  being  but  a 
few  inches  high,  with  long,  rambling  shoots ;  others,  such  as 
spinosissima,  making  dense  bushes  2  leet  or  so  high,  with  stunted 
branches ;  others,  again,  such  as  moschata,  assuming  almost  a  tree-like 
habit,  rising  to  a  height  of  15  or  20  feet,  while  still  another  set, 
represented  by  rugosa  and  multiflora,  make  large,  dense  bushes  6  or 
8  feet  high.  I  will  refer  to  other  species  in  an  article  to  follow. — W.  D. 
- - 
Tulipa  in  Birmingham. 
Apropos  of  the  recent  Tulip  exhibition  held  at  Birmingham,  T 
enclose  you  cutting  from  the  “  B  rmingham  Daily  Post”  by  Mr. 
Shorthouse,  whom  1  met  at  the  show,  and  whicn  I  conceived  might 
interest  readers  of  the  Journal,  including  also  a  contemporaneous  letter 
to  myself  anent  the  same  subject.  My  enthusiast  c  friend  was  highly 
delighted  once  again  to  have  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  a  Tulip 
show  at  Birmingham,  and  commented  mo  t  pertinently  upon  the 
propert  es  of  the  flowers,  also  of  comparative  formula  adopted  by  the 
experts  of  the  present  day  with  that  of  half  a  century  ago  in  judging 
the  exhibition  or  florist  Tulip. 
The  Cult  of  the  Tulip. 
Sir, — There  are  but  two  Tulip  shows  on  record  in  Birmingham  for 
forty -nine  years  until  the  visit  of  the  Royal  Tulip  Society  at  the  Botanical 
Gardens  this  afternoon.  The  first  was  on  Thursday,  the  27th  May,  1852, 
in  the  Birmingham  Town  Hall.  There  was  some  excellent  music,  I  fear 
attracting  more  attention  than  the  Tulips.  The  second  Tulip  show  took 
place  on  the  24th  May,  1874,  at  the  old  Aston  Lower  Grounds. 
The  great  grower  of  Tulips — Henry  Groom,  once  of  Clapham  Rise,. 
London— sold  off  his  huge  collection,  some  30,000,  in  November,  1855. 
But  in  1854  the  late  Charles  Turner  of  Slough  gave  <£40  for  the  stock  of  a 
Tulip  called  Samuel  Hardy,  and  as  late  as  1874  <£80  was  declined  for  the 
stock  of  another  called  Proserpine.  The  Tulip  seemed  to  “go  out”  of 
vogue  about  1880,  just  about  the  date  when  “  old  china  ”  and  “  croquet  ” 
also  “  went  out.” 
The  old  hobbies  are,  however,  “coming  in”  once  more;  our  game 
croquet  has  arrived  ;  old  china  is  reported  “  on  the  road,”  and  some  even 
tremblingly  fear  that  the  1860  crinoline  may  yet  insist  upon  returning. 
We  all  shudder  at  the  very  word  “crinoline,”  but  T  think  our  cordial 
thanks  are  due  to  the  Royal  Tulip  Society  for  their  missionary  efforts  in 
attempting  to  introduce  again  their  lovely  flower  to  the  Birmingham 
public. 
I  grew  the  flower  as  one  of  many  hobbies — the  first — from  1856  to  1875, 
in  Calthorpe  Road.  When  in  bloom  the  beds,  covered  with  canvas  and 
hoops,  resembled  a  gipsies’  encampment.  It  preserved  the  Tulips  for 
some  two  or  three  weeks.  Unhappily  several,  no  doubt  well-meaning,  cats 
at  Edgbaston  thought  these  tents  were  intended  by  a  philanthropist  for  a. 
night  shelter  for  them,  and  the  “  situation  became  strained.” 
I  notice  many  of  the  old  “prize”  Tulips  of  fifty  years  ago  still  hold 
their  own  at  to-day’s  show  as  exhibition  flowers ;  a  few,  indeed,  are 
reputed  to  be  eighty  to  one  hundred  years  old.  It  seems  a  pity  the  old 
Tulip  enthusiasts  are  dying  out  so  rapidly.  E.  Shorthouse. 
5,  Charlotte  Road,  Edgbaston,  May  23rd. 
In  addition  to  the  foregoing  relative  to  the  cult  of  the  Tulip 
around  Birmingham  upwards  of  hall  a  century  ago,  it  may  also  be 
interesting  to  enclose  an  extract  from  Loudon’s  “  Gardeners’ 
Magazine,”  vol.  xiii.,  1832,  descriptive  of  a  visit  by  Mr.  John  Claudius 
Loudon  to  Messrs.  John  Pope  &  Sons’  nursery  at  Handsworth,  near 
Birmingham,  concerning  the  Tulip.  “The  Handsworth  nursery  haa 
