148 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  13,  1903. 
Stocks  for  Roses. 
In  last  week’s  Journal  three  communications  appear  in  the 
Rose  column  which  seem  to  call  for  some  comment  from  an  old 
contributor.  “  D.  A.,”  in  his  otherwise  very  interesting  note, 
seems  apparently  to  have  confounded  petals  with  leaves  through¬ 
out,  and  one  feels  sorry  that  “  S.  F.,”  with  his  love  for  the 
Cjue-en  of  flowers,  shoulcl  not  have  better  varieties  on  which  to 
feast  his  eyes;  but  “Surrey  Hills”  takes  one  back  in  imagina¬ 
tion  twenty  years  ago.,  at  least.  At  that  time,  if  correspondence 
flagged  in  the  Journal,  whether  winter  or  summer,  it  only  re¬ 
quired  a  casual  recommeitdation  of  cither  the  Briar  or  the 
Manetti  as  a  stock,  to  start  at  once  a  lively  argument  with  two 
or  three  vigorous  correspondents  on  either  side.  But  it  died  out 
at  last.  I  did  not  think  it  was  possible  to  renew  it.  I  do  not 
know  that  the  Manetti  men  actually  owned  themselves  van¬ 
quished,  but  the  consensus  of  opinion  in  favour  of  the  Briar 
became  at  last  so  general  among  nurserymen  and  amateurs,  and 
for  all  soils,  that  I  fancied  it  was  altogether  agreed  upon. 
It  must  be  a  good  many  years  ago  now  that  I  remember  Mr. 
Geo.  Paul  complaining  that  he  could  not  sell  plants  on  the 
Manetti.  It  used  to  be  said  that  the  Manetti,  which  roots  a 
little  deeper  than  the  Briar  cutting,  though  not  nearly  so  deep 
as  the  Briar  seedling,  was  more  suited  to  light  soils;  but  this 
proved  not  to  be  the  case  in  practice,  except  with  very  strong 
growing  vai’ieties,  as  the  numerous  coarse  strong  roots  of  the 
Manetti  could  not  thrive  without  strong  growth  to  balance 
them,  and  the  result  was  sooner  or  later  a  failure.  About  that 
time  it  was  also  supposed  that  clay,  or  at  least  really  heavy 
land,  was  necessary  for  Roses  on  the  Briar  stock ;  and  when 
this,  too,  was  proved  to  be  a  fallacy,  when  it  was  shown  that 
good  rich  land  (though  a  tendency  to  greasiness  is  desirable)  is 
all  that  the  Briar  requires,  even  for  the  best  H.P.’s,  the  triumph 
of  the  Briar  became  complete.  The  Manetti  is  still  used  for 
indoor  propagation,  and  for  such  strong  growers  as  Crimson 
Rambler  and  the  Penzance  Briars.  I  think  it  should  not  be  used 
even  for  these,  for  I  saw  a  good  many  Manetti  suckers  lately, 
unrecognised  by  the  gardener,  in  a  hedge  of  Penzance  Briars ; 
but  it  is  such  an  easy  stock  to  work  that  there  is  much  tempta¬ 
tion  to  use  it. 
But  “  Surrey  Hills  ”  also  revivifies  an  even  older  controversy. 
About  once  every  year  someone  used  to  write,  proclaiming  as  a 
new  discovery  that  Rose.-;  would  grow  on  their  own  roots  ;  that  he 
had  struck  Roses  as  cuttings,  and  had  some  beautiful  flowers. 
How  beautiful  theise  flowers  were  compared  with  those  on  the 
Briar  stock  of  course  the  readers  of  the  Journal  had  no 
means  of  judging;  but,  once  again,  the  opinion  of  all  rosarians, 
except  one  or  two  prejudiced  against  all  plants  worked  on  alien 
stocks,  was  unanimous  against  own  root  Roses,  and  in  favour  of 
those  on  the  Briar  stock.  Our  Manetti  friends  now  came  to  the 
rescue.  Plant  the  Manetti  worked  Rose  deep  enough,  and  it 
will  throw  out  roots  of  its  own.  You  will  thus  have  both,  and 
a  plant  of  extra  strength. 
If  the  poor  Rose  plant  were  asked,  what  would  it  say?  “I 
was  obliged,  in  utter  de.spair,  as  a  Vine  throws  out  air  roots,  to 
send  out  roots  nearer  the  surface,  or  I  must  have  perished 
entirely ;  for  the  stock  roots,  on  which  I  was  budded,  were 
simply  buried,  not  planted,  far  away  from  the  life-giving  in¬ 
fluences  of  sun  and  air,  and  the  food  supplying  surface  bacteria. 
‘Surrey  Hills’  budded  me  4in  deep,  and,  of  coui’se,  the  roots 
were  deeper  still.”  A  Rose  plant  thus  planted  too  deeply  will 
always  try  and  remedy  tho  mistake  if  it  can  by  throwing  out 
feeble  fibres  nearer  the  surface;  but  such  roots  as  these  can 
hardly  do  more  than  just  keep  the  plant  alive..  Only  in  the 
extra  vigorous  varieties,  such  as  tho.se  already  mentioned,  can 
good  healthy  plants  be  formed  by  such  means,  with  much  waste 
•of  time. 
It  appears,  too,  that  “  Surrey  Hills  ”  forces  his  buds  into 
growth  the  same  year  as  the  budding,  I  suppose  by  cutting 
away  the  Manetti  growth  above.  This  would  act-  as  a  further 
check  to  the  plant,  which  could  never  have  been  good  with  the 
stock  planted  so  deeply  that  it  can  be  budded  4in  below  the 
surface.  Let  “  Surrey  Hills,”  even  on  his  light  soil — my  own 
is  similar — not  he  afraid  of  the  Briar  stock  or  of  shaUmo  plant¬ 
ing  and  rooting.  Let  him  enrich  his  soil  to  the  utmo.st  with 
manure  and  humus  if  he  cannot  get  good  heavy  loam,  and  culti¬ 
vate  the  surface  assiduously  with  hoe  and  liquid  manure,  and  I 
think,  if  he  tries  it  fairly,  he  will  say  that  neither  own  roots  nor 
Manetti  will  give  such  good  Roses  as  the  shallow  roots  of  the 
Briar. — W.  R.  Raillem. 
P.S.- — On  reading  the  letter  of  “Surrey  Hills”  a  second  time, 
it  seems  most  probable,  as  he  speaks  of  a  disastrous  year,  has 
lost  plants  on  the  Briar,  and  found  roots  on  the  stems  of  his  old 
plants,  that  he  has  planted  them  all  too  deephj — a  common  mis¬ 
take,  which  has  brought  misery  and  death  to  thousands  of 
valuable  and  otherwise  well  careci  for  plants. — W.  R.  R. 
- - 
Evergreen  Shrubs  for  Seaside  Planting. 
Common  Holly  (Ilex  aquifolium).— The  common  Holly  ought, 
perhaps,  to  have  been  placed  with  the  trees,  as  it  attains  to  a  con¬ 
siderable  height  in  sheltered  i^ositions  and  favourable  soils.  It  docs 
well  by  the  sea,  but  not  in  the  full  brunt  of  the  ocean  storms,  though 
it  never  flinches,  but  stands  oict  boldly  to  the  sea  breeze.  Its  golden 
variety  is  ec^tjally  at  home  by  the  sea,  and  also  many  others,  including 
the  very  handsome  Balearic  or  Minorca  (I.  a.  balearica)  and  Hodgins’ 
(I.  a.  Hodginsi). 
Escallonia  macrantha. — This  very  handsome  shrub  succeeds 
admirably  on  the  sea  coast,  and  forms  a  good  hedge  or  shelter  plant. 
Its  crimson-red  flowers  are  freely  produced.  It  does  particularly 
wmll  trained  against  a  wall,  and  thrives  in  northern  parts  as  well  as 
southern  of  England. 
Oval-leaved  Privet  (Ligustrum  ovalifolium).  —  This  does 
well  either  as  a  shrubbery  or  as  a  hedge  plant  on  the  sea  coast,  and 
succeeds  in  all  but  w'et  soils. 
Box  (Buxus  SEMPERVIRENS). — The  common  Box  and  its  varieties 
thrive  fairly  well  by  the  sea,  especially  on  free  and  calcareous  soils, 
but  does  not  care  for  the  full  force  of  the  ocean  storms,  hence  should 
have  shelter,  and  for  covert  is  unique,  as  it  is  one  of  the  few  subjects 
that  ground  game  do  not  eat.  In  this  connection  may  also  be  named 
the  Spurge  Laurel  (Daphne  laureola). 
Griselinia  LITTORAlis. — This  New  Zealand  shrub  succeeds  on 
the  coast,  withstanding  the  sea  wind  w'ell. 
Aucuba  japonica  and  its  varieties,  also  Euonymus  .japonicus 
and  vars.,  succeed  on  the  sea  coast  with  moderate  shelter,  or  when 
not  in  very  exposed  situations.  Similar  remark  applies  to  Berberis 
aquifolium  and  B.  Daravini,  both  of  Avhieh  produce  an  abundance 
of  purple  berries  much  relished  by  birds  and  game. 
The  Sw'eet  Bay  (Laurus  nobilis)  and  Portugal  Laurel 
(Cerasus  lusitanica)  are  valuable  for  seaside  planting,  affording  a 
considerable  amount  of  shelter,  but  they  are  not  suitable  for  exposed 
positions,  hence  are  best  employed  Avhere  the  direct  force  of  the  sea 
blast  is  broken  up.  Where  this  is  the  ease  the  Laurustinus  (Viburxu.w 
Tixcs  and  vars.)  succeed,  and  are  very  ornamental.  Similar  observa¬ 
tion  attends  the  Strawberry  Tree  (Arbutus  unedo)  and  its  varieties. 
Tea  Tree  (Lyciuji  barb.arum). — Under  the  term  of  Tea  Tree  come 
the  species  L.  afrum  and  L.  chinense,  the  latter  very  closely  allied  to 
the  European  Box  Thorn  (L.  europteum),  which  forms  capital  hedges 
with  a  tew  stakes  driven  in  here  and  there  in  the  line  of  fence. 
Hedges  of  this  species  are  made  on  sea  banks,  and  grow  so  densely 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  see  through  them.  It  will  grow  in  apparently 
pure  sand,  and  even  ivhere  Avashed  by  the  AvaA'es.  The  first  named 
species  is,  perhaps,  the  best  for  training  against  trellisAvork,  covering 
arbours,  and  clothing  Avails,  but  all  are  suitable  for  such  purposes, 
and  thriA’e  Avell  in  any  Avell-drained  and  porous  soil. 
Garland  Floaver  (Clematis  Montana). — This  has  feAV  equals  for 
coA'ering  summer  houses  and  training  to  Avails  or  trellisAvork.  Honey¬ 
suckles  (Lonicera  periclyaienum  and  A’ars.),  also  L.  sempera’irens,  do 
Avell. 
Ea’ergreen  Thorn  (Crat.egus  pyracantha  and  A’ars.)  is  quite 
charming  by  its  berries  in  autumn  and  Avinter.  It  is  Avell  suited  for 
clothing  a  large  area  of  Avail,  as  also  is  the  Small-leaved  Cotoneaster 
(C.  microphylla),  its  coral  red  berries  being  A’ery  beautiful.  Sijions’ 
Cotoneaster  (C.  Simonsi)  is  Avell  adapted  for  training  on  AA'alls  and 
other  naked  erections,  it  berrying  A’ery  profusely  and  handsomely. 
Coaimon  Jasmine  (Jasaiinuai  officinalis)  grows  famously,  and 
produces  its  Avhite  fragrant  floAvers  from  June  to  September,  and 
later  on.  Indeed,  it  often  keeps  on  blooming  until  the  Naked-floAvered 
.Jasmine  (J.  nudiflorum)  comes  into  floAver,  and  blooms  through  the 
Avinter.  Both  groAV  A’ery  rapidly,  and  are  good  for  either  trellisAvork 
or  Avails. 
Irish  Ivy  (Hedera  helix  canariensis). — For  clothing  tree  stumps  or 
unsightly  Avood  or  stoneAvork,  and  for  north  or  other  Avails,  as  Avell  as 
for  forming  a  green  carpet  under  trees  or  on  banks,  this  evergreen 
rivals  all  others  in  doing  its  Avork  quickly  and  effectively. 
Boses  of  varied  types  do  fairly  Avelk  the  general  favourite  for 
climbing  being  Gloire  de  Dijon. — G.  Abbey. 
■ - o#** - 
The  Crosfield  Conservatory,  Warrington,  Lancashire. 
The  Crosfield  Cou.servatory,  iiresented  by  Mrs.  John  Cros¬ 
field,  is  for  the  future  to  be  the  home  of  the  grand  pyramid 
Camellias,  Avhich  have  on  many  occasions  been  noticed  in  your 
columns,  and  Avhich  Avere  certainly  the  glory  of  Lancashire  and 
the  pride  of  Walton  Lea,  Ylr.  Crosfield’s  residence.  The  Mayor 
of  Warrington,  in  accepting  the  gift  on  behalf  of  the  toAvn, 
alluded  to  the  kindire.^s  of  the  Crosfield  family,  and  said  the  gift 
wou’d  be  highly  appreciated.-  R.  P.  R. 
