260 
September  17,  1903 
JOURNAL  OF  llORTlCULrURF 
That  America  keeps  forging  ahead  of  us  in  a  good  many 
matters  it  would  be  useless  to  deny ;  and  it  must  be  a  question  of 
interest  to  rosarians  to  know  what  varieties  are  most  popular  and 
most  largely  grown  in  the  United  States.  We  are  accustomed  to 
think  that  these  are  naturally  different  from  our  favourites, 
because  of  the  severity  of  the  winter,  which  prevents  any  but  the 
hardiest  being  grown  entirely  out  of  doors,  but  in  some  of  the 
Avestern  States  the  climate  approximates  more  nearly  to  our  own, 
and  all  varieties  except,  perhaps,  the  tenderest  of  the  Teas,  arc 
grown  to  perfection  there. 
I  have  lately  received  a  pamphlet,  and  also  a  gardening  paper 
from  America,  and  the  advertisements  of  Rose  plants  in  the  latter 
have  much  interested  me.  About  eight  or  ten  varieties  only  are 
mentioned  in  thirty  or  forty  advertisements,  and  I  am  not  suro 
that  an  English  gardener  Avould  recognise  “■  Beauties,  Brides, 
Gates,  Maids,  Ivory,  Perles,  Meteors,  and  Woottons,”  but  our 
friends  across  the  Avater  have  a  most  praiseAvorthy  Avay  (to  my 
mind)  of  cutting  doAvn  long  titles,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  them 
operate  on  the  names  of  some  of  our  noAvest  Roses,  especially  those 
“  made  in  Germany.” 
The  advertisements,  no  doubt,  relate  almost,  if  not  entirely, 
to  “  stuif  ”  for  groAving  under  gla.ss,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  a 
full  half  are  varieties  originally  raised  in  AinTrica.  “  Beauty  ”  is 
American  Beauty,  A-ery  highly  esteemed,  and  grown,  perhaps,  in 
larger  quantities  than  any  other  Rose.  The  A'ariety  Avas  knoAvn 
here  as  Mad.  Ferdinand  Jamain :  I  forget  the  raiser  and  the  date, 
but  I  think  it  has  been  practically  dead  to  English  catalogues  for 
ten  years  at  least.  Somebody,  I  believe,  tried  to  re-introduce  it 
as  American  Beauty,  but  it  failed  to  find  any  appreciation.  One 
secret  of  its  popularity  in  America  lies  in  the  possibility  of  cutting 
the  blooms  Avitli  quite  long  stems;  and  here  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
say  Ave  are  behind-hand. 
I  haAm  often  urged  on  my  friends  in  the  trade  Avho  sell  cut 
blooms  in  quantity  in  our  cities  that,  Avithout  giAung  up  their 
present  manner  of  cutting,  they  might  add  to  it  another  grade  of 
“  long-stemmed  ”  Roses,  of  a  foot  to  eighteen  inches,  at  a  higher 
price.  I  have  the  firmest  belief  that,  Avhen  once  ladies,  toAvn 
florists,  &c.,  have  tried  these  and  found  their  great  superiority  for 
decoration,  there  AA'ill  be  a  large  demand  for  them  at  a  remunera¬ 
tive  price.  The  anSAver  I  generally  get  is  that  Americans  can  cut 
Avith  long  stems,  because  they  cut  aAvay  and  do  aAvay  Avith  the 
Avhole  plants,  raised  in  great  quantities  in  small  pots  under  glass, 
Avhile  English  nurserymen,  cutting  from  maiden  plants  in  the 
open.  Avould  check  their  plants  and  render  them  less  A'aluable  for 
sale.  I  still  think  it  might  be  done  Avith  Ulrich  Brunner  and  other 
strong-groAving  A’arieties,  either  by  cutting  not  more  than  one 
or  tAvo  blooms  Avith  long  stems  from  each  plant,  or  groAving  a  cer¬ 
tain  breadth  on  purpose,  for  I  believe  the  price  obtained  might 
be  nearly,  if  not  quite,  doubled. 
And  I  realh'  believe  the, other  secret  of  the  popularity  of 
American  Beauty  lies  simply  in  the  name,  the  title  of  Avhich  seems 
at  least  doubtful.  Our  excellent  cousins  across  the  AAater  take  it 
for  granted,  perhaps,  that  they  do  so  in  a?/,  and  that  there  can  be 
no  crimson  Rose  to  compare  with  American  Beauty.  But,  in  a 
pamphlet  I  haAm  received  from  an  amateur  groAver  in  a  Avestern 
State,  the  acknoAvledgment  is  made  that  long  stems  have  not  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  making  American  Beauty  beautiful,  but  merely  fashion¬ 
able.  He  has  the  courage  of  his  opinions,  and  declare®  that 
American  Beauties  are  born  Avith  that  tired  look  that  Ulrich 
Brunner  does  not  shoAV  till  after  three  or  four  days’  exposure  to  a 
hot  sun. 
“Brides”  are,  of  course,  “The  Bride,”  a  sport  of  Catherine 
Mermet  originating  in  the  State® ;  and  “  Maids,”  are  Bridesmaids, 
another  American  sport  of  the  same  Rose.  “  Gates”  are  Golden 
Gates,  a  Tea  Rose  raised  in  the  States ;  and  “  lAmr>',”  a  light 
.sport  of  the  same.  “  Perles,”  Perles  des  Jardins,  of  good  colour 
under  glass:  “Woottons,,”  SouA’enir  de  Wootton,  a  good  crimson 
Rose  for  early  forcing.  Of  “  Meteor  ”  I  remember  the  name,  but 
nothing  more. 
The  Rose  plants  in  these  advertisements  seem  very  cheap — 
about  10s.  a  hundred  seems  a  common  price;  biit  then,  I  take  it, 
they  are  not  meant  as  lasting  plants,  and  are  throAvn  aAA'ay  as  soon 
a®'  the  blooms  AAuth  long  stems  have  been  cut  from  them. 
.  RcA'ei'ting  to  the  name  American  Beauty,  I  do  not  think  the 
Americansi  harm  much  scruple  about  changing  names.  I  see  that 
Grus.s'  an  Teplitz  has  been  re-named  Virginia  R.  Coxe,  and  Ave 
knoAv  that  the  change  has  not  ahvays  beq^Afor  the  better,  a.s  to 
simplicity  and  ease  in  .spelling,  as  Avas  seen  i,'n  the  re-christening 
cfMrs,  W. -J.  Grant  as  Belle  Siebrecht.' 
:  My  corre-spondent  in  the  We.st  .sent  me  a  photograph  pf  “  For¬ 
tune’s  Double  YgIIoav  ”  groAving  on  his  house,  a  .literal  mass  of 
AFD  COTTAGE  GAR^.DENER, 
bloom,  Avliich  puzzled  me  a  bit.  I  knoAv  Fortune’s  YelloAV,  and  a 
beautiful  Ro.se  it  is,  and  a  free  bloomer  very  early  on  a  south  sliel- 
tered  Avail  ;  but  I  never  heard  the  term  “double”  applied  to  it, 
and  the  photo  did  net  seem  quite  to  correspond  to  our  Fortune’s 
VelloAA-.  Still,  I  think,  in  .spite  of  the  folloAvilig  quotation.®— “  Fer- 
tune’s  Double,  Avhite  and  yelloAA%  literally  cover  porch  and  Avail,” 
and  “  The  Banksia  climber.  Fortune’s  Double  YelloAV,  is  knoAvn  in 
t’alifornia  as  the  ‘  San  Rafael  Rose  ’  ” — (Avhich  sound  as  if 
referring  to  the  yellow  Banksia)  that  our  Fortune’s  YelloAV  is 
meant,  after  all.  Does  anyone  knoAV.P — W.  R.  Raillem. 
Rose,  Gruss  an  Teplitz. 
In  my  notes  on  Roses  in  the  Journal  a  short  time  since  I 
spoke  faAmurably  of  this  Rose.  Since  then  I  have  had  a  further 
epportunity  of  appreciating  its  great  value.  In  Lord  Battersea’s 
charming  garden  near  Cromer  is  the  finest  expositioir'  of  this 
Rose  that  I  have  come  across.  At  the  front  of  a  shrubbery 
margined  by  the  laAvn,  and  Avith  a  southerly  exposure  and  facing 
the  mansion,  a  group  of  not  less  than  tAvo  dozen  plants  of  this. 
Rose  Avere  planted  last  autumn.  In  the  sandy  soil  here  this  Rosa 
has  made  growths  this  season  fully  6ft  high  and  clothed  Avith  such 
foliage  as  I  have  not  seen  before  on  any  Rose — that  dense,  deep 
green  Avith  a  leathery  look  so  pleasant  to  look  upon. 
As  might  be  expected,  each  sucker-like  shoot  is  surmounted 
Avith  a  cluster  of  a  dozen  or  more  of  those  velvety  red-hued 
blossoms  Avhich  are  so  remarkable  in  this  Rose,  and  of  that  size 
and  lustre  so  enchanting  in  this  Rose.  MildeAV  on  this  Rose  Avas 
conspicuous  by  its  entire  absence,  although  this  variety  is 
addicted  to  this  pest  considerably,  in  the  southern  counties 
especially.  Hard  pruning  Avas  practised.  The  growths  Avere  cut 
back  to  Avithin  a  single  eye,  Avhich  no  doubt  accounted  for  so 
much  Augour.  In  the  distance  this  group  gave  one  the  impres¬ 
sion  of  finely  floAvered  and  brilliantly  coloured  Cactus  Dahlias. — 
E.  M. 
Irish  Prospects. 
As  the  brightness  and  bustle  pertaining  to  the  International 
motor  race  and  Royal  visit  abate,  economic  factors  ruling  an 
agricultural  country  force  themselves  to  the  front,  and  the  out¬ 
look,  to  say  the  least,  is  not  cheerful.  It  cannot,  indeed,  be  re¬ 
garded  as  other  than  serious,  and  although  the  shortcomings  of 
the  season  are  not  yet  fully  revealed,  a  sickening  odour  of  rotting 
Potatoes  and  mnsty  hay,  Avith  the  miserable  appearance  of  the 
corn  crops  are  present  effects  of  a  rapidly  pa.ssing  year,  affording 
but  poor  promise  for  the  near  future  Avhen  the  full  tale  of  its 
misdeeds  is  told.  .Even  those  most  concerned  do  not  at  present 
seem  to  fully  realise  Avhat  it  must  mean  to  them  in  particular  and 
the  country  in  general.  True,  there  has  been  much,  and  is  some¬ 
thing  still,  to  distract  attention  which  at  present  seems  more 
centred  on  the  American  cup  than  on  those  desultory  Press  reports 
of  the  crops  Avhich  take  but  a  second  place  in  the  papers.  Hoav- 
ever,  sufficient  for  the  day 
Gardening,  perforce,  should  rank  first  in  these  notes,  and  of 
other  things  hereafter.  Fruit  bearers  are,  practically,  barren, 
with,  of  course,  local  exceptions.  This  in  allusion  to  the  staple 
kinds,  viz..  Apples  and  Pears.  Possibly  the  same  ruled,  generally, 
Avith  small  fruits,  for  StraAAberries  appeared  to  be  but  Avretched'15^ 
repre.sented  in  Dublin  during  the  season,  and  bruised  berries 
Avaited  in  the  shop  AvindoAvs  for  buyers  at  Is.  per  pound.  Personal 
experience  can  only  report  that  never  Avas  there  a  stronger  pro¬ 
mise  nor  a  Aveaker  performance,  the  finer  fruits  rotting  on  the 
ground  ere  colouring :  but  Avith  Gooseberries  the  bushes  were 
simply  Aveighted  doAvn,  and  made  a  record  so  far  as  the  same  per¬ 
sonal  experience  is  concerned.  As  for  Plums,  non  est  sums  up  ■ 
their  achievement,  and  virtually  includes  all  else-  in  the  fruit 
department. 
Yagarievs  in  vegetable  culture  are  more  plentiful  than  usually 
falls  to  the  lot  of  those  aa  ho  cater  for  the  kitchen.  It  is  pleasanter 
to  look  back  than  it  is  to  look  forAvard,  for  Peas,  Avhich  play  so 
prominent  a  part  in  the  menu,  Avere  highly  satisfactory.  French 
Beans,  after  many  days,  at  last  came  into  bearing,  although  but 
lately  thej'  appeared  likely  to  land  us  in  the  same  fix  that  gar¬ 
deners  in  some  part  of  Scotland  experience,  viz.,  a  “  wee  taste  of 
frost”  to  settle  them  ere  any  other  tasting  obtained,  but  the 
succulent  MarroAv,  not  much  appreciated  in  Ireland,  is  Avell  in 
evidence.  Apropos  of  that  and  cottage  gardening  in  the  Green 
Isle,  Avhich  yet,  unfortunately,  is  all  but  _  conspicuous  by  its 
absence,  there  is,  undoubtedly,  a  pre.iudice  among  the 
peasantry  against  the  Vegetable  Marrow,  which,  too,  permeate.® 
the  servants’  hall  in  higher  places,  the  Celtic  Jeames  de  la  Pluche 
pinning  his  faith  to  “Avhite  Cabbage”  as  his  sole  vegetable  aJl 
the  year  round ;  Potatoes  here  being  no  more  regarded  as  a 
vegetable  than  is  bread,  Avhich  has  been  already  duly  recorded 
in  these  pages  by  observant  visitors  to  Erin.  Nevertheless,  note.® 
froiu  the  garden  must  include  the  “  noble  tuber.” 
