The book of the rose

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THE

BOOK OF THE ROSE

MACMILLAN AND CO., Limitep
LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO
ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Lto.
TORONTO

THE
BOOK OF THE ROSE

BY

REV. A. FOSTER-MELLIAR, M.A.

RECTOR OF SPROUGHTON, SUFFOLK

FOURTH EDITION
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

EDITED BY
REV. F. PAGE-ROBERTS,

(PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY), AND

HERBERT E. MOLYNEUX

VICE-PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY)

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
ST. MARTIN’S STREET, LONDON

1910

RicHarp CLAY AND Sons, LIMITED,
BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND
BUNGAY, SUFFOLK

First Edition, 1894.
Second Edition, 1902.
Third Edition, 1905,
Fourth Edition, 1910

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION

ANOTHER edition of this valuable book is called for,
as it still holds the premier position amongst
Rosarians, especially the Rose Exhibitor as distinct
from the Rose lover.

There are portions of the book as to which there
may be two opinions, and which we are sure the
writer would have altered or modified if he had lived
to revise this 4th edition. The improvement in
Roses has been great, especially in those Roses, called
Garden or Decorative, largely drawn from the class
of Hybrid Teas. This class was in its infancy when
the author wrote this book, and he had little liking
for it; the old Rosarian’s intense love for the Hybrid
Perpetual made him look with anything but a
welcoming eye upon this new intruder into his
favourite’s demesne. But one must move with the
times and the Hybrid Tea has not only come to stay
but has revolutionised our gardens and the Exhibition
tent as well. The book was primarily written for
the exhibitor; such is still its purpose but one

Vv

vi PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION

cannot shut one’s eyes to the fact that the progress
in the Rose world—great as it has been in the
exhibition flower, per se—lies rather in the other
direction, namely, in use of the plant for garden
decoration.

It is not for us to criticise the author’s obiter
dicta or his methods. We are not rewriting the book,
but only endeavouring to bring it more up-to-date ;
therefore have not thought it incumbent on us to
alter the matter of many of the chapters, preferring
to make any comments or alterations considered
necessary by way of foot-notes, except in the
Chapter on ‘‘ Manners and Customs” and in the
lists of Roses, where we have been obliged to
eliminate many of his old favourites and to replace
them by Roses that are now generally recognised as
essential from the point of view of the Exhibitor.
We feel that in doing this we have his own warrant,
as he strongly advises a vigorous weeding out every
autumn of all those Roses which having been
thoroughly tried have been found wanting.

It is remarkable how few good and reliable Roses
of the class he loved, the Hybrid Perpetuals, have
been introduced since he wrote and how many
Hybrid Teas have been added—but the demand
creates the supply and the Rose-loving public has
demanded not only ‘free flowering” Roses but
‘continuous flowering’’ Roses as well, in a word,
true perpetuals. These true perpetuals are to be

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION vii

found largely amongst the Hybrid Teas, and though
at one time they lacked the brilliancy of colouring
and the fragrance of the old Hybrid Perpetual, they
are now rapidly approaching them in both these
respects, and in all others have taken the lead;
so that in every way, and for every purpose, for
exhibition, for garden and for house decoration, they
supply all the wants of the lover of the Rose and
when one adds that they are nearly if not quite as
hardy as the Hybrid Perpetuals there is little more
to be said.

Most Rosarians, we think, will agree with us
therefore that it is no longer true that it is among
the Exhibition Rose varieties that one must look to
find adaptability for decorative purposes; on the
contrary, it is amongst the non-Exhibition varieties,
especially those of recent introduction, that one finds
the best example of a decorative Rose from the
garden point of view. It has been seen, too, that in
the past unfavourable season the Roses that have
suffered most have been the Exhibition Roses rather
than those used for garden purposes. One feels
bound to emphasize this point especially to the
beginner who still starts his growing with a list of
varieties culled from the Show bench rather than
from the nursery or the garden of a Rose-growing
friend.

We have to thank Mr. Mason Good for permission
to use those photographs against which his name

vill PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION

appears; also Mr. G. A. Hammond of Burgess Hill,
Mr. Prince, Messrs. B. R. Cant & Sons, and Dr.
Campbell Hall for various photographs of Exhibition
and other Roses.

F. PAGE-ROBERTS.
HERBERT E. MOLYNEUX.

March, 1910.

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

I must heartily renew my thanks for the increased
appreciation shown to this work: and the fact that
the Second Edition has been exhausted in little more
than a quarter of the time occupied by the sale of
the first, seems to testify that Rose-growers have
really found it a reliable help in their pursuit.

On account of the shorter interval since the last
revision not so much alteration has been required for
this new issue, but I have endeavoured to bring the
book up to date, so far as it could be done in a reliable
manner.

My best thanks are due to Mr. B. E. Cant (B. R.
Cant and Sons) for four fresh photographs: and to
Rev. R. T. Langtree, of Grange-over-Sands, for one
of Mildred Grant.

Much has been done, since the First Edition was
sent out, by British professionals in the raising and
production of new varieties, and by the National Rose
Society and Amateurs in general, in the showing how
to deal with them successfully : may we all continue
to work in the true spirit of the motto of our craft,

FLOREAT REGINA FLORUM.

SproucHTon Rectory,
November, 1904.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

My warmest thanks are due for the hearty welcome
and flattering reception, beyond my highest expecta-
tions, which have been so generally given to The
Book of the Rose. Not only from the British Isles
but from all countries apparently where Roses are
grown, I have received kind expressions of approval
and commendation, and have gained, I hope, not a
few friends.

The present edition has been thoroughly revised
throughout ; even in matters of routine I have some-
what modified, here and there, the views formerly
expressed, for seven years’ additional experience
should certainly bring alittle further wisdom ; and in
Chapter XII., which seems to have been generally
popular, it has been necessary, as might well be
expected, practically to re-write the whole. I had
hoped, in that chapter, to give more examples than I
have done of the different ‘‘ manners and customs”
which some of our best known Roses may have in
other lands, but have not been fortunate enough to

gain much such information. I must, however,
xI

xii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

cordially thank Dr. Huey, of Philadelphia, U.S.A. ;
Mr. Halstead, Rose-grower, of Bowral and Hurstville,
Sydney, N.S.W.; H. P. Keatinge, Hsq., of Cairo ;
and F. Riggall, Esq., of Charters Towers, Queensland,
for some useful notes on the subject; but the
differences, though occasionally well marked, are not
very great or much varied.

I have again to thank Messrs. B. R. Cant and
Sons, and D. Prior and Son, of Colchester, as well
as Mr. Prince, of the Longworth Rose Nurseries,
Berkshire, for much kind assistance in endeavouring
to secure fresh photographs of typical Roses, as well
as C. W. Pilcher, Esq., of Boston, Lincolnshire, for
his excellent drawings; and regret that the past
season was so bad for Hybrid Perpetuals of typical
form that that section is but poorly represented by

fresh examples.
I heartily trust that the book may continue to be

of assistance and service to the growers and lovers of
the Rose.

SprovueHtTon Recrory,
February, 1902.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

Ir seems right to make some sort of apology, as
most of my predecessors have done, for putting forth
another Rose-book when there are already so many ;
but perhaps it is not really required, as the columns
devoted to the subject every week in horticultural
literature show that there is ever something fresh
to be said on the different matters connected with
the Rose.

My idea was, in the first place, to give, from an
amateur, full details of practical culture for amateurs
from the beginning to the end; and I ought to be

able to do this satisfactorily even if I have not
succeeded, as, under unfavourable conditions of soil

and situation, I have done with my own hands every
portion of the work, from raising and establishing
the stocks to carrying off a champion challenge cup
at the Crystal Palace. Secondly, to give such de-
scriptions of the best known Roses as should tell
of their faults and bad habits as well as of their
good qualities and perfections, since I have good
reason to believe a record of this sort will be wel-

XII

xiv PREFACE

comed. And thirdly, if possible, to make a readable
as well as useful book: under no circumstances
did I aspire to tread worthily in the footsteps of
Dean Hole: yet (for to me too the world—even the
Rose world—‘‘ teems with quiet fun”) I did hope to
make it fairly light and amusing; but details and
practical matter have proved so overwhelming as to
get a mastery of the whole.

I have much kind assistance to acknowledge from
various sources. From my old friend, Mr. Benjamin
R. Cant, Rose-grower, Colchester, and his two sons,
Ihave had very much cordial help in many ways.
Mr. Frank Cant, of Braiswick Nursery, Colchester,
has freely given me useful information on the subject
of Roses under Glass (Chapter X.). Mr. W. D.
Prior, of Myland Nurseries, in the same metropolis
of Roses, has aided me in the preparation of photo-
graphs: and in the same neighbourhood, Mr. and
Mrs. Orpen, of West Bergholt, have been good
enough to give me opportunities of representing
their skill in Rose decoration. I have also received
help from Mr. A. Dickson, of the Royal Nur-
series, Newtownards, Ireland, in information kindly
furnished as to the raising of Roses from seed. Mr.
Charles Turner, of Slough, has kindly lent me a
photograph of one of his giant Pot Roses.

Tam indebted to Dr. Hogg, the proprietor of The
Journal of Horticulture, for leave to republish certain
matters which I have written in that paper under the
nom de plume of ‘ W. R. Raillem,” especially Chapter

PREFACE xv

XII., which has been thoroughly revised ; and to Mr.
J. Wright of that office I am very much beholden
for kind counsel and advice. For revised reproduc-
tions of papers of mine which have appeared in the
Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society and in
The Rosarian’s Year Book, I have to thank the
Rev. W. Wilks, Sec. R.H.S., and the Rev. H. H.
D’Ombrain, Hon. Sec. of the National Rose Society.

My best thanks are due to my neighbour, the Rev.
J. H. Hocking, Rector of Copdock, for considerable
trouble in the identification of Insects, and to Mr.
E. B. Lindsell, of Bearton, Hitchin, for advice and
encouragement. Messrs. A. Hill Gray, J. Bateman,
Ismay Fisher, and the Rev. F. R. Burnside have also
kindly helped me with photographs, or in other
ways.

Mr. William Paul’s large work, The Rose Garden,
has naturally been consulted and proved of much
value, especially in Chapter IJ., and a further com-
parison of ideas and methods has been made with
the contents of most other Rose-books; but my own
experience, which is considerable, has been through-
out my principal reliance, and where my practice is
at variance with the general use, reasons have been
given for the procedure recommended.

SProuGHTON REcTORY,
September, 1894.

CONTENTS

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. ... 0 1. eee ee eee xxiii
CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION «© 6.2 & we eee Bak Go RE Se ee 1
CHAPTER II

HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION. . 2.00... Ot ee 7

CHAPTER IIT

SITUATION AND SOIL... ..... 50. ee ee F a 33

CHAPTER IV

PLANTING : WITH LAYING OUT OF THE BEDS AND PROTECTION 50

CHAPTER V

MANURES. .. . . . . a we. 74

CHAPTER VI

PRUNING . soe i a eee 95

CHAPTER VII

STOCKS ss le ie BON aD ite eee oe. Sabah el ee 114

xviii CONTENTS

CHAPTER VIII

PROPAGATION

CHAPTER IX

PESTS .

CHAPTER X

ROSES UNDER GLASS .

CHAPTER XI

EXHIBITING . .

CHAPTER NII

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

CHAPTER NIII

SELECTIONS

CHAPTER XIV

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS

PAGE

135

160

192

204

237

331

341

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
REV. A. FOSTER MELLIAR . . ee Frontispiece
THE GREAT ROSE-GROUNDS AT COLCHESTER 2) ce To face 13
AN AMATEUR’S ROSE-GARDEN r * o-% a 14
A ROSE HEDGE—AYRSHIRES aes 5 * 5 22
BLUSH RAMBLER . sy Be th pei pts 53 24
DOROTHY PERKINS . So fo tae FS 25
LAURETTE MESSIMY . . a : ‘ % 28
THE GARLAND ...... 729 . 29
A BED OF DWARF POLYANTHAS. . ss rv 30
MACRANTHA . , . ‘4 F rae iy 31
TWO YEARS’ GROWTH ON A PERGOLA AT STRATHFIELD-

SAYE fe ‘ sa i <i 4 ‘ Wy 52
‘“SPROUGHTON” HOE... . ‘ rc page 66
ORDINARY SECATEURS. . . . P 33 98
LONG-HANDLED SECATEURS . . ‘ a fe 99
MARECHAL NIEL, UNDER GLASS. a . To face 109
ROOTS OF STOCKS ......4- ‘ 33 118
GRECIAN SAW ‘ sg , oA page 123
MINIATURE STOCK AXE .... g4 ex >», 124
BUDDING A STANDARD STOCK . ‘i ‘ >», 140
CATERPILLAR HIDDEN ON ROSE SHOOT . To face 162

62

x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

MILDEW. THE FIRST SIGN, AS SEEN IN THE CURL OF
THE LEAF... ung ; . To face 180
A GOOD TWELVE SHOWN BY MR. VIVIAN ROLT : » 230
EXHIBITING.—‘‘A GOOD TWENTY-FOUR” . .. Fr 232
ROSE FAULTS. A ‘‘ DIVIDED”? ROSE aie oe » 240
A. K. WILLIAMS a 34 242
DUKE OF WELLINGTON . itor nk <5 248
FRAU KARL DRUSCHKI Bb. ate ‘ep 252
GUSTAVE PIGANEAU j a 254
HORACE VERNET Z ‘ : - 257
MRS. JOHN LAING 3 3 “8 5 265
PRINCE ARTHUR ‘ on 55 266
ULRICH BRUNNER. . ‘ . 9 268
BESSIE BROWN « % a eZ ss 272
KILLARNEY Sata : . or er : - 280
A BOWL OF LADY ASHTOWN Fi ‘3 5 281
LADY MOYRA BEAUCLERC . . . : Yr 282
LA FRANCE 45 283
LYON ROSE. ; ae @ 3 ee ‘ F . Pe 284
MILDRED GRANT 3 sa cabal . als 285
MRS. W. J. GRANT a 287
CATHERINE MERMET 5 292
CLEOPATRA . a ‘ y Boe Son 8 $5 293
COMTESSE DE NADAILLAC . Sy tas *5 294
ERNEST METZ .... $5 296
MADAME JULES GRAVEREAUX , 35 302
MAMAN COCHET : . ‘ or 303
MRS. CAMPBELL HALL . . 2 304
MRS. E. MAWLEY .. . a Fj 6 305
MURIEL GRAHAME eaten 3 p : i 306
SOUVENIR DE PIERRE NOTTING .. 25 310

WHITE MAMAN COCHET ‘ 312

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ALBERIC BARBIER. TWO YEARS’ GROWTH .
BENNETT’S SEEDLING ....
FORTUNE’S YELLOW.
LEOCHTSTERN .. . .. ws. ‘
MARECHAL NIEL . . ‘ ‘

CLIMBING ROSE, REVE D’OR ‘ .
UNA. . bg Gants

w. A. RICHARDSON

SULPHUREA

A WEEPING ROSE—AYRSHIRE .

Xxi

PAGE

To face 313

314
317
821
322
327
329
330
335
336

ANDREW FOSTER-MELLIAR.

Born 12th October, 1841.
Died 14th November, 1904.

Tue Rev. Andrew Yoster-Melliar was the
youngest son of the late Andrew Foster-Melliar,
of Galhampton, Doulting and Wells, Somerset.
Originally intended for one of the colonial Civil
Services, he seems to have drifted, more by accident
than design, into the Church. He was educated
at Streatham Academy, Uppingham (under the
famous Thring) and New College, Oxford. After
leaving Oxford, he went to Wells Theological
College, and was the first married student that ever
studied there.

It was because of an acquaintance made at Wells
that he became for the rest of his life identified with
Suffolk; he had never been in the county until
he began his first curacy there. Mr. (now the Rev.)
Holt Wilson was at Wells College at the same time
as Mr. Foster-Melliar, and it was through his
influence that Mr. Foster-Melliar was offered the
curacy of Redgrave, Suffolk. After some years
at Redgrave, he was curate at Tostock, near Bury
St. Edmund’s. In 1885 the late Marquis of Bristol

XXIV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

offered him the living of Sproughton, near Ipswich ;
and it was at Sproughton, after nearly twenty years’
residence, that he died.

At Redgrave he began to take an interest in
rose-growing, an interest that gradually deepened
through the years spent at Tostock. At Tostock
Rectory he planned and planted a rose garden which,
until certainly quite recently, used to be shown
on the ordnance survey map as ‘‘the rosary,”
although the roses have disappeared these many
years to make room for a tennis-court. But it was
at Sproughton that he became so well-known that,
just to mention the name of Sproughton, begat
a vision of eternal summers among the lovely roses
there—the long low beds of them, backed by the
brooding beeches in their dark-green summer garb.
Perhaps, in his heart, there was no country quite
like the old west country; but, in time, he grew
to love this Sproughton of his, lying low along the
river, that wound softly through its great green
meadows—Sproughton and its people, the people
whom he came to know so well, whose troubles were
his troubles, whose joys were his joys. He knew
their lore, knew their speech and habits, or, as
he would say, their ‘manners and customs.’ And,
in return, the people too learnt to love the “ old
Rector,” though they never, perhaps, quite under-
stood the reserved strong character that lived among
them nearly twenty years. But, if they never quite
understood him, they knew what he stood for.
Upright, steadfast, “straight,” no case of injustice
or oppression passed him by unheeding.

Possibly very few ever understood him really.
A great talker, most entertaining when telling

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XV

a story (of which he was very fond) and possessing a
deep sense of humour, he was reserved in the
extreme about his own feelings, about things that
really mattered to himself. On the death of his
wife, perhaps the one bitter blow of his life, people
might have thought that he did not care. To the
outer world, to those who saw him at ‘her funeral,
he might have seemed almost indifferent and
certainly cold, whereas he was merely too proud,
too haughty ever to let anyone see what he felt.
It was characteristic of him that, recording his
wife’s death in his diary, he never wrote down that
she was dead, but made the story of a life-long
devotion and the stunning tragedy of her death
stand out, in five short words, like living fire. And
then, in the next few days after her death, follow
the most precise, formal statements as to ‘“‘ the
funeral,” never once mentioning whose funeral.
Very much, especially in later life, a creature
of habit, Mr. Foster-Melliar’s life was ruled strictly
by the clock, and nothing put him out so much
as unpunctuality. As the clock struck ten every
night, he rang the bell for prayers, and, as it struck
eleven, he walked upstairs to bed. At a quarter
past eight every morning he stepped out of his
dressing-room on to the landing, where he stopped
for a minute to whistle to some canaries (always the
same tune), and then he walked downstairs and out
into the garden to look at the thermometer on the
wall. At half-past eight to the minute he rang the
bell for morning prayers. He was greatly disturbed
and upset when he had to leave home. He would
walk about, hours before the time fixed for his
departure, looking the picture of misery in his best

xxvi MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

clothes. He hated his best clothes, and clung to his
oldest until they were forcibly taken away from him
by his wife or one of his daughters. In connection
with his clothes an amusing story is told. The
daughter who kept house for him had asked him
to speak to the gardener one morning about his
clothes and to tell him he really must come to work
in more respectable garments. In the afternoon
there was a tennis party at the Rectory, and, while
they were at tea, Mr. Foster-Melliar came and
joined the party, dressed in the most disreputable
jacket that could be imagined. The sleeves ended
somewhere near his elbows, and the bottom part
of his coat barely came below the upper end of his
trousers. His daughter was horrified. ‘‘ Where
on earth did you get that coat from, father?” she
asked. And amidst general laughter he explained
how he and the gardener always hung their coats
on adjoining pegs in the greenhouse before going
to work, and that, by mistake, he had taken and put
on the gardener’s. ‘‘ But the amusing part is,”
he added, ‘‘ that I have spent the whole day blowing
him up for wearing such disgraceful clothes.”

To the mind of the writer of this brief memoir, he
was a pattern country parson in very deed. He
knew the people, knew their speech, understood their
ways of thought. He knew all about agriculture,
and could talk informingly with either squire, farmer,
or labourer. He had a great fund of sympathy, and
could always listen to an old woman’s troubles and
ailments, and find a gentle amusement in it without
hurting her feelings. He had, too, a power, a force
of character that he used entirely for good, and by
which all with whom he came in contact benefited.

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR xxvii

It was by no means wise to “let the Rector hear of”
any underhand deed.

Somehow, he seemed to fit an empty niche in
Sproughton church ; and, to those who have seen him
standing, lonely, by the altar—tall, upright and with
snow-white hair waiting to bless his people, it has never
seemed quite the same church again. The sun,
shining through the stained-glass windows, still fills
with roseate hues the space around the altar, but
(and what eternal sadness it is that such things
should ever be) the clear-cut face, the outstretched
hands, as the voice, low, clear, undoubting, gives out
the blessing are gone.

His sermons were never very long, and they were
always listened to with rapt attention. He thoroughly
understood the art of ‘“‘ making the punishment fit
the crime ”—1in other words, his was an agricultural
congregation, and he knew what they would under-
stand. He would draw his conclusions by appeals
to nature or agriculture—they knew all about it and
could follow his reasoning. Once, indeed, a deputa-
tion waited on him to make his sermons longer !
He usually spoke for fifteen minutes. In connection
with his sermons, there was a rather amusing
occurrence one day. He was decidedly awe-inspir-
ing in the pulpit, as well as out of it, and he had a
way, when he was not looking atanything in particular,
of having the appearance of staring hard at some
very definite object. He had greyish eyes, and they
looked stern when fixed hard on anything. On this
occasion, he was explaining a portion of the Bible,
and just down below and in front of him was a small
boy with hair of the most brilliant red imagin-
able. What he was trying to explain was something

XXVill MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

about David being a youth with a ruddy countenance.
“A ruddy countenance,” said the Rector, evidently
turning over in his mind what would be a suitable
explanation, and his eyes, all unseeing, fixed them-
selves hard and stern on the small boy in front of
him. ‘A ruddy countenance,’ he repeated; ‘a
ruddy countenance, which probably meant red haw.”
As he appeared to be glaring hard at the small boy
all the time, it can be well imagined how the latter’s
colour spread considerably beyond his hair. Mr.
Foster-Melliar, however, when he was taxed about
it afterwards, declared that he never saw the boy,
and did not, indeed, know that there was one with
red hair in the church.

It was delightful to hear him read the Lessons.
He read them so as to make it appear almost as
though the scene was actually happening in front of
you. The writer has known several people who
were drawn to Sproughton church merely to hear him
read the Lessons, which are too often merely
“‘intoned.”

The precise orderly nature that made him put his
watch down in front of him when in the pulpit
and take it up again exactly fifteen minutes later,
led him to enjoy chess problems. For years he
never missed solving the problems set weekly in
“The Field,’ and the initials ““W.R.R.” were
almost unfailing in the column set apart for success-
ful answers. Once, for a month, he was ill and
unable to attempt the problems, and this greatly
distressed him. The preciseness of a chessboard
appealed to him, and it may have been this precise-
ness which accounted for his attitude with regard to
Roses. The controversy ‘‘ The Rose for the Garden,”

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR xxix

or ‘‘the garden for the Rose” he waged with much
vigour. There was no doubt about it in his mind:
it was perfectly plain, perfectly simple. It was the
graceful (one might almost say, classical) outlines of
the individual specimen that he wanted. To get the
perfect specimen was the object of a garden. For
roses in the mass he had no sympathy. In fact,
they rather irritated him, his orderly mind telling
him all the time that the blooms, however beauti-
ful they might look so massed together, were
none of them perfect, were none of them good
individually. What he liked, best of all, was to
have a single perfect rose in a specimen glass by
itself—just to look at it, just to gaze upon its soft,
graceful outlines. You could draw him many miles
with a promise of that, but he would not step a yard
to see ‘‘ banks of roses, arches of roses, hedges of
roses.” If you pointed out the beauty of colouring
that could be obtained by massing roses in such a
way, he would tell you that it was a sign of
decadence, and that the real object should be, like
that of the Greeks of old, to obtain the ‘ perfect
form.’’ And, if you asked if he did not like to see a
garden bright and beautiful with flowers, he would
say ‘“‘ yes,” and would explain how fortunate the
country was in having so many good nurserymen
willing and capable of supplying you with any
amount and any variety of flowers, other than roses.
But the rose was to be the thing apart, a very
Queen. Whether his views were right or wrong
depends on the point of view, and is not the concern
of this Memoir ; but the result was that his attention
was entirely given up to so cultivating roses that they
might produce the finest blooms. His advice on

XXX MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

cultivation holds good whether you wish for the
mass or whether you only want the single bloom.

To find humour in everything is a happy gift, and
Mr. Foster-Melliar had it in abundance. His humour
was sometimes sarcastic, which is dangerous, but more
generally he used his gift to poke gentle good-
natured fun at things and people. He nearly
always managed to bring out the funny side of
things, and especially did he have unending amuse-
ment with his gardener, Paine. Paine was with
him for a great number of years, and was a very
quaint and rather illiterate individual. At the time
that Osman Digma was defeated in the Soudan,
Paine had a son born, and he decided that the
unfortunate youth should be baptised with the name
of Osman Digma. Fortunately, however, Paine
wasn’t much of a ‘“‘schollard,” and when he was
asked for the name in church, he boldly replied
“Osborne,” and ‘‘Osborne”’ the boy is to this day.
But Paine still fondly imagines that the boy is
named after the eastern warrior.

Paine had some peculiar disability which pre-
vented him from ever giving an animal or insect its
proper sex. He would call the cow ‘‘ he,” the barn-
door cock ‘she,’ the mare ‘‘ he,’ and the tom-cat
“she.” Mr. Foster-Melliar came into lunch one
morning, rejoicing in Paine’s latest exploit in this
direction. A wasp’s nest was being built in a hole
under the eaves of the roof, and Paine had been sent
up to deal with it. Having dealt with it he reported
progress to Mr. Foster-Melliar. It seems he applied
smoke to the hole and, as a result, various young
wasps dropped down it and were duly despatched.
And ‘at last,”” remarked Paine with triumph, “out

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR Xxxi

came the old mister.” Thereafter, a queen wasp
was always known as “ the old mister.”

Though Mr. Foster-Melliar is chiefly known be-
cause of his work ‘The Book of the Rose” (one
admirer has kindly called it ‘‘the classic work on
Roses’’), roses were by no means his first or only
love. His first love was natural history, and his
greatest love was shooting. A very early letter of
his, when about eight years old, says:—‘‘ My dear
Mama, I thank you for your kind note. But I wish
you were come back again, as I have got a golden-
crested wren’s nest with eight eggs in it to show you
when you do.”’ And nearly every letter, whether
from Streatham, Uppingham or Oxford, contains
some reference to birds, beasts, insects or flowers.
His knowledge of natural history has been described
as ‘‘ first-class.” However that may be, the writer
remembers well how greatly he was impressed—on a
strange rare bird being taken to him to identify—by
his saying at once and without the least hesita-
tion, ‘‘ Oh, that’s Oedicnemus crepitans’’ (the Stone
Curlew). Shortly before he died, the Town Council
of Ipswich had elected him as a member of the
Committee of the Ipswich Museum.

His delicacy as a boy often prevented him from
the bird-nesting expeditions that he loved, but
he quite outgrew his weakness, and was a great
cricketer in his young days. He used to play regu-
larly for the Uppingham Rovers, and was at one
time Captain of the Suffolk County eleven. His
round-arm bowling (then a new-fangled idea) was
apt to be deadly, while his batting was distinguished
by hard-hitting. The scene of many of his triumphs
was on the pretty little ground at Stowmarket, and

XXxil MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

he often used to tell how the people cheered him
through the streets after some great batting or
bowling display. In the memory of at least one
inhabitant of that town, his powers of hitting were,
fifteen years after he had laid down the bat for good
and all, still enshrined, as the following anecdote
will show. One of Mr. Foster-Melliar’s sons was
batting on the Stowmarket ground, and an elderly
man was fielding at point, a ball was bowled rather
to the off and pitched rather short, the batsman
hit it with all his strength straight into point’s
hands, point stopped it, dropped it and started
jumping about and shaking his hands. Fearing
lest he had broken one of his fingers, for the ball
was going very fast, the batsman went up to him
and hoped he was not hurt. No, he wasn’t hurt,
but he was annoyed. It was fifteen years since he
had had a ball like that, and he had dropped that
one too, and he had never known but one person
who could hit a ball like that, and was the batsman’s
name Foster-Melliar? In these days of socialistic
enterprise, it is just as well to remember that the
hereditary principle will oceasionally assert itself.

In his youth Mr. Foster-Melliar was a keen fly
fisherman but, in latter years he did not do much,
if any, fishing. But the trout pool, hidden beneath
the old elm and among the roses, was one of his
pleasures. There, on summer evenings, he would
sit for hours feeding the fat trout with bread and
earwigs, the latter of which he would blow on to the
water by means of hollow tubes. He has described
in his book how he used to catch the earwigs in those
hollow tubes.

His great passion, however, was shooting. He

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR Xxxili

was an excellent shot, and always used an old pin-
fire gun until five or six years before his death. He
had had the pin-fire since he was a boy, and had
used it so much that it was positively dangerous.
He swore by black powder and number six shot, and
the noise the gun made when it went off was astound-
ing. Smoke came out all along the barrels (for there
were positively holes that you could almost push a
pin in down the barrels) and the reverberation was
as thunder. If they were shooting the adjacent coverts
one knew for miles around when ‘‘the Rector ’’ was
ina hot corner—it was something like the guns at
Landguard Fort. He was induced one day to order
a new gun, and he was extremely pleased with the
hammerless ejector gun that he got, and came to
prefer smokeless powders to the old black. He had
many good stories to tell about his shooting experi-
ences, as, indeed, he had about everything else. He
was once shooting with a certain baronet, who was
also a distinguished colonial administrator. Included
in the shooting party was a bishop. The bishop was
not supposed to have had much experience of shoot-
ing, and the keeper had been specially instructed to
attend on the bishop and see that he shot—in the
right direction. The keeper, having a great respect
for rank and not having met a bishop before, was
sorely puzzled how to address him should occasion
arise. When the day’s shoot was over, he confided
his trouble to his master. ‘‘ You see, Sir Edward,”’
he said, ‘‘ Dukes I know, and Hearls and sichlike”’
(Sir Edward being evidently, in his keeper’s estima-
tion, a “sichlike!”’), ‘‘ but I was wholly stammed
by the bishop.”” ‘‘ Well,” said Sir Edward, ‘‘ what
did you say to him?” ‘Well, Sir,” replied the

€

XXXIV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

keeper ‘‘an old hare got up in front of ‘un, and he
wouldn’t shoot, and then another got up, and he
wouldn’t shoot that neither, so at last I shouted
‘Shoot ’un, Your Holiness, shoot,’ and shoot ‘un he
did!”

On another occasion, he was shooting at a place
where the host was not a good shot, and it was Mr.
Foster-Melliar’s fortune to be the gun next to his
host at one particular stand. Mr. Foster-Melliar, of
course, was careful not to shoot at any birds that
might have been looked on as belonging to his host's
stand, with the result that not much damage was
being done. In the midst of it all the head keeper
crawled round to Mr. Foster-Melliay and whispered
in his ear, ‘‘ Don’t you mind nothing about nobody's
birds, sir’’—which, as Mr. Foster-Melliar said after-
wards, was a remark that contained about as many
negatives as a sentence of eight words could be
expected to carry comfortably.

Mr. Foster-Melliar did not hunt, and his attitude
towards foxes was—uinildly disapproving, shall we
say? But im case any rosegrowers are also fox-
hunters, here is a story that he used to tell some-
times. In the west country, where all the farmers
are or used to be great sportsmen, there was a certain
gamekeeper who did not attempt to conceal his
aversion to foxes. A farmer was riding to the meet
on a very wet and stormy morning, and met the
keeper. ‘‘ Morning,” said the farmer. ‘‘ Morning,”
said the keeper cheerfully, adding, ‘‘ foxes ‘ll most
likely be underground this sort of weather.’
‘“‘Mebbe,” answered the farmer, ‘‘ but—who put ’em
theere ?”’

To enter into his toils and triumphs as a rose-

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XXKV

grower has not been the object of this Memoir. His
toils are fully written down by himself; and, if he
has omitted the triumphs, does that matter? If not
the most successful of amateur rose-growers, he
was high up in the first flight, and won quanti-
ties of medals and silver cups. He was one of the
National Rose Society’s judges, and cach summer
used to see him travelling all over the country to
judge at rose shows. His experiences were some-
times very amusing, especially when exhibiting, and
sometimes they were almost tragic. One year he
had to have a new gardener, and this was a sore
trial. He usually took the gardener with him when
he went to show roses, and the first attempt with
the new gardener was at Norwich. While setting
up some roses there, Mr. Foster-Melliar asked the
new gardener to bring him the rose that was to win
the medal. As the man was bringing it, the head
snapped off. Rose-growers will appreciate the irrita-
tion caused by a mishap of this kind, but Mr. Foster-
Melliar merely told him to go and fetch the next
best. As the wretched man was bringing it, that
one also snapped off at the head. Mr. Foster-Melliar
looked at him. ‘‘ There, there,” he said gently,
“90 and play on the grass”! It is doubtful if the
man ever got over it, and, at all events, he left
shortly afterwards. He was prepared to be stormed
at, but to be told to “‘ go and play on the grass”’ was
too much for him.

In the height and vigour of his manhood, as it
would have seemed, he was struck down. On the
Thursday he had just completed, signed and de-
spatched to the printers the preface to the third
edition of this book. On the Saturday he was

XXXVI MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR

shooting, and it was remarked at the time how well
he had been doing. On the Sunday morning he was
obviously very unwell, and could barely take the
services in the church, but he managed to struggle
through with them somehow or other. On the
Monday he was worse, and, on the Monday morning
following, he died. It was how he wished to die—
in the full possession of his strength and faculties.
The crowds that assembled at his funeral, the dis-
tressing scenes that were witnessed (many of his
parishioners being moved to tears), all testified to
the love and respect they had for the ‘‘ old Rector.”’
The parishioners subscribed over £300 for a memorial,
which took the shape of a reading room endowed in
perpetuity for the use of the villagers, and a mural
tablet inside records the fact that it was so endowed
in memory of him.

Sproughton Church still stands, Sproughton’s
river still wanders like a silver thread through
the long green meadows; but gone are the roses
of Sproughton now, gone are the long, long rows of
them that were the Rector’s delight; and gone, too,
is the dear, kind-hearted old Rector and his greatly-
loved wife. Ah, well, tempora mutantur ; they sleep
together, just as they wished to do, in one grave—
between the church, which they loved so well and
served so faithfully, and the silent river.

Kk. F.-M.

Tanwery 26, 1910.

THE BOOK OF THE ROSE

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Ir is a common saying that the love of flowers is
universal; and it is not surprising, seeing that the
tendency of the age is to subdivide occupations
and interests and make men specialists in smaller
branches of subjects, that certain flowers have been
selected for cultivation by persons who have given
all their leisure, or even the whole of their time, to
the study of them. As the Rose has been entitled
the queen of flowers without serious dispute for
nearly twenty-five centuries, special subjects of such
a queen may naturally be looked for; and they may
be found among such as style themselves Rosarians,
who endeavour to cultivate the Rose in such a
manner as to get the finest and most beautiful
blooms.

One would naturally suppose that those who study
and pursue this subject might be credited with a
special knowledge of it at least, if not with some
authority ; but, oddly enough, a certain number of

B

2 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

writers on general horticulture are never weary of
recounting the errors and. absurdities of Rose-
growers and, above all, Rose exhibitors. It is not
so that I know of with other flowers; the foremost
prize-takers in chrysanthemums or auriculas, for
instance, are at least supposed to know as much
about the things necessary for the welfare of those
plants as other people; and in common life we
do not find general physicians proclaiming the
ignorance and absurdity of oculists, aurists, and
dentists in their several departments; yet the
specialists of the Rose are frequently told by
authorities in horticulture that their maxims and
modes are erroneous and faulty.

I must confess, though the idea may appear
heretical to some, that I do not consider the Rose
pre-eminent as a decorative plant; several simpler
flowers, much less beautiful in themselves, have, to
my mind, greater value for general effect in the
garden; and even the cut blooms are, I imagine,
more difficult to arrange in water, for artistic
decoration, than lighter, simpler, and less noble
flowers. A good Rose should stand in a vase by
itself as a queen should; then let any other flower
or combination of flowers rival her if they can. So,
with all the best Roses I should not wish for or expect
any general display at a distance, but come close and
be content if I can find but one perfect bloom.

In my estimation, the value of the Rose is in the
glory of its individual flowers; and, in these pages
at least, the idea is not the Rose for the garden,
but the garden for the Rose.!

1 See Editors note at end of Chapter with reference to this and
the foregoing paragraph.

I INTRODUCTION 3

I write for enthusiasts, for those who make a
regular hobby of their Roses, and think of them as
fondly and almost as fully in January as in June.
There are not a few such, even among amateurs, in
all ranks, and some of them, much handicapped
perhaps by soil, situation, or circumstances, still
retain their ardour though not meeting with much
success.

The man of business, who rises at daybreak to
attend to his Roses before his day’s work in the
town ; who is quite prepared if necessary to go out
with a good lantern on a November night to seize a
favourable condition of soil for planting at once
some newly-arrived standards or dwarfs; and who
later in the winter will turn out in the snow after
dark to give some little extra protection that may be
required for his beds: this is the sort of man for
me, and for the Rose as well.

I remember a certain occasion when a small
shooting party met for partridge-driving on a rather
dismal bleak day in January. Two of the ‘ guns,”
who lived some distance apart and did not meet
very often, were continually drawing together and
chattering away with the greatest enthusiasm ;
cutting little bits out of the hedge and comparing
notes with so much interest that, though both very
fond of the sport, on more than one occasion the
partridges flew by unheeded whilst they had strayed
from their places. Said the host later on to one of
his friends, ‘‘ What on earth do you think A and B,
who are generally so keen, had got of such im-
portance to talk about together? It was all about
Roses !”’

For some months, in the early part of 1894, I

BQ

4 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

received very nearly every day by post as much as
and sometimes more than a penny stamp would
frank, of letters from a gentleman whom I had
seldom seen, and with whom I had hardly exchanged
half-a-dozen sentences by word of mouth. This
too during the winter months, and all about Roses !

It is pretty well known that another gentleman,
with a passionate love for Tea Roses, left his home
in Scotland because he could not grow them there,
and went searching for a place in Great Britain
which should be suitable for their culture; and,
having found such a spot, at very great expense laid
out and prepared his grounds to form, as they un-
doubtedly do, the finest amateur Tea Rose garden
in the country.

Such instances as these show that the culture of
Roses is an occupation that sometimes arouses a
great deal of enthusiasm. It will also be seen, from
the Calendar of Operations (Chap. XIV), that it
affords work and recreation, the whole year round,
so that the interest never slackens. And, to any one
who lives in the country, is really fond of flowers,
and ‘‘ wants something to do”—I have known some
such—I can strongly recommend the thorough
culture of Roses as likely to add much to his
enjoyment of life in his garden.

I may perhaps be excused for thinking that
Rose-growing as a special pursuit and a hobby is
particularly adapted for country parsons. No one
can deny that it is as harmless a pursuit as any that
can be found, and, without the least neglecting his
sacred calling if his cure be a small one, he can find
many half-hours of daylight leisure among his
Roses, where his parishioners will soon learn to

I INTRODUCTION 5

come and look him up at once if he should be
wanted. It will afford him varied interest, exercise,
and work in the open air all the year round. In
tilling the soil, the special work which God gave to
man, he will find many a valuable lesson, which
he will be able to tell, with authority and with
much interest, to that majority of his unlearned
parishioners who are themselves tillers of the soil. If
there is no room in the parsonage garden, it is seldom
indeed that some little piece of glebe cannot be
taken in to be the pride of his heart and the focus
of his midsummer hopes. And as the country
parson is not usually over-wealthy, there will be
the more encouragement for him to do the Rose
work with his own hands, and to summon the aid
of his single useful man only at actual show time,
for the carting of manure, or for pressure in
planting.

He will thus become a real amateur, a true son of
Adam, and genuine brother of the back-ache, with
many thorns in his fingers and rough and hardened
hands; but his Roses will be truly his own, he will
have won them, and under the Creator will actually
have made them himself. And not only will they
seem to him brighter and purer and sweeter than
any other Roses, but he will probably find in com-
parison and competition, that they are better than
those of his brother amateurs who do not personally
attend to their plants; and it will be a great thought
for him that other far richer men may have grand
and glorious gardens, but that he in his humble
little plot with his own hands raises some of the
finest Roses in England.

Note.—It is more than ever true, though perhaps

6 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. I

not quite in the sense that the Author uses the
phrase, that ‘‘ The Garden is for the Rose, and not
the Rose for the Garden,”’ but it is no longer correct
to say that the ‘‘ value of the Rose is in the glory of
its individual blooms.”

In many cases the value of the Rose lies solely in
its decorative effect, such Roses as Dorothy Perkins
have little merit in the “individual flower,’ but
as seen from ‘‘a distance’’ who will say the effect
is not beautiful, unique, and further, one to be
obtained by the use of no other “decorative plant.”
And it is more particularly this use of the Rose as a
decorative Garden plant, since this chapter was
penned, that has led to its increased popularity.

CHAPTER II
HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION

Tue Rose is well known as the emblem of England,
and when we consider how often it has unhappily
been in conflict with the Lilies of France, it may
seem strange to find a large though decreasing pro-
portion of our Roses endowed with French names.

Still, though so many of our favourites were
raised the other side of the Channel, Great Britain
is the true home of the Hybrid Perpetual Rose ;
and that, not only because it is more cultivated
here with the minute attention which is paid to a
‘florists’ flower,” but also because the English
climate is better suited to its perfect development.

Continuous sunshine is not the best weather for
the blooming of H.P.s; they like two or three hot
days, and then a dull, dry, cooler one. Some will
not open in rainy weather, others do not mind it;
but almost all this large class, so many of which
were raised in sunny France, will display far more
beautiful blooms on a dull and cooler day following
after heat; and it may be, I think, safely said that
the finest H.P. Roses in the world are grown in
Great Britain and Ireland.

The Rose is native to all countries in the world
7

8 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

with the exception of a portion of South America,
and the actual tropics.

It is very extensively cultivated in Persia and
Bulgaria for the manufacture of attar or otto of
Roses and Rose-water, which are distilled from the
petals. In Persia a variety of the Musk Rose (Rosa
moschata) is used for this purpose, but it has not
the real odour of musk, which is said to be found
only in Salet, a Perpetual Moss Rose. In Bulgaria,
the country which is the largest producer of the
otto, a variety of the Damask Rose (R. damascena)
known as Kazanlik, is used: and experts allege that
the Damask and Provence (R. centifolia) Roses are
the best representatives of the true inimitable odour
of Rose. The modes of distillation in these Eastern
countries are very primitive and imperfect, and
moreover in Bulgaria there has been considerable
adulteration of the valuable otto with geraniol or oil
of pelargonium. The finest otto of Roses now in
the market is manufactured by modern skilled
appliances in Germany, near Leipzig, where the
Bulgarian variety of Damask Rose is used, and in
France, near Grasse, where a strain of the Provence
Rose is cultivated for the purpose. Rose-water and
otto of Roses are also made in India, Turkey, and
other places.

Few readers of a Rose-book will care for much
research into the history of the Rose. The late
Mr. William Paul has with much care gone deeply
into that subject in his large volume The Rose
Garden, and I will only touch a few points, and
refer inquirers on this subject to his fuller work.

Homer’s allusions to the Rose in the Iliad and
the Odyssey are, I suppose, the earliest mentions

II HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 9

we have. Every one will be aware of Bible refer-
ences, though it should be mentioned that the Rose
of Jericho is generally understood to be a cruciferous
plant, and all seem agreed that whatever the Rose
of Sharon was, it was certainly not a Rose; never-
theless Dr. Hooker enumerates seven species of
Roses which he observed in Syria. A passage in
the Apocrypha (Wisdom ii., 8) is interesting as
mentioning the custom of crowning with Rosebuds
at feasts and banquets, which we know to have
prevailed in classic times.

By far the most important ancient quotation is
from Sappho, the Greek poetess, who was born
about 600 B.c. A translation of a fragment of one
of her poems is given in the late Mr. William Paul’s
book :—

“Would Jove appoint some flower to reign
In matchless beauty on the plain,
The Rose (mankind will all agree),
The Rose the Queen of Flowers should be.”

That the title of “‘ The Queen of Flowers” is no
modern assumption for the Rose, but has hardly
been seriously questioned for nearly twenty-five
centuries, is a little item of knowledge which every
Rosarian should store by him as a weapon of defence
in time of need.

The immense sums spent by Cleopatra, Nero, and
other luxurious persons in the time of the Romans,
not only on Roses but on ‘‘ Rose leaves”’ (petals) for
strewing on the floor and the seats, is well known.
And there are actually some points of culture that
we may learn from the Romans. Horace speaks of
growing Roses in beds, and Pliny of digging deeply

10 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

for their cultivation, both of which items—growing
them by themselves apart from other plants, and
moving the soil to the depth of two feet—have still
to be insisted on in this twentieth century.

During the long strange sleep of civilisation which
in the Middle Ages followed the Fall of Rome, the
culture of the Rose was probably somewhat neglected ;
but gradually, no doubt, as the pursuits of peace
began to prevail, gardening, and with it the love of
the queen of flowers, revived.

The National Rose Society gives 1596 as the date
at which it is known that the Centifolia (Provence
or Cabbage) Rose, the common Moss, and the Aus-
trian Yellow and Austrian Copper were grown. But
Rose progress was very slow till about 1815, when,
in spite of the troublous times, Mons. Vibert, the
earliest of the great French raisers, founded his
nursery. The way had been prepared for him by
the patronage of the Empress Josephine, who made
Roses fashionable, and caused search to be made
for all existing varieties for her garden at Malmaison.
Mons. Laffay soon followed Mons. Vibert, and after
them we have a grand array of famous French
Rosarians, Jacques, Hardy, the Guillots, Lacharme,
Gonod, Pernet, Ducher, Margottin, the Verdiers,
Levet, Liabaud, Nabonnand and others, to whom
we are still indebted for some of our best Roses.

Mons. Desportes in 1829 issued a catalogue con-
taining the names of 2000 varieties, but the majority
of these were no doubt worthless or not distinct, and
by 1860 there were still but few Roses which we
should now consider good, though we had Général
Jacqueminot and Senateur Vaisse among H.P.s, and
among Teas, Devoniensis, Madame Bravy, Rubens,

I HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 11

and Souvenir d’Hlise, the last still one of the best
of the Exhibition Teas.

But taste, experience, and discrimination on the
one hand, and demand on the other, were now be-
ginning to tell, and in the next five years (1860-65)
the following wonderful additions from France were
made of Roses which are still grown :—Alfred
Colomb, Charles Lefebvre, Dr. Andry, Duchesse de
Morny, Duke of Wellington, Fisher Holmes, Marie
Baumann, Marie Rady, Maurice Bernardin, Prince
Camille de Rohan, and Xavier Olibo; and in Teas,
La Boule d’Or and that wonder among roses,
Maréchal Niel.

About this time English raisers first began to
come to the front with Roses still recognised as
good, and Mr. W. Paul’s Beauty of Waltham may
be considered as one of the first of these, the origin
of Devoniensis being a little doubtful. Messrs. Paul
and Son of Cheshunt, with Mr. Rivers of Sawbridge-
worth, Mr. Cranston of Hereford, Mr. Turner of
Slough, and Messrs. Keynes, Williams and Co. of
Salisbury followed, till Mr. Bennett of Shepperton
commenced by hybridising to raise what he called
“pedigree Roses,” and delighted the Rose world
with Her Majesty and Mrs. John Laing.

Messrs. A. Dickson and Son of Newtownards,
Ireland, also took to hybridising with great and
marked success, their first three seedlings, Earl of
Dufferin, Lady Helen Stewart, and Ethel Brown-
low, being issued in 1887, and there have been few
years since that time when they have not sent out
new Roses worthy to be reckoned among our best.
This mode of obtaining new varieties from seed by
careful interchange of pollen, instead of trusting to

12 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

chance cross-fertilisation, as had hitherto been done,
is now being pursued by several raisers in the British
Isles. More new varieties from our own country,
and less from France, now pass their examinations
and enter the ranks every year, but a considerable
proportion of our best Roses still bear, and will for
many years, French names.

The worst of it is that some of these names must
be said in full if there is to be no confusion. For
instance, there are two Madame Eugéne Verdiers,
H.P. and Tea, and Souvenir de Madame Eugéne
Verdier, H.T., as well as Mademoiselle Eugénie
Verdier, and Madame Victor Verdier and Victor
Verdier, H.P.s. There are also two Madame
Hippolyte Jamains, H.P. and Tea, besides Hippo-
lyte Jamain, H.P. In addition to the well-known
La France, there is also a Rose called La France
de ’89, a name which really shows some poverty of
invention on the part of the raiser.

A remonstrance might not be well received ; for
the late Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain used to tell
an amusing story of the French raiser of Duke of
Wellington H.P. complaining that English growers
would not call his Rose correctly, for it should
be Duc de Wellington, and some think he was
right !

Still, as I have said, though so many of our best
Roses owe their parentage to France, they are no-
where better cultivated than in the British Isles, there
being a considerable export trade to America, the
Colonies, Spain, and in fact all parts of the world;
and nowhere are there such famous growers, both
professional and amateur, who have made the Rose
their special, and in some cases their sole, study. In

mo

eS

one of his Rose-fields.

Tue Grear Ros
The late Mr. B. R. Cant, with his Son Cecil, i

II HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 13

fact, as appears from my correspondence with Rose-
growers in all climates, H.P.s will not do satisfactorily
in hotter, or Teas out of doors in colder, countries
than Great Britain. In mentioning the names of
famous British growers, it is interesting to compare
the list, given by Dean Hole in his charming book,
of winners at the first National Rose show in 1858
with those who are well known now in 1910. Of
nurserymen, ‘‘ Messrs. Paul of Cheshunt, Cant of
Colchester, and Turner of Slough” are still well-
known names; but in the dozen or so of amateurs
mentioned, ‘‘Fellowes”’ is the only name with which
I am familiar as still growing and exhibiting well.
Norfolk has not wanted a good florist or two of the
name of Fellowes for many years.

In the very first rank at the present day among
professional exhibitors are—at Colchester the sepa-
rate establishments of Messrs. B. R. Cant and Sons,
and Frank Cant andCo., who devote themselves solely
to Roses, and Messrs. Prior and Sons; in Hertford-
shire, Messrs. Paul and Son of Cheshunt, and R.
Harkness and Co. at Hitchin: and in Ireland Messrs.
A. Dickson and Son of Newtownards, who have also
a nursery at Ledbury in Herefordshire, and have
raised many more fine new Roses than any other
British firm, and Messrs. Hugh Dickson of. Belfast.
No other nurserymen have won either of the N.R.S.
champion trophies, but mention must be made of
Mr. Prince of Oxford, whose Teas on the seedling
briar have often won him the premier prize in that
section: and also of the late Mr. William Paul of
Waltham, who, by his long experience, his author-
ship of the largest and most complete book on the
subject, the many valuable new varieties he raised,

14 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and his excellent culture of pot and decorative
Roses, long held a high position in the cult of the
Queen of Flowers.

There are many others of high standing, a large
proportion of whom probably sell as good plants as
those I have mentioned. And if they have not come
to the actual front yet as exhibitors, it may be that
distance or climate, or a disinclination to incur the
whole expense and trouble of competing in the first
rank, have prevented their names being chronicled
hitherto as the winners of the championship.

Among amateurs the best known and most suc-
cessful exhibitors are Mr. E. B. Lindsell of Hitchin,
and Rev. J. H. Pemberton of Havering, for HP.s,
and Mr. A. H. Gray of Bath, and Mr. O. G. Orpen
of Colchester, for Teas, though in each division
there are others treading closely on their heels, and
occasionally victorious, notably Mr. Conway Jones
of Gloucester.

CLASSIFICATION

Botanically, the number of actual species of
Roses is very great, even the wild Dog-Rose of our
hedges being divided into many sub-species, as may
be seen from the great variety in foliage and habit
in the early growths of briar stocks in nurserymen’s
quarters. Of the cultivated classes, probably most
Rose-exhibitors will only care to know about the
two great divisions in which they are interested:
viz. Hybrid Perpetuals, including Hybrid Teas
and Bourbons, and Teas and Noisettes. Com-
paratively few will be interested in the Austrian,
Chinas, Polyantha, Moss, and Provence races: and

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II HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 15

a still smaller number will care to investigate
thoroughly the forty-one groups carefully enumerated
by Mr. W. Paul in his systematic work.

Now that hybridising and crossing of groups is
so largely undertaken, it seems plain that many
new divisions and classes are likely to arise, and
old lines of demarcation will be confused. Apart
from the true climbers, and all summer or botanical
varieties, Roses to the novice or spectator at Rose
shows are generally divided into H.P.s and Teas,
and the more these two great divisions are con-
solidated and made inclusive instead of being sub-
divided, the less confusion, to my mind, is likely to
arise from crossing and hybridising.

Cultivated Roses are naturally divided into two
divisions at the outset: Summer (7.e., those which
only bloom once in the year), and Perpetual (7.e. those
which have at least something of a second crop).
It is obvious that the latter is the more valuable ;
the H.P.s if taken to include the Hybrid Teas and
all Bourbons which are perpetual, and the Teas,
with the Noisettes which are mostly crossed with
them, form the bulk of the perpetual Roses, and
have therefore increased immensely in culture,
popularity, and number of varieties, while the sorts
which bloom only in the summer have naturally
been neglected, though perpetual forms have now
been raised among the Ayrshire, Polyantha, Scotch,
and Moss classes. The H.P.s and Teas, using the
terms in their widest and most inclusive sense,
would thus embrace all the Roses which give the
finest and most perfect blooms.

The live-stock-keeper’s adage, that it costs no
more to keep a good animal than a bad one, may,

16 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

with some reservations, be applied to Roses; and
the H.P.s, H.T.s and Teas, in the wide sense that
I have mentioned, certainly furnish the finest
flowers. Still, for old associations some will
cultivate the Provence (Cabbage) or York and
Lancaster; for beauty of yellow and copper shades,
the Austrian; for exhibition of a pot Rose in a
mass of bloom, the Hybrid Bourbon or Hybrid
China; for beauty in the bud stage only, the Moss;
for beauty of foliage and fruit, the Rugosa; for
prettiness, the Pompons or Fairies; for certain
forms of bouquet decoration, the Polyanthas; for
scented foliage, the Sweet-Briars; and for rapid
climbing, the Wichuraiana, Boursault, Evergreen,
Ayrshire, or Banksians.

SUMMER RosEs

The Provence Rose (Rosa centifolia).—The type
here is the old ‘‘ Cabbage” Rose, so called merely
because it is full, with its petals folded like a cabbage.
It is best grown as a bush, and requires fairly close
pruning. The original is pink, but there are other
varieties of this class, white and striped.

A sub-variety of the Provence is the Miniature
Provence. These are simply Roses in miniature,
which should not be confounded with the Polyanthas,
many of which are quite as small, or with the
Lawrenciane or Fairy Roses, which being Chinas
are perpetual.

The Moss Rose is a more important sub-variety of
the Provence, the Crested Rose forming a sort of
link between them. This group, so well known for

II HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 17

the moss-like covering of the calyx, has been so
popular that great efforts have been made to increase
the number of varieties and improve the quality of
the flowers. Mr. Cranston, writing in 1855, says
that even then several hundred varieties of the Moss
Rose had been raised, but though different colours,
from white to crimson, have been gained, and one
or two perpetual sorts have been issued, very little
success in the way of actual improvement has been
achieved, the common or old Moss Rose, to which
the N.R.S. Catalogue gives the date of 1596, being
still the best in the popular bud state. There are
now so many beautiful buttonhole Teas very much
superior in beauty of colour and shape, that it seems
likely that Moss Roses, which are only valuable in
the bud, not of long and pointed form, and
apparently incapable of improvement, will suffer
somewhat from their rivalry; but many, no doubt,
will still be found to cherish them from sentiment
or old associations.

The Moss Roses do not do well as standards,
and some of them are not very strong growers.
They will grow on manetti, but are generally con-
sidered to do best on their own roots, and should be
pruned hard, and highly cultivated. Some miniature
Moss Roses have been issued, with prettily shaped
rosette-like flowers, one of the best of which is
Little Gem (W. Paul & Son, 1880).

The Double Yellow Rose (R. sulphurea) is con-
sidered by some to be a form of the Provence. Fifty
or sixty years ago, this was the best yellow Rose, if
it could be got to bloom; but its ‘‘ manners and
customs” were so very bad, and the blooms so
generally malformed or refusing to open at all, that

c

18 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

it was pretty nearly given up as hopeless, even
before Cloth of Gold appeared on the scene.

The Damask Rose (R. damascena) and The French
Rose (R. gallica) are placed under one heading in
the N.R.S. Catalogue, and indeed it seems rather
doubtful to which of these two sections same of the
old Roses belonged. These are the old pink, red, and
striped Roses of our gardens, both groups having been
grown in this country for at least three hundred
years. The three old-fashioned striped Roses, each
of which has been called York and Lancaster, are
Rosa Mundi (French), which is red striped with white
and occasionally self red; Village Maid (French),
which is white striped with red; and the true York
and Lancaster, which is either (sometimes all on
one bush) red, white, red striped with white, or
white striped with red, a truly handy bush for a
Vicar of Bray in the Wars of the Roses.

The Damask and French Roses are not very strong
growers, producing short-jointed wood and large,
showy, open flowers. They are not recommended
as standards, and are generally grown in the bush
form. Fairly close pruning is required, with care
as to the shape, that the blooms be regularly placed
upon the plant.

The flowers of the French Rose are but slightly
scented when freshly gathered, but the perfume
develops in the dried petals. The reverse is the
case with the Damask Rose, which is principally
used in the manufacture of the otto, for the scent in
this case is nearly destroyed by drying.

The White Rose (R. alba).—An old-fashioned class
of Roses, generally grown as bushes, and still to be
found by side-walks and in corners in old gardens

I HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 19

The majority of them are not pure white, but have
a pale pink flush, very pretty in the bud, and open
flat. They require rather close pruning. Félicité
Parmentier (1828) and Maiden’s Blush (1797) are
the best known varieties.

The Hybrid China Roses are hybrids between the
French or Provence, crossed slightly with the China
race, and showing very little of the cross; for the
Chinese are true perpetuals, and these remain as
summer Roses. They are very strong growers,
almost all being vigorous enough for pillars and
sufficiently pendulous to form tall standards. They
should not be too closely pruned. Blairii No. 2,a
fine climber, Chénédolé and Fulgens, of brilliant
colour, and Miss Ingram, a well-shaped old Rose of
more moderate growth, are now the best known.
Madame Plantier, a very profuse bloomer, often
placed in this group, seems to have in it some cross
of the Noisette race.

The Hybrid Bourbons form a somewhat similar
group, being hybrids from the French or Provence
with the Bourbon race, but not generally having the
autumnal qualities of the Bourbons. Most of them
are strong enough in growth for climbing purposes,
and should not be pruned too closely when thus
used. But in no case is the whole art of pruning
more called for than in fine old standards or pot
Roses of this group, where the production of a well-
shaped head, thickly and regularly covered with
large blooms all out at once, is sometimes a triumph
of-skill and training. Charles Lawson is especially
noticeable for its capabilities in this way, when
carefully trained as a pot Rose.

Coupe d@’Hébé, of a fresh pink with a cupped

c 2

20 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

shape, is a name I can never forget, as it was the
first rose—a standard—I ever had of my own, about
fifty years ago. Paul Ricaut is the best known
crimson in this class. Latterly, some hybrid
Bourbons have been raised, as perpetual as the
original race.

The Austrian Briar (R. lutea).—These are simply
wild Roses native in some parts of Europe, nearly
single, and lovely in colour. The Copper, as it is
called, is the form best known; it is quite single,
the petals being a most beautiful shade of coppery
red, with orange yellow inclined to buff on the under
sides. The others, Single Yellow, Persian Yellow,
and Harrisonii, are also noted for their colour, being
hardly surpassed in this point by any known Roses.
The two last named are double though by no means
full, and are no doubt hybrid forms, but Harrisonii
is the best grower. They like a dry soil, will not
succeed in suburban or smoky atmosphere, and all do
best on their own roots, the suckers being encour-
aged and taken off when rooted if required to form
fresh plants. It is best not to prune them at all,
beyond cutting out dead wood; the shoots might be
thinned, but there is no advantage in this with single
Roses, where quantity of bloom is the thing desired ;
and they should not be shortened, as flower-bearing
shoots often issue from the buds near the tips.

Soleil d’Or (Pernet Ducher 1900).—The first new
variety in this class for more than sixty years is a
cross between Rosa lutea and a H.T., and seems to
be a considerable acquisition ; for it is of good size
and a beautiful colour, but quartered. It has proved
the forerunner of many beautiful varieties, and
(except perhaps the Wichuraiana hybrids) is the

Ir HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 21

greatest break in the hybridisation of Roses of recent
years. The raiser calls the new class pernetiana.

The Scotch Rose (R. spinosissima).—The “ very
thorny”’ Rose is a briar native in Great Britain,
and I have found it growing on the South Downs
in Sussex. The varieties are semi-double and are
to be found of almost every shade from white to
deep crimson. The plant is unmistakable, for no
other Rose is so thickly covered with small very
sharp thorns. They are not strong in growth, and
are best on their own roots, propagated by suckers,
like the Austrians. Scotch Roses are generally
used to form a dwarf hedge, which has a pretty
effect when the little round fragrant flowers are out,
but these are very soon over. One perpetual form,
however, has been raised—the Stanwell, a fair
grower, very sweet, flowering freely from May to
November. These Roses are thoroughly hardy, and
will flourish in the poorest soil where no other Rose
will grow. No pruning, beyond cutting out dead
wood, is required.

The Sweet Briar (R. rubiginosa).—This is a native
briar, growing freely in some parts of England, and
generally where the soil is light and rather poor.
The Eglantine, as it is otherwise called, is noted for
the sweet scent of the foliage, which pervades the
air for a considerable distance after a shower, in
spring or early summer. There have been some
cultivated varieties more or less double and deeper
or paler in colour than the type, and Lord Penzance
spent some time and trouble in hybridising them
with the laudable view of raising a group of good
Roses with sweet-scented foliage.

It isa great mistake to plant these ‘‘ Penzance ”’

22 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

or any other Sweet-briars in Rose-beds; for they
are very strong growers, thoroughly hardy, and
should not be pruned at all, except to cut out dead
wood. Their proper place is in a hedge or grown
individually in bush form.

The Ayrshire Rose (R. arvensis).—This too, as
its name implies, is a native species, found also
throughout Europe. They have been well called
running Roses, for the growth is extremely long,
rapid, and slender. Being very hardy and ready to
grow anywhere, they are better adapted for trailing
over unsightly places and ugly fences than for actual
walls, which are best reserved for more valuable and
tender sorts. This and the next group also form
good weeping Roses, budded on a tall standard, as
the shoots are very pliable, and trail gracefully
downwards in a natural manner.

Several of the Ayrshires have probably been
slightly hybridised, a mark of the true sorts being
that the flowers are not borne in clusters. Dundee
Rambler, Ruga, and Splendens or Myrrh-scented
are among the best known. The flowers are small,
semi-double, and mostly white or pink. The plants
are quite hardy, very rampant in growth, and most
effective when allowed to ramble at will, unpruned
and untrained.

The Evergreen Rose (R. sempervirens).—This group
is very much like the last, but is not anative of Great
Britain; nor is it, strictly speaking, evergreen, but
some foliage is generally retained through most of
the winter. The flowers are produced in very large
clusters, mostly of white or light pink colours. The
plants are thoroughly hardy, as strong in growth as
the Ayrshire, and useful for pillars, arches, weeping

ee BE song] “SHHIHSUAY—aoday] aAsoy V

I HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 23

Roses, or covering waste places, the long shoots
being left unpruned. Feélicité et Perpetué and
Rampant are perhaps the best known among
them.

The Boursault Rose (Hybrids of R. Alpina). This
is another group of strong-climbing summer Roses,
with very characteristic smooth wood, not so
pendulous in habit as the two last named. The
species is a native of the Alps, thoroughly hardy,
growing and blooming anywhere with reddish
flowers that are often the first Roses of summer.
The best-known varieties are Amadis or Crimson,
and Gracilis.

The Banksian Rose (R. Banksie).—This is a very
distinct species, said to have been introduced from
China early in the last century, and named after
Lady Banks. The plants grow very strongly, but
are not hardy, and are liable to be killed outright in
severe frost even on a south wall. There are only
two varieties worth growing—the Yellow, with very
small, but full, scentless flowers, produced in great
abundance in clusters, and the White, with rather
large flowers, most deliciously and characteristically
scented, the odour being compared to that of violets.
The plants, which are nearly evergreen in mild
winters, should be very little pruned (see page 95) ;
perhaps the best way is to shorten a little in the
summer those shoots that have bloomed, cutting
out all dead wood.

The Polyantha Rose (R. multiflora).—The older
varieties of this class, which bloom only once, are
single. These are—Polyantha simplex, a great
grower, which has been tested as a stock for Tea
Roses, but has not proved satisfactory; and P. grandi-

24 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

flora, similar but with much larger single flowers. A
new departure was made in this class by the issue of
Crimson Rambler (Turner, 1893). This is a very
strong growing Polyantha from Japan, the flowers
being produced in conical trusses in abundance, and
lasting in bloom for a long period. It is quite hardy,
but is not a true rambler, as it often will not grow
away from the tops of last year’s shoots, but persists
in breaking strongly again from the base. It does
not do well on a wall, but is best as a pillar or
espalier. Several seedlings have been raised from
this highly popular variety, two of which have
gained the N.R.S. Gold Medal :—J. Veitch & Sons’
Queen Alexandra, 1901, of a terra cotta pink, and
B. R. Cant & Sons’ Blush Rambler, 1903, of the
colour of apple blossom, sweet-scented, remaining
a long while in bloom, and to be recommended as
a companion to the well-known parent variety.

WICHURAIANAS AND THEIR HYBRIDS

This increasing and important class must not be
omitted, as they are hardy, will grow and flourish
almost anywhere, and can be put to a multitude of
uses. For pillars, pergolas and arches on tall briers
to form weeping standards—for covering banks, for
screens, and for rambling amongst trees—in none of
these positions are they out of place.

Many of them are sweet scented and not liable to
mildew—and further, are almost evergreen, retaining
their foliage through the winter unless the frosts are
exceptionally severe.

With a suitable selection of varieties they will be

[Facer pane 24,

Buusw RAMBLER.

Dororny PERAINS Fae page 25,
YER

Photoyvaph by PL Maxon Good,

IL HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 25

found in flower from early summer until late autumn,
and the following list is so arranged, starting with
the earlier flowering varieties.

Gerbe Rose, Alberic Barbier, Gardenia, Jersey
Beauty, Ruby Queen, Joseph Lamy, Francois
Juranville, Frangois Guillot, Leontine Gervaise,
Lady Godiva, White Dorothy, Minnehaha, and
Dorothy Perkins and the type (Wichuraiana) whose
fragrant white flowers in a mild season may be
picked right up to Christmas.

The following varieties are not true Wichuraianas,
but are often classed as such in catalogues, and are
useful for the same purposes: Evangeline, Hiawatha,
Delight and Tausendschon.

AUTUMNAL FLOWERING OR PERPETUAL RosEs

The Hybrid Perpetual Rose—This wonderful
group seems to have originated from several sources;
indeed, it may no doubt be said with truth that
certain strains of almost all other cultivated Roses
have now been incorporated, by accident or design,
into some of the members of this wide and varied
class. It seems to me vain to try and trace the
parentage of the most celebrated varieties. The
pedigrees of most of them were absolutely unknown
even to the raisers, since systematic hybridising and
careful choice of seed-parents was not practised by
the French Rosarians who issued our most noted
strains. Seeds were sown in immense quantities,
and the cross fertilisation effected by insects or
other agencies was relied on to produce the variations
which ensued.

26 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

The Hybrid Perpetual is the Rose of England:
for not only are the best crimsons and reds with
which a Rose is generally associated to be found in
this Class, but also it is undoubtedly better grown
in the British Isles than anywhere else. It has
been said of our climate that 1t has no weather, but
only samples: this exactly suits the H.P.s, which
like a couple of hot dry days, followed by a dull,
cool, damp one, and long continued ‘‘ weather”’ of
any sort will prevent their coming to perfection.
From all tropical countries, or indeed from any
district where the weather is ‘ settled”’ during the
blooming season, I have the same reports, that
Teas and Hybrid Teas are the only Roses worth
growing: and the truth of this was seen in the dry
tropical summer of 1901, with its abundance of sun-
shine, when H.P.s were so deficient in form and
colour that I found it impossible to get good typical
blooms for fresh photographs.

Hybrid Teas intended, originally, to represent the
cross between Teas and H.P.s no longer do so, to
that extent the classification is unsatisfactory. It
is very difficult even now to draw a decided line of
division, either on the one side or the other, and it
seems more than probable that the task will become
almost impossible when the Hybrid Teas are crossed
back again into the H.P.s or Teas. As, however,
there have been more good new Roses in this Class
than in any other during the last twelve years, and
they are given separately, in almost all lists, I have
placed those considered by the N.R.S. to belong to
this Class in a distinct division in Chap. XII. The
popularity of this class owing to its hardiness,
freedom of flowering, and length of flowering period,

i HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 27

has so increased of late years that raisers of new
Roses hesitate to label their productions anything
else. The time is no doubt fast approaching when
the old-fashioned lines of demarcation will have
disappeared, and the National Rose Society will
have to evolve a new classification.

The Bourbon Rose was introduced from the Isle of
Bourbon about the year 1825. This group is noted
for its sweet scent, and also for its very good
autumnal qualities, the true Bourbons generally giving
better blooms in the second crop. It has been quite
a large class. Mr. William Paul enumerates forty-
six varieties in The Rose Garden, but few of them
remain except the one celebrated sort Souvenir de la
Malmaison. It seems to me highly probable that a
much larger proportion of our H.P.s have some of
the influence of this grand autumnal strain in their
constitutions than is generally imagined; and as the
modern Bourbons, Madame Isaac Pereire, Mrs. Paul,
J.B. M. Camm, and Purity are evidently hybrids,
it was advisable that all perpetual forms of this
group also, should be merged in the large class of
H.P.s.

The China Rose (R. indica).—This group, truest of
Perpetuals, was introduced into this country from
China about the year 1789. The Common Pink,
otherwise known as the Monthly Rose because it is
always in flower, and the Crimson were imported
separately about the same time; and all other
varieties have resulted from these types. They are
not very strong growers, do best on their own roots
in a warm soil, and the flowers, with little or no
scent, have little to recommend them beyond the
one good quality in which they are unsurpassed—

28 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

constant freedom of bloom, early, late, and through-
out the season.

Many varieties were issued in past years, but,
besides the two types, Mrs. Bosanquet, of a waxy
ivory tint, was generally considered the only one
worth growing. Laurette Messimy (Guillot, 1887),
however, showed an improvement, a pretty button-
hole Rose, pink shaded with yellow, very free-
blooming; and several other varieties have since
been added, of which Madame Eugene Résal
(Guillot, 1895) is perhaps the best. Very little
pruning is required for the true Chinas.

The Lawrenceana, or Fairy Rose, also introduced
from China about 1810, is simply a China Rose in
miniature. These little toys are often sold in pots in
the markets, and should not be confounded with the
miniature Provence, which bloom only once: for the
Fairy Roses are true Chinas, and if kept in health
are ever in bloom. They are best perhaps in pots,
but are sometimes successfully grown in rich warm
soils as edgings.

The Tea Rose (R. indica odorata).—This most cele-
brated group, the true aristocracy of the Rose world,
was also introduced from China about the year 1810.
The first one was pink, and in 1824 the Yellow Tea
Rose was imported.

There can be no doubt that both of these origin-
ated from the China Rose, and for many years the
group was known as the Tea Scented China. They
are like the China group in habit, but differ from it
in being more susceptible to frost, and having the
peculiar fragrance said to be like that of a newly
opened tea-chest. It seems strange and suggestive
that Roses with this scent should have originated in

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Photograph by I. Mason Good.

II HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 29

China, but scent experts deny that the odour of Tea
is to be found in Tea Roses. The “manners and
customs’? of this lovely class will be found in
Chap. XII.

The Noisette Rose originated in America, and
was named after Mons. P. Noisette, who brought
it to France, from which it reached this country
about 1820. It is supposed to have been an
accidental cross between the Musk and the China
groups: there is no doubt it had something in
common with Tea Roses originally, and the like-
ness was soon considerably increased by further
hybridisation with the Tea Scented China. A few
of our H.P.s also show a cross with this group, of
which Boule de Neige is a good example. An ac-
count of the habits of this class also will be found
in Chap. XII.

The Musk Rose (R. moschata).—This species is
said to have been introduced to this country some-
thing like 300 years ago. It is a strong rambling
grower, not hardy, with late-blooming clusters of
single flowers, having a peculiar scent. It is a
native of Persia and is said to be the sort from
which the celebrated attar of Roses is manufactured
in that country. The only varieties of this group
which are at all well known are Madame d’Arblay
and The Garland, strong climbers, which are sup-
posed to be hybrids between the Musk Rose and
some form of Rosa multiflora.

The Polyantha Rosa (R. multiflora).—The per-
petual forms of this group are of recent introduction,
so much so that the name is not even mentioned in
the sixth edition of Mr. Cranston’s excellent book,
published in 1877. The best are dwarf in growth,

30 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and the flowers are very small, quite tiny, but often
exquisite in colour and shape, generally produced
in clusters and masses, and to distinguish them
from their cousins of the climbing Polyantha group
—are called by the National Rose Society pompons.
Among the best are Gloire des Polyantha, Anna
Marie de Montravel, Eugénie Lamesch, Léonie
Lamesch, Perle d’Or, Petit Constant, Cecile Brunner
Madame Phillipine Lambert. The majority of the
new varieties are no doubt hybrids with the H.T.s
and Teas. They are always in bloom, should be
very lightly pruned, force well, and are best used
as edgings except the taller growing varieties.

The Macartney Rose (R. bracteata)—This species
was introduced from China in 1795 by Lord
Macartney. It is of vigorous growth, with bright
glazed foliage, not very hardy, and best on a warm
wall. The original was single, but Marie Leonida
is double, sweet-scented, and generally a mass of
bloom through the season in a warm situation.

R. lucida, R. microphylla, and R. berberifolia are
not hardy, but with shining foliage, and practically
evergreen where well protected. There are double
and single forms.

The Japanese Rose (R. rugosa).—These Roses are
most distinct, the thickly spined wood and foliage
being very fresh and pleasing, the single flowers
large and fine, and the bright-red fruit handsome
and striking. Originally the two principal varieties
were the red and the white, the latter, very pure in
colour, being generally the favourite, but there are
now many hybrids of different shades, and more or
less double. They do well on their own roots in
good soil, for clumps, or a small ornamental hedge.

“08 olin wing} ‘SVHINVAIOG TUVAC] 10 Gag Vv

"Te wort aan)

il HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 31

Repens alba (Paul and Son, 1903) is a weeping form
of the white Rugosa, of extraordinary growth. It
should only be planted where it can have a great
deal of room, and if properly cared for will form a
striking object when in bloom. Blanc double de
Coubert, a semi-double the purest white of any
known Rose sweet scented. Conrad F. Meyer, a
beautiful shade of pink with large flowers of
excellent shape that should be in every garden. Its
white sport Nova Zembla is also good.

Other botanical varieties, all single, are R.
macrantha, a French Rose with long golden stamens;
R. pomifera, with apple-shaped fruit; R. rubri-
folia, with red stems and foliage; R. setigera, the
Bramble-leaved Prairie Rose from the United States;
and R. gigantea, from India, with white flowers
five inches across. There are many others, but they
are mostly only of botanical interest. The Green
Rose is a curious monstrosity of the China race, the
colour of the petals being identical with the leaves
and almost indistinguishable from the rest of the
plant.

A sort of ill-defined division has lately arisen
owing to some sorts being called ‘‘ garden Roses.”’
This term was originally applied, when H.P.s and
Teas came into fashion, to the Damask, French,
H.B., and H.C. Roses remaining in old-fashioned
gardens. Later, it came to be used for all Roses which
were not up to exhibition standard, and some raisers
of new varieties that were not up to the mark intro-
duced them as “‘ good garden Roses,” on the principle
of the horse-dealer who, having an animal that
would not ‘draw a hounce or ’acka yard” decided
he ‘“‘ must be a ‘unter,’ and sold him as such. The

32 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. II

N.RB.S8. has now classes for the exhibition of garden
Roses, and issues a list of what may be shown
under this head; but for general use, without
drawing any hard and fast line around them as a
class, the name is useful as representing the hardy,
strong-growing, free-flowering sorts, which do not
require much care, but are not up to exhibition
standard.

CHAPTER III
SITUATION AND SoIL

In the choice of a situation for the cultivation of
Roses we must seek for a spot—

I, as little liable as may be to severe frosts; and

2, sheltered, if possible, from violent winds, but
not too near large trees or hedges.

1. It is pretty well known that most of the Tea
Roses are tender, and likely to be injured or killed
by severe frost. In the winter of 1890 the whole of
my Maréchal Niels were absolutely killed, though
they were grown in a row close to the west side of
athigh paling, and were well and thickly covered
with bracken, with moreover nearly a foot of snow
over all. The Hybrid Perpetual Roses, especially if
grown as dwarfs, will generally withstand the effects
of any winter; but late frosts, in May or even earlier,
will seriously affect their young shoots, in severe
cases blackening and killing them, and still oftener
injuring or destroying the as yet invisible bud.
The worst of it is that it is difficult after such a
visitation to estimate at first how much damage has
been done. A fortnight of genial weather may
sometimes be required before we can see whether
the shoot is stopped (that is, made “‘ blind’”’—come

33 D

34 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

to an end without a bud), and even if the bud is still
to be found apparently sound it has probably received
some permanent injury or disfiguration that will
render it valueless, but cannot be detected till it is
too late. In such cases it would be advisable to
remember that the injury is almost always worse
than it appears to be at first, and that if the growth
is not far advanced the sooner the damaged shoots
are removed the better. Of course, too many blind
shoots should not be removed, especially if they are
the strongest, or if the plant has been lately moved,
for such treatment would be likely to seriously
weaken the whole season’s growth.

Even the native briar standard stocks, just trans-
planted from the hedges, will sometimes suffer; and
many thousands were thus destroyed in nursery
grounds in the winter of 1890-91. In one year in
the eighties many of my standard H.P.s were thus
destroyed, and in almost every case the injury—the
frost-bite—was not to the Rose, but to the stock,
black dead places, looking like actual bites, appear-
ing in the stems. This was an exceptional case,
and it does seem odd, as we rarely see a wild briar
injured by frost, that the same plant should be more
tender when transferred to a garden; but we must
remember that standard stocks for budding have
nearly all their fibrous roots cut off, and that
they are generally taken from a sheltered place and
planted right out in the open, much more exposed
to evaporation, and are often perhaps allowed to
become dry at the root in moving. It is plain,
therefore, that, as frost is such an enemy to the
Rose-grower, a situation should be sought where
the least damage of this sort may be expected.

III SITUATION AND SOIL 35

Frost is seldom very severe in England at the sea-
side, but the salt spray and violent winds would
render such a place generally undesirable, though
good Roses are grown in some seaside localities.
The old-fashioned saying is that ‘frost falls.” This
is of course not true in itself, but it is true in effect.
Heated air, being lighter, ascends; colder air, being
heavier, descends; and it is found that frost is
always most severe and dangerous in low-lying
places, and that a covering overhead is a better
protection than one at the side, because evaporation
upwards towards the sky produces cold. My neigh-
bour, a quarter of a mile off on a little hill, has
always from three to five degrees less of frost than I
have; and even if it were not so I believe that the
same amount of frost would be more destructive to
vegetation to me in a river valley than it would be
to him on the upland. Valleys or low-lying ground,
especially if near water, should therefore be avoided,
and the uplands in all cases be preferred.

Mere height above the sea-level would not, in
most cases, be a matter of much moment; though
on the one hand the top of a mountain would not of
course be a desirable spot, and on the other a very
flat plain with little height above the sea would
probably be subject to severe frost; thus the flats of
Cambridgeshire, which have such a slight fall to the
sea, are well known as registering very low degrees
of temperature. Rather high ground, not neces-
sarily the top of a hill, with valleys in the neigh-
bourhood for the cold air to fall to, would probably
be a good situation as to comparative immunity
from frost. In such a place the heavier or colder

air literally drains away to the valleys, which thus
D2

36 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

get more than their share of frost as well as of
water.

In dealing with situation, I do not allude to
different parts of England, though it is well known
that Maréchal Niel cannot be successfully grown
out of doors in Yorkshire, while in some parts of
Devonshire and Cornwall even sub-tropical plants
will live through the winter. I am not sup-
posing that the Rosarian can choose his county for
Rose growing: if he could, for combination of
climate and soil Herefordshire would probably
make a strong bid for the pride of place, at all
events for H.P.s. Teas, which depend less upon
actual fatness of earth and more upon dryness in
atmosphere and soil, may probably in favoured
situations be easier ‘grown in the Hastern Counties.
If a man has only his own grounds wherein to
choose a spot for his Roses, let the highest spot be
chosen, if it be not the actual bare cone at the top
of a hill. A little height will make more difference
than one would suppose; and if on a slope, let
Teas be planted at the top.

2. SHELTER.—Exposure to strong winds is very
hurtful to Roses in the flowering season, and at
such a time an exhibitor will be more distressed by
a gale of wind than by a storm of rain. Anything
that rubs or chafes against a petal will injure and
spoil it; and to tie every bud up so that nothing
can possibly touch it is, among a large number,
almost an impossibility. But wind may, and often
does, do much more harm than spoiling the blooms:
the newly budded shoots of ‘‘ maidens” are sure to
be blown right out of the stocks as soon as they

TIL SITUATION AND SOIL 37

get strong and heavy, and the whole plant thus
absolutely destroyed, unless they are carefully and
constantly tied up to stakes; and moreover these
ties must be looked to and renewed even quite up
to the autumn, as a strong head is seldom safe from
being blown out till it has been pruned in the
following spring.

Where there are many standards, and the stakes
have not been examined, and renewed where
necessary at pruning time, every morning after a
gale will probably show several of the supporting
stakes snapped off close to the ground, and the Rose
plant being injured at the root by swinging in the
wind. Not only must a new stake be supplied, but
the old stump must be extracted without disturbing
the plant; for old decaying wood has, especially in
some soils, a tendency to promote the growth of
a fungus which is injurious to the roots. The
operation, which looks hopeless, can generally be
satisfactorily performed with an old pair of garden
shears, which will grip the top of the half-rotten
stump, and then, by a downward pressure on the
handles, lever it out like drawing a tooth. This,
however, should not be necessary with bamboo
stakes, which are much more reliable and lasting
than those of English wood. Every stake should
be cut loose and pulled out of the ground every year
at pruning time, and then held at the top and
struck smartly on the ground. If it does not break,
it will last another year, but even a strong sound
bamboo, at the end of the second year, is nearly
sure to break right across at the critical point,
which is the exact line of the surface of the soil

38 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

in which it has been standing. The stake thus
shortened may often be replaced, and last at least
another year.

Again, although height is as a rule more important
than shelter as a protection against frost, the drying
power of the east wind in what is called a wind
frost is hurtful, especially to newly planted Roses.
It seems to dry the sap out of them, and if long
continued may do a good deal of harm.

As strong wind is so injurious, shelter should be
sought for; and that, not only on the north and
east, but also on the south-west, from which the
strongest winds generally come. Belts of close-
erowing trees or thick and high hedges will be the
sort of shelter generally available, but it is most
important that they be not close enough, either to
shade the Roses, or for their roots to enter the
beds. Buildings or walls are the best shelters, as
the protection they give is real with some refracted
warmth : they drop no seeds or leaves, and especially
they have no robbing roots.

A place which has plenty of walls, even if most of
them be low ones, offers great advantages in situa-
tion for Rose-growing. All the Teas and Noisettes
can be grown to greater perfection against a wall
than they can in the open, with the two dis-
advantages that the blooms will be too early for
exhibition, and that the autumn crop will probably
not be so good. The higher walls will be useful for
the Noisettes and climbing Teas, or even for the
climbing H.P.’s or Hybrid Chinas; and the lower
ones for the true Teas of more moderate growth,
which in the Hastern or Home Counties will in
ordinary seasons have first-class blooms by the first

saat SITUATION AND SOIL 39

week in June. Many do not know what a beautiful
Tea Rubens is, unless they have grown it on a wall;
and some of the hot-season Teas, such as La Boule
d’Or, Maman Cochet, or Medea, will often succeed
on a wall, and even not be too early to show, in
seasons when they fail in the open.

No wall should be neglected. I have grown the
best of Teas on the low wall surrounding a deeply
gravelled stable yard, and have won a medal with
Souvenir d’Elise from this hopeless-looking place.
I have in such cases planted the stock against the
wall and budded it there, with no preparation of the
soil. The stock rooted itself firmly and strongly, and
when the Rose began to grow I found that a big basin
or depression in the soil round the root and plenti-
ful supplies of liquid manure were sufficient for the
production of capital growth and splendid blooms.

Walls facing due South are not, however, to be
commended for the climbing Roses, except perhaps
in the more northerly parts of the country: the full
strength of the sun in cloudless summer days is too
much for them; the flowers come out in a rush and
are soon over, and the plant is too much forced and
exhausted to furnish much autumn bloom.

Apart from walls or buildings, the question of
shelter is a difficult one; for it must be carefully
remembered that the neighbourhood of trees, shrubs,
or hedges whose roots can reach the beds, and also
all actual shade, should be sedulously avoided.
And, again, the situation must be quite free and
open, not close and stuffy; and if no shelter what-
ever can be had, the finest Roses can still be grown,
for the grounds of nurserymen, even those who are
most successful at the shows, are absolutely open

40 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and exposed to the four winds of heaven. After all,
then, it is better to be moderately high and exposed
than to be too sheltered and too low, particularly if
the shelter consist of growing trees or shrubs
which stand too close. But, if thus unsheltered,
extra and constant care must be given in the growing
season to tying and supporting: the majority of the
H.P.s should be grown as dwarfs, and stout bamboo
stakes should support the standards.

In many cases, however, the would-be grower of
Roses has no choice of a situation, but has to make
the best of the ground at his disposal; and as I
have to grow my own Roses in just such a situation
as I have been describing as the worst of all-—viz.
at the bottom of a valley, near a river, hardly above
the level of the water-meadows, only thirty feet
above sea-level, on the stony gravel of an ancient
sea beach, and moreover surrounded by large trees—
I can fully sympathise with any one in such a
position. The disadvantages of low ground can
only be surmounted by choosing the very highest
you have—a little rise will tell—and by much care
in protecting the Teas through the winter (see
Chap. IV). As for the big trees, if they must not
be cut down, their shade and their robbing power
must be utterly avoided, or success will be im-
possible. We may generally calculate that the roots
will reach to a distance equal to the height of the
tree, though some are worse robbers than others,
and a specially wide berth should be given to Elms.
As to the cutting through the tree-roots before they
reach the beds, the labour will generally be found
inadequate to the result; a really deep trench, kept
open, might answer in some cases, but in many it

III SITUATION AND SOIL 41

would be a serious nuisance. I have tried cutting
the roots and putting tar and other things that I
thought would stop them into the trench, before
filling it up, but without success.

The general resort of the baffled Rosarian is to
take in a piece from a neighbouring field, and this is
no doubt the best course to pursue ; for, if the soil
be good and the field an old pasture without any
trees too near, it will be far better to do this at once,
even at some extra cost, than to try to grow Roses to
perfection in a garden without sufficient elbow-room
from large trees and shrubs.

Pure air is essential, and good Roses cannot be
grown within the smoke circle of a large town; but
on the border land, so to speak, of town and country,
in those suburban gardens where clean or foul air
may depend upon the direction of the wind, constant
loving care may do a great deal to minimise the evil
with a few plants. It should be remembered, in such
cases, that the leaves are the lungs which are unable
to respire when choked with grimy particles, and
plenty of syringing, and even sponging of the leaves
on the under as well as the upper surfaces, should
be resorted to.

Soin

The best soil for Roses is a strong rich deep
tenacious loam, of a heavy greasy nature without
being actual clay, and naturally well drained by
resting, not less than two feet down, upon gravel or
chalk or some other porous stratum. This will give
a general description of what should be the ideal,

42 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

but I do not suppose that anyone can accurately
appraise the value of a soil for Rose-growing by
simple examination, and even chemical analysis is
sometimes fallacious. The test of results is the best
and most reliable, and the value of land for wheat or
pasture (either of which is a good guide) is well
understood by local men in any part of the country.
One field will often differ very much in value from
another that looks just the same; but this is all well
known, as to practical results, by the farmers and
labourers on the spot, and much reliance should be
placed upon their opinion, in conjunction with ex-
amination of the soil, in test holes to the depth of
two or three feet at least. The best wheat land,
high-rented pasture, a neighbourhood where the
English oaks and elms grow large and the hedges are
vigorous and strong, with long clean healthy shoots
—such signs as these will be better guides to the
seeker for a Rose soil than geological maps, which
often give no indication as to the nature of the
surface.

The principal soils likely to be found are clay,
loam, gravel, chalk, and sand.

Cuay.—The general idea is that clay land is most
suitable for Roses; but there is a very great differ-
ence in the fertility of clays, from the poor blue
shale clay of the Weald of Sussex to the rich yellow
unctuous butter that feeds fat the Roses of Col-
chester. The grey, or light-coloured boulder clay is
often very deficient in humus, and requires a good
deal of manure, or better still dark-coloured soil, to
be mixed with it. In this matter there can be no
better guide, as I have said, than the local knowledge
which has been gained by generations of experience

III SITUATION AND SOIL 43

of results, and the obvious test of value is the rent
or price demanded and paid.

But clay land has very much deteriorated in value
for agricultural purposes of late years, more than any
other, and it is not now considered, as it used to be,
the best of all soils for Rose-growing ; and it must
be remembered that even the best of it is very diffi-
cult and troublesome to work : it cannot be meddled
with at all in wet weather, and unless the surface is
dry harm may be done by even treading on it.
Planting in such a case is @ serious trouble to the
conscientious Rosarian, who is told to apply the
most powdery soil to the roots of his Roses and to
see that it all settles evenly and closely between the
layers of fibres, if he has nothing at hand but huge
sticky unbreakable clods. The precious cultivation
of the hoe, keeping the surface powdery and pre-
venting evaporation by cracks in dry weather, is a
serious and difficult task. Even if the land is well
drained to start with, which is absolutely necessary,
the lower drainage of the pipes'may become choked
by age or neglect of attendance to the outfalls, &c.,
and the upper drainage of the cultivated soil is sure
to be injured if the ground be trampled on or
meddled with in a thaw or at any time when the
soil is wet.

If such land should be the portion of the Rosarian,
every effort should be made to lighten it, and to
keep its particles as separate as possible, and
prevent their being squeezed together in a muddle
of putty. The agriculturist seeks the aid of frost for
the disintegration of clay: if the soil be thrown up
roughly and as much as possible exposed to the air,
it will found on the first dry time after a thaw in

44 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

fair planting condition, but even then it should be
trodden as little as possible. Anything that will
mechanically keep the particles apart is good for
digging into actual clay: long strawy manure, leaf
mould, any vegetable refuse, road-scrapings, grit,
light sandy or gravelly soil, or even coal ashes, will
all help; but the best of all is the burnt clay itself,
mixed well into the land.

The clay should be burnt as follows. A large col-
lection should be made of all manner of vegetable
refuse, weeds, and rubbish that will not easily burn,
sticks and wood both green and dry, but nothing
except just the kindling that will not burn too
quickly, Rose prunings and hedge clippings, rotten
wood and old stumps, &c. Two or three large old
roots that will smoulder a long time may be placed
in the middle, and the heap arranged of such a
mixture of fairly inflammable and damper materials
that the fire will neither go out nor break into fierce
flame. In and upon and around this heap, when
well on fire, should be placed the clay in quantity
proportionate to the amount of fire. Constant
watching will be necessary to add fresh clay when
it is needed and to prevent the fire going out or
breaking through too fiercely anywhere, the object
being to char the clay black and not to burn it red.
I recommend, as the best instruction possible for
this as for all mechanical operations, seeing it once
done by an old and experienced hand. The clay
burnt red as a brick will be useful as a disintegrator
at all events; but the black charred clay will also
have a considerable manurial value, and it ig
generally agreed that there is nothing like it for

Ill SITUATION AND SOIL 45

improving at the same time the consistence and
fertility of real solid clay.

Roses in a clay soil make long strong roots, but
not many of them. It will be advisable therefore in
such places to put in plants from a lighter soil,
whether Roses or stocks, which would have a larger
number of roots of a more fibrous nature though not
so large; and it would be very desirable to have a
little lighter soil—lighter in weight, but darker in
colour—leaf mould or the top soil of an old garden
—to put in immediate contact with the roots.
Still, if the clay land be really good and well drained,
it will often repay all labour spent on it, especially
in a hot and early summer; for the Dog-Rose does
like heavy soil, and with a well-cultivated surface
above to prevent cracking on the one hand or too
great consolidation on the other, and with plenty of
moisture in the cool tenacious though well-drained
substance below, most of the H.P. Roses may be
expected to come to full perfection on this stock.

Loam.—lIf there was a choice, I should select
rather the best loam with a tendency to clay, what
a farmer would call “strong” land. There is very
great difference in the value and fertility of what in
auctioneer’s phrase would be ‘“‘ good mixed soil”;
and I can only repeat that the best guide on this
matter is local knowledge and the rent that has been
paid in past years. The soil ought to be equally
good for quite two feet in depth, with effective
natural or artificial drainage as a sine qua non. By
natural drainage, I mean a sub-soil of gravel, stones,
sand or chalk; and for artificial nothing less than
actual pipes should be used, laid by a competent

46 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

man, with a fair fall, and outfalls not neglected, but
watched, cleared, and properly attended to. The
deep, red, adhesive loam of some parts of Hereford-
shire has always seemed to me to be the perfection
of Rose soil, and in the best loam the best Roses of
all sorts may and should be grown.

On one occasion, when dining at a friend’s house, I
had some plum-pudding handed me, of the modern
type, very dark, rich, strong, and greasy. I declined
it, but regarded it curiously and with interest, my
thoughts wandering elsewhere. My hostess, noticing
my earnest gaze, asked me if I saw anything the
matter with it. Without thinking, and naturally
with somewhat unfortunate results, I blurted out
the truth : ‘‘ Oh, no: I was thinking what rare stuff
it would be to grow Roses in” !

GRAVEL.—Soil known as gravelly is often too
quickly condemned. It is considered healthy to live
on, agreeable to work, and useful for many things,
but too hot, poor, and dry for the cultivation of the
best Roses; still, as I have had to grow most of my
own in such a medium, condemned after careful
examination by one of the best judges as hopeless,
I can aver that there is no reason to despair of a
gravel soil.

There will be some soil at least, light, dry, and
powdery perhaps, but fairly fertile, on the top above
the gravel, and this, probably the full depth of the
spade in the garden but not so deep in the field,
should be taken out and laid on one side. Though
not the soil the Rose delights in, it is excellent for
root formation, for the striking of cuttinys, for
placing next to the roots of Roses, and for mixing
with heavy loam or clay in the making up of the beds.

III SITUATION AND SOIL 47

The actual gravel must then be taken clean away
to the depth of two feet at least from the surface
(some enthusiasts say three feet, but Ido not think
it necessary or even desirable), and sufficient good
strong loam procured to take its place. This is
expensive, but is absolutely necessary for the growth
of good H.P.s, and will last a longtime. The greater
part of this heavy loam should be placed at the
bottom where the gravel was, but a little of the light
soil may be mixed with the upper portion. How
to do this will be further described in the next
chapter; but it is important to notice that when
the beds are thus made up of good Rose material in
what is naturally a gravel soil, the advantage is
gained of having such perfect natural drainage at
the sides as well as at the bottoms of the beds
as could not well be attained in what is by nature
a good Rose soil.

Furthermore, Tea Roses may be grown to per-
fection on gravel soil. A large quantity of good
manure should in this case take the place of the
poorest of the gravel both above and below the
Rose roots, and a little of the heavy loam may be
added, though I do not believe it to be necessary.
For Teas there is no occasion to be afraid of the
multitude of small stones which are natural to
a gravel soil; for I believe Mr. George Paul
was right when he stated in the Rosarian’s Year
Book that ‘‘Tea Roses like grit.” The bloom of
Madame Cusin which gained the medal at the Crystal
Palace in 1893 as the best Tea exhibited by an
amateur, and was characterised by the Secretary
of the National Rose Society as “ certainly never
equalled in any exhibition on this side of the

48 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Channel,” was grown by me in what is practically
an old gravel-pit where stones have been raised for
the high road. The pit was refilled with the siftings
and levelled, and in this soil, unaltered save by
cultivation and manure, the above-mentioned and
other good Tea Roses have been grown.

CHALK.—This is as hopeless as anything to grow
Roses in, and on the upper chalk of down lands
where it is close to the surface, and good loam
probably far distant, it would be hardly worth
while to attemptit. But in a great deal of the chalk
formation of geologists it lies at a considerable
though varying depth, and the soil above it, of a
sufficient thickness for all Rose purposes, may be
gravel, sand, clay, or loam. In many of these
places the chalk itself is of a clayey nature, and
is then called marl, the fertilising value of which
is dependent upon the proportion of clay. Poor
dwellings and sheds in Suffolk used to be made of
what is called “clay lump.” This was marl, mixed
with reeds or straw, well watered, trodden by
a wretched horse till it was thoroughly compacted,
and then formed into very large bricks and left
to dry but not burnt. When an old building was
pulled down the ‘‘clay lumps” were considered
excellent, if broken very small, for mixing with
light land, and I have no doubt they were. They
were thoroughly dry, and one of the great difficulties
of mixing clay with other soil is overcome if it can
be got so dry that it can be beaten into powder.
Marl, as a mixture of clay and lime, was a good
deal carted on to the light lands for agricultural
purposes in times gone by, as the many old marl-pits
in Suffolk testify.

Ir SITUATION AND SOIL 49

Some very fertile soils may be found on the lower
chalk or marl formation, particularly on the edge
of the greensand. Hitchin would be a case in
point, where Mr. E. B. Lindsell has for some years
grown the best amateur H.P.s, and where Messrs.
Harkness and Sons have endeavoured, if possible,
to better even their Yorkshire fame.

Sanp.—-This may be considered in itself to be the
worst soil of all, but where it occurs in the green-
sand from sandy rocks, strong loam is probably to
be had within carting distance, and almost all the
really sandy part being taken right away to the
depth of two feet, good Teas at least might probably
be grown in well-made beds in such a place. But
in sands like that to be found at the seaside, or as
the “blowing” sands on the Norfolk and Suffolk
border near Thetford, where thick belts of firs have
to be planted to prevent one man’s crop, and field
too, being actually blown away to his neighbour,
I fear the Rosarian must stifle his impulses, change
his object of worship, and devote himself, according
to the extent of his holding, to hyacinths or
partridges.

CHAPTER IV

PLANTING: WITH LAYING OUT OF THE BEDS AND
PROTECTION

SITUATION and soil being settled, we have next to
lay out and prepare the beds, to plant the Roses,
and to protect the delicate and tender kinds from
being injured by frost.

Let it be first understood that for proper cultiva-
tion the Rose must have a place to itself. Although
I sympathise with that large number of cultivators
who plant Roses in mixed borders among strong
herbaceous plants and even shrubs, it must be said
that it is next to impossible to bring the Rose to
perfection in such surroundings. When wondering
much at the number of extra tall standards to be
seen in nurserymen’s grounds, and as to who could
be found to buy them, I have been told that there
is a large demand for them in some gardens for
certain situations, ‘‘where a tall standard Rose
would just come in’’—between two huge clumps of
delphinium, perhaps, or ‘‘so that it would just
show nicely from behind over that bushy shrub.”
It must be laid down that to make the queen of

flowers take a back seat is an impracticable task;
50

CH. IV PLANTING 51

she cannot stand it, but will inevitably pine away ;
she tolerates no rival near her throne, and will not
show her full beauty if she has one.

It should be understood that in this I am speaking
of the best Roses, H.P.s and Teas, as hereafter
described, and that there is now an increasing
number of Garden or Decorative Roses, as they are
called, which may be used in these positions. Few
of these are as strong-growing, fine, and perpetual
as one could wish, or as they probably will be when
Raisers have fully recognised what is required of
the ideal Garden Rose; but Lord Penzance’s
Sweet-briars, for example, are fully capable of
holding their own in the company of any herbaceous
plants or even shrubs.

For me, beds must be made for the Rose and the
Rose alone. No! no mignonette or other annuals
to “hide the bare ground,” since standards need
not be more than two feet high in stem, and dwarfs
should be close enough together to do all the
ground-hiding required. Let there be Rose beds
sacred to the Rose, and let them all be grown
together in the very best situation to be found;
for standards dotted about singly here and there
by the side of the drive or in holes on the lawn
are much more difficult to manage and care for
properly than if they were all together in prepared
ground. It is well known that you can feed 100
people much better and cheaper in proportion than
you can one person by himself. And so, if the
Rose is in a big bed with many others, the food can
be applied with greater economy and effect, and the
roots can find in any direction the same congenial
proper soil and nourishment.

E 2

52 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Let ‘‘the small man,” if he be a true Rose-lover
and has a mind to grow them really well, harden
his heart against all rival flowers, and go in,
practically, for Roses alone. In every department
of life a man must be a specialist now if he wants
to succeed, and the Rose will amply repay special
care. There are several examples among amateur
Rose-growers of single-handed men who either un-
ceasingly superintend or do all the work with their
own hands; and most of these have not the smallest
fear of meeting the best head gardeners in England
in any class at the largest shows. This is by no
means the fault of the great gardeners, even of such
as have fifty men under them, but is simply because
the Rose requires undivided care through nearly the
whole of the year, and they have such a multitude
of other things to attend to that they cannot com-
pete even with a single-handed man who gives all
his time to his Roses.

What, then, shall our Rosarium be like in pattern
and shape and general effect? Here I fear I shall
prove too practical and utilitarian for the taste of
many persons. Mr. William Paul in his large work
gives several carefully drawn diagrams of geometrical
arrangements and of noted Rose-gardens new and
old, some of them laid out quite from the landscape
gardener’s point of view. And Dean Hole says:
“There should be beds of Roses, banks of Roses,
bowers of Roses, hedges of Roses, edgings of Roses,
pillars of Roses, arches of Roses, fountains of Roses,
baskets of Roses, vistas and alleys of the Rose.”
But though these things are good and desirable,
they will probably be beyond the means of most of
my readers, as they certainly are beyond mine.

spngoy Wud Hyjorog hy yr

“6G vd wig) OAVSPPYYIVYS Je VPORIT B@ wo YIMOLF scvad om L

Iv PLANTING 53

For perfection of culture, which is the principal
object of these pages, the best situation must be
chosen, even in defiance of artistic surroundings.
And for my own personal taste I may say that,
given the most perfectly arranged Rosarium that
ever was seen, I would leave it for a few plants in
a bed in the kitchen garden with cabbages on one
side and onions on the other, if there alone could be
found the perfect blooms.

As to the shape of the beds, it seems evident that
they should not be so wide as to necessitate treading
upon the soil to reach and cut the blooms. This
points to long and comparatively narrow beds, and
when you have them there seems no escape from
actual rows, following the shape of the beds,
whether straight or curved. Anything else would
waste the precious room, for if the whole bed be
made of the best soil and fed and manured equally,
the room that will hold another plant 7s precious.
Straight rows may be condemned as formal, and so
they are, but they are thoroughly practical and
economical, and undoubtedly the best for an
exhibitor, who wants to be able to go over all his
plants easily and expeditiously.

My own Rose beds are simple parallelograms five-
and-a-half feet wide, and such beds may be as long as
you like. I may wish mine were longer than they are
but not wider. Longitudinally they are separated
by grass paths of the same width, and there should
be cross paths here and there, but not too many.
Grass paths are much superior to gravel in appear-
ance and in cost of keeping in order; and of course
if the Rose beds are made out of a meadow or
pasture, the grass is simply left. These paths

54 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

should not be narrower than five feet, not only for
the convenience of visitors, but also for the convey-
ance of water or liquid manure in hand-carts.

In these beds are three rows of Roses, the rows
sixteen inches from each other and seventeen inches
from the grass, and the strongest and tallest growers
naturally in the centre row. There should be no
hesitation about planting the Roses pretty close to
each other, for the bed will be all prepared and fed
alike, and they will not rob each other much.
Beginners are apt to make a mistake in this respect,
probably having young trees and shrubs in their
minds; but they should remember that in the case
of ordinary H.P.s and Teas grown in the open for
the production of the finest blooms, most of the
Rose plants will not increase very much in size, for
the annual pruning will prevent this. I have seen
many Rose beds where I should have nearly double
as many plants, and rows of standards whose
distance apart might be counted by yards; there
might be some excuse for wanting ‘‘to hide the
soil’’ in such cases.

It will be found most convenient for reference
and labelling, and especially if exhibiting 1s contem-
plated, to place all the plants of one variety together
in arow; and though the first idea is to dot them
all about the beds, the effect will be better if they
are massed together.

Then the distance of the plants from each other
in the rows should depend entirely upon the varieties;
sorts that are spreading as well as tall and strong,
such as Mrs. Paul, should be eighteen to twenty
inches apart, while such as are upright as well as
smal] growers, as Lady Mary Fitzwillan, may be

IV PLANTING . 5B

within nine or ten inches of each other. Between
these extremes there will be many gradations, and
care should be taken at the same time neither to
inconvenience the plants by crowding nor to waste
the room. Some tall sorts, like Frangois Michelon
or Her Majesty, are upright and not wide and
bushy, and do not therefore require much room;
while others, like Comtesse de Nadaillac, though
dwarf are spreading in growth, and cover more
ground in proportion. Some guide to these
‘“‘manners and customs’’ of the varieties will be.
found in Chap. XII. It will be best, however, that
the strong growers should be set wider apart if
quantity rather than quality be aimed at, as in this
case the plants will be allowed to increase in size at
the annual pruning. There are also some varieties,
both of H.P.s and Teas, which, even for exhibition
purposes, should not be pruned much : and obviously
more space should be allowed for them. The Gloire
de Dijon race, the Maréchal Niel and the Noisettes,
which are pruned on a different system and require
much more space, should not be planted in the same
beds with the H.P.s and Teas.

But I am getting on too fast. We have to make
up our beds after marking them out in the grass,
and to do this properly everything will depend upon
the nature of the soil and subsoil, instructions for
dealing with which have been given in the last
chapter. Whatever the soil may be, it should be
moved at least two feet in depth; and unless the
soil under that should prove thoroughly porous,
affording good natural drainage, the beds must be
properly pipe-drained by a competent and trust-
worthy man. That is the first thing; without good

56 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

drainage, natural or artificial, no success can be
achieved. In any soil there should be perfect
drainage, as cultivation depends upon it in many
ways. All really worthless soil, chalk, gravel, or
sand should be taken away, but long before this
should have been the hunt among neighbouring
farmers and landowners for good Rose material to
take its place. When found and purchased, this
good loam—the top spit of an old pasture if possible
—heavy and strong, but not actual clay if good loam
can be found, should be carted to the spot while the
ground is yet hard in September, for the Roses are
to be planted early in November, and the soil will
do well to rest and consolidate a while before
planting.

Let the beds be dug out, as advised, to the depth
of two clear spades at least; and let it be under-
stood that the material is to be made up in two
portions or layers, whereof the lower is to be the
larger. If among grass, reserve the turf to be
chopped up and mixed into the upper portion.
Next lay on one side all soil in the top spadefuls
that seems fairly fertile, however light and dry; it
will be useful for a thin layer in immediate contact
with the roots, for mixing very slightly with the
lower portion but more fully with the upper part,
and for forming the topmost two inches of the bed.
Then dig out the remainder of the depth agreed
on, and see that the drainage is right. If the soil
be good replace it, and if it be worthless cart it
away, and fill in with the imported soil, which if it
be actual clay should also have a good deal of the
lighter material worked in as thoroughly as possible.
This lower portion should be about two-thirds of

Iv PLANTING 57

the whole in depth; and if manure is to be added,
let it be mixed freely with the upper part of this
lower portion. If the bed is meant for Tea Roses,
heavy soil is not necessary, though good loam is
desirable, and a large proportion’ of the lower part
should consist of the best manure, remembering
the more manure is added the more the beds will
sink eventually as it decays.

The upper third of the bed should next be formed.
If the imported material be loam, a good deal of
this may be used; but if it be clay it should be
added very sparingly, and as well worked in as
possible with a good deal of the lighter soil and the
chopped turf, the upper two inches in all cases
being of soil that the hoe will pass through freely
and easily. The bed is now made up, with the
strongest soil and much of the manure forming the
larger lower part over the drainage, and the upper
one-third of rather more friable material, getting
gradually more porous towards the top, for the
admission of air and warmth and the encourage-
ment of fibrous roots. The beds should not be
trodden more than can be avoided, if there be time
for them to settle; it will be better if they are
pressed gently from time to time, or allowed to sink
naturally of themselves.

By the first or second week in November the
purchased plants ought to arrive, and these should
have been selected beforehand, if possible in the
nurseryman’s quarters, or at least ordered very
early, as the good plants are sure to go first. They
should not be sent before November, for though
you may move your own plants with care in
October, they do not stand a long journey well

58 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

before they have lost their leaves. The bundle
should be always unpacked at once, unless there be
strong frost; and if the frost continue, it will still
be well to unpack them, remove the frozen surface
from a piece of unoccupied light land, and “lay
them in.” This should be done with some care,
seeing that the roots are not bruised or laid too
closely together, that all are deeply covered with
soil, and that the tops are also protected from the
frost by green boughs, matting, or some such
material. They should also be laid in if the
weather is wet and planting cannot be proceeded
with at once; it is far better to do this than to
plant when the soil is sticky. Nevertheless, every
effort should be made to get the planting done in
November, and not to defer it till the spring; for I
have often seen that fresh roots are commenced
during the winter months by Roses planted in
November.

Great care should be used in disentangling and
untying the heads of the Roses when unpacking,
as there is still considerable danger, with the
‘“‘maiden’’ or one-year-old plants, of the head
being clean pulled out of the stock. Good plants
will have good roots, that is, many and fibrous,
rather than few, strong, and long. In “ dwarf”
Roses (by which term is understood all sorts even
of the most vigorous growth which are budded on
the stem of the stock near the root, and not on the
branches to form standards), good plants will have
very little length of stem between the roots and
the point where the stock was budded, whether
they be on briar or manetti: a perfect dwarf plant
should have no ‘‘leg” at all. The wood should

Iv PLANTING 59

be ripe, firm, and hard, a fat red fleshy shoot being
of no use, as it will certainly have to come off when
the plant is pruned. There should be a good union
between stock and scion, no failure visible in the
joining, and no round knob formed by the Rose at
the point of union; but it should be evident that
the stock has swelled and grown in proportion to
the growth of the Rose.

The roots should be pruned as soon as the Roses
are unpacked, in the first place removing with a
sharp knife any bruised or injured portions, and
seeing that the ends of all the roots are clean cut;
secondly, shortening all of extra length, especially
those which are fibreless, or stiff ones which go
straight down; and thirdly, looking for suckers,
which should be cut clean out—an easy way of
distinguishing a sucker from a root being that the
former gets thicker and the latter smaller the
further it gets from the stem. The underground
stem or main root should also be strictly examined
for buds even in the most embryo stage. These
should be carefully cut out, or they will certainly
sooner or later form suckers.

The art of packing Roses is well understood by
the best nurserymen, and some damp material is
generally placed in the package around the roots. It
may occasionally happen, however, owing to the
parcel being delayed on the railway, that the roots
have got dry or even the bark of the Roses become
shrivelled. In such a case, if matters have not gone
too far, the following method of recovery may be
recommended. Lay the Roses flat in the ground
and bury them completely, roots and tops, six
inches deep; give the spot where they are buried

60 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

a good soaking with water, and at the end of three
days the plants will generally be restored to their
original condition.

The very first opportunity when the soil is com-
paratively dry should be chosen for the planting, and
one of the most important points to remember is
that the roots should never be allowed to become
dry; they should be kept under matting or damp
leaves or soil till actually wanted, and exposed to
the air as little as possible. Some recommend the
dipping the roots in a pail of thick puddle composed
of clay, cocoanut fibre dust, and water, as a protec-
tion from drying air: but I do not think this is
necessary or advisable where there are small fibrous
roots, as these get matted together and cannot be
separated without some danger of injury. In spring
planting, if the sun be bright, it is safest to carry
the Roses in a pail of water from the place where
they have been laid in during the winter to the bed
where they are to be planted.

Another equally important point is that the Roses
should not be planted too deeply. I consider four
inches sufficient for ‘“dwarfs”; standards may be
planted an inch or so deeper, and a little further
apart from each other. Comparatively shallow
planting, especially if the Roses are going to be
cultivated, and not neglected, is a great secret of
success. A good piece of advice is to mark the line
of soil upon the plant, and be careful not to cover it
deeper than it was before; and a bad one is to plant
deeper in light soil to avoid the drought. The prin-
ciple of shallow planting and dependence on hori-
zontal surface roots is well understood by gardeners
in the case of fruit trees; they will take much pains

Iv PLANTING 61

to cut the tap-roots, and will even “lift” the roots
of their vines, peach, and other trees if they prove
unfruitful, lay them in again nearer the surface, and
encourage them by all means in their power to remain
there. They know that the produce of tap-roots is
gross wood without blossom, and that fibrous surface
roots must be looked to for flowers and fruitfulness ;
yet some recommend the seedling briar as a stock
because it roots deeper, although we surely want
flowers, not gross wood alone, from the Rose as well
as the fruit-tree.

In planting, therefore, at the depth recommended,
carefully spread out the roots horizontally, equally in
all directions if possible, though this cannot always
be done, purchased dwarfs often having roots point-
ing only in one direction, which arises in some
degree from carelessness and haste in originally
planting the stocks. If a separate hole be made for
each plant, let it be wide enough ; do not curve the
roots or let them cross each other. If they naturally
want to cross, or there be two or more going in the
same direction, put some fairly light soil between
them that they may lie in layers but always hori-
zontally. See that the soil which is put against the
roots themselves, or to cover each layer of roots, is
at all events fairly fine and crumbly, if not actually
dry and powdery, and especially that no manure is
put in actual contact with them; lift the plant by
the top up and down a little with a shaking move-
ment to settle the soil more thoroughly amongst the
fibres. And remember that the whole operation of
planting is done much more thoroughly and expedi-
tiously by two men than one. If single-handed a
short pointed stick for scratching fine soil between

62 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

the fibres will often be found more handy than
trowel or spade. Just fairly cover all the roots
with a couple of inches of soil, tread it very lightly
and carefully, and pass on to the next plant, for the
rest of the soil can be added at the conclusion of the
day’s work.

In planting dwarfs the point of union should be,
if the stock be manetti, two inches below the surface
and one inch if the plants are budded on briar
cuttings. The Rose may then eventually throw out
roots of its own, which will not only help to feed it,
but being nearer the surface will also hold the plant
more securely against being rocked and loosened by
the wind. Now therefore may be seen the immense
disadvantage of a dwarf plant which is not budded
sufficiently low on the stem: either the roots must
be placed too deep or the point of union must be left
uncovered. Order therefore with short ‘“ legs,” and
‘see that you get them.’ It should be mentioned
that Mr. Prince of Oxford, who is the principal ad-
vocate and the largest user of the seedling briar, does
not advocate the covering of the point of union with
this stock. I have seen some of his dwarf ‘ cut-
backs”’ on the seedling briar which certainly were
flourishing exceedingly with the point of union two
inches above the surface; but with the briar cutting
I have found Roses do not thrive so well if thus
planted, and with the manetti itis absolutely impera-
tive that the point of union be well covered, or the
plants will assuredly die.

Standards must be securely staked at the time of
planting, and it is better when the hole is made to
put in the stake before any of the roots are covered,
or otherwise some of the best of them may be inad-

Iv PLANTING 63

vertently bruised and injured. All the plants for
the day having been put in, some more soil should
be added to each plant; and then tread but lightly,
make the surface level, and look to the row again in
a few days with a rake, filling depressions and doing
away with any cracks that may appear. This will
be better than treading too heavily at the time of
planting. If the weather should continue very dry,
watering may be desirable; and if the plants have
good green leaves on when put in, the heads should
be watered at once on unpacking, and the plants
well watered and syringed immediately after
planting.

It is easy to imagine a beginner having some
uneasy reflections after following the above instruc-
tions. ‘I have planted my roses only four inches
deep, and trained the roots horizontally, as certainly
seems right from the analogy of fruit trees and from
what I know of the advantage to roots of the fertilising
influences of sun, air, and the surface bacteria. But
nearly all my manure, and I gave a great quantity
of valuable stuff to my Teas, has been buried some
distance below the plants, and what is the use of
all that manure there, if the roots are not to be
allowed to go down to it?”

Here comes in another important principle, to
illustrate which I will take as my text the soil in
which hyacinths and other bulbs are grown in
immense quantities in Holland for sale. This soil
is extremely valuable, as the profit on the cultivation
in good hands may reach quite £50 an acre. And
what is it? Pure sand and nothing else for a depth
of four feet or more, which no English farmer would
take rent free. Yet the hyacinth must have plenty

64 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

of water. We all know that in a hyacinth glass
a fine plant and a noble flower may be produced
from the bulb with nothing but water given. We
also know from this glass culture that the roots of
hyacinths do go down some depth, considerably
more than the height of the glass. And it should
further be stated that the sand in the soil spoken of
rests upon a water-bearing stratum of clayey peat,
in fact the general water-level of the whole country.
But it seems almost impossible that hyacinth roots
should reach down vertically for four feet or more,
and quite impossible that they should start and form
such a length of root without the aid of water. If,
however, the water was always slightly risimg up
through the sand, and moreover the roots had
a power of attraction almost equivalent to suction,
the impossibility would vanish. And so it is. Water,
or rather moisture, does rise through the soil by
capillary attraction, as it will up through a sponge
or piece of flannel. Just so, moisture is always more
or less rising up through the earth, though of course
a quantity in time of rain or immediately after sinks
down through it. It rises most of all when the sun
shines hot and the surface is dry, and then the Rose,
which likes heat and a friable air-permeated surface
above and a ‘cool bottom ’”’ below, rejoices in the
rich moisture which the roots appropriate as it rises
up through the manure from below.

In thus recommending the placing of all manure
at planting time beneath the horizontally lying roots,
and incorporating none in the soil at their own
level, I must make the proviso that the soil at that
level is, as it generally would be, sufticiently rich in
“humus.” This is decayed organic matter, animal

Iv PLANTING 65

or vegetable, probably mostly the latter, and as a rule
we may judge of the amount of humus in a soil by
its colour: the darker it is the more humus would
generally be present. .Thus, peat, leaf-mould, or
manure that has become mould, would be almost
entirely humus, and lacking in the mineral require-
ments of plants: while light-coloured sand, gravel,
chalk, or light-grey boulder clay would be almost
wholly mineral, and wanting in organic matter. In
such a soil, Roses might be grown well for a time,
but sooner or later the defect would be seriously felt,
and no liquid or artificial manure would atone for it.

Now, the upper portion of most garden or pasture
soils has generally sufficient humus, afforded in the
one case by manure at different times, and in the
other by the gradual decay in course of years of the
roots and leaves of the plants of the pasture. But,
if light-coloured soil of any sort, or even loam taken
from anywhere more than a foot below the surface,
be imported, it will be too “‘raw,” and well-rotted
manure in large quantities should be thoroughly
mixed with it. But it must be well rotted, for I am
strongly of opinion that a great many newly planted
Roses fail to thrive because too fresh manure is
placed close to the roots. This error, and that of
planting too deeply, are the commonest faults in
planting Roses.

For these reasons I recommend strong rich dark
fresh soil in preference to the addition of solid
manure, and that if any be used it be placed under-
neath, where it may be used before it has lost its
strength.

It must be borne in mind that shallow planting is
of no use without cultivation, which is done by the

F

66 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Dutch Hoe constantly at work on the surface. This
causes more rapid evaporation from the actual inch
or two disturbed and it soon becomes dry, but at
the same time by closing the pores and filling up
cracks it checks the evaporation from below, so that
the moisture drawn up from beneath in the manure
reaches the roots, and yet cannot escape into the air
in vapour. I consider this one of the most im-
portant points in the “cultivation” of the Rose.

When I say Dutch Hoe, I mean a Hoe which,
passing beneath the surface, does the above-men-
ss

‘* SPROUGHTON ” Hog,

tioned work of cultivation without undue moving
of that surface itself either forward or backward. I
do not at all like to advertise here an invention of
my own, but as I believe the ‘‘ Sproughton’”” Hoe
to be much superior to any other, it does not seem
right that I should hesitate to recommend it.

It has all the advantages of the Dutch Hoe with-
out its disadvantages, and with these other virtues
in addition :—

The earth, in passing over the blade, does so un-
impeded ; it does not have to pass through a hole as
in the Dutch Hoe, since there is only one connec-

IV PLANTING 67

tion between the handle and the blade. In a stiff
soil it can be used sideways, if necessary, plough
fashion; and it has a free point, which has many
advantages.

Further, and especially, it is a Duplex: it is just
as efficacious in drawing as in pushing, and ordin-
arily should be used for pushing aud drawing
alternately, thus covering double ground, as it
wastes no time in the air. A very short trial will
also show that it will work the ground the other
side of a plant, between it and the next one, with-
out the user changing his position, as no other Hoe
will. I do not like to puff it any further, though
the sale of it has never brought me profit or seems
likely to do so: but all who have tried it speak of it
as the best Hoe, and it would plainly be of no use
to mention it without adding where it is to be got—
G. C. Bennett and Son, Tavern Street, Ipswich.

As to mulching for winter protection of the roots,
I do not believe it to be necessary, but the soil
should be loose on the surface even in winter, for a
friable and well-cultivated surface is a mulch as has
just been seen. Very long shoots of dwarf Roses
may be shortened, not too much, but only to pre-
vent the wind getting much hold of them. This
does not apply to the Noisettes, Maréchal Niel, or
the Dijon race of Teas, whose long shoots must be
protected and tied to some support.

If the collection is quite small, labels of as per-
manent a nature as possible may be used; but in
large collections, especially where, for exhibition,
many of a sort are grown together in rows, a book
with the rows numbered and the names written in
order will be found most convenient.

F2

68 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

PROTECTION

But the tender and delicate Teas are to be pro-
tected from frost, and how is this best to be done?

Long manure is unsightly and unclean, and
difficult to get away properly, while clean straw
looks untidy and messy and is not a good protection,
For a long time bracken (the common brake-fern)
has been recommended by nurserymen, and good and
useful it is where it can be had. If it can be pro-
cured at a reasonable price per load, a stipulation
should be made that it be cut before it has got quite
sere, in fact just when it begins to turn. In this
case the leafy parts will adhere much longer to the
skeleton stalks; but care must be taken that it be
not laid before use even in small heaps, or it will be
sure to heat to a certain extent and steadily rot. It
should be put lightly yet thickly around and amongst
the dwarf Teas and into their heads: there is no
fear of its blowing away, but after a heavy snow it
may get beaten down a little too much, and a
further supply, which should be kept in sheaves,
standing in stooks, may be added. For standards it
is a capital protection, tied tightly together at the
top, and allowed to hang down all round, as a sort
of rough thatch; but in making it secure against
wind, it should not be fastened to the stem underneath
the head, as anything that will hold the damp that
does get through the protection will do more harm
than good: wheat straw makes a still better job in
skilful hands, but if fir or laurel boughs be the pro-
tecting material chosen, the plant may be too

Iv PLANTING 69

top-heavy to stand a violent wind without some
additional support.

For a few dwarf Teas a rude platform of crotched
sticks with poles laid on them to support fir or ever-
green boughs answers generally very well: in this
case it would be good for the plants to remove the
protection when there is no severe frost ; and it may
be taken as a general rule that frost to the extent of
ten to twelve or even more degrees will do no harm
in the winter, if it be not unduly prolonged or ac-
companied by a dry east wind.

Another material for the protection of dwarf Teas
that seemed very reasonable and good at first is earth
itself. To use this, the rows of plants are earthed
up by a hoe, or even in large quantities by a plough,
in the same manner that potatoes are treated in
the spring, to the height of four to six inches; in
any mode, no protection need be applied to the tops
of the plants, as a great deal will necessarily be cut
away in the spring pruning. But if the roots run
horizontally and shallow, as they should do, there is
considerable danger of injuring them in scraping up
sufficient earth, and a fresh supply for the purpose
from elsewhere is heavy and inconvenient to move
away again. If, therefore, this mode of protection
be used, and it is a popular and effective one, the
rows should be at least double the distance apart
that I have recommended.

I find the cheapest, most convenient and handy
material for the protection of dwarf Teas from frost
to be dead leaves, which will just have fallen and
should have been gathered together in time for use.
If applied thickly enough, they appear to afford
ample protection against any frost, and when heaped

70 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

together on the beds they may possibly generate a
very small supply of heat in themselves ; but only
dead leaves should be used, for anything that would
ferment and actually heat would probably be
injurious.

They should be put a foot to eighteen inches in
depth all over, around, inside, and between the
plants, and I do not find that they blow away in
appreciable quantity, except perhaps on the very out-
side, where they may be renewed. They will be
beaten down and consolidated a little by snow and
rain, when a fresh supply if necessary can be
added.

I believe these to be the best protection ; they are
Nature’s own covering; the bed-clothes she herself
provides for the winter sleep of her tender plants,
and even apples accidentally left on the ground
under the fallen leaves, have been often found fresh
and in good condition in the early spring. What-
ever the covering be, it should not be removed till
the middle or end of March, unless the quantity be
so small that the covering can be very quickly
replaced.

Tea Roses on walls can be easily protected by
evergreen boughs hung on nails; if fir branches be
used, the needles or leaves will begin to drop off in
early spring: this has a good effect in exposing the
plant gradually, and so hardening it off, but the
needles should be swept away and not suffered to
work into the soil. It must be remembered in this
case and in that of standards that it 1s no use
protecting the upper shoots if any part of the actual
Rose below is left exposed. The very lowest part
of the Tea Rose as budded on the briar is the

IV PLANTING 71

important place ; if that be killed the whole plant is
destroyed: but if even an inch of sound wood is
alive at the very bottom, though all the rest be
killed, the Rose will probably grow up again as
strong as ever.

In very severe frosts and on low-lying grounds
there is, however, great difficulty in keeping
standard Teas alive during the winter. Leaves or
earth, the most efficient protectors, seem impossible
of application ; and as the best Tea Rose blooms are
produced on standards, heavy losses are often
experienced by exhibitors. Digging the standards
bodily up, and, after laying them carefully in rows
in the earth, covering them with boughs or soil, has
been tried and recommended. For the weakly
growers, such as Comtesse de Nadaillac, Princess of
Wales, or Cleopatra, if on strong stems, this may
answer fairly well; but for the stronger sorts with
large heads, such as Marie van Houtte and Anna
Olivier, it seems a pity to lose the advantage of
established plants. I have tried half-measures, with
great success so far as the frost was concerned ;
this consisted of digging the rows of plants up, or at
least loosening them, on one side only, then bending
and pegging them down flat on the ground and
covering them first with straw and then with earth.
Though completely uninjured by severe frost, they
did not do so well afterwards as I hoped they
would, but it was an exceptional season, and I
should try it again but that I have found a higher
spot for my standard Teas, where, with due protec-
tion of their heads, they have survived severe frost
without having to be moved.

Maréchal Niel is very liable to injury from frost,

72 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

especially in the long strong shoots of the year,
which if unhurt will produce the best blooms. Asa
standard in the open, where it can be efficiently
protected (the plant from frost in the winter and the
blooms from rain in summer), it does not indeed
afford such a wealth of early flowers as under glass
or against a wall, but it becomes a true perpetual
bloomer, and from such plants alone can Roses be
cut for exhibition. For the best method of protect-
ing such standards in the open, see Chap. NIL.,
p. 328.

When briars have been budded with Teas, the
tiny bud, on which so much depends, is of course in
danger in hard frost. An old piece of advice from
Mr. Rivers was to paint it with two or three coats
of collodion, which forms a white skin: I tried this
for two years but cannot credit it with protection of
much value. I strongly recommend for the pro-
tection of these Tea buds the little straw covers or
cases in which wine-merchants send out their
bottles; there can be little difficulty in obtaining
these in quantity, as I believe they have no value,
except for lighting fires. It should be seen that the
ties are secure, especially that the one at the top is
tight and sound, and then they form capital night-
caps, which are, I believe, as good protection as
could be wished. In the case of dwarfs they are not
wanted, as the earth or dead leaves can be used to
cover them: but they are just the thing for standards,
when the budded lateral is cut back only just short
enough to allow the cap to pass over, when it is held
quite sufficiently against the wind. The bud is thus
actually thatched, and provided with what is practi-
cally a waterproof as well as a warm covering,

Iv PLANTING 73

though not impervious to air. In one or two very
severe winters I have had the inserted buds of
tender Teas destroyed by frost even under these
caps: and I now wrap a little very thick (‘‘ Giant ’”’)
Berlin wool round the buds before putting the cap
in position. The cap must be tied very tightly at
the top, as the wool would hold water and be
dangerous: but I have never lost a Tea bud from
frost since using the wool. The caps can be very
readily taken off or replaced if necessary at any time
to see that all is well.

Any Rosarian who has had valuable Tea Rose
plants killed in past winters, will find it a great
comfort when he hears the cold north-easter blow,
or finds his sponge frozen in the morning, to know
that his Rose-pets are well supplied with bed-clothes
and night-caps to keep out the frost.

CHAPTER V
MANURES

‘“MANURES”’ may seem an unsavoury subject to
those lovers of the Rose who only know of the
flowers as seen in the garden or after they are cut ;
but to the Rose-nurses, under whose constant care
each shoot grows onwards to the perfect bloom, it is
ag important a matter as the food of a babe is to its
mother. The Rose enthusiast, for whom I write,
has no objection to exploring the recesses of a muck
heap—he rejoices in the discovery of a dead well of
really good stuff—and wonders much how others can
find any objection to the wholesome and invigorating
fragrance from a big watercart full of the drainings
of a cow-shed.

The Rose is said to be a gross feeder, but this does
not seem a satisfactory statement, for though it will
take and absorb, and ‘‘ answer to treatment’ as
doctors say, in the reception of large quantities of
strong manure, yet is it fastidious in the manner of
its application. The roots of the same plant which
when strong and well established will rejoice in
fairly strong liquid manure, will, when that plant is

moved in November, become sickly and perhaps die
74

CH. V MANURES 75

if they are placed in the planting in contact with
fresh, raw, and insufficiently decayed manure. The
roots of the Rose like to run and feed in thoroughly
fertilised soil of the proper texture and quality in
preference to actual manure; and this is why fresh
soil, the top ‘‘ spit’’ of an old pasture with the turf,
liquid manner of different sorts, or artificial if the
exact amount of proportions can be found, have
more satisfactory results as a rule than any quantity
of solid manure incorporated in the soil.

It may be said that the soils of many a garden are,
from long manuring, thoroughly fertilised earth: and
indeed the manetti stock, which seems to like this
sort of ground, budded with H.P.s in a favourable
situation (that is, well away from trees or shrubs
or any strong vegetation), will often give very
satisfactory results the first season in an old garden.
But this dark old soil, very rich in humus and
decayed vegetable matter, though it may be much
benefited by a dressing of lime, is generally wanting
in some of the mineral constituents which the Rose
requires, for though heavily manured it has probably
been also heavily cropped, and the Rose likes fresh
virgin soil if possible. A naturally strong, rich,
rather heavy loam is what the H.P. rose likes, as
fresh and unrobbed as possible; but wonders may
be done for the Teas by manure, solid and liquid,
even on a poor light soil.

1. NaturaL Sonip Manure.—It will be seen
from the above that I do not consider solid manure
to be the best form in which to give food to Roses,
provided they be planted in good fresh dark soil that
is sufficiently rich in humus. But many other good
authorities may very likely be of a different opinion,

76 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and I should quite allow that solid manure, in the
right condition and properly applied, is of great
benefit to Tea Roses.

Taking first the ordinary manure made with straw
from stable, cowshed, or pigstye, it is generally
allowed that as the Roses like ‘‘a cool bottom,” and
stable manure is “‘ hot,” and cow manure “ cool,”’
as a rule the former is the worse and the latter the
better for the purpose. In clay soils stable manure
would be allowable and perhaps even advisable ;
but, otherwise, that from cowsheds or, better still,
from a yard where highly fed bullocks are kept,
would be the best of all natural solid manure, the
pigstye contribution ranking next in value, and
the general heap from a farmyard where horses are
not predominant being good enough for ordinary
purposes.

The next question is, Is it to be dug into the
soil, among established Roses, or used as a top-
dressing? I would avoid the digging, if possible,
by having rich fresh soil with plenty of humus to
start with, and perhaps moving the Roses, or re-
planting them after renewing the beds when they
seem worn out. But if the manure is to be got in
amongst established Roses, dug in it must be, on all
but light soils, with as narrow a spade and as much
care as possible.

But if it is to be thus dug in and incorporated
with the soil among the roots, we must consider
what its condition should be. It should be
thoroughly decomposed and ‘“‘ sweetened”’ so as to
have lost its objectionable qualities to the human
senses, for not till then is it suited for contact
with the roots of the Rose. It is quite true that

v MANURES v7

manure does lose some of its valuable constituents
by rotting so far, especially if exposed to the wash
of heavy showers; if the solid be preferred to the
liquid, it should be protected from rain, and yet
kept just damp enough to decompose thoroughly,
and turned of course, as every labourer knows how,
to prevent too rapid heating.

If a top-dressing be used, no confusion must be
made between this and a mulch. It is not un-
common to find, in instructions on planting, one to
the effect that when a job is done a coating of long
manure, which may be forked in at spring time,
should be laid on the top to protect the roots from
the frost. In the first place it is the plant itself,
not the roots, which most requires protection from
frost; next I do not know how any manure, much
less long stuff, is to be ‘‘ forked”’ into the soil in a
useful and harmless manner; and I wonder quite
as much what good can be done by long straw,
washed clean by the winter’s snow and rains, if it
is got in. A manure and a mulch are two different
things, and should not be confounded ; the former
is for feeding and fertilising objects, and the latter
for protection against frost, heat, or drought.
Some little good may be washed out of it into
the soil, but when wanted no longer it should be
removed.

Well, then, shall we apply our solid manure, for
food during the spring and early summer, as a top-
dressing? If we do, it is plain that the roots can
only feed on what is washed from it through the
soil by rain or watering, and that the same advantage
could be got by liquid manure alone. To this it
might be answered that a long drizzling yet thorough

78 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

rain would wash ‘the good” out of the top-dressing
more gradually and with better effect than could be
produced by applying liquid manure in quantity,
and if the top-dressing was exhausted by much
rain, a new supply could take its place. This is
true, but a top-dressing has its drawbacks :—not
only in its unsightliness, for the enthusiast will
think nothing of that—he wants the most perfect
Roses and will endure anything for that object
—but that, if laid on thick enough to be of any
service in feeding, it hinders the beneficent influences
of sun and air, brings weeds of its own and makes
their extirpation troublesome, and, above all, pre-
vents the most important cultivation of the surface
during May and June by the Dutch or rather the
““ Sproughton ”’ Hoe.

Nevertheless, on light soils, by which in this case
I mean light in colour and light in weight, decom-
posed solid manure has a very good effect when
applied as a top-dressing, and does act as a mulch as
well. On hungry and porous soils, such farmyard
manure, sufficiently far gone for the straw to have
lost all colour, or “ short’’ enough to be moved with
a shovel or spade, even though it be laid on several
inches thick, completely disappears in the course of a
year, and hardly any sign of it except a darker colour
to the soil remains.

On poor gravelly ground, where no fresh soil has
been imported, a liberal top-dressing of this sort,
especially if plenty of good manure has also been
placed beneath the roots, will enable Standard Teas
to be grown to perfection ; for it will not hinder but
facilitate the use of liquid manure, natural or artificial,
as well. On such ground, poor, porous, and wanting

v MANURES 79

in humus, no hoeing on the surface can prevent the
plants from suffering in a hot dry summer, and some-
thing in the nature of a top-dressing or a mulch is
necessary. But that will not make it a Rose soil,
where H.P.s can be grown satisfactorily.

Avery good authority recommends that,in planting,
the manure be applied in the fashion of a sandwich ;
that is, I take it, manure below, then soil, then the
roots, then more soil, some manure over that, and the
soil again at the surface. The danger here, I think,
would be of either making the top layer of manure so
thin as to be nearly useless, or getting the roots too
deep.

Top-dressings of brewers’ grains, or other com-
pounds, are recommended by Dean Hole and other
writers, but I think that on a proper Rose soil some of
the above disadvantages would be found connected
with any one of them.

Of solid manure not made up of straw, night-soil is
perhaps the most important. And asa strong believer
in the earth system I am tempted here to enlarge upon
the well-worn theme of the folly of civilised mankind
in wasting immense quantities of manure, which they
spend large sums in replacing, by discharging in into
the rivers where it does untold harm, instead of re-
turning it to the earth, as God commanded Moses, to
the great advantage of their health, their pockets and
their gardens and fields.

Science continues to show more and more, on the
one hand by the light it throws on the dissemination
by water of typhoid fever and cholera, and on the
other by the discovery of the purifying mission of
the bacteria in the surface soil, that earth is the
best receptacle for night-soil and water the worst.

80 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

But after all the earth system is not practicable
in large towns, and is troublesome to enforce in
villages.

There is naturally great difficulty in dealing satis-
factorily with night-soil as a manure for Roses, and
often it is probably not worth the trouble when it can
be dug in quickly for vegetable crops, and other good
manure is procurable. Mr. William Paul, in his large
work, The Rose Garden, describes a mode of using
it which involves mixing with earth, burying for six
months, and afterwards mixing and turning over once
or twice more. This seems to require a good deal of
labour, but then it must be noticed that he considers
it the best of all manures for Roses on light soils, and
that it has a very marked effect on the growth I can
testify from an instance in my own garden. During
the winter a quantity of night-soil was deeply buried
near to a sweet-briar, into which I had put a bud of
Maréchal Niel; and one of the shoots from that bud,
being laid along a wall, reached in the course of the
summer a length of 27 feet. But, on the whole, it
will be found in most cases that the trouble of dealing
with it outweighs its value, where other manures are
to be had.

Manure from the fowl-house or dove-cote is good,
but transitory ; it should be kept from rain, and not
put on in the winter.

The old custom of burying the carcases of dead
animals in vine borders is now discredited, and I
should not recommend it for Roses. Bones, though
most useful for the phosphates they contain, do not
supply all the necessary constituents, and had better
be left to the manufacturers of artificial manures.

2.—Liquip Manurg.—lI have hinted at the advan-

v MANURES 81

tages which I conceive to belong to manure in a liquid
state. (1.) In the first place, it is plain that the
roots of a Rose cannot take up anything except
fluids: consequently, only those parts of solid
manure which are soluble can be of any use as food,
and therefore liquid manure can supply everything
that solids can. (2.) Secondly, the problem is by
this means solved of how to get fresh food to the
roots without disturbing them. (3.) And lastly, the
food can be given just when it is wanted, and with-
held when it is not wanted.

1. As to the first of these points, let the beginner
not only remember himself, but also diligently im-
press upon his assistant, that Roses drink but cannot
eat. The ordinary labourer will not believe in the
strength or virtue of a clear fluid—from perhaps a
hazy comparison with his own beer, he distrusts any-
thing that is not thick; and he will be careful to
apply the dregs of the liquid manure cart or cask.
“because that’s where all the good is.” It should
be pointed out to him that what cannot be dissolved
in water cannot be assimilated by the Rose, and he
should be told not to put on the dregs, which may
sometimes do harm. Of course time, chemical
changes, and the power of the earth bacteria may
and do eventually dissolve materials which remain
solid in ordinary water; but liquid manure is as a
rule for present immediate use, and therein lies one
of its great advantages.

2. By liquid manure we can reach all the roots at
once without disturbing them at the actual time of
their most vigorous growth ; and we can supply the
Rose with what it wants, soil thoroughly stored
with food ready cooked as it were for immediate

G

82 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

absorption, rather than solid manure in the soil which
may or may not have all the materials ready in a
soluble state.

3. To obtain fine fruit, from an apple, pear, or
peach-tree, for instance, every gardener knows that
manure is wanted when the fruit is set and begin-
ning to swell: that earlier it may induce too much
wood: and that a tree which has no fruit is best
without manure, as the extra nourishment is more
likely to produce wood than fruit buds. Roses do
not form quite an analogous case: for in most cases
manure given early will not hinder the flowering,
and a certain length and strength of stem are
necessary for a good bud, but occasionally it might
cause the wood to be longer than necessary and the
bloom to be delayed. At all events it is when once
the tiny bud is formed that the Rose most needs
support; all the powers of roots and leaves are at
that time devoted to the Rose itself, and then is the
special opportunity for feeding with a lavish hand.
Do not be afraid of making your Roses ‘“ coarse” ;
we can always find room for superfluous energy by
less rigorous pruning in spring, or later by judicious
caution or delay in disbudding.

The ordinary liquid manure which I should recom-
mend would be the drainings after rain from cow-
yard or pigstye or both, but not from the stable,
which is often, from being less diluted, too strong.
Free access to a tank containing the drainings and
storm-washings of a cow or bullock yard is well
worth paying for by any Rosarian. Unless obviously
very weak, it should always be diluted; too weak
can do no harm, but too strong may. Without
appearing to hurt the strong roots, it may injure the

v MANURES 83

young tender fibres, and the plant will eventually
suffer. The contents of a tank from a covered yard
would be much too strong; but, as to one which
receives the storm-washings of an open yard, it is a
fortunate circumstance that after rain is the best
opportunity for applying liquid manure, viz., just the
time when such a tank would be full and probably
not much too strong.

This should be remembered as a possible error for
an assistant to make; he may be apt to think that
when the ground is dry is the time for liquid manure,
but it is not so: the drier the ground and the season
the weaker the manure and the purer the water that
should be given. If in a dry time liquid manure
is available, and it is desired to put it on, it would
be advisable to give a thorough soaking with pure
water first. But, as I have said, it fortunately
happens that liquid manure is generally to be had
just when it is advisable to apply it—after a good
rain.

An ordinary labourer, besides the mistake of
thinking ‘the good” is in the dregs, of which he
may be convinced by a comparison with tea-leaves
after tea has been made from them, is also apt
in watering Roses or fruit trees to put it all much
too close to the plants. He should be reminded
that as his hand is at the end of his arm and he
cannot take hold of anything pushed against his
shoulder, so the mouths of the roots are at their
extremities, and it is there they should be fed.
The Rose bed should be equally soaked all over.

Another mistake that may be made is this:—‘‘ I
have only got a certain amount of liquid manure,
and that healthy vigorous plant does not want it, I

G 2

84 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

am sure; but this poor weakly thing would certainly
be the better for a dose.”

This would be an error in principle as well as in
fact. The principle is a Gospel one, and may be
found in St. Luke xix. 24—26. It comesinto Rose-
growing in more than one way ; notably, in pruning,
that less in proportion should be cut away from
strong growers than from weakly ones; in selection
(for ordinary purposes, not for exhibition), that a
man should cultivate most specimens of the varieties
which do well with him, and not endeavour to make
up the balance by growing more of those which only
sometimes come good; and here, in feeding, in two
ways, for not only does it pay better, as graziers and
all keepers of live stock know, to encourage the
healthy than to coddle and nurse the weak, but also
the weak cannot use the rich food which makes the
strong still stronger. Giving strong meat to babies
wastes the food and also seriously injures the feeble,
who must take but cannot assimilate it.

We should never be afraid of making our plants
too strong ; for we can always divert the stream of
sap and lessen its supply to each bud by leaving a
greater number of shoots or buds on the plant at
the two periods of disbudding. I have even heard
of cutting the roots of La Boule d’Or in the early
summer when the thick strong fleshy buds by their
extra vigour seem unlikely to open properly, but
should never advise it. At all events the weaken-
ing of a shoot or plant may be easily and speedily
accomplished ; it is the getting up of full steam that
taxes all our time and energy.

In speaking of weakly plants, I do not mean the
naturally ‘dwarf’ and ‘‘ moderate” growers, which

v MANURES 85

if healthy and doing well according to their habit
will take their full share and enjoy it, though
naturally not requiring so much as the stronger
growers. Comtesse de Nadaillac will require her
food and answer to it in size of glorious flowers, but
an extra dose will not raise her to the stature of
Ulrich Brunner. I mean either an evidently un-
healthy plant, or one which though fairly healthy
does not from some unknown cause thrive and do
as well as the others. Such a one had always
better be removed than kept and nursed : try giving
it away; it does not sound very generous, but
removal to a different soil and situation will be
either kill or cure, and experience will show many
wonderful instances of the latter eventuality.

Care should also be taken that newly moved
plants may have their liquid manure very much
weaker till they have made some strong growth
with large healthy new leaves. The wrong prin-
ciple, then, is the supposing that because a plant is
the strongest in the bed it therefore wants the least
of the liquid manure; on the contrary, it wants,
because it can use, the most.

The time for using liquid manure is May and
June, especially after rain if possible; if some be
given in April, be careful of the young foliage, and
do not give any to ‘“‘maiden” dwarfs till they have
made some growth, being extra careful in this case
that no drops fall on the plant itself. But will this
be sufficient for a whole year’s food? That would
depend a good deal on the soil, and whether
artificial or natural solid manures were used as
well. It is not advisable to apply any in the
autumn after July, as the second growth of wood

86 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE OHAP.

is always much stronger than the first and will not
require further encouragement which might make
the plants grow too late and fail to ripen properly.
If we put on liquid manure in the winter, no doubt
a good deal of its virtue is washed away before the
roots can feed on it; but some of it will remain,
and I think it is always worth doing. At.that time
it may be supplied much stronger and more concen-
trated than in the summer without fear of harm.

As to the manner of application, it may be put on
by water-pot, pail, or hose, or whatever is quickest,
provided it soaks in. Unfortunately the surface of
the soil is often such that the wash and dash close
the pores of the earth, and the liquid for the
moment cannot penetrate but runs ‘off. Where
much watering with liquid manure is contemplated,
or under any circumstances where the natural soil
is light and porous and the drainage good, it is best
to have the surface of the beds below the general
level of the ground ; the whole can then be flooded,
as it were. If, however, the beds are somewhat
raised, and the liquid runs off, there is nothing for
it but patience; a little at a time, and come back
again and again to the same place.

In early spring we may sometimes find an
occasion, in a light frost, when just the crust of the
surface is sufficiently frozen to prevent the wash of
the particles, and the pores remain open; at such
times, on my beds, the liquid will sink in at once as
through a sieve as long as you like to pour it on.
Given the time, and plenty of good stuff, a large
amount and depth of soil may be fertilised on such
opportunities.

Two good rules for watering with liquid manure

v MANURES 87

or plain water are:—Firstly, mind it is done tho-
roughly ; be sure you give a good soaking while you
are about it; remember ‘‘an inch of rain”? means
nearly five gallons to the square yard, and always
do a little space at a time satisfactorily and fully
rather than a mere wetting over a large extent.

And secondly, be sure that the surface is always
stirred by the hoe as soon as possible after every
soaking, whether it be the natural one of rain or the
artificial one of water or liquid manure. This is
most important; when the sun shines on the tho-
roughly soaked ground in summer it is sure to cause
it to crack, often before the top is quite dry; as soon
as you can work it, get just the surface dry again
and as fine and powdery as possible with the hoe,
for this keeps the moisture in, whereas the cracks
allow it to escape.

Soap water from a laundry has some value as a
liquid manure, though too much may render the
land sour. And though not sufficient for Roses by
itself, it 1s a capital thing to use mixed with other
liquid which may be considered too strong. It is
well in this case to be specially guarded against the
dregs, a greasy scum which chokes the soil pores,
and also to remember that nothing smells nastier
than soapsuds which have stood for three or four
days, especially in a hot sun. Amateur Inspectors
of Nuisances are not always aware of this.

The overflow water from a cesspool is very good
as liquid manure, and bardly ever too strong for
anything; my overflow tank is regularly emptied on
my garden at night every full moon by pump and
hand cart, for nothing from my house goes into the
river, but all into the garden. There is some

88 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

obvious inconvenience about this in the summer,
and we have at that time to choose our nights with
care; I do not then put it on the Rose beds, as it
has sometimes to be done hastily, and more care and
better light would be required. It should be under-
stood that the contents of the overflow or second
cesspool are nearly as good as the night-soil itself,
for much of the value is in the liquid. It is desir-
able, if possible, to have a separate tank with pumps
for the contents of housemaids’ slop-pails; this will
be the most valuable liquid manure that comes from
the house, and will generally not be so offensive but
that, with choice of opportunity, it may be applied
in the day-time.

Soot water is good, but would be expensive and
troublesome to use in quantity; it is more useful
for pot plants. The soot should be tied up in a bag
and sunk in a cask or tank, and the result is a clear
liquid of a wine colour, much appreciated by gar-
deners for mild fertilisation. :

ARTIFICIAL ManuRrEs.—It is not necessary to go
into the discovery by the great scientists of the
possibility of manufacturing by chemistry plant
manures, which are called artificial not because
they are not the real things, but simply because they
are made and compounded by art and science. It
will suffice to state that those wonderful fellows,
the analytical chemists, who are always wanting to
find out what things are made of, showed that as
growing plants consist of certain soluble minerals
in different proportions, so (they insisted) those
minerals with the addition of nitrogen would, in
the proper proportions, make real, though artifi-
cially made, manure. They first of all discovered

v MANURES 89

the component parts of a plant by burning it and
analysing the ashes, and they then said (and proved
it), These are the things of which the plant is made,
and therefore with these things it can be fed. They
found next that the different parts of a plant, roots,
stem, leaves, and flowers, often had the principal
constituents in very different proportions, but this
could be allowed for in considering which part of the
plant is most valuable. The obvious next step was
to analyse the soil too, and it was found that some
of the mineral constituents of plants are practically
present in sufficient quantities in nearly all soils, but
that some land is deficient in one material and some
inanother. A pleasing picture was then presented
to the cultivator, that, with the analyses before him
of his own soil and of the plant he intended to grow,
it was comparatively easy to see just how much he
required of each mineral constituent to feed his
plants fully and perfectly.

But in practice, [ am bound to say, the matter is
by no means so simple. Analyses both of soil and
of plants have proved very fallacious, at all events
to those who, like myself, are not chemical experts:
and specially compounded Rose manures have
often proved disappointing, particularly in dry
seasons.

Still, I give here an account of what is probably
the best known Artificial Rose Manure, which may
at all events be worth a trial.

In the Rosarian’s Year-Book for 1889, edited by
the late Rev. H. D’Ombrain, Sec. to the National
Rose Society, there was a very interesting and valu-
able paper on artificial manure for Roses, by My.
E. Tonks, B.C.L. The analysis of the ashes of the

90 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Rose are there given in a table from Wolff's Aschen
Analysen, Berlin, 1871, 1880, as follows :—

3
“ 5
a 8 oo 3
= Ad 8 a 5 4
2i2;¢/&la/e]/e)/8] 8
fe) Ey A gE 2 a | a d
Ay nm 4 a a ay mn nm iS)
Roots ....cscesereeeeee| 18°45 | 4°20 | 40°88} 7°15) 2°86} 29°14] 1°95) O21] 0:21
Wo00 wecseeseeceeeeeeee| 14°25 | 2°57 | 51°50] 7°62) 4°23 | 10°62] 2°22| 4:35] 2°78
Leaves w.scccsereeeces 33°13 | 1°47 | 81:29] 9°23] 2:49] 11°68 | 4°31} 5-71] 0°89
Flowers....0......] 47°41 | 2°44] 13-25; 5°94] 0°97} 28-46] 3:17] 1°52] 0°57

On reasoning from this to get a proper chemical
manure for Roses, the first thing to remember is
that there is one most important item not found in
ash analysis, and that is nitrogen, for which in a
chemical formula the uninitiated must look for the
words ‘‘nitrate” or ‘‘ammonia.” Nitrogen is the
stimulant which gives life to the whole, like a
spark of fire which gives such mighty power to the
loaded cannon, or (to use more humble imagery) a
penny in the slot which sets the whole elaborated
machinery in motion. Mere nitrates, such as
nitrate of soda, show immediate and wonderful
results on unexhausted land, when all the plant
wants is a start; but it is like drawing a cheque
upon a bank, a capital way of supplying the needful
as long as the bank is replenished accordingly,
but otherwise not a mode of raising money likely
to be successful for long; so the nitrate makes the
mineral stores (such as potash and phosphates)
available if they be there, but cannot replace them.

Vv MANURES 91

To continue using nitrates alone would be like the
Irishman who, having a note from his bank that he
had overdrawn his account and that they required
a remittance, sent them a cheque upon themselves
for the amount to make things square.

Plenty of nitrogenous matters may be found in
the best of the solid and liquid natural manures
recommended, but these have to be changed into
nitrates by the action of the earth bacteria before
they can be assimilated by the Rose, so that the
stimulus is most immediate when applied in the
form of nitrates. Another important point about
the nitrates is that they are the very first of
manurial matters to be washed out of the ground
into the drains by heavy rainfall; the soil does not
retain them so well as the other constituents of
manure, and of course they go soonest in a porous
or light soil. This points to the use of some nitrate,
or good natural liquid manure which would very
soon afford nitrates, in the growing season after
long and heavy rains, when the soil is known to be
well stored in other respects. Nevertheless, it
should be stated that there is some little nitrogen
in the rain itself, though not in ordinary water.

Potash and Phosphates of Lime are much the
most important items, and the others, such as soda,
silica, &c., which are mostly present in very small
quantities, are generally disregarded, as they would
be present in sufficient quantities in almost all soils.
Silica means flinty particles. It may seem strange
to think of these as soluble, yet there is much silica
in corn, straw, canes, and tall grass stems, affording
the smooth surface, and the brittle sharp nature ;
and as Tea Roses are found to succeed in these soils

92 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

which are gritty, it would be interesting to know if
their ashes would show a larger proportion of silica,
or whether it is only the extra drainage and conse-
quent heat of the soil that proves favourable to them.

Iron is present in but small quantities, highest in
the stem and lowest in the flowers. Sulphate of
iron is said to give a better colour to the foliage,
and in some sorts, such as Anna Olivier, to the
bloom as well, but Ido not place much reliance on
it. In fact I have sometimes omitted the iron from
the formula below, for the small quantities cause a
good deal of trouble to the makers, but it should be
remembered that every one of the constituents is
necessary, or the others are by so much rendered
valueless; so perhaps it had better be included,
though most soils and natural manures have it in
sufficient quantity.

The following is the mixture recommended by My.
Tonks for the Rose, as deduced from the ash analysis :

Superphosphate of lime, 12 parts.

Nitrate of potash, 10 parts.
Sulphate of magnesia, 2 parts.
Sulphate of iron, 1 part.
Sulphate of lime, 8 parts.
33 parts.

The manure is to be applied in early spring:
immediately after pruning would generally be soon
enough perhaps, but February would be better. It
is to be evenly scattered on the previously hoed
surface, at the rate of } lb. to the square yard, so
that the Rose grower can soon calculate how much

v MANURES 93

he wants. In some cases it might be difficult to pro-
cure it in small quantities, unless some manufacturer
could be found to make it on speculation for such sale.
If not, small Rosarians, who have difficulties with
natural liquid manure, should combine to order it.
A thoroughly trustworthy firm should be applied to,
as the adage ‘“‘see that you get it’’ applies very
strongly to chemical manures. With many Amateurs
price is an object: I therefore feel bound to state
that for several years I obtained the above manure,
made according to the formula and with guaranteed
analysis, direct from a large firm of manufacturers
at 9s. 6d. per cwt. And I mention without com-
ment that I have seen it advertised at 25s. per cwt.

A 48 flower-pot full of manure may be taken as
1 lb., which would suffice for a square marked out
by a six foot rod; but, with observation and care,
the “rule of thumb” will soon come in and
measurement become unnecessary. It should be
kept in a dry place and used fresh if possible; if
caked together let it be thoroughly crushed with
the back of a dry shovel. I should advise another
hoeing in preference to watering it in, as no artificial
watering can equal the soaking power of gentle rain.
A second and lighter dressing, carefully avoiding the
foliage, may sometimes be given at the end of May,
if heavy rains have occurred, or nitrate of potash,
the most expensive item, may be used for that
purpose.

As a sort of summary, I suggest :—

That strong fresh soil, which has not been more
than a foot below the surface of the ground, and is
rich enough not to require manure at first, is the
best of all:

94 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. V

That poor soil, deficient in humus from any cause,
must have well-rotted natural manure mixed with it,
and even then will not be so satisfactory :

That old, very dark, over-manured garden soil,
which has too much humus, should be treated with
lime or basic slag :

That liquid manure may be applied with advantage
in the winter, and much weaker in spring and dry
weather :

That nitrates, such as Nitrate of Soda, Sulphate of
Ammonia, or Nitrate of Potash, may be sparingly
applied in the spring, as stimulants :

And that all other artificial manures, though I do
not wish to decry them, may possibly be attended
with disappointment.

CHAPTER VI
PRUNING

THE severe pruning to which many of the best
and finest Roses are annually subjected may well
cause some dismay to a novice, who might perhaps
not only ask why we should destroy such a large
part of the plants we so cherished the year before,
but also go on to the wider question ‘‘ Why is
pruning necessary for any purpose? Why should
not our Rose-trees grow as fine and large as they
will?”

The answer is to be found in the manner of the
natural growth of the Rose. By watching an un-
pruned Rose-tree, either wild or cultivated, it will
be found that the first strong shoot flowers well the
second season but gets weaker at the extremity in a
year or two, and another strong shoot starts consider-
ably lower down or even from the very base of the
plant, and this soon absorbs the majority of the sap
and will eventually starve the original shoot, and be
itself thus starved in succession by another. A rose
in a natural state has thus every year some branches
which are becoming weakened by the fresh young

shoots growing out below them. This is one of the
95

96 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

principal reasons why pruning is necessary. A rose
is not a tree to grow onwards and upwards, but a
plant which in the natural course every year or two
forms fresh channels for the majority of the sap,
and thus causes the branches and twigs above the
new shoots to diminish in vitality. In seems better,
therefore, to speak of Rose-plants than of Rose-
trees, especially since standards are now less used,
and so many new varieties are dwarf in their
growth.

The objects of pruning are :—To maintain the life
and strength equally throughout the plants, to mould
and preserve their shape, and to give more vigour,
colour, and substance to the flowers. Owing to the
natural habit of growth before mentioned, a consider-
able amount of wood must be taken away annually
to prevent the shoots robbing each other, and when
nature is interfered with art must go a little further
to make and to keep a plant of well-balanced shape.
And also, even for ordinary garden purposes, a
considerable amount of strength and sap must be
reserved for each bloom, or, in the case of the dark
H.P.s for instance, they will not show their true
colours at all.

The principal art of pruning—that of forming and
maintaining a shapely plant of well-placed shoots—
has almost died out in modern out-of-door Rose
culture. This is owing to the neglect now shown
to the Hybrid Chinas and Hybrid Bourbons, really
strong-growing varieties but only blooming once:
to the decreased popularity of standards where a
well-balanced head is more noticeable and necessary
than in a dwarf or bush plant: and to the fact that
most enthusiastic Rosarians care more for perfect

VI PRUNING 97

blooms than for well-shaped plants. When I first
learnt to prune, a long time ago, H.P.s were quite
new and very few in number, and there were still
many large standards of summer Roses, each of
which was a study in itself for the prunev’s art.

First, as to the instruments required. A pruner
of the old school would condemn the use of scissors
or secateurs, be horrified to see a shoot cut off square,
and would consider the neat smooth sloping cut
of a sharp knife to be the only legitimate appearance.
He would also perhaps scorn the use of gloves and
think he could do his work better without them ;
but this must be a matter of taste, for it is useless
to deny that Roses have thorns, which are especially
hard and sharp at pruning time. A Rosarian does
not much heed summer thorns on the young wood—
green, and comparatively pliable and soft; but on
all ripe wood, where they have become dry, hard,
and brittle, they are another matter. It is well to
remember that in using a knife, especially to budded
Roses of one year’s growth, the plant must be firmly
held with the other hand, or a serious breakage is
very apt to occur.

Two good knives, a whetstone, a strong pair of
sécateurs, and a mat to kneel on by the dwarf
plants, will probably prove a sufficient equipment.
One of the knives should have a strong blade, the
other a narrower and smaller one. The smaller and
thinner the blade the easier it will be to use and
to keep sharp: a large part of ordinary pruning
may be done with a budding-knife. The hone
should be carried about and not left behind, or the
tearing off of a valuable branch will soon be the
result of a blunted blade. The sécateurs or scissors

H

98 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

will be useful for very small shoots, and for bits of
dead wood or.anything in an awkward position, but
in all such cases the cuts should afterwards be
trimmed and smoothed as much as possible with a
knife. A small pruning-saw is most effectual for
thick pieces of dead wood, but in many instances
cannot be used; in some such cases, the very
powerful sécateurs with long wooden handles will

ORDINARY SECATEURS,

be found useful. In the use of all such instruments,
scissors, or sécateurs of any kind, it should be re-
membered that the force ought to be applied in one
direction only at a time without twisting or
screwing : any wringing of the tool is sure to impair
it. Professionals will not only prune but will even
bud their dwarf plants by simply stooping over
them, but I confess it makes my back ache even to
see them at it. For kneeling on the wet soil I have
found a piece of waterproof about eighteen inches
square more satisfactory and less tiring than knee-
caps, but it should be borne in mind that the weight
of the body will bring moisture through any

VI PRUNING 99

alleged waterproof that has not an actual skin of
indiarubber.

Next as to the time of year. Some recommend
a certain amount of thinning in early autumn, to

Lonc-HanDLEeD SECATEURS.

ensure the ripening of the remaining shoots. If the

plants are to be but lightly pruned in the spring

this may be desirable treatment; but there is a

danger of causing low dormant buds wanted for

next year to push at once, the root power is probably
H 2

00 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

slightly checked, and the benefit gained is very
slight, if the plants are to be severely pruned.

We may commence with Roses trained on sunny
walls about the middle of February, and in this case,
whether nailed or tied to wires, the operation will be
very similar to the pruning and laying in of a peach-
tree. Begin by taking out all dead and weakly
wood; then consider which shoots are required for
laying in, giving preference to the ripest rather than
the fattest, and steadfastly resisting the temptation
to train them too close together; of the remainder
for which there is no room on the wall, the gross
shoots should be clean cut out and the medium-
sized ones thinned if necessary and moderately
spurred back.

A rule for all climbing Roses, but especially for
Maréchal Niel, the Noisettes, and the Dijon race, is
that long strong shoots of the year should not be
cut back much, but either laid in at least three parts
of their length or removed altogether. Unless
additional height is wanted, such shoots should not
be trained upright, as that is likely to lead to more
wood and less bloom. The Banksian Roses need
special treatment, for the flowers will not proceed
from the strong shoots of the year, but from the
laterals or side growths. There must accordingly
not be any pruning, but merely a thinning out of
dead wood and a slight shortening of long strong
shoots; the weakly-looking twigs alone will blossom.
Tea Roses, not of the climbing races, which are
grown on low walls may be pruned more severely if
quality rather than quantity of bloom be desired.

March is the month for pruning all Roses in the
open except Teas and Noisettes; and I think an

VI PRUNING 101

amateur will not be doing wrong if he picks his days
and gets through as much as he can whenever it is
warm and fine. If some are pruned in the first week
of the month and some in the last, bitter weather
intervening, but little difference will be found in the
time of flowering. It is best to leave Tea Roses in
the open undisturbed till April; and it is safer to leave
the early-flowering Hybrid Teas also till that time,
especially in situations liable to May frosts, for it
is the early strong shoots whose buds are already
formed which suffer most in such visitations. On
the other hand, in early seasons, like 1893, Roses
which have made some growth at the top are apt to
‘bleed’ when pruned severely, especially where old
wood is cut into. In some cases the soil around
the roots is kept quite damp from this cause for
some days and the matter looks serious but does not
often prove to be so: the cut heals in about a week,
and the subsequent growth does not seem to be
impaired.

As to the method, we will take first, as being the
most complicated, the case of summer Roses, H.P.s,
and other fairly strong varieties where the object is
to form handsome plants for general decoration with
a quantity of good blooms for cutting.

The first care will be to pull up and test all stakes,
as recommended on p. 37, and the next to cut out all
the dead wood, and all wood however thick and old
which, as shown by the small growth made last
season, is becoming weakly in comparison with the
rest of the plant. Now we can study the whole and
see what we have got left. Our object is to form a
well-shaped head or plant, and by ‘‘ well-shaped ”’ I
mean that the plant itself should be of the even

102 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

globular form of a Rose. Rose petals are evenly
arranged, and do not cross each other in an inward
direction; such should be the shape of the plant.
Bearing in mind that the top bud left of each shoot
will grow first and in the direction in which it
points, we should always cut back to a bud that
looks outward, and take care that the centre will not
be overcrowded. To get rid of a misplaced shoot it
should be clean removed at the very bottom; merely
cutting it hard back will only make it grow the more.
It must be our endeavour each year to do away with
as much old wood as possible, and in the case of
strong growers to lessen the number of their shoots
rather than their length. We should picture to
ourselves what the plant will look like in full
growth, and remember that a lover of Roses is
more likely to leave too many than too few shoots.
There is a saying in East Anglia, “‘ No man should
hoe his own turnips,’’ meaning that he is not likely
to thin them sufficiently; but those who are used
to thinning grapes and other garden produce will
probably have got over this difficulty.

The next question is, how far, z.e. to how many
buds, are the shoots to be cut back; and the answer
is to be found in the golden rule of pruning, that
more buds are to be left on each shoot in proportion
as the plant, both as a variety and an individual is
strong, and less in proportion as it is weak. To a
novice in Rose-growing it appears strange at first
that we should cut away almost all there is left of a
weakly-growing and precious variety, which would
seem to be almost exterminated by such severity,
and yet leave longer shoots on a strong sort which
seems better able to stand the rough treatment; but

VI PRUNING 103

the rule is nevertheless in strict accordance with the
law of nature—Darwin’s survival of the fittest—and
the law of God, ‘‘ Whosoever hath, to him shall be
given.” I have elsewhere (p. 84) endeavoured to
show that the same rule applies in Rose-growing to
the application of liquid manure to strong and
weakly plants, and to the number of each variety
which should be grown by those who are not
exhibitors.

A wise editor used to give as his advice to young
authors in whom he had confidence, “Don’t argue—
lay down the law’”’; and the counsel of a judge to
judges of all sorts to give their sentences without
their reasons is well known as pointing out the
most useful and prudent course to pursue. But the
reason for the above rule in pruning seems so clear
that I think it should be added. In proportion as a
plant is strong in growth, from the natural habit of
the variety or in a less degree from the condition of

.the individual, leave more buds, to perhaps six as a
maximum, on each shoot; because the strong grower
has the capability of supplying several buds on each
shoot with a sufficiency of sap for good blooms, and
if a due number be not allowed, the shoots will
either run to wood without flower or produce coarse
and ill-shaped blooms. And in proportion as a
variety or plant is weakly in growth, fewer buds
should be left; because the weak grower has only
sufficient strength to supply sap to one or two buds
on each shoot, and if more are left the power will
not be sufficiently concentrated to form good blooms.
The general habit of the variety should therefore be
well borne in mind in determining how many buds
to leave on each shoot; remembering always, with a

104 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

view to the future outline of the plant, to prune to
an outlooking bud, and that as a general rule the
more a shoot is cut back, the longer will be the
growth from the bud left at the top.

After a warm summer most of the young wood
on a well-pruned and healthy plant will be found
moderately ripe; but we occasionally find an extra
well-ripened shoot, almost as firm and brown as the
old wood, with large plump buds ready to start
at the first chance. This is very valuable and
plenty of space should be allowed for its develop-
ment, less ripe shoots being removed to make way
for it. On the other hand, we often find gross late
unripened shoots, much thicker but greener, with
a larger proportion of pith. These are comparatively
useless, and should generally be cleanly removed.
If a shoot has been injured by frost, and on cutting
down to an apparently sound bud the pith appears
brown instead of white, it is evident that the injury
has gone farther than we supposed, and it will be
better if possible to cut a little lower. If any shoot
by its unusual size evidently absorbs a large pro-
portion of the whole of the sap, it should be,
according to its ripeness and the condition of the
rest of the plant, either removed altogether, or
left a good length and have other weaker shoots
removed that might hinder its development.

If a plant is carefully pruned from the beginning
it seldom presents many difficulties as long as it
continues in health; but those which have been
neglected for only one year sometimes require to be
cut back sufficiently to form an entirely new frame-
work during the following season. A good deal may
be done to remedy faults and defects by a careful

VI PRUNING 105

examination of each plant in early May, when
a thinning of the pushing buds may be practised
where it is necessary. Of those growing too close
together or in a wrong direction or filling up the
centre, one or two may be rubbed off. But we must
not be rash; if undecided, it may be prudent
to adjourn the examination for a week or so, when
we can still take the shoot off, but cannot put it
back. Itis best, when an actual shoot of an inch
or more has to be removed, not to rub it out, as
this leaves a deep ugly scar, but to shave it closely
off with a knife.

For bedding purposes the pegging-down system is
fairly successful with really strong-growing varieties
of not too stiff habit. But it must be understood
that it will not be satisfactory, unless the soil and
culture be of the best, and the most free varieties
in growth and bloom be selected. All must be cut
away save two or three (not too many) of the
strongest shoots, which are bent down and pegged
over the bed. They will break and bloom all over,
and in late summer other shoots will probably
spring from the base, a selection of which will
take the places of the old ones in the following
spring.

Extra tall standards trained to form weeping Roses
are beautiful objects when in bloom. It is im-
possible, however, to make any varieties, which are
not naturally of flexible or pendulous growth, take
this form successfully by bending them down. The
Hybrids of Wichuariana and the summer climbing
Roses, such as the Ayrshire and Evergreen classes,
should therefore be used for this purpose. The heads
should be vigorously pruned back the first year, or

106 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

even the second if the growth is not satisfactory, and
when the shoots reach the ground they should be
thinned if too many and tied to some supports the
proper distance apart. The pruning will afterwards
consist of spurring back the blossoming laterals, or
occasionally taking clean out a weakly branch and
allowing another to fall down in its place.

Pruning for exhibition purposes is often quite a
different matter from pruning for decoration or dis-
play. The object in this case is to get the finest pos-
sible blooms, and to attain this end the exhibitor will
not care very much about the shape of his plants. If
number be required, then the plants must be multi-
plied, as but few show flowers can be expected from
each. Pruning in this case loses most of its art;
only the strongest shoots will be retained, and these
will be cut back very closely to two or three buds,
while with weak growers in some cases not more than
one bud of new wood will be retained. This is a
rule, however, which even among the H.P.s has
several exceptions, which will be found noted in
Chap. XII.

The further revision of the pushing buds and
young shoots, at the end of April or early in May,
will for exhibitors be an important matter, requiring
rouch care and foresight. A good knowledge of the
habit of growth and of the ‘“‘ manners and customs”’
of the different varieties will be necessary to know
how many shoots should be retained, and an extra
strong one however ill placed will be pardoned
among the weaker varieties. If injured by frost or
grubs it must be decided as early as possible whether
the damage is serious enough to warrant the removal
of the whole shoot. In some cases the severe

VI PRUNING 107

pruning will cause buds to push at once from the
old wood: and among the weaker varieties, whose
blooms are best on maiden plants, such buds should
be encouraged; but in the case of the stronger
growers, the blooms will probably be best from last
year’s wood. Some sorts have particularly robust
and ample foliage ; in this case the shoots should be
left longer in the pruning, and the top buds, or those
that are as far apart as possible, aloneretained. Thus
Madame Gabriel Luizet is strong enough to support
from four to six, or even perhaps more first-class
blooms upon each plant; but as the foliage is large
and full, the shoots should be left at the pruning four
or five inches long, and the top outlooking bud alone
retained on each, all others being removed as fast as
they appear. Varieties apt to come coarse and too
full should also be left a little longer in the pruning,
and have more shoots retained; but it is most
important that the special idiosyncrasies of the
varieties, as shown in Chap. XII, should be carefully
studied, or the results may be disastrous. Thus
some, aS La France and Marie Rady, will show the
perfect blooms only on comparatively weak shoots:
some, like Madame Eugéne Verdier, will canker and
die if pruned too hard : and several others, like J. B.
Clark and Duke of Edinburgh, will make too much
wood and have but poor blooms after all unless the
shoots are left a fair length.

For ordinary and decorative purposes, Tea Roses
in the open, if well fed and spared by the frost,
might be pruned but little; still they should not be
allowed to become leggy and scraggy, and a fair
amount of pruning on the same lines as recom-
mended for the H.P.s will tend to keep the plants

108 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

in health and vigour. But in many parts of the
country, particularly in low-lying districts, we often
find, on removing the protecting material in March
or April, that a considerable part of the plant has
been killed during the winter; and are only thankful
if we can find some real life to cut back to. For
exhibition purposes the pure Teas should be in
nearly all cases pruned back as hard as the H.P.s;
there is no fear of these free-flowering and most
charming Roses failing to bloom.

It is important to remember that Sweet-briars,
Austrian briars, and in fact the single Roses in
general, should not be pruned at all, beyond the
cutting out of dead or dying wood.

Where Gloire de Dijon or any of its race, Maréchal
Niel, or any of the strong-growing Noisettes are
cultivated in the open, they should be treated as
mentioned above on the pruning of wall Roses. These
varieties if in good health make long strong flower-
less shoots late in the summer, which should be
retained nearly to their full length as they will
give the finest blooms. These shoots should be
trained, while still soft, in as near an approach to a
horizontal position as is practicable without bending
them too much, and will last about two years, when
they will probably become weak and should be
removed to make way for others.

This habit of making strong flowerless growths
late in the summer renders the following special
treatment advisable for the training and pruning of
Maréchal Niel under glass.

In a house fitted with wires up the roof as for
vines let a strong maiden standard be planted, at
the front of the house where a vine would be placed,

MAkECHAL NIEL, UNDER GLAss. [Fue pete 109,

The upper plite represents the Plant in full blown, with abont 300 fine Roses on it,
April dth, 184. The lower one shows the same plant on Apr) 27th in the same year,
the whole of the upright reds, with the exception of two or three small portions,
still bearing unexpanded buds, having been cut back tu the permanent horizontal arms.

VI PRUNING 109

with plenty of room for extension on either side.
The roots may be inside or out, but in either case
ample provision must be made for the supply of
abundance of rich food. The Rose should be
completely cut back at the time of planting to
within an inch or two of the stock. When it
begins to grow, two shoots only should be selected,
all others being rubbed off, and these should be
trained horizontally right and left immediately under
the bottoms of the wires. If still growing when
they reach the end of the house or as far as it is
intended to cover, train each up the end wires, and
should they reach the top, twist them about any-
where where room can be found but do not break or
stop them. No pruning whatever will be necessary
during the following winter, but the plant must
always be highly fed. The Rose will probably
bloom freely along the rods in the next spring, and
as soon as the blooms are over, the upright rods (if
any) must be cut quite back to the horizontal part,
from which all shoots must be clean removed.

We have now left, probably about April, a plant
shaped like a T, a stem with two simple horizontal
arms, and this will be the whole of the permanent
part of the Rose. The horizontal arms will soon
begin to break in several places, and shoots must be
trained under the wires about fourteen inches apart,
all other buds and new shoots being rubbed off.
The chosen shoots may appear weak at first, but
they will gain in strength, and the autumn growth,
if the plant be well nourished, will be very rapid.
Probably all the shoots will not reach the top of the
house this year, but they should be allowed to grow
as far as they will, and to ramble anywhere where

110 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

there is room when they have reached the top, till
growth ceases for the winter. If the pitch of the
roof be steep, as soon as the buds seem inclined to
break in the spring, the time being of course de-
pendent on the amount of heat supplied, all the ties
should be unfastened and the long trailing shoots
most carefully let down for a few days to give the
lower buds an equal chance of breaking with the
upper ones. They should then be retied in their
former positions, and the ends reaching further than
the top of the house, for which no room can be
found, may be cut off.

Almost every bud should now produce a flower—a
splendid sight which may lasta month. The'blooms
will be greatly superior to those grown out of doors
in general perfection of shape, but the petals will be
thinner in many cases, and the flowers less lasting.
They should be cut before they are expanded, as they
are then at their best, and also all yellow Roses
improve in colour by being shaded or removed from
bright sunshine. Great care should be taken in the
spring growing season to avoid cold draught, as the
foliage is very tender and susceptible to mildew. As
the blooms are cut, or wither, the upright rods
should be gradually shortened till the whole is clean
removed back again to the main horizontal arms at
the bottom of the house. The check to the plant
will be lessened by the gradual removal of the shoots,
and fresh growth will soon start to be trained up
during the summer and autumn in their place as
before.

This is a simple, systematic, and regular method,
which I have found to answer extremely well. It
may be objected that all autumnal bloom is lost by

VI PRUNING 11

it, but we ought not to want Roses under glass when
there are plenty out of doors. I know of no system
which will so well provide for the utilisation of the
strong autumnal growth ; and the blooms from these
strong shoots are far superior to any that can be
gathered from older wood or weak laterals.

As the cultivation of Maréchal Niel under glass by
this method should result in the production of a large
number of fine Roses all at once, and there will
probably be a desire to send some away to friends
by post or rail, this seems a good place to say some-
thing as to the packing and carriage of Rose blooms
in general. For sending large quantities by rail, the
method that professionals have learnt by experience
had better be followed: in a shallow box the Roses,
gathered quite dry, should be laid flat in rows as
closely together as possible, and all the same way ;
the ends of the shoots are wrapped in a mass of
strips of some slightly absorbent paper well wetted
—a much cleaner material than moss—-and the
whole made as tight as possible and covered with
clean paper.

Roses often travel badly by post, the reason being
that, if packed as above in an oblong box, the parcel
is often carried perpendicular in the postman’s
basket, and the Roses standing on their heads will
all work down to one end and bruise the most tender
and beautiful parts—the tips of the petals. For
choice specimens, or at any time for small quantities,
I would recommend that each actual flower be care-
fully wrapped in soft tissue paper, with a little
cotton wool at the bloom end of the package, and
much greater security by post can be attained by
tying the stems in some simple manner to the

112 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

bottom of the box to prevent shifting. It is no use
sending away full-blown Roses ; they should in all
cases be undeveloped and scarcely past the bud
stage; and another noteworthy and important pre-
paration for a successful journey consists in placing
the flowers in water for two or three hours before
packing.

Many of the H.P. Roses grown out of doors will
require a considerable thinning of the flower buds,
not only for exhibition, but in order to get
presentable blooms. The majority of the crimson
H.P.s, such as Madame Victor Verdier, form great
clusters of buds at the end of the strong shoots, and
the result will be most unsatisfactory if they are
all allowed to remain. The centre bud will open
first or try to do so, but it will be so hampered by
want of room and so robbed of its nutriment by its
many companions as to fall very far short of what
it might have been. It is generally not cut, as its
stem is too short unless the other buds are cut un-
opened, so it withers and spoils the appearance of
the “truss” just when two or three of the other
poor things come out even smaller than the first
one; and so the whole life of the shoot is a failure
—it has not produced one Rose worthy of the
name, and yet it and the plant have been exhausted
by flower formation more than if the buds had been
properly thinned to one or two and a glorious bloom
had been obtained and cut.

Those who grow Roses merely to enjoy their
beauty without any thought of exhibiting them will
find that this thinning of the buds makes an im-
mense difference to the quality and beauty of their
blooms, and will give them, in the case of many

VI PRUNING 113

varieties, really fine flowers instead of a mere mass,
wherein are some dead, some overblown, some not
out, and all poor. I can never pass such a great
head of buds in a neighbour’s garden without my
fingers instinctively longing to be at them and ease
the struggling competing crowd.

It should be remembered that the production of
fruit, flowers, or even flower buds, has just the
opposite effect upon the constitution of a plant to
that which is given by the growth of shoots and
leaves. In the latter case the plant is growing, and
the roots are increasing in proportion to the leaves.
But in the former case the plant is engaged in
reproduction, which is to some extent weakening
and exhausting. So all lovers of flowers should
bear in mind that as the removal of leaves, to any
considerable extent, weakens a plant, so the cutting
off of flowers or buds strengthens it. We should
never be afraid to cut Rose-blooms; we sometimes
hear, “Oh! I thought it was a pity to cut that
splendid Rose on that little plant,’ when as a matter
of fact it was still more a pity to have left it.

A large head of clustered Rose-buds is a great
strain on the root and the plant, and the sooner this
strain is relieved the better by far will be the bud
that is left and the earlier and finer will be the
autumnal bloom.

In growing for exhibition this operation of dis-
budding is most important (see Chap. XI) and must
be strictly practised on the Teas as well. But for
general purposes many of the Teas are greatly
improved in beauty if a bud or two be left with the
Rose, only those immediately surrounding the central
bud being removed.

I

CHAPTER VII
STOCKS

RoskEs are not generally grown on their own roots
but ‘‘ worked,” that is, budded or grafted, upon
other more free-growing sorts. This is done, firstly,
to save time: a plant in its full strength, capable
of giving the finest flowers, can be obtained much
quicker by budding the Rose on the wild stock, as it
thereby gets at once the full benefit of the strong
roots of the briar, and often yields the best blooms
the first year after budding. In the propagation of
new Roses, where it is required to raise as large a
number of plants as possible for the following
season, nurserymen are often able, by commencing
in the winter under glass, to raise three generations
in one year.

And, secondly, Roses are not grown on their own
roots, simply because the very large majority of
them do not either grow or flower so well when
thus treated, as when worked on suitable stocks.
This is a fact, easily capable of demonstration:
nevertheless, instructions for propagating Roses on
their own roots will be found at p. 155.

The principal stock used is the common Dog-
114

CH. VII STOCKS 115

Rose or briar (Rosa canina) of our fields and lanes,
and probably three-fourths of the Roses cultivated
in this country are now grown upon this stock. It
is used in three forms: first, as a standard, which
is the actual wild plant dug up from the hedges,
with the Rose budded on the lateral branches pro-
ceeding from the stem. Secondly, the briar cutting,
which is a shoot of the briar struck as a cutting,
and budded, after it is well rooted, as low down on
the stem as possible. Thirdly, the briar seedling,
which is the growth from the seed of the wild Rose,
and has the bud inserted on the actual main root
or underground stem.

Next in popularity comes the manetti stock.
This is a form of wild Rose, introduced from Italy,
some sixty years ago, by the late Mr. Rivers of
Sawbridgeworth: it is only used in the form of
plants struck from cuttings to make dwarf Roses.
Other sorts of Roses which root strongly as cuttings
have been used as stocks, such as the De la
Grifferae, used by some for the Gloire de Dijon race
and strong climbing forms of Teas and Noisettes,
and the Polyantha, which as a seedling and a
cutting has been tried and found wanting; but at
present the stocks that ‘‘ hold the field” are the three
different forms of the briar and the manetti cutting
—with the latter much diminished in popularity of
late years.

A large proportion of amateur Rose-growers will,
from various causes, be unable or unwilling to pro-
pagate their own plants, and so will have to rely
upon those they purchase from nurserymen. Even
in this case it is desirable that they should know
something about the different forms of stocks, so

12

116 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP,

that they may order those most suitable for the
several varieties and the purposes for which they
are designed. Except that we cannot, fortunately,
purchase Teas upon the manetti stock, as the union
is universally acknowledged to be a failure the
principal varieties of Roses may now be obtained of
those nurserymen who make them a speciality upon
the four recognised stocks—standards, briar cuttings,
briar seedlings and manetti. Which shall we
choose ?

The advantages and disadvantages of the standard
stock may be summed up as follows. It does very
well for the old-fashioned summer Roses of the
Hybrid China and Bourbon races, where a fine head
and a grand mass of bloom just in the season is
desired, but is not suitable for the Mosses, Austrians,
and the majority of the other kinds that bloom
but once. It is also a good stock for most of
the H.P.s, forming large heads with the strong-
growing sorts, and perhaps producing more refined
flowers from those which are inclined to be coarse.
For a time the weaker-growing varieties also do
well on this form of stock, perhaps even better than
as ‘dwarf’ plants, but only the very hardiest and
most vigorous are as lasting on the standard as are
properly planted specimens on the cutting and
seedling briar.

A majority of all sorts of Teas and Noisettes
give better and finer flowers on standard than on
dwarf stocks. The natural idea would be to have
the stronger forms of Teas, such as Marie van
Houtte and Anna Olivier, as standards, and those of
weaker growth, such as Comtesse de Nadaillac and
Cleopatra, as dwarfs. As regards the outward

VII STOCKS 117

appearance of the plants when first put in, this
would perhaps be correct, but experience shows that
some of the more vigorous Teas do as well on
dwarfs as on standard stocks, and that the weaker
ones, though they do not seem suited for the
position, yet give the best flowers when grown in
that form. In fact, the Teas of ‘‘ moderate” (¢.e.,
weakly) growth do undoubtedly grow much better
on standard stocks of medium height, and besides
giving better blooms form finer plants than the
same varieties when budded on cutting or seedling
briars.

The purchaser should, however, take notice that
there are several disadvantages belonging to the
standard stock. One of the greatest of these is
that every plant must be staked, and with a large
number this becomes a serious item, as a gale of
wind is sure to break some of the ties and the stakes
themselves if they be wooden ones. Standards are
also more expensive, and there is often far less
choice of really good plants. A great deal of care
in graduating the height of the stems is also
necessary to make the Rose-bed ‘look nice,” while
a good general appearance is much more easily
arranged with a bed of dwarfs.

Standard stocks are only used, I believe, in
Europe: the bare stems will not stand very severe
winter cold, and appear equally to suffer from
extreme summer heat. And this seems to be one
of the reasons why some of our finest Exhibition
Teas, which do best with us in our hottest
summers, are yet not grown to perfection in tropical
climates.

I advise then that the standard form be not

118 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CIUAP,

chosen for the H.P.s, for as a general rule quite as
good blooms and a better general appearance, with
less cost and trouble, can be obtained from dwarfs.
La France, Lady Mary Fitzwiliam, and some of
the H.T.s must be taken as exceptions. Let the
strongest-growing Tea Roses also be grown as
dwarfs, if a bed of beautiful Roses be desired rather
than extra fine blooms, or if the locality be liable to
severe frost; but for exhibition purposes, or in any
case where the quality of the flowers is the principal
object, they should be grown as standards, if it be
found practicable to keep them alive during the
winter.

The next question, and it has long been a keenly
debated one among Rosarians, is, which of the three
dwarf stocks, briar cutting, briar seedling, or manetti
cutting, is the best for purchased plants. The voice
of the majority in the Rose world, with which I
thoroughly agree, places the value of these stocks for
permanent plants in the order named above. The
advantages of the briar cutting are that it makes the
finest permanent plants, that, taken all round, it
gives the best blooms, and that its tendency to
comparatively shallow roots makes it the most
amenable to good cultivation. Its only disadvantages
are that it is not quite so early in blooming as
plants on the manetti stock, and that its want of
deep roots prevents its being able to stand neglect as
well as those on the briar seedling. Thisis, however,
a poor advantage to claim for the briar seedling, as
the growth from the deep roots will not be so
satisfactory or free-flowing. Even if the tap-roots
are taken off, the plants are generally somewhat
inferior to those on the cutting, and are the latest

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VII STOCKS 119

in blooming of all. Mr. Prince’s magnificent
culture of Tea Roses on this stock caused it to
be very generally tried and used for this purpose,
but I have not found any advantage from its
adoption.

The manetti stock is not suitable for purchased
plants. Its disadvantages are that unless the
union of stock and scion is planted at least an inch
below the surface of the soil, the Rose will simply
die :—that as a general rule it dwindles and gets
weaker every year, though there are exceptions to be
found where the rose itself has thrown out roots to
aid the stocks:—and that the suckers, which it is
sure to throw up as the plant gets weaker, are
so hike the growth of the Rose, that it requires a
trained eye to detect the difference. The manetti
has its uses, in the propagation of new Roses and in
the growth of “‘maiden”’ plants of some of the
H.P.s for exhibition blooms, but it should not be
employed for permanent plants. Some years ago it
was difficult to get dwarf plants upon any other
stock but this, which was said to be generally more
suitable to the lighter soils: but, with the increased
use of the cultivated briar for dwarf stocks, this
idea has died out, and dwarf H.P.s upon either of
the three stocks can generally now be obtained of
the leading professional Rose-growers.

There are still, I believe, a few amateurs who
erow Roses in quantity, and show them well, yet
never bud or propagate them themselves. I cannot
understand this, for I find a large part of the delight
of the pursuit in the raising of my own Roses, and
I have but a few among all my plants which were
not budded with my own hands, There is much

120 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAY,

fascination in the whole operation of budding ;—you
have before you rows of strong wild plants, rough
and untidy as the worst of hedges, and in one short
year you transform these into splendid Rose-plants
of all varieties, with noble foliage and glorious
flowers of many shades, certainly as good and
probably better than any that can be got from
bought plants. A due mingling of hopes and fears
is essential to true enjoyment, and there is plenty of
both in Rose-budding from the planting of the
stock to the cutting of the maiden bloom. But
when all dangers are passed and over, is not that
glorious flower more truly and verily your own?
You may see your Rose marked for the Silver Medal
at the National Rose Show as the best in its section.
Yes! it is your Rose, even if it was your gardener
who ordered, planted, pruned, fed and cultivated the
plant, and cut and showed the bloom. But if it was
you alone who had found, chosen, and grubbed out
the stock from the hedge, or cut, prepared, planted,
and transplanted the briar or manetti cutting—if no
hand but yours had budded it, cared for it in all
stages, and finally cut and shown the Rose, then,
when perchance it 1s declared on all hands to be the
finest specimen of the variety ever shown, it must be
an additional pleasure to know that it is your Rose
indeed, for that, as far as all human aid is concerned,
you made it yourself!

Or again, you go to see a brother enthusiast, and
to admire and take stock of his collection. You
see one or more, perhaps several, Roses which are
new to you and you would much like to possess. If
you are not a “ Buddhist,’ you can only take down
the names, and order a plant. or two of each from

vir STOCKS 121

your nurseryman to be sent you in November. It
may be that you do not mind the cost, but plant as
carefully as you may, with all possible good fortune,
you will be lucky if you get any first-class blooms
the next year from these newly-moved plants. But
if you have plenty of good healthy stocks at home
ready to be budded, how much more speedy and
effectual and less costly the whole matter is! Your
friend immediately cuts you off a shoot or two of
the required sorts with good buds on each, or
promises to send you them by post if there are
none now ready. If the leaves are at once snipped
off, all but the last inch of the footstalk of each,
they may be safely carried home, or they will
arrive in good condition by post, wrapped in damp
moss or paper shreds. Do not be afraid your
friend will refuse you, unless his plant is very
small, weakly, and precious; not only from the
universal good-fellowship of the craft, but also
because he naturally expects that you will do the
same for him, and that the benefit will thus be
mutual. You put in these buds which have cost
you nothing but an exchange which you can very
well spare, and the very next summer you have
the shoots and flowers in their fullest vigour, with
the additional charm of watching a variety which
is new to you spring into leaf and bud and bloom
from the tiny bud which you brought home in your
pocket.

What a pleasure, too, to help a beginner, or one
who has lost his plants, by sending a large parcel
of buds in early August when they are plentiful
and you can spare a good quantity of them. But
still, the choosing and cutting, preparation and

12 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

packing of them takes some time, and I should
advise the making of a rule that whoever asks for
buds by post should send labels with the names and
the number of buds required, as this will save some
trouble at least. From budding Roses, the amateur
will very likely be Jed on to budding his own
Apples on Paradise, and his own Plums and other
fruit-trees, and his interest in all these features
of the garden will be much increased when his
own hands have thus propagated his fruits and his
flowers.

I would strongly advise the enthusiastic amateur,
if he lives quite in the country and has plenty of
room, to get and raise his own stocks. Not only
because it will greatly add to the interest of the
matter and save expense, but also because the
stocks themselves, especially standards, will be
stronger and better. A sufficient number can be
raised every year by one man to keep up a collection
of Roses large enough to enable him to show in
the highest amateur classes. As standards un-
doubtedly produce as a rule the finest Tea Roses,
and there are probably few amateurs who personally
get their own stocks from the hedges, I will
endeavour to describe my mode of procedure.

First, as to outfit :—I never had any special suit,
but an old one each year is condemned to the work,
and verily it is never likely to be used for anything
else afterwards. In a short time it is more fitted
for a scarecrow than a parson, but my craze is
known, and I keep to the fields. An old hat capable
of protecting the ears is necessary, for you must get
your head into the very thick of it; and strong
boots and gaiters will of course be required. One

vit STOCKS 123

other article of dress is wanted ; even if not used for
pruning, strong thick gloves are necessary for stock-
getting, for there are no thorns in England like the
curved scimitars of Rosa canina. Summer thorns
may be disregarded, for whilst they are green they
are fairly phable and soft; in winter they are as
hard and sharp as steel, and as brittle as glass.
Under the microscope, the point of a fine needle looks
like a great coarse blunt cone compared to the sharp
point of a Rose-thorn. Get the white stiff hedger’s
gloves at the village shop, made I believe of horse-

GRECIAN Saw.

skin: they are very hard and uncomfortable at first,
but become more supple by use.

For instruments, first and most useful is the
“Grecian ’”’ pruning draw saw, which might perhaps
be kept in a sheath attached to a waist-belt, though
I have always simply carried it: any of the large
seedsmen will supply this tool, which must be
sharpened occasionally as you have to cut through
the earth with it. Next in importance is a small
stock axe : I have quite a miniature one which was
made on purpose for me and can be used with one
hand: the small amount of digging that is required
can be done with this, and there is no use for aspade.
A pruning-knife and strong sécateurs or pruning-
shears in the pocket complete the equipment. It is
here, I suspect, in his instruments, that the amateur

124 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

has such an advantage over the professional stock-
getter. It is impossible to do justice to this, the
very first step in successful Rose cultivation, with a
spade, a bill-hook, and a full-sized stock axe. It is
very difficult to strike accurately with the last-
named tool in a thick place, and many is the fine
stock that has been grievously injured by a hasty

Mrsniature Stock AXk.

stroke turned aside by a twig, and I am sorry to Say
sometimes mended afterwards with putty. I use
my tiny stock axe almost exclusively for digging
round the roots, and all of any size are then severed
neatly and cleanly in the ground with the Grecian
saw. The sécateurs will clear the way a bit, and
lop off the head, and the pruning-knife will cut
off and shorten all bruised roots, and make the
edges’smooth where the saw has done its work. The
result will be far better stocks than those gathered
by professionals, for even Mr. William Paul

VII STOCKS 125

recommends trimming the roots of standard stocks,
before planting, with a bill!

The greatest number of stocks, and the finest to
look at, will be found on heavy land, but, as a rule
not without exceptions, those on lighter land will have
more numerous and fibrous roots. The stocks will
be either rooted suckers from the main stool, or, if
young enough, the actual plant itself with the stout
principal root of the seedling briar. In either case,
as little as possible should be reserved of the under-
ground stem ormain root, consistent with the preserva-
tion of some fibres; for it is these latter, with many
others which form in the spring, that will support
the new growth of the plant: the thick main roots
and underground stems will only throw up suckers
if they live, and if they die are likely to harbour
fungus which is hurtful to the living fibres. If
planted early enough, say before Christmas, the
stock will grow well enough in most cases without
any fibres: it will be sufficient to leave about three
inches of clean root, squarely and smoothly cut at
the end.

In many localities the hedgebanks are the only
available places, where the stocks are difficult to get
at, and naturally have roots only on one side, and
often fantastically curled about. Briars growing in
the open undergrowth of a wood, or in any rough
half-uncultivated level space, are much easier to get
at, and probably have a more even spread of roots.
When going along hedgerows, I lay the stocks out
as I get them on the edge of the ditch with the
roots covered with wet leaves and grass, and collect
them as I come back. I then cut an elm sucker as
a withe and make a little faggot, which, regardless

126 THE BOOK OF THE ROSH CHAT.

of the sufferings of my poor coat, I carry home
rejoicing. Sometimes it may be more convenient
to reserve till reaching home the work of the prun-
ing knife, in shortening bruised roots, smoothing
saw cuts, shaving off suckers, and carefully cutting
out all semblances of buds below the ground
surface.

In selecting standard stems, if there is plenty of
choice, take only two-year-old shoots; next three-
year-old, leaving one-year-old shoots for next year,
and avoiding old stems, unless you are very hard up.
I have seen a great many stocks in nurserymen’s
quarters that I should never take unless I was very
short—old, spotted and cankered. For itis instruc-
tive to notice that canker may certainly be found on
the wild Rose, in its natural state, even where there
seems to have been no outward injury to the stem.
It is true that some of the grey hidebound old stocks
will make very good growth when cut back and
transplanted, but some will not, and you never can
tell where they will break. A sharp frost, after they
are moved, would be fatal to most one-year-old
stems, which are too soft and pithy to stand the
ordeal of transplanting.

There are a great many varieties of the Dog-Rose,
and a great difference will soon be noticed in the
general appearance of the stems. It used to be said
that the red-barked, very thorny, variety is the best,
and perhaps this is true, but I have formed fine
plants on smooth stems. I should not generally
choose the water briar with its deep green bark, and
running slender growth almost like the Ayrshire,
but I have grown good Teas upon it. The sweet
briar does not form a good stock, though, as I have

VIL STOCKS 127

found it growing wild only in light soil, I fancied at
one time it ought to do well with Teas on gravel.

It is not always the thickest stems that are the
best; those not stouter than the forefinger, if
healthy and with good roots, will often do as well
if not better for the Teas of moderate growth.
Still, an extra stout stock is a prize for strong
growers that should not be neglected ; vitality can
always be diminished in many ways; it is the in-
creasing it that takes almost all our care and
trouble. I cut all my standard stems to the height
of two feet, making them thus what are termed
half-standards, for there does not appear to be any
advantage in having them higher, except for the
formation of weeping roses; even for the middle
row of a bed, more expensive stakes must be used
—the wind exercises more leverage upon the roots,
and suckers are more likely to be formed. It is said,
however, that in very close sheltered places tall
standards are better, as exposing the Rose to less
stagnant air.

It should be understood that laterals or branches,
however small, should be left on the stems, and it
is better that there never should have been any side-
growth from the portion of two feet which is left.
They should be planted in rows, the stocks a foot
and the rows a yard apart, but they may be a little
closer if for Teas, and room be precious. I plant
in double rows, every other row being only one foot
apart. Of course this is too close together for per-
manent plants to stand, but even if you succeed in
making every stock into a Rose-tree, every other
one can be removed when the Rose has made its
maiden growth. Do not plant too deep: the

128 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

“collar,” that is, the place ‘from which the stem
springs (generally at an angle) from the root, should
not be more than an inch or two below the surface.
No stakes will be needed during the year of wild
growth and budding, but it is a good plan to put a
thick smear of paint over the pith exposed at the
top of the stem. For an insect pest in the spring
will be on the watch for any such exposed pith,
even on large shoots pruned back on the Rose itself,
and the grub which proceeds from its egg bores
down the pith, leaving a hole which holds the rain-
water and leads to decay.

Mr. W. D. Prior, in his useful little book upon
Rose-growing, suggests the cultivation of standard
stocks by layering. To do this, any old useless
stock or briar plant should be cut quite down to the
ground and encouraged to form side suckers run-
ning through the soil for a little distance. A nick
beneath the underground stem of these suckers will
cause them to root independently, specially if a little
cocoa fibre be added, and rooted standard stocks will
be produced. But the time and trouble required
for all this will not be appreciated where wild stan-
dard stocks are available. Ihave collected 1800 of
these in one winter, but they were not selected
ones or all of first-class quality.

I feel, however, that very few amateur Rosarians
will appreciate with me the charms of getting
standard stocks from the hedges—most could not,
from various circumstances, if they would. The
stock-man, who would probably say that I have
been trying to take the bread out of his mouth,
must therefore be relied on, but if possible let the
barbarity of his tools, the big stock-axe and the bill-
hook, be pointed out, and the charms of the Grecian

VII STOCKS 129

saw explained to him. Ifa novice, it will be well
also to ascertain that he knows a Dog-Rose when
he sees it. When I was ill one winter, I was
pleased to hear that a parishioner had brought me a
nice lot of stocks at a reasonable price. One of the
first acts of my convalescence was to inspect their
quality. And alas! not only were the majority
practically useless from chops and other injuries,
but a third of the whole were not Rose stocks but
blackberries !

This reminds me of another amusing incident,
which I will relate exactly as it occurred. It refers
to the spelling of the word briar, but throws no
light upon the debated point whether an ‘e’ should
take the place of the ‘a.’ The occasion was the
examination of a night school for the Government
grant, and at that time the teachers were allowed to
conduct it subject to the rules sent to them. A
young East Anglian labourer was going through the
reading ordeal, and his teachers, of whom I was one,
were anxiously watching his struggles. He had sunk
twice—I mean he had made two mistakes in his
allotted piece—and three would mean failure. He
came to the word in question, stopped dead, and
spelt it slowly. We encouraged him, and patted
him on the back, for he had all the appearance of
having a word in him but of being afraid to part
with it. At last, after much exhortation to play
the man and “out with it,” he spelt it again very
carefully, ‘‘ b-r-i-a-r,” and then the word burst forth
quite suddenly like an explosion, “‘ brumble-bush !”
“Well! well! yes, oh yes!” said my dear old
colleague (long since deceased): ‘‘eh? pass that—
oh yes! he knows what it means.” I said nothing,
and I am afraid the Education Department was

K

130 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

slightly defrauded; but my Rosarian conscience
was against it, for I knew that to the Suffolk
rustic both briars and blackberries were ‘‘ brumble
bushes.”

An amateur will want even more briar cuttings
than standard stocks. These are cheap to buy,
ready rooted for next year’s budding, and it is not
always easy to raise a good crop of them at home.
There is a good deal of trouble connected with it,
and it may perhaps be said that all this extra labour
to raise one’s own stocks is like the enthusiasm of
the man who blacked himself all over to play
Othello. Still, too much enthusiasm is better than
too little, and as I can raise better briar cuttings
than I can buy, the way to do it shall be described.

It is rather a monotonous business, with much
less interest in it than the getting of standard
stocks. About the middle of October is the time
for commencing operations, which should be got
over before the planting of Roses and rooted stocks
is undertaken. The ripest possible wood of the
year’s growth should be chosen and cut up into
lengths of ten inches. Material for this choice will
be found in the wild growth of the briar stocks
budded that year, and only pieces without any
lateral growth should be selected. The cuttings
should now be trimmed with a sharp knife, every
bud except the two nearest the top being clean cut
out with the knife, not rubbed off with the fingers,
and all the thorns removed. All this is important,
as every other bud or part of a bud left will be sure
to produce a sucker, and the thorns will prove a
hindrance in many ways if suffered to remain. The
bottom of the shoot should be a clean cut, not too

VII STOCKS 131

sloping, and no “heel,” or portion of older wood,
should be retained. A “heel” is recommended
where cuttings of the Roses themselves are taken,
as it makes root growth more easy; but, as a sure
and fruitful source of suckers, it must not be allowed
for briar cuttings, which will generally root fairly if
they be formed of ripe wood and are properly planted
and cared for.

We have now the cuttings ready for planting,
smooth shoots of wood ten inches long, with two
buds left at the top. These should be at once set in
a piece of fairly light and very clean soil, deep enough
to almost cover the lower bud. Double rows may
again be used, ten inches and four inches alternately
separating the rows, and the cuttings three inches
apart from each other. It is advisable to set twice
as many as you expect to want; for, though the
trimming of the cuttings takes a considerable time,
the crop is uncertain, and there is much virtue in
the comfortable old adage to “‘ make a job of a thing
while you are about it.” The soil should be made
as firm as possible about the cuttings, but neverthe-
less if you come after a sharp frost and just touch
the top of one with your finger you will find that it
has been raised up, sometimes an inch or more, in
its hole. They should all be gently pushed down
again till they rest firmly.

They grow but slowly in the spring, but increase
in rapidity of growth when they have once become
rooted, and some will probably make quite strong
shoots in the autumn. These might in some
instances be budded at once, but it is best to leave
them all to the next year for that operation. With
the summer will be realised the advantage of the

K 2

132 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

advice to choose a piece of clean soil free from weeds.
The shoots are close to the earth, and the first ones
grow horizontally almost on the ground. Not only
therefore is it almost impossible to hoe them, but a
full growth of weeds can almost entirely smother
the briar shoots. The weeds must therefore be
hand-picked, a troublesome and unpleasant job.

In the planting season they must all be dug up,
remembering how deep they are planted and that all
the roots which are to be utilised are at the bottom,
and the plants trimmed. All roots must be cut
cleanly off, except those proceeding from the very
base of the plants, and those retained shortened to
a uniform length. The growth at the tops may also
be shortened to two or three buds, and the plants
then transferred to their budding quarters. Here
they should be planted about two inches deep, care
being taken if possible to spread the roots out in
every direction, as few fresh ones will come from
the base of the cutting, and if there is a side on
which there are no roots the plant will never be firm
against the wind from that quarter. If the plants
are permanently to remain where they are budded,
the distance between each will depend upon the
varieties of Roses worked on them, as explained on
p. 54. Butif it is imtended to move them after the
maiden growth of the Rose, nine inches apart
between the plants, more or less, according as they
are intended for Teas or strong H.P.s, will do for
the distance.

It is plain that by thus raising our own briar
cuttings we lose a year compared with the plan of
buying them ready rooted. This difficulty should be
overcome by buying rooted cuttings the first year, as

VII STOCKS 133

well as setting a supply at home. An amateur com-
mencing business had better buy a double supply of
cuttings the first year, half rooted for budding the
next year, and half unrooted for the year after.

Manetti cuttings, which may be useful to an ex-
hibitor for the production of early maiden blooms of
the H.P.s, may be raised and treated in exactly the
same way. ‘They strike much easier than the briar
cuttings, and there should be very few which fail to
root.

I have never gone the length of trying to raise
briar seedlings, as they are cheap to purchase in
quantity, and I have not much faith in the stock for
highly cultivated Roses. The seeds should be rubbed
out of the ripe heps, and sown an inch deep in drills
about a foot apart. All will not germinate, and a
great amount of difference will be found in the plants
by the end of the year. Many will still be quite tiny
things, and a person unacquainted with their power
of growth would think the finest far too weak for
budding the following August. But the second
year’s growth is astonishing: puny plants, with
shoots hardly bigger than knitting-needles, will
sometimes in that short time have become verit-
able bushes with strong fleshy upright shoots, and a
main root to bud on as thick as a man’s finger.
Those that are evidently too small for budding the
following summer should be reserved for another
year, or transferred to pots for budding or grafting
there.

‘'he seedling briar has naturally a tap-root; in
fact, as with all seedlings, there is only a tap-root at
first. When purchased, the length and straightness
of the roots are remarkable: and it seems probable

134 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. VII.

that this want of balance between the head and the
roots accounts for the remarkable growth of the
second season. The tap-roots should be boldly
shortened, as it is our object to encourage com-
paratively shallow roots as much as possible. There
will still be a tendency to root deep, and, when Rose
plants on the seedling briar are moved, roots with a
downward inclination should be suppressed and any
horizontal ones ‘encouraged. In planting out briar
seedlings for budding, the ‘‘ collar,’ or place where
root ends and stem begins, should be open upon the
surface of the ground, not beneath it, for the rose is
budded in this case upon the main root below the
collar.

CHAPTER VIII
PROPAGATION

BUDDING is so much the most important mode of
propagating Roses, that it naturally occupies the
first place. We will suppose that a goodly supply
of stocks—briar standards, cuttings, and seedlings,
and manetti cuttings—have been planted during the
winter as described in the last chapter, and com-
menced their growth in the spring. Do they need
any special care till the time for budding arrives?
If they do, they very seldom get it; but the Rosarian
who intends, and is able, to do everything thoroughly,
to promote all that is useful to his Roses, and war
against all that is hurtful, may find some useful
work here. During the grub and caterpillar season
in April and May he will give occasional turns of
examination and handpicking to the wild growth on
his stocks, besides the systematic and close search
which he will make on his Rose plants. It is true
the wild growth will battle through the insect
attacks, and there is no bloom to be injured; but
some check at least will be experienced from these
causes by the stocks, and if the insects are allowed

to fulfil their course they will breed and increase,
135

136 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and we shall have to deal with their progeny on the
Roses. We can hardly exterminate these pests, but
we ought not to allow them to breed on our pre-
mises, on the ground that they are not doing much
harm just where they are.

The next point of importance is the treatment of
the standard stocks. In almost all the books on the
subject that I have read it is advised that, sooner or
later before budding, all shoots from the standard
stems be removed except the two or three near the
top which are reserved to be operated upon. I
would say: Do nothing of the sort—do not remove
unnecessarily a single leaf, save of suckers from
beneath the surface of the soil, and let these be
gently but firmly pulled out as will hereafter be
described. Remove no lateral branch or part of
one during the whole season of growth: and as this
seems opposed to general recommendation, I will
endeavour to give the reason for the advice.

A plant in its natural state has always a complete
balance of strength between the parts above ground
and underground—the branches and the roots. If,
in summer, or during the period of growth, the roots
be injured, cut off, or lessened, the foliage, which is
the most prominent outward sign of vigour, will
suffer in proportion, but if not killed, will restore
the balance of root power as soon as possible. If,
on the other hand, shoots or leaves are cut off or
injured during the summer, the roots will cease to
increase till they have restored the balance of power
to the foliage. Thus, in summer, cutting back the
root hinders the growth of the plant, and taking
away shoots with leaves on them checks the growth
of the roots.

VIII PROPAGATION 137

But if roots or shoots are cut off during the sleep
of winter, no immediate check is given by either to
the other, and the first thing the plant does when it
wakes up in the spring is to try to restore the
balance. If it finds itself with a large growth above
ground and roots that have been lessened, the plant
will comparatively stand still just alive till the roots
have grown up to the balance again. If, however,
it finds itself with strong powerful roots, and only
two or three buds left on the plant into which the
sap can pass, it makes up the balance as quickly as it
can by unusually strong growth and large fleshy
leaves.

This is what we aim at in trying to make a
maiden Rose plant by budding on the wild stock.
We want it to grow as strongly and quickly as pos-
sible, for among H.P.s the very finest blooms are thus
produced, and some very choice varieties give their
best flowers only during this first year of extra
strong growth. We therefore bud on wild briars
which have as many branches as possible—knowing
that each branch represents so much root power
below—that if one of these be removed the roots
will cease to increase till the balance has been
restored—and that if we can next spring divert the
root power of many wild branches to the one or two
buds we have inserted, the growth is sure to be
extra strong and fine.

This principle is well known in the difference
resulting from the summer and winter pruning of
fruit-trees. If we pinch back the strong leafy
shoots in summer, next year’s growth is partially
checked because the roots suffer awhile in pro-
portion: the lower wood buds therefore ripen and

138 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

consolidate to form fruit buds. But if we cut back
these strong shoots in winter, when there are no
leaves and all is at rest, the roots when they wake
in the spring try to make up the balance of the
foliage by strong luxuriant growth equal to that
which has been cut off.

So it is with our standard briars. If we cut off
any shoots in summer, we hinder the roots from
attaining their full development. But if we cut
them off in winter, when the roots have attained to
their maximum and are resting, their full strength
can be devoted to the buds in the spring.

But some of the advocates for the removal of
those branches which are not to be budded have
given their reasons for the advice. They say the
object is to divert the entire strength of the plant
into the selected shoots before they are budded.
This is not quite correct: the full strength of the
plant will be lost, for the check to the roots will be
considerable. Yet it is true that the selected shoots
will grow more vigorously, for the plant will try to
make up the balance in both ways, in lessened root
power and also increased growth in such branches
as remain. But, in the first place, we do not want
such extra stout branches to bud on; if big enough,
the union will be better than on a very large shoot,
because a small one will have to swell and increase
with the strong growth rising from it. And, in the
second place, what we do want especially is as
much extension and strength in the roots as we can
get for the support of the maiden growth of the
Rose.

It is naturally much easier to bud upon standard
stocks where some of the shoots have been removed

VIII PROPAGATION 139

than it is upon such a rampant hedge of thorny
growth as will be formed by a row of unrestricted
stocks if they have grown well. But the knowledge
that all this prickly luxuriance represents the power
we are going to put into the growth of our buds
next season should be an encouragement for a bold
attack, and a comforter against thorny assaults.
The branches should be carefully shifted and turned
aside to expose the places for operation, and the
thorns can be compelled to make themselves useful,
as the branches will catch and hold to one another
wherever laid without tying.

The principal time for budding is the latter part
of July and the whole month of August. I have
successfully budded Roses out of doors in each of
the seven months commencing with April and
ending with October, and there would not be much
difficulty in finding stocks in the proper condition
in June and September, but to get buds in the right
state would then be more difficult. Manetti stocks
may be well budded with hardy H.P.s as late as
September ; but commencement should be made
with the Teas first of all if possible. This is not
only because the inserted Tea bud will thereby
become better ripened and more able to withstand
the winter, but also because these buds, in many
of the varieties, are difficult to procure, and it is
good policy to begin early, and use them whenever
they can be got.

The illustration on the next page may be of service,
but for all manual operations example is far better
than precept, and I would strongly recommend the
seeing it done by an old hand, even if only once,
in preference to relying upon descriptions or figures

140 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP,

Buppina,

1. Lines of incision in the lateral shoot of the Stock. 2. Lines showing how
the buds are to be cut out of the scion. 3, Inner surface of prepared bud,
showing the eye intact. 4. Outer ditto. 5, Budding completed.

VIII PROPAGATION 141

alone. It is best for an amateur to learn of an
amateur, provided of course the teacher be ex-
perienced and trustworthy; for, without throwing
any discredit upon the wonderfully clever and rapid
performances of professional budders, it is plain
that an amateur works upon rather different lines.
He has not such a wealth of ‘ stuff” to fall back on,
either of buds or stocks, and having more time can
afford to be more careful and particular about every
stage of the operation.

No tools are required beyond a budding knife. It
is hardly necessary to say that this should be as sharp
as possible, but a hone is not so often required as in
pruning, since no hard substances will require to be
cut. The curve at the end of the bone handle for
turning up the bark of the stock is made of different
shapes, and a young operator will soon find which
is most convenient for him. A bundle of ties of
Raffia, split where too thick, and shortened to ten
inches or a foot each (better too long than too short),
should be fastened to the waist so that one tie can
be slipped out easily as required.

The buds chosen should be half-ripe, and plump
but not grown out. Experience will soon teach the
proper condition: but, as a general rule, at the end
of July and beginning of August, buds in the proper
condition will be found on the shoot from which a
bloom is then cut; before that time the shoot must
mature more or less after the flower is cut before the
buds are ready: after it the buds will be ready on
the shoot before it has bloomed, and in September
only the latest shoots which are still growing will
be of use. Those who grow for exhibition will
generally have a difficulty in finding early buds; the

142 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

shoots are so forced by high culture and thinning
that the buds begin to grow out all up the stems
before the flowers open, and a more natural state of
things later on must be waited for. A fully developed
plump bud is desirable, but this is of less importance
than the condition of the shoot, which should not be
more than half-ripe, with the sap still flowing freely
so that the wood parts easily from the bark. Pro-
fessionals will often use a shoot for budding, where
some amateurs would say that there were no buds,
as none are visible. There is always a bud under
every leaf-stalk, and it is far better to use those in
this undeveloped condition when the wood will come
out satisfactorily than older and more attractive-
looking buds which cannot be properly prepared.

Asa rule, buds should always be taken from a shoot
which has, or has had, a good bloom on it. Some
sorts, like Fran¢gois Michelon, often have long strong
flowerless shoots, with plenty of good wood buds on
them. If these buds be used there is a strong
probability of no flowers being produced the first
year. In Tea Roses, the buds next to the bloom are
generally flattish and pointed instead of round and
plump. These should not be used, as they will often
produce, if they take, just a poor little bloom upon
an inch or two of stalk perhaps with no leaves at all,
and soon die. It is safest in all cases not to use the
next bud to the bloom.

The chosen shoots should be cut off with scissors,
and all the leaves immediately snipped off, leaving
about an inch of footstalk to each. This is not only
for convenience, since it must be done before the
buds are used, but also because evaporation takes
place through the leaves, and the whole shoot will

VII PROPAGATION 143

soon wither if they are left on. A quantity of buds
may be carried about for some time without taking
any harm if the leaves are thus removed at once:
but if a great quantity is taken at a time, or the
buds have been received by post, it is better to carry
them about in water.

Standard stocks are budded upon the laterals, the
growth of the year, as close to the upright stem as
possible. The general practice is to bud two
branches, for the insect pests which attack the
growing bud in the spring will be found to be
far more prevalent on standards than on dwarfs.
Should both of these fail, a use will be found for
the other laterals, which have not been removed for
the reasons given above, for it will be better to bud
on these fresh shoots as the reserved ground than
on one where a bud has already failed.

Like the buds, the branches of the stock should
be ‘ half-ripe.” If worked on too soon, while still
soft, or when the wood appears green instead of
white when the bark is turned back, the chances of
success are much diminished, and the shoot is very
likely to break off at the cross cut. If attempted
too late, a stock which has not got a strong root-
hold often ceases to grow for a while in a dry
August, and the flow of sap being lessened, the bark
does not rise freely and readily. It is absolutely
useless to attempt budding in such a case, where
there is any difficulty in raising the bark. An
experienced eye can generally tell by the appearance
of growth or the want of it in the tips of the shoots,
whether the bark will rise and budding may be done.

Do not necessarily choose the strongest laterals,
but medium-sized shoots half-ripe but growing

144 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

freely. Rub the thorns off the two inches of the
branch to be operated on which are nearest to the
main stem. Next make a cross cut half an inch long
and about an inch from the stem, and be sure it goes
clean down to the wood, then make a clean straight
longitudinal cut at right angles to the first one as
far as the stem. Insert the bone handle of the
budding knife into this cut, and pass it evenly down
under the bark on both sides from cross cut to stem,
raising it a little, so that the two cuts forma T. It
is best so to choose the position that the longitudinal
cut does not pass through or near a wild natural bud,
as this will leave a little projection which will hinder
the smooth passage of the bud. It is not worth
while to try to get the new bud just where a wild
one was before.

The stock is now ready, and we turn to take a
bud from our Rose-shoot. This should be sliced off
so that we have the leaf-stalk with the bud under it
in the centre of about an inch of bark, the other side
being flat and smooth and containing a portion of
the wood of the Rose.

Now comes the most critical point. The wood
has to be cleanly removed from the inside of the
shield of bark without taking with it the immature
soft growth or cambium, which forms the inside of
the bud. If the bud is in the right condition, the
wood generally breaks away from the bud, leaving
the appearance of an eye or hole which is filled up.
But if the inside of the bud appears hollow, a fresh
one should be taken, as a large percentage of
failures arises entirely from this cause. Occasionally
some may grow, but a good union is unlikely and
most will fail utterly.

VIII PROPAGATION 145

The point of the budding knife carefully inserted
at one end is usually the means by which the wood
is got out, though I knew an old gardener who said
he “kept a thoomb-nail o’purpose,” a gruesome
object which he exhibited with pride. The beginner
had better try several ways till he finds what suits
him best, remembering that the one object is to get
the wood out clean, and yet leave the inside of the
bud. Which end of the wood should be raised first
will naturally depend upon whether it is to be lifted,
pulled, or pushed out.

If the wood comes out all right, leaving the base
of the bud level with the inside of the bark, there
will probably be no trouble with any buds on that
shoot. And vice versa, for it is the condition of the
shoot which is at fault. If you find that you have
pulled the interior of a bud out, take extra pains
with the other buds on that shoot if a better one is
not to be found; in obstinate cases, the knife itself
may be passed down under the bark, and help the
desired object. But care must be taken that the
inner surface of the bark of the bud be not bruised
or cut and that no grit or foreign substance what-
ever gets in.

If the wood will not come out clean but adheres
in places, the bud is over-ripe and should not be
used. If it be very small or not ripe enough, some
advise that it be inserted without removing the
wood. In such a case the bud will sometimes grow,
but this is grafting, not budding, and the union will
not be so good or lasting.

The bud thus prepared must without any delay be
slipped under the cross cut and down the longitudinal
one, so that it just touches and fits to the cross cut.

L

146 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

This is not essential, but is more likely to ensure
success. Many make the shield of bark containing
the bud considerably longer than the longitudinal
slit which is to enclose it, and cut it across when it
isin so that it exactly fits the cross cut. This is
the mode generally adopted by professionals, and
requires a steady hand, good sight, and a very keen
knife. Amateurs probably more often make the bud
the right length to start with, cutting the upper end
square. The leaf-stalk will form a useful handle for
pushing the bud down into position.

The bud should now be tied in, making the bands
of raffia touch one another and cover the whole of
the slit wood except the bud itself. The tie should
be made firm and fairly tight, and should not be
removed for four weeks, unless it is seen to be
cutting into the bark. The bud will generally have
taken or failed by the end of three weeks, but some-
times this is a little too soon to remove the ties
entirely. No shading is necessary in the hottest
weather, if the stock continues in good growing
order.

There should be no shortening of the budded
shoots, before, at the time, or after budding.
Shortening checks the flow of sap to the bud
instead of increasing it. When the ties are
removed, standard stocks that have failed may
be re-budded on fresh shoots. The date of budding
each stock or row should be entered on the label
or in a book, that the proper time for removing the
ties may be known.

Some recommend budding with only the longitu-
dinal cut and no transverse one. This may be a

VIII PROPAGATION 147

more satisfactory operation when it is done, but it
requires an expert hand to get the bud in under
these circumstances, and the cross-cut system
answers very well.

Budding on cutting or seedling stocks to make
“dwarf” plants is practised in just the same way,
except that in this case the bud is not put into the
branches, but into the old wood of the main stem,
beneath, if possible, the surface of the ground. As
before, no growths should be cut away or stopped,
but the shoots may be bent back to allow access to
the stem. A trowel or the blunt stump of an old
knife may be used for removing the earth round the
stock to the depth of an inch or more. The stem
should then be rubbed with the hand or a piece of
old flannel or cloth to make it clean and free from
grit, no harm being done by the removal of the
epidermis or outer skin of bark.

The operation now proceeds as in standards, only
one bud being put into each stock, and great care
being taken that no particles of earth or extraneous
matter get in between the bud and the stock. With
extra strong manettis, or in any case where a small
bud has to be put into a strong rough thick-barked
stock, thin slices may be taken from the lips of the
bark to prevent its completely meeting over the
bud, and ‘‘ drowning” it in growth. Formerly the
material used for the tying in of buds was bast or
Russian matting, and then soft thick white cotton,
called ‘“‘bonnet cotton,” was much used by amateurs.
But the introduction of Raffia supplied a material
of just the right consistence, softness and pliability,
which has also the happy knack for the purpose,

L 2

148 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

when close to the damp earth, of gradually rotting,
so that at the end of a month or more the ties on
dwarf plants become loose of themselves.

It is not therefore necessary to unfasten them:
but amateurs will generally like to inspect the result
of their operations, and where there has been a
failure the stock can generally be rebudded on the
other side, or lower down. The bud will be the
better for being exposed to the air, but, after it has
taken, accidental re-covering of earth will seldom do
any harm.

Seedling briars are to be budded on the main root
immediately below the ‘collar,’ which is full of
dormant buds. This root is often crooked, with
fibres proceeding from it, and the best available
spot for budding should be chosen even if it
is some little way down. It is the most diffi-
cult stock to work, and, in case of failure, room can
seldom be found for a second attempt.

Occasionally the buds will “grow out,” as it is
termed, that is, start into growth and even give
good blooms the same season that they are budded.
There is no harm in this provided it has not been
forced by the shortening of the wild growth. On
the contrary, with hardy sorts it makes the estab-
lishment of the Rose-plant a matter of certainty.
The shoot should be secured to a stake and not
shortened, but pruned back very close in the
following spring.

No further care will be required for the budded
stocks, beyond removing the ties at the expiration
of four weeks or a little less, till November. When
the sap ceases to rise even in the most fleshy shoots,
and the leaves begin to fall, all the wild growth

V1IE PROPAGATION 149

may be cut away—in standards, reserving one or
two wild buds only on the worked shoots above the
inserted bud, and cleanly removing all others which
have been unsuccessful or unbudded, and on dwarfs
cutting away the actual stem with all the wild
growth upon it to within three or four inches of
the bud.

The buds of Teas will, in many places, require
protection during the winter, as described in
Chapter IV. Some of the earliest buds may begin
to grow even in March, and all, whether dormant
or growing, will need constant examination during
April to protect them from insect enemies, especially
weevils and the black grub.

Some recommend the pinching closely back of
those buds which start with only one shoot, to cause
them to break again in two or more shoots. I used
to find it necessary to ‘‘ harden my heart’’ very
much to perform this operation; and, when a sharp
frost supervened one year and killed nearly the
whole of these mutilated buds, I gave it up com-
pletely, believing one shoot ‘‘in the hand (or at all
events securely tied up) to be worth two in the
bush.” It is regularly done, however, in many large
nurseries, even with the tenderest Teas ; and I have
taken to it again for the earliest buds, as a single
shoot is a bad foundation for a good plant. Great
care should be taken that the bud is not rubbed out
of its socket, as it may easily be by a blow or even
an unconscious touch, for then it will be ruined.
The first pushing buds are those that should be
operated on, and as pinching is rather hazardous for
a novice, let those buds which have grown (say) ¢ of
an inch be cut clean across by a pair of scissors, or

150 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

by a sharp knife with a thumb-nail pressed against
the other side of the bud, quite low down and close
to the socket : in a week or two the small dormant
buds which are always in existence on each side of
a healthy one will begin to show, and the operation
will be successful.

It is absolutely necessary that the growing shoot
be tied to some support as soon as possible, and that
care should be taken throughout the first season to
see that it is really secure. Great caution should be
used in making the first ties with a strong stiff
shoot—the union is very insecure, and even a crack
from bending too much, or a sudden jar, may ruin
allina moment. Never mind spoiling the shape or
look of the plant; we may think of that next year.
The union is not perfect, at least for some time,
during the first season, and the shoot is generally
top-heavy. The finer the growth, and the better
the head formed, the more certain it is to be blown
out if not securely tied. Nothing is more aggravat-
ing than to come out some morning in summer and
find the whole thing blown clean out of the stock.
The plant is absolutely destroyed, and all the time
and labour from the first getting of the stock are
simply thrown away.

It is best not to try to be economical in such a
case, or when buds have failed, by budding on the
same stock again. Fresh stocks are better in every
way, and briar cuttings whose buds have failed will
not form good dwarf standard stocks for the next
year, though I have often tried them.

Bamboos are now the best stakes and supports,
at all events of a temporary nature. Budded stocks
of manetti, briar cuttings, and seedlings should

VIII PROPAGATION 161

have fairly strong bamboos, of length according to
the growth expected of the Rose, driven firmly in
beside them, and securely tied to the small portion
of stem left of the cuttings, and to the root, if
possible, of the seedlings. Without this tie, if the
bamboo recives a blow or a push, the Rose shoot
fastened to it may be pulled out. The stake should
not be behind the stock, that is, on the opposite side
to the bud, but beside or in front of it, for if the
shoot is stiff and grows out at an angle there may be
a difficulty in fastening it securely till it has grown
some length.

Extra stout bamboos should be employed for
standards, a foot or more, according to the variety
budded, higher than the topmost bud. The same
stake will thus support the stock and the growing
shoot of the Rose. As soon as the bud has fairly
started in the standard stocks, the small portion
of the wild shoot remaining may be cut away with
a clean sloping cut close to the bud. The reason for
leaving it is, that it may sometimes be found useful
in coaxing a bud to start, by letting a wild bud
push for an inch or two, thus drawing a flow of sap,
and if that does not answer stopping it back again.

These dormant buds that will not begin to grow
are a great trial to the standard stock as well as to
the patience of the cultivator. The strong roots,
equal in balance to all the growth that was removed
in November, keep sending up full supplies of sap,
and the plant will endeavour to get rid of it by
making growth in every possible direction, above
ground and below, except sometimes through the
one tiny channel where it is desired. Such buds
will occasionally start after all, in June or July, or

152 THE’ BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

even the following year; but there is something
amiss with them, and they are not likely to form good
plants.

The principal thing to remember of the maiden
growth of newly-budded plants is that no search for
insects, remedies for mildew, or admiration of the
glorious blooms should hinder the one care of tie—
tie—tie, or all may be lost in a moment.

Grafting—This mode of working the Rose upon
another stock is so inferior to budding in many ways
that it only survives because, with the aid of heated
houses, it can be practised in the winter. A nursery-
man, or any one who has the proper appliances, can
thus increase his stock of any particular variety
many fold in the middle of winter, and multiply
the number of buds he will be able to use when the
outdoor stocks are ready.

It is in this way that new Roses are so quickly
propagated, but of course any other variety which
has become scarce can be increased in the same
manner. Healthy young stocks not too large should
be established in pots the year before for the
purpose. They may be manetti or briar cuttings,
but the manetti is best, from its ready rooting
power, and its susceptibility and readiness to grow
when exposed to heat. If the supply of stocks be
short, suitable pieces of briar-root, taken from
stocks where budding has failed, have often been
found to answer the purpose well.

The operation is generally performed in January,
when both stocks and scions are in a dormant
condition. All available shoots of the Rose should
be cut off and stuck into the ground somewhere
where they will not be injured by frost or excited

VIII PROPAGATION 153

by heat, but kept in the winter sleep. The stocks,
however, should be just a little forwarder, by having
been brought into the house a short time before,
not actually started, but ready to grow at once on
the application of heat.

The method of grafting usually employed is the
easiest and simplest—whip-grafting, which is an
ordinary plain splice, such as a fisherman would
make to his broken rod. The stock is cut straight
across with scissors an inch or two above the soil
in the pot, and is then sliced up on one side only
with a sharp knife to form the stock half of the
splice.

For the scion only one bud is used. The shoot is
snipped into little bits, by cutting across as close as
possible above each bud. This will leave, below
each, an inch or more of wood, which should then
be sliced up to form the other part of the splice.
Stock and scion should be as nearly as possible of
the same diameter, but it will not matter if the
stock is somewhat the bigger of the two.

The essentials of grafting are:—that on one side
at least the inner bark of stock and scion should
exactly meet, that flow of sap in the stock should
take place at once, and that air should be excluded
till the scion has made some growth.

To meet the first of these necessary points is very
important. Of course the two parts to be brought
together will not fit exactly once in a hundred times,
and the only care therefore should be that the scion
should fit on one side of the stock and not be placed
in the middle.

To prevent its slipping during the tying is rather
a difficult task till one has seen ‘‘ how it’s done.”

164 THE BOOK OF THE ROSH CHAP.

Two or three turns of a thin bit of Raffia are first
taken round the lower part of the sloping cut on the
stock leaving the ends underneath. A third hand
comes in very usefully here, and the operator
generally utilises his mouth for the purpose. The
end of the scion is thus held ready for putting into
position under the tie, which is then tightened and
finished by the hands.

It is not necessary to make the circles of the tie
touch each other, nor are wax and clay used for
keeping out the air. The pot is immediately placed
in bottom heat in a frame which excludes the air,
and it is most interesting to watch the callus or
cambium growth forming between the two barks.
The bud will probably start in about three weeks,
and then air will be gradually given, and a high but
even temperature maintained till the plant has
crown sufficiently to be hardened by degrees and to
stand exposure to an ordinary mild atmosphere.

The young growths will be very lable to “‘ damp
off,’ and the usual precautions against this
catastrophe, of admitting air above, even in frosty
weather when the heat must be increased, must be
strictly attended to. Roses raised in this manner
are not so good for planting out as budded ones,
but are useful for providing buds for outdoor propa-
gation, and nowadays good pot plants, especially of
the climbing varieties, are established in this way.

Where there are no appliances of close frames
with bottom heat, the operation must be deferred to
a little later in the year, the stocks must be in a
more forward condition, and grafting wax must be
used to cover the whole of the operated parts
closely, as is the case with fruit-trees grafted in the

VIII PROPAGATION 155

open air. French grafting wax which can be used
cold is preferable to home-made material, but winter
grafting can hardly be considered worth the trouble
for amateurs, unless it be carried out on a large
scale, and close frames with bottom heat in properly
constructed houses can be provided.

FRioses on their own Roots.—It is constantly being
put forward as a new discovery that Roses, especially
some varieties, may themselves be struck as cuttings,
and will in time form fair plants and give decent
blooms. ‘‘ Why then,” it is said, “take all this
trouble about stocks and budding? You plant your
cuttings in the autumn, in any quantity, as it is all
wood that you will cut away at the spring pruning,
and you thus get real genuine Rose bushes—Roses
on their own roots, which cannot be killed by frost
unless root and all perish together, and whose
suckers are welcome as they are only increase to
the Roses.”

The simple answer to this is, that not only does
it take longer thus to form plants which will give
fair flowers, but that it is a fact that Roses on their
own roots do not grow so well or flower so well as
those which are budded on stronger rooting stocks.
Nevertheless some varieties, especially of the free
and hardy garden sorts, will answer in this way,
and the best modes of striking the cuttings shall
therefore be described.

The usual time for taking them is November.
They should be prepared of as ripe wood as can
be found of the current year’s growth, about ten
inches in length. The thorns had better be trimmed
off, but none of the buds as all these will help if they
grow. If a small portion of “heel’’ or older wood

156 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

be left at the bottom, the likelihood of striking will
be increased. If taken so early that the leaves yet
remain, all should be removed save the two top
ones, and in this case a good soaking with water
should be given after the cuttings are set out.

They should be set deep, only two buds showing
above the soil, in double rows as recommended for
briar and manetti cuttings. It will be a great help
to the emission of roots if the shoots rest firmly at
the bottom upon some sharp sand or sifted cocoa-
fibre dust. Attention must be paid to them, as to
briar cuttings, after sharp frosts which lift the
shoots in their holes. In the winter they may be
gently pressed down again, but if thus raised by
frost later when possibly roots may have formed, it
will be better to tread the soil firmly round them.
In the following autumn those that have made good
growth may be moved, and planted shallower in
their permanent quarters, and it will then be seen
how poor are the roots in comparison to those of the
stocks on which Roses are budded.

If this method of propagation is carried out during
the summer, a close frame or at least a hand-glass is
necessary. The cuttings need not be more than four
inches long, and should consist of short-jointed wood
with a heel to each. They should be syringed and
kept close for a while, and much care will be requisite
to prevent damping off. Bottom heat is a great
help towards getting them on quickly, but all this is
generally great waste of time and energy, as only a
few of the hardiest, strongest, and commonest sorts
will do well on their own roots, and these will root
fairly as November cuttings.

Suckers and Layering.—The Scotch and Austrian

VIL PROPAGATION 157

Roses and some other sorts, when grown on their
own roots, form suckers at some little way from the
plant, and these when rooted may be cut off and
transplanted to form plants elsewhere. A cut on
the underside of the sucker beneath the ground will
encourage the formation of roots.

Dwarf plants of any free-growing variety may be
“layered.” To perform this operation the shoot
must be bent down so that it will touch the ground
some little way from the tip. A small hole should
be prepared here and filled with rooting material,
such as leaf-mould, sand, and cocoa-fibre dust: the
shoot should be cut halfway through and then
longitudinally so as to form a tongue, and then
pegged into and planted in this hole, when in due
time roots will be produced and a new plant
formed.

It is possible also to raise Roses from mere buds
or eyes as vines, but letting the leaf remain. There
are other methods of inducing the wood and buds of
Rose shoots to put forth roots, but for the propaga-
tion of established sorts there is nothing to equal
budding with winter grafting for the rapid multipli-
cation of rare varieties.

Roses from Seed.—A chapter on propagation
would be very incomplete without at least some
reference to the raising of Roses from seed, the
principal means by which new varieties are gained,
and to the hybridising or crossing of special sorts
which has been so successful of late years with some
raisers. Unfortunately I can give no minute
practical details, not having attempted it myself,
and successful hybridisers being naturally unwilling

158 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

to part with the secrets of their craft. But some-
thing may be said on the matter, which may give an
outline of the proceedings, and perhaps lead some
amateurs to make experiments in such a fascinating
pursuit.

It is hardly worth while to undertake it except
on a somewhat large scale: only a very small pro-
portion of the seedlings raised will be found worth
anything at all, a good many coming single, and of
those that are pretty good, few will be found to be
any advance upon existing kinds. A great deal of
patience will be required: it is sometimes as much
as six years before a representative bloom can be got,
and two or three years more at least, perhaps twice
the time, may elapse before a good stock of the sort
can be worked up.

Hybridising consists in preventing the pistil of a
Rose being fertilised by its own stamens, and con-
veying to it the pollen from the stamens of another
Rose. This is sometimes, perhaps often, done in
the open by bees and other insects, and some means
must be taken, by muslin bags or by working only
under glass, to prevent their access to the blooms.
When the stamens of the Rose to be crossed have
been taken away, and the pistil is ready, the pollen
is conveyed to it repeatedly for a day or two from
the stamens of the other Rose by a small camel’s-
hair pencil, and this pollen may be stored if necessary
in a box in a dry place before the operation, which
should be performed with great care on a dry and
sunny day.

Both plants should, of course, always be kept in a
thoroughly healthy condition, and as the ripening of
the hep or seed pod will take about three months

VIII PROPAGATION 159

even in favourable weather, it is plain that the
crossing should take place early in the season.

The seeds should be sown at once, when the pod
is ripe, a point that may be judged from the bright
red colour and general appearance of the Rose-fruit.
They should be sown in pots in a compost of equal
parts of loam, burnt earth, and sand, well-drained
but pressed firm. About half an inch of sand should
cover the seeds, which may be put about an inch
apart. The pots should now be thoroughly watered
and kept in a temperature of from 45° to 55°; but,
however managed, the seeds come up most irregu-
larly, few germinating before the lapse of six weeks,
and some taking as many months or even a year or
two before they grow.

Even when they have come up, a good many will
soon die though the utmost care be given them; and
with anything hike neglect of the strictest require-
ments of young plant life, wholesale destruction may
be expected. The first opportunity should be seized,
after they are pricked out and have commenced to
grow, for budding or grafting them on manetti or
briar stocks, for it is very difficult, especially for a
novice, to estimate the value of the first bloom on
the seedling plant itself.

Tf unwilling to experiment in hybridising, an
amateur may still leave a few of his earliest Rose
pods on the chance of their ripening, as many did
in the hot season of 1893. If these be carefully
sown, as described above, a rich prize may possibly
be attained (though the number of :blanks is
astounding), for a large number of our best Roses
were raised in past years by French nurserymen in
this haphazard fashion.

CHAPTER I<
PESTS

In treating of Pests which injure Roses, it will be
understood that I naturally refer only to those which
are to be found in the British Isles: and perhaps even
within those limits there may be some (though not
many, I think) which have not come under my
personal observation.

Insects.—A large number of insects of different
sorts are injurious to Roses and Rose plants, and I
do not propose to treat of these entomologically but
only from the Rosarian’s point of view—-what they
are, what harm they do, and how to destroy them.
As to what they are, which in ordinary scientific
description would mean giving the generic and specific
Latin names of each, my very slight investigations
into the matter tend to show that this is no simple
task, the specific and even generic names depending
a good deal upon the authority studied and followed.
However, a remembrance of the many Rose
synonyms for the same flowers convinces me that
it is not politic for Rosarians to find much fault in this
direction ; and in most cases what we want to know is

how to keep the enemies off, and how to find them
160

CH. 1X PESTS 161

when present, and there will not, I think, be much
trouble about their identification.

The keeping the plants in vigorous health is the
first preventive measure, for it seems undoubted that
aphides, the scale insect, and red spider show a
partiality in their attacks for plants which are in a
weak and sickly condition. Against all caterpillar
and grub depredations, late pruning, after the plants
have burst into leaf, is the only prevention that I
know of : when this measure has been found necessary
through the earliness of the season, a considerable
diminution is found in caterpillar numbers; and it is
plain that in such cases the parent insects have laid
their eggs on the bursting buds at the top of the
shoots, and that all have been happily swept away at
the pruning.

I was surprised on first looking into the matter to
find that most of the common caterpillars or grubs
which haunt and injure the Rose are the larve of
moths. We sometimes see a good many flies of
different sorts and sizes about our Rose shoots on
sunny days in April and May, but rarely moths,
though there may be, later on, several moth grubs
on every plant. The reason of this would probably
be that the parent moths visit the plants only at
night or at all events in the dusk, and that they are
mostly small, insignificant, fluttering insects of the
most harmless appearance, and likely in general to be
unnoticed.

Among the flies we may perhaps notice some active
creatures, less than half an inch long, looking some-
thing like slender-bodied long-legged ants, with
iridescent wings ; these will be saw-flies, the parents
of very hurtful grubs, and each one caught will

M

162 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

probably save some trouble and loss. On the other
hand some of the flies may be ichneumons, which
lay their eggs in the bodies of caterpillars and there-
fore do good. But it is a safe rule to suspect all
insect life; foes are numerous and friends are few,
and the more free the Roses are from insects of
any sort, the better they will be. Bear in mind,
however, that, next to the aphis or green fly, certain
small moths are the commonest enemies of Rose
plants, and if any such innocent-looking flutterers
be seen among them they should be hunted and
destroyed.

Earliest in appearance among the moth larve is
what is generally known as the black grub. This
is “the worm i’ the bud,” the Rose grub par
excellence, being the larva of a pretty and delicate-
looking moth (Tortrix). It may be found in April
or even earlier, the inserted buds on what are to
be maiden standards being often infested, even
before they have begun to grow. It is more like a
fat brown maggot than a caterpillar, but has the
power of spinning a thread with which it fastens
the leaves together to form its concealment; and it
can let itself down to the ground when disturbed, by
a line which serves for a ladder on its return. A
little experience of the proper appearance of healthy
Rose foliage and of the twisted and folded leaves
which betray the presence of this pest will suffice
for its discovery on a developed shoot, but it is not
always so easy to detect it on the precious first
pushing bud of a maiden plant. As soon as there
is any warmth in April, these dormant buds on
Standard Stocks should be examined, at least every
other day, with a magnifying glass, spectacles, or

CATERPILLAR HIDDEN ON ROSE Suoor, [Face page 162,

The lower leaves have heen unrolled in vain, the creature having passed to the upper leaf,
on the left, nearer to the Bud.

1x PESTS 163

pince-nez being best, for both hands will be re-
quired. Where a tiny heap of dust is seen upon
the bud, the egg has been hatched, and the
destroyer is within. I have found the point of an
ordinary quill toothpick the most efficacious in-
strument for dislodging the intruder; it is quite
sharp enough, and a pin is too rigid. Do not be
afraid to probe right to the bottom of the bud till
you have found and got out the tiny invader: for
the main bud is already spoilt, and your hopes are
shifted to the supernumerary side buds, which are
always in existence and dormant, invisible. Having
got out the grub, no harm will have been done, for
you should have two shoots instead of one, the grub
having forced you to the operation of “ staving,” as
on p. 149.

Next in point of time, and continuing much later,
is another moth larva, of the same group (Tortricina),
and with the same sort of manners and customs.
This is a dark green grub with a black head, and
not so plump in body. It folds the leaves together
in the same way, and generally acts in the same
obnoxious manner; but it is more active, and has
the power of running backwards as quickly as
forwards, so that it will often escape and fall to
the ground, where it lies quite still and is not easily
found.

We shall now begin to find those larve of moths
which are more generally called caterpillars. Most
of these belong to the group of loopers, or geo-
meters, i.e. earth measures, so called because the
middle of the body, where there are no legs, is
constantly being raised in a loop as the creature

progresses.
M 2

164 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Many of the geometers do not fasten the leaves
together, trusting to other means for concealment,
but the commonest of all, at least in my garden,
does do this. There are a great many species, but
the habits and general appearance are much alike.
They fasten the leaves together and hide between
them and feed on the leaves, but always work
towards the top of the shoot, and will attack the
bud as soon as it is formed. It will be noticed that
the caterpillar, if hatched as usual on the point of
the growing shoot, keeps hold by a silken thread
of each leaf as it unfolds, and is able at any time to
leave its hiding place for a new one in a leaf spray
higher up, and thus gradually to mount towards the
bud.

By this means it also sometimes escapes; the dis-
tortion of the leaf spray it has just left is very
conspicuous, but its new abode is most cleverly con-
cealed, looking quite natural except that two leaves
happen to touch back to back. A novice on un-
rolling the curled leaves would often come to the
conclusion that the insect had escaped or been
taken by a bird, but the experienced eye will always
look upwards to the next leaf spray, and the ex-
perienced finger will always go there first, and not
waste time on the decoy beneath. These caterpillars
ave often very abundant from the end of April to
the beginning of June, and as they grow very fast
they cannot be looked for too frequently.

Other geometer larvee do not hide themselves or
spin the leaves together, but trust to their colours
and attitudes for concealment. A dark brown one
(Phygalia) simulates the appearance of a dead stick,
and another, of a lighter brown with a yellow

ix PESTS 165

stripe, imitates a dead leaf stalk. Their attitudes
ave stiff and motionless, and it is astonishing how
easily the searching eye passes them over though
they are comparatively large caterpillars. When
one is found the appearance should be carefully
noted that the eye may be trained to detect another
and not be again deceived, for though not so
common as the leaf-rollers one of these pests will
soon destroy a bud.

The larvee of a good many other moths occasion-
ally feed on Rose plants, and in certain districts
some may become locally special pests. The cater-
pillar of the gold-tailed moth (Aurijlua), sometimes
called the palmer worm, I have found occasionally
devouring Rose leaves. This is a beautiful and
highly coloured caterpillar, with bright tufts of
hair; it feeds on the leaves of many sorts of trees,
but I have most commonly found it on the hawthorn.

The saw-flies (Tenthredinide) are so called from
the shape and nature of their ovipositors, the instru-
ments with which the females pierce the leaves or
bark for the insertion of their eggs. There are
several genera and species which feed on Rose
plants, but I have found it impossible, with these as
with the moths, to name them all. I was told by the
late Rev. J. H. Hocking, who most kindly assisted
me in the identification of insects, that there would
be no room for Roses in my book if I were to
attempt it. In my grounds there are two special
saw-flies (Selandria), very distinct in habit, and
perhaps including more than two species, which are
particularly troublesome.

The presence of the first may be known by the
singular appearance of the lower and older leaves

166 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

of the plant, which seem to be semi-transparent in
patches as if the colouring matter had been eaten
away but the leaf not actually pierced. In such a
case the upper and under sides of the leaves should
be carefully examined, and good eyes will soon
detect the culprits. These are small slug-like larve,
tapering in width towards the tail, and exactly the
colour of the leaves so that they are very readily
overlooked. They are easily destroyed when found,
as they make no attempt to escape, but as they do
not appear till Midsummer, when eyes are natu-
rally more occupied with the blooms, they often
escape notice. As far as I have seen they always
work gradually up from the lowest leaves, and
I have never known them do any harm to the
buds.

The other saw-fly is also late in its visitations, and
fortunately not very common, as it is, I think, with-
out exception the most destructive insect among
Roses that I know. The female deposits her egg
in the top of the strongest shoot she can find that
has not yet formed a bud, and thereby absolutely
prevents it from doing so, without any remedy that
Ican see. The grub when hatched bores straight
down into the pith of the shoot for an inch or two;
the leaves do not flag till the harm has taken place,
and only a tiny black spot in the top of the shoot,
which seems to have stopped growing, reveals the
mischief that has been done. Cut off about an
inch of the top of the stem and you will find it
hollow; at the bottom of the excavation a fat
maggot of a transparent white colour may be seen:
and pray do not omit to execute summary justice,
for it will be readily understood that this is a most

Ix PESTS 167

dangerous insect whose presence cannot be detected
till the shoot is ruined. Preventive measures
consist in having all the shoots in bud fairly early—
in this point and in many others the early man has
an advantage over his competitors. I only find this
grub on the latest and strongest shoots, and fancy
that when once the bud is formed it is safe from this
pest’s attacks. I have been told, however, by other
Rosarians that with them it has attacked bud-
bearing shoots; with me, it is quite common on the
wild shoots of the standard stocks for budding that
year—I sometimes find almost every shoot “stopped”
by it—but decidedly uncommon on the Rose shoots
close at hand.

Another boring grub, probably the larva of a
beetle, does only incidental damage, as it confines
its operations to old wood where a large shoot has
been cut off at the pruning, exposing the pith. It
is most injurious to standard stocks as it hollows
out the pith at the top of the main stem sometimes
right down to, or even below, the shoot wherein the
bud is inserted, thereby leading to the settlement
of water and consequent decay. It is best, to
prevent this, to smear the cut-off ends of the
standard stocks when planted with paint or some
similar substance which will protect the pith. If,
at the first pruning of the maiden standard, it is
required to cut off the top part of the stock down to
the newly formed Rose-head, this smearing should
be renewed, as any freshly exposed pith is liable to
attack.

Perhaps the best known of all insect pests of the
Rose is the aphis or green fly (Aphis rose). These
creatures are formidable by their astonishing powers

168 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

of increase, and it is only in multitudes that they do
any harm. In their anxiety to obey the command
to increase and multiply, the presence of males is
postponed as a useless luxury till the season is
nearly over. In the meantime each individual, as
soon as full grown, which will be in favourable circum-
stances when about a week old, begins to produce
young ones ready to commence juice-sucking at once,
at the rate of dozens or so a day for weeks. In
this manner it is said as many as seventeen gener-
ations may be produced before the males appear,
and it is calculated that the descendants of a single
aphis in one season might thus be reckoned by
millions.

Strength, vigour, and cleanliness in the plants
seem to be the best preventive measures. It may
appear strange that vigour and health should keep
off an insect foe, which we should fancy would be
naturally congregated where there was the greatest
abundance of sap for food, but though they are to
be found on healthy plants, it will, I think, be
generally allowed that the weaker ones are the most
attacked.

Destructive and remedial measures are many and
various. Almost every insecticide known is adver-
tised as destroying them; and no wonder, for they
are delicate creatures with no power of escape, and
are easily killed. The golden rule for all pests—
attack the first symptons with immediate vigour—
is especially applicable in this case. A constant
look out, and crushing every one as soon as seen,
never leaving it till to-morrow, is the remedy for
aphides.

Of all instruments and apparatus for the destroy-

1x PESTS 169

ing of pests there is nothing like the industrious
finger and thumb, used in the earlier stages. When
a zealous amateur discovers a few aphides and sends
off at once to get and boil his quassia chips, according
to the approved recipe, for elaborate operations on
the morrow, while finger and thumb might have
destroyed them all in a short time, I am always
reminded of the story of the man who was vending
some nostrum for the destruction of certain
nameless parasites. When the “ directions for use ”’
of his specific were disclosed, it appeared that each
creature had to be caught and a little of the powder
inserted into its mouth, death following infallibly.
The obvious objection to this invention was that
when once the finger and thumb held the victim no
more aid was required.

The aphis brush, deftly used, may take the place
of actual fingers where the pest has attained some
dimensions: and when, through neglect, or such a
sudden and wholesale attack as sometimes occurs,
wholesale means must be applied, a syringe and the
quassia and soft soap mixture will probably prove
the best resort.

The late Mr. B. R. Cant’s directions for the use
of this remedy are: ‘‘ Take 4 oz. of quassia chips and
boil them ten minutes in a gallon of soft water ;
then strain it, and while cooling dissolve in it 4 oz.
of soft soap: to this may be added another gallon or
two of water.” The plants should be syringed with
this in the morning or evening, not in the sunshine,
or badly infested shoots may be dipped in it. Pure
water should follow the next day to cleanse the
leaves and shoots. There are many insecticides
advertised, which ought all to be good enough to

170 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

destroy aphides at least: for they are easily killed,
and are only formidable by their astonishing powers
of increase. For pot plants under glass smoking
with tobacco is the usual remedy, but the too much
despised finger and thumb should check the pest at
its first appearance.

Occasionally there is a visitation of winged swarms
late in the season in such abundance as to be
formidable from sheer multitude. Such an invasion
occurred in Suffolk one autumn some years ago; it
was like a miniature plague of locusts, for they
literally covered the whole of the plants on which
they alighted till it seemed as if there was not room
for one more. With me they alighted principally
on green peas, but at Colchester a good many Roses
were injured and even killed outright. Syringing on
a large scale with a powerful garden engine is the
remedy in such a case.

It is pretty well known that ants frequent the
shoots which are attacked by aphides for the purpose
of feeding on the sweet juice which they secrete,
called honey-dew. Entomologists tell us that the
ants treat the aphides as their milch cows, and even
convey them about to fresh shoots; and I once
found a singular instance of this. Some poor briar
cuttings had been planted in an odd corner of my
garden, on the chance of their doing well enough to
be worth budding. They did not turn out well
enough and in consequence were neglected, but I
noticed in the summer a few aphides on the shoots
and that there were ants in the ground. The stocks
were dug up to be thrown away in mid-winter, and
I then found the aphides quite underground feeding
on the roots, and attended by ants. It seems a fair

1x * PESTS 171

inference that, on the approach of winter, the ants
had carried the aphides underground for safety.

Ants in themselves are a pest, and should be
looked on as such. I am doubtful whether they ever
attack a Rose-bud unless it has been first pierced or
scratched by another insect or some mischance. But
they are readily attracted by the exuding sap from
the smallest wound, and flock to the place in myriads,
disbudding often offering them such a spot in an
undesirable position. When once they have thus
attacked a bud nothing short of finding and destroy-
ing the nest with boiling water will prevent their
devouring the whole of it—even finger and thumb
fail here because of the immense reserve force be-
hind—and, as the bud is certainly spoiled, and it
will take them some time to demolish it, I generally
leave it for them to keep them out of other mischief.
It is better though to watch all ants on the Rose
beds, especially the black variety, to their nests, and
destroy them there. I have tried a preparation
called Formacicide, advertised as useful for their
extermination, without much success.

Frog-hoppers, commonly known as ‘‘ Cuckoo-spit,”’
are very troublesome in May in some places. The
larva, looking something like an aphis, is to be
found in the little patch of froth which is generally
situated in the axil of a leaf. He must be dislodged
and crushed, for it is plain that all that froth is made
somehow from stolen sap from the shoot. Be sure
you have him, for he will dodge about and hide in
the hollow of the leaf-stalk most cleverly, and will
be quite satisfied if you wipe away the froth and
leave him behind.

Earwigs only do serious harm in certain seasons.

172 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

In 1888 their great numbers, even early in the year,
were a serious nuisance in many ways to dwellers in
the country, and but for the cold wet weather they
would probably have developed into an actual plague.
Somebody who came to see me was incredulous as
to the number to be found in the Roses, so I picked
two large old withering blooms and counted the
occupants. I myself was astonished at the result:
there were, oddly enough, twenty-nine earwigs in
each Rose !

Bean stalks, or hollow lengths of last year’s cow-
parsley stems laid on the ground or among the
plants, are good traps for earwigs; they may be
blown out the next morning into boiling water, but
chickens will soon learn to pick them up very
quickly and be the better for them ; I always blow
the contents of my stalks into my garden pool, and
my pet trout take care that none escape.

It is difficult to realise that earwigs can fly, but
in ejection from the stalks the wings, which are
wonderfully folded, being nine times the size of the
wing covers or cases, are sometimes blown out and
can then be seen. A white earwig may be found
occasionally, having just changed his skin. The
female is said to sit upon her eggs; not of course
that she helps to hatch them—she only remains
with them to protect them from enemies, and will
collect and shelter them and the young ones when
scattered ; I have found her coiled over her eggs in a
little hollow part under the ground, once or twice.
Unless in very large numbers, these creatures do
but little harm to the Roses.

Certain Weevils (Otiorhynchus) are often in small
collections a very destructive pest to newly budded

Ix PESTS 173

Roses, especially standards. Anxiously each day in
April the amateur watches the dormant buds of some
new and precious sort to see if they are starting.
At last he sees that something has been biting at
the buds, but no trace of any insect is to be found.
Day by day the damage increases till at last the
buds, even every bit of inserted bark, are eaten clean
out of the stock, and still no vestige of the enemy
itself is to be seen. This is the work of that most
malevolent pest, the weevil. There may be plenty
of strong Rose plants close by, but he will touch
none of them if there is a dormant inserted bud
anywhere where there is a chance of destroying a
whole future plant. It is just the same with fruit-
trees, as far as I have seen: I have never observed
any injury to an established tree (possibly because it
would not be noticeable), but a bud or graft is sure
to be attacked if there are any weevils of this sort
about.

The reason they are not visible is because they
only come out at night. Go with a lamp after dark
to the infested places and you will soon find them,
little brown beetles with long noses. I used to find
the employment of a pretty strong pair of tweezers
comforting to my feelings after many buds had
been destroyed, but they will drop to the ground at
a slight alarm and be most difficult to find. A
white cloth spread under the Rose tree to catch
them when they fall is a safe precaution.

Other weevils (Phyllobius), of the most brilliant
green colour, may be found on the Rose shoots in
the day time. The injury they inflict is but slight,
but they should be destroyed, as they form a
nuisance when present in large numbers.

174 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Thrips, well known as a pest on many plants
under glass, are often very destructive in hot seasons
on dry soil. These active, tiny, black insects cannot
eat much, it is true, but as what they do eat is the
petals of the Roses themselves they often just suffice
to spoil an otherwise perfect bloom. In many
places they seem to be hardly known as an out-door
pest ; and I could scarcely get some friends to believe
how much all my light-coloured Roses suffered in
this way in rusty and disfigured petals till the year
1893, when owing to the drought the nuisance was
more widely felt.

I am seriously inclined to think that for Teas, at
all events in my garden, thrips are the worst of all
pests. From two good rows of standard Teas in
fine health and growth I gathered in 1893 but one
decent bloom, the petals being terribly discoloured
and even distorted in every other case, and each
flower swarming with the enemy.

The remedy for thrips as for red spider is moisture ;
but unfortunately for Tea Roses the remedy is as
bad as the disease. It is probably a good plan to
syringe the plants, and the buds before they actually
begin to open, with some good insecticide. Syring-
ing, even with plain water, will undoubtedly keep
off the thrips, and if continued as long as it is safe
without injuring the petals from damp, the pest will
not in most seasons be found in much strength.
Constant damping of the soil under the blooms
would probably be useful.

A species of upholsterer bee (Megachile) lines its
nest with pieces cut out of the leaves of Rose-
trees. These pieces are taken so evenly, neatly, and
cleanly away from the sides of the leaf, generally in

Ix PESTS 175

a semicircular form, that the work of this insect is
readily distinguished from the depredations of cater-
pillars. It is not very common or occurring in large
numbers, and usually attacks Roses of free and
strong growth. Still, it has the habit of continually
coming back to the same plant for its supply of up-
holstery, and may be found a pest in certain places.
The bee may be easily caught in a butterfly net, or
when laden can be traced to its nest, which can then
be destroyed.

“Scale” insects (Aspidiotus) may often be found
on the shoots of neglected wall-Roses. Finger and
thumb or a solution of soft soap will soon remove
them. Red spider (Tetranychus) is not likely to be
found on Roses anywhere but under glass, and the
remedy for this is a moister atmosphere. There are
other insects which occasionally do damage to
Roses, especially chance visitations of caterpillars
which naturally prey upon other plants, but these
cannot fairly be included among the pests of the
Rose.

Protective Insects—There are a few flies and grubs
which actually do good by preying upon well-known
pests, and thus acting as allies and friends of the
Rose grower. It is important that these should be
known, for it is well that we should be able to
recognise and spare our assistants, though the
enemy is in such overwhelming majority that the
advice to suspect and destroy all insect life is
common and even safest in cases where the friendly
forms are unknown.

Ichneumon flies form one of the strange pro-
visions of Nature for keeping in check the undue
increase of insects. These flies lay their eggs in the

176 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

eggs of moths and butterflies, or in, or on, the
bodies of caterpillars and grubs, and thus destroy
them. They are of all sizes, some very small, and
of so many species that almost every insect has a
parasite of this class specially belonging to it. On
shoots where aphides have been some time, some
may appear to have become solidified, and changed
in colour to a light brown. These are aphides which
have been pierced by tiny ichneumon flies, whose
eggs have hatched in their interior: a magnifying
glass will often show a hole in the body from which
the new-born fly has emerged. These brown trans-
mogrified aphides are therefore foes transformed
into friends—an effort of Nature to assist the negli-
gent Rosarian in dealing with the aphis host. There
is no need to allude further to the ichneumon flies,
for only the perfect insects are generally seen, and
these are not lkely to be destroyed, nor, as far as I
know, capable of being increased.

The well-known lady-bird (Coccinelle) in its larva
state feeds upon aphides, but I am bound to say
that it is not common enough to do much good.
You must have a lot of green fly before the prudent
ladybird will lay her eggs on the shoot among them,
and the careful Rosarian will hope to see nothing
of one or the other. Still the shape of the larva,
quite unlike that of a Rose-eating grub, and sug-
gesting the perfect insect by its spots, should be
noted, that this small family of friends may be
saved from the general massacre.

A bee-like looking insect (Syrphus) also subsists
in the grub state upon aphides. This creature is
very apt to be summarily squashed as an enemy
instead of being protected as a friend. It may be

Ix PESTS 177

known by its shape, which is something like that of
a leech, being widest at the tail and tapering gradu-
ally to almost a point at the head. It is blind, and
resting on its hind parts sways about the head and
neck groping for aphides and when it finds one
holds it up in the air and devours it, leaving the
skin behind. I have often seen and pointed out
this larva to friends, that it may be recognised by
its shape and escape destruction, for in size and
colour—green with a light central stripe—it is much
like one of the common caterpillars; but I would
not advise that too much reliance be placed on the
efforts of our blind ally, for aphides can only be
kept completely under by sharp eyes and fingers
industriously and constantly used.

A very beautiful lace-wing fly (Chrysopa, te.,
golden-eyed) also lays its eggs on a strange bunch of
stalks among aphides, and the larvee when hatched
despatch them very quickly.

It will be seen, however, that all these insects
naturally require the aphides to be present before
the female will lay the eggs which are to produce the
larvee to destroy them. We want to exterminate
the aphis, and this is necessarily not the object of the
aphis-eaters, for in that case their food and occupa-
tion would be gone.

It is said that the Government of China pays a
handsome salary to the court physician while the
emperor is well, stops his pay when he is ill, and
chops off his head when he dies. This extremely
sensible system might, with the omission of the last
clause, be applied with great advantage by farmers
and other residents in the country to ratcatchers and
other professional destroyers of vermin. Unfortu-

N

178 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

nately we cannot make use of it in connection with
the aphis-eaters, as they must perish if deprived of
their usual food. So that, after all, the wholesale
destruction of all insect life, though slightly irrational
in that it destroys a few friends among innumerable
foes, will do more good than harm to the Roses ; and
T am afraid it is better that a few friends should
perish than that any enemies should be allowed to
remain.

To take another analogy from vermin of the farm,
there is one rat, most difficult to catch of all, for
whose tail the farmer will willingly pay an extra
price, and that is the last one. Naturally, perhaps,
he is often left, and before long the nuisance is as
bad as ever. As aphides are, during the summer,
practically sexless in the matter of breeding, it is
even more important in their case to get the last one
on each shoot, and if finger and thumb or any such
means are employed for their destruction the search
should be thorough, and the same shoot should again
be examined the next day.

Founeor Pxsts.—Garden roses are subject to an
unusual number of parasitical fungi, between thirty
and forty having been enumerated. Happily two
only are sufficiently prevalent among healthily
grown plants to be worthy of description and
warning, and these are mildew and orange fungus.

Mildew.—This is apest indeed. Sometimes it ap-
pears in force all of a sudden in several places at
once and spreads like a fire: the hoary leprous
growth covers the leaves, checks the transpiration
or breathing, and lowers more and more, as it
increases, the vitality of the plants and the con-
sequent spread of the roots. I gather from Mr.

1X PESTS 179

Cranston’s book on Rose culture, the first edition of
which was published in 1855, that it was not
so prevalent at that time as it has since become.
The greatly increased culture, and the introduc-
tion of varieties of weak constitution with soft
spongy leaves, have probably been responsible for
this.

It is an error to suppose that stout thick leaves
are proof against mildew : if soft and succulent these
are often the earliest attacked. It is the hard shiny
well-glazed leaves upon which the mildew spores
can find no footing; and Teas, whose leaves are
rather more of this character, do not generally suffer
much from mildew, except under glass, till late in
the season.

Few indeed are the collections of Roses which
now pass through a season without at least traces
of this pest, though close and confined situations
always suffer more than those which are open and
exposed to free currents of the air. The amount of
harm done will greatly depend upon the time when
the mildew first makes its appearance. It is a bad
look-out to see the first plague spots in June, for if
war is to be waged it must be unceasing, as the
enemy will constantly reappear when it has once
shown itself. When well into July the buds will
probably be sufficiently advanced to escape serious
damage in themselves.

The life-history of the fungus, called Otdiwm
leucocontum in its summer and Spherotheca pan-
nosa in its winter condition, has been thoroughly
investigated, a full and interesting paper on the
subject having been published in the Rosartan’s
Year Book for 1886, by Mr. Worthington G. Smith.

N 2

180 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CALAP.

The spores or seed are set free from their winter
resting places by the heat of early summer, and
float in the air, some at least commencing to
germinate and throw out roots even before they
alight. Like other parasitical fungi-spores, a certain
condition of the atmosphere and also of the leaves
on which they fall is necessary for the actual
development of the fungus growth; when these are
present the first visible sign is a spot or curl on a
young leaf, which is raised or depressed according
as the mildew has attacked the upper or under
surface.

It should be noticed, as an important thing to
remember, that the mildew is always worst on the
under side of the leaf, and is often found there
alone. For this at once puts aside as useless the
merely dredging the affected parts with sulphur, as
this cannot touch the worst places; and it is
evident that it must be puffed from below as well
as from above, and that in all syringing with liquid
the under surfaces of the leaves must have even
more attention than the upper.

The first thing the mildew spore does when it
begins to grow on the Rose-leaf, is to form the
mycelium—the tiny white threads which are com-
mon to all fungus growth from mildew to the mush-
room of the fields. This, when woven closely
together in masses, forms the spawn, and then the
white efflorescence is seen on the leaf.

The leaf breathes through pores on the under
surface; these are choked by the woven mass of
mildew spawn which also pierces the membranes
and lives upon the juices. The leaf may thus be said
to be suffocated and bled to death at the same time.

MiLpew. The first sign, as seen in the curl of the Leaf. [Fuer page 180,

IX PESTS 181

At such a time—the first appearance—the time
for checking a pest—I quite believe that, as in the
case of aphides, there is nothing to beat the human
finger and thumb. With them take a pinch of
sulphur, and gently rub the affected part on both
sides of the leaf. Sulphur is death to all fungoid
life, but is rendered more efficacious if the mycelium
is thus broken and wounded: just as there would be
much difference between poison merely sprinkled on
the human skin or rubbed into an open wound.

When the pest is advanced and whole plants
covered with readily disturbed fresh spores have to
be dealt with, one of the now advertised remedies,
applied by spraying-pump or syringe, so adjusted as
to reach the under as well as the upper sides of the
foliage, must be employed. For the plant, so to speak,
of the mildew very soon springs from the spawn, and
fresh spores are ready in a wonderfully short time
to be borne by the wind to other leaves.

On touching a shoot infected with mildew on the
roof of a greenhouse or anywhere where there is
plenty of light underneath, quite a little shower of
dust or mildew seed may be seen to fall. Nothing
need be feared from those that fall to the ground:
they are very short-lived, and cannot stand much of
heat or cold, dryness or moisture. Their strength is
in their appalling numbers, and their chances of
falling on another Rose leaf depend entirely upon
currents of air.

With the first touch of cold weather in Autumn,
mildew, as we know it in its summer form, dis-
appears and is seen no more that season, only dark
unhealthy-looking marks on the shoots showing
where the pest had spread from the leaves to the

182 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

stems. In such places, and especially on the leaves
which are now fallen, the mildew seeds have retired
to rest for the winter, and no frost or cold, drought
or moisture, can harm them.

These winter places of retreat are tiny black spots,
only visible on the dying leaves by the aid of a
magnifying glass, though a higher power of the
microscope reveals them as round black receptacles
or boxes, each containing eight spores. In these
minute black spots on the leaves Rose mildew
passes its winter sleep, unhurt by all that may
befall, save fire or being buried deeply in the ground.
The sun of the following summer will burst the
walls of the cases, and set free the spores once
more.

Collecting and destroying by fire the fallen leaves
is thus plainly the only mode of prevention, which
in most cases will probably be found impracticable,
but even a partial carrying out of this plan should
have some effect. It is impossible to say how far
the spores may be carried by a strong wind, but
probably many miles. An actual stamping out of
the pest is therefore, I fear, beyond our reach.

Preventive measures consist first in the choice of
an open situation: in a confined place the seeds
floating in the wind are more apt to drop, or to be
carried round and round till they do attach them-
selves to the leaves: where there is free passage for
the air, the same wind that brings them will take
most of them farther on, and only a few will find
resting places.

Against harmful seeds brought by the wind, there
are therefore two preventive measures: either abso-
jute exclusion from any wind or even air, or entire

Ix PESTS 183

exposure to all wind. After a snow-drift, the least
snow will be found in the most exposed places: the
most where the wind is checked or just on one side
of its full force. A stream in flood brings down much
light matter, and deposits it anywhere that it can
reach, except just in the strongest current.

Draughts should be avoided: places where the
wind comes round a corner or even through an open
door are often the first to be attacked. And another
point is just what we should recommend to a human
body exposed to disease-germs: keep up the con-
stitution and general health and hardiness as much
as possible. Avoid drought by hoeing rather than
watering if practicable: see to the food supply, and
avoid unhealthy conditions.

Certain Roses are peculiarly susceptible to mildew,
Her Majesty, for instance. It is a good plan to grow
these among the Teas, or, better still, by themselves,
where they will not, in the early part of the season,
do so much harm by infection.

For remedial measures, keep the sharpest look-out
when mid-June arrives, or even before, for the first
spots. Search them out, and attack them all above
and below with finger and thumb, powder distri-
butor, or syringe. Sulphur alone is good enough,
especially if accompanied by gentle abrasion of the
mycelium, if it reaches every part, the under as well
as the upper side of the leaves, for it is, I believe,
the destroying agent, whatever mixture or specific is
used.

For Roses under glass preventive measures will
consist of great care in the ventilation. One year,
by way of experiment, I never opened the venti-
lators at all for my Maréchal Niel, and it bloomed

184 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

extremely well. Better no air at all than a cold
draught when the sun is hot, I am sure. Sulphur
upon the hot-water pipes is the well-known remedy,
and for pot Roses I should use finger and thumb
with sulphur or sulphur solution.

Orange Fungus or Red Rust.—This fungus-pest is
not so well known or so harmful as mildew; but it
is more difficult to combat, either by preventive or
remedial measures, for its growth is inside the leaves
and stems of the Rose, and it is only when the spores
are ready for dissemination, and scatter with a touch,
that it bursts the membranes of the Rose plant and
appears outside.

The life-history of this fungus, known as Coleo-
sporium pingue and several other names according
to its different stages, is much the same as that of
Rose-mildew. Orange fungus has, too, the resting
stage of winter in small but visible black spots on
the fallen leaves, the woven mass of mycelium of
spring in the leaves or leaf-stalks attacked, and the
summer spores which proceed from it.

It can be recognised at once by its colour, which
in the spring is a purple spot with a concave yellow
centre on the upper part of the leaf and a convex
bright orange spot underneath, sometimes red at
midsummer, changing to simple black spots on the
leaves, which fall quite early in August. In my
own garden I see very little of the yellow or orange
stages, but plenty of the last one.

A considerable point in favour of this pest is that
it very rarely makes its presence disagreeably and
harmfully felt till the first bloom, the ‘season’ of
exhibitors is over. August is the month of its
power, and at that time whole rows of Roses of

IX PESTS 185

certain sorts may be sometimes seen standing leaf-
less except for just a tuft of the youngest foliage
at the top. All the other leaves, covered with the
black spots, have withered and fallen, as if it was
winter.

The Victor Verdier race are the most liable to
suffer in this way, and in fact are generally badly off for
leaves by the end of August, but a great many other
H.P.s are often victims, especially the very dark
ones, and all that are budded on manetti. Teas are
entirely exempt from it, an@ it is rare under glass.

Partly from the fact that the first and principal
bloom is not affected by it, and that it does not seem
to do much harm to the next year’s growth, and
partly because there appears to be no remedy short
of cutting off the attacked shoots and burning them,
this pest is very little heeded by nurserymen or even
by amateurs, and I confess I take no notice of it
and have never found it to do my summer blooms any
practical injury.

It is plain, however, that the loss of the leaves,
in what is but little past the middle of summer,
must be a considerable check to the plants, and as
the growth of the fungus is within the membranes
of the Rose plant there seems to be actually no
remedy short of cutting off the orange-spotted leaves
and shoots in early summer and burning them; but
I think gentle rubbing with finger and thumb with
a pinch of sulphur is likely to do good in the early
stages.

On light soils, especially those rich in humus or
vegetable matter, like an old garden, the attacks
are less frequent. They are worst in a dry hot
August on heavy lands which have not had much

186 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

farmyard manure. It would be almost impossible
to stamp out the fungus, as it is much more frequent
than mildew on the wild briar. The Dog-Rose in
fact seems to be its natural host, though it is some-
times found on other plants. Manetti stocks them-
selves are rarely troubled with it, though it often
comes first on the Roses budded on it, but seedling
briars often suffer much and are seriously crippled
by its attacks.

I can suggest no other remedies than finger and
thumb or cutting off and burning in the early
stages, and diligent hoeing, with watering if
necessary, in early August. Exhibitors, whose
season is over by mid-July, are rather apt to
neglect the hoeing and general culture when the
important operation of budding is in full swing.
As no real remedy is known for the red rust,
and little if any practical damage is done by it
to the blooms, it is not to be wondered at that
it is often unheeded as a minor and necessary
evil.

It seems best to speak here of Suckers, which are
a pest at all times, especially in the growing season,
when we are on the look-out for enemies. They
are most common from standards, especially tall
ones which are insecurely staked these latter, when
pressed by the winds, naturally throw out suckers
to support themselves—a shoot goes out from the
underground stem for a foot or so, then grows up
and in due course sends a little root down, which
forms an anchor for the original stem—two or three
more on the opposite sides, and the plant is held
firm and cannot be rocked by the wind.

The wild stock will, however, often form suckers

Ix PESTS 187

on well-staked standards and on dwarfs, particularly
if the Rose be weakly, and underground buds on
the stock were not originally extirpated. A keen
look-out should be given to all plants on manetti,
as only an eye well accustomed to the appearance
of the growth of this stock will distinguish it
from the Rose, and many a gardener has hope-
fully pruned great bushes of manetti for years,
wondering at the absence of bloom, and ignorant
that the Rose itself has been starved and killed
outright.

The usual way of removing suckers (‘‘ succour-
ing”? your plant which is being robbed) is by the
aid of a spud, cutting them off as close to the main
underground stem as possible. This course must
be pursued with any that had started the year
before or that do not prove amenable to other
treatment. But there is some risk in doing this
of cutting or injuring useful roots, and even a small
bit of sucker left will often start afresh; so, to
make a really good job of it, it is advisable where
possible to make a way carefully with the spud
down to the place where the sucker starts from
the underground stem, and there cut it off with
a sharp knife, being mindful of the sides, which
are sure to start again, unless shaved level and
smooth.

The best plan, as with all pests, is to take the
suckers in time as soon as ever they are seen, and
then, not to cut them, but to pull them out. This
can be done with practice in most cases, and when
done it is thoroughly effectual: the sucker comes
clean away right out of the socket, and grows no
more. It requires humouring, and testing, and

188 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

trying first this way, then that, now up and now
down.

When the great red shoot pushes up through the
soil, plump and gross and brittle like a head of
asparagus, lift it and handle it gently—“‘ treat him as
though you loved him,” as Isaac Walton said of the
worm to be threaded on the hook—try to find out the
angle at which it grows from the stem, and then,
grasping it as low down as possible, pull so that the
strain comes on the very socket, and it will generally
yield. If it breaks, the spud and knife must complete
the operation.

In the anxious month of May, among the
multitude of pests nothing is worse than a sharp frost,
which is very harmful, and does more injury by dis-
tortion of the just-formed buds than is ever imagined
at the time. Happily, such a visitation as that of
May 21st, 1894, coming as it did after an unusually
early and forward spring, is not common, at all events
in the Midland and Home Counties, and it is to be
hoped that it will be long before we have such
another.

Preventive means are possible, at all events in small
collections. A little weather knowledge, with a care-
ful study of the thermometer, will generally give
warning of the approaching calamity before sunset,
and if the danger is great all hands should be
roused and encouraged to noble efforts, even though
the work must be continued by lamp-light well into
the night.

The first thing to remember is that the greatest
danger is to those buds that are just formed, hardly
visible ; forwarder buds that have got hard will stand

IX PESTS 189

some frost without injury, and shoots where the bud
is not yet formed, even though apparently crippled at
the time, will often eventually grow through it and
completely recover.

Protecting material must evidently be very light,
as there will be little time to spare for driving stakes
into the ground to support it above the highest
shoots. Anything in the shape of light muslin or
similar material should be hunted out and spread as
gently as possible over the plants; bent shoots can
easily be straightened again, but of course care must
be taken that they are not cracked or broken. The
frost is not likely to be dangerous at that time of
the year if there is wind, as that will probably bring
cloud, the best and safest of all coverings ; so even old
newspapers or any large sheets of thin paper may be
made useful in such cases.

For remedial measures, when serious May frost has
come and caught us unprotected, I would recommend,
first and foremost, patience. Touch nothing at first:
no one can tell for some little time, till the sun has
shone warmly on the plants, how much or how little
damage has beendone. Then it may be plain perhaps
that some shoots, utterly blackened and shrivelled at
the tips, are done for; but still I would advise the
removal of nothing till such time as fresh growth has
commenced.

The soil should be well stirred, and a little nitrate
or some other stimulant applied; this will hasten
the renewal of growth, and we shall then see which
of the shoots that had not formed buds have been
actually ‘‘ stopped.” Those that grow straight away
again as before from the tip of the shoot are all right.
Never mind some leaves having been destroyed ; the

190 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

shoots are young and they will ‘‘ grow out” of the
injury, just as a child will from a severe wound or
accident. Those that are stopped, and commence
growth again from the side buds, are not likely to
produce exhibition blooms that year ; but it is better
to let the top bud grow and pinch out all the others, if
most of the shoots on the plant are in the same con-
dition, than to cut them all away or severely back,
as that must involve a severe check to the roots and
the strength of the plant.

Iam sure it is a mistake to cut away the shoots in
a hurry before fresh growth has shown how far the
injury has extended. It is better to put up with
browned and maimed foliage for a while than to risk
destroying a shoot that may yet recover. It is
always sad to suffer from not having ‘let well
alone.” A friend of mine had a fine Wellingtonia,
of which he was justly proud, growing near his
house. One year, to his disgust, he found that it
had developed two leaders; he naturally wished to
cut one of them away, but the tree was very tall,
and too pliable and slender at the top to bear the
weight of a ladder. He was (and is) a capital shot
with rifle or gun ; and having an air-gun that threw
a bullet accurately, he determined to try to cut off
the offending shoot with it. He rested his weapon
on the sill of an upper window, took a very careful
aim, and with the first shot succeeded in doing what
he wanted—the false leader was cut off. Much
pleased, he now noticed there was another shoot that
had somewhat of an upward tendency, and would be
better removed—he fired at that, with perhaps less
care than before, and by a cruel mischance actually
cut off the sole remaining leader !

IX PESTS 191

To find out for certain what buds have been
injured by the frost will take more time and patience.
By no means remove them in a hurry; some will
soon be seen to become a paler green with white un-
healthy-looking blotches on them. One or two of
the worst of these might be cut open, and if the
rudimentary petals are brown, the bud is rotten and
would soon drop off of its own accord. Others may
be tested by pinching, when the points of some will
be found soft and hollow; these are of no use.
Gradually thin and disbud them: take off no side
buds till you have settled whether the crown bud is
worth leaving or which of the others is the best ; or,
remove only the worst at each time of inspection
till there are only two between which to choose.
The lower side buds of Teas, if the parts above them
are removed, will often make a good bit of growth,
and practically become the main stem. Above all,
remember, after a severe May frost, that the power
of recuperation in the main shoots of a Rose, while
they are yet soft, young and growing, is very great
indeed ; but nevertheless it must be confessed that
no embryo bud which is in existence during a frost
that injures the leaves is likely to come to any
good.

CHAPTER X
ROSES UNDER GLASS

Tus is a large subject, capable of being treated
at considerable length, for if there is so much to be
said upon the growing of Roses out of doors under
natural conditions, even more care, skill, and
experience are required for their cultivation under
artificial circumstances, and at unnatural seasons.
There would, however, I think, be no need for such
a treatise in this book, even if I were capable of
compiling it. Professional Rosarians and skilled
gardeners have nothing to learn from me in this
matter. I write for the genuine amateur Rose
grower and Rose lover who takes a warm personal
interest in his favourite flowers. If he be wealthy
enough to grow and force them on a large scale he
will no doubt employ a man who has learned the
art under more able guidance than mine; but for
others I hope to give some general principles and
outlines of routine which should help those who
wish to make ‘‘a bit of glass”’ useful in the cultiva-
tion of the Rose.

The glass-house for Roses, whether it be merely a
“pit” or ‘“lean-to,”’ or a more ambitious structure,
should run lengthways north and south, so as to

cH. X ROSES UNDER GLASS 193

catch the sun in the morning and afternoon, and
not suffer from excess of heat in the middle of the
day. I do not propose to enter into any details
of structure ; but in a cool house, especially if the
Roses are planted in the soil and not grown in pots,
it is advantageous that the whole of the roof should
be removable during the summer, when canvas may
be substituted for the glass for a short time if
necessary till the plants are hardened to exposure ;
and in all cases the ventilation should be principally
at the top, and means should be provided in tanks
and troughs on the hot-water pipes for the evapora-
tion of moisture within the house. For early forcing
a pit is best, because the plants can be placed nearer
the glass and the light, and the pots may be so
arranged that they can be lowered to keep them the
proper distance from the glass as they grow higher.
Something in the nature of an outside blind, which
can be pulled up under a ridge on the roof, is a very
desirable adjunct to a house where Roses are grown
after the sun has attained its summer strength.

The simplest form of Rose culture under glass
will consist of standards or dwarfs, planted in beds
in a cool house where the roof, and indeed as much
as possible of the structure, can be entirely removed
by the middle of June. The plants will then be
subject to natural conditions and treated in the usual
manner till about the middle of October, when the
roof may be entirely replaced, but plenty of air may
still be given on fine days. Many late buds thus
sheltered from the damp which would have destroyed
them in the open may be preserved in this way, and
some of the thin and free-flowering Teas may
continue to produce a valuable bloom or two up to

0

194 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

nearly Christmas. The formation of these late buds
may be promoted by removing all flower buds in the
summer, till the end of August.

In a cool house like this nothing but protection is
aimed at, but that is quite sufficient to make the
plants bloom much earlier than they would in the
open air. They should not be pruned before
January, if there are no means of keeping the frost
out in severe weather, and in the meanwhile the
soil should be cultivated and cared for in the usual
manner. As soon as the plants commence growing,
however, they will require a good deal of attention,
and some at least of the many troubles of growing
Roses under glass will be experienced.

Every outdoor pest has also to be contended
against under glass, and mildew, red spider, aphides,
and thrips are even more troublesome than in the
open. One of the greatest difficulties is the main-
taining just the right amount of moisture in the air.
If there be too much, mildew will probably show
itself, and may soon make terrible havoc, the tender
leaves being much less able to resist it than the
hard foliage of outdoor Roses, at midsummer.
Incautious ventilation, to dry the air, will probably
increase the evil, unless the weather outside be very
mild. If, on the other hand, there be a lack of due
moisture, red spider and thrips are sure to appear,
and may do as much damage as the mildew. To
hold the scales evenly in this matter of moisture is
one of the most important points of successful cul-
ture under glass, and it seems difficult to frame any
special rules on the subject save those that are
founded on experience, with a knowledge of the
dangers on either hand. The uninitiated would

% ROSES UNDER GLASS 195

probably err in keeping the plants in pots too dry.
Syringing them three times a day seems a strong
measure and likely to lead to the danger of mildew,
but it is practised by some of the best growers
during April and May. We are apt to forget, per-
haps, that out of doors, in the spring months at
least, the air, earth, and foliage are almost always
very damp at night from dew, which much refreshes
the foliage.

Insect pests of all kinds, and especially aphides,
will come whether the house be damp or dry. Pre-
vention is better than cure, and sharp eyes constantly
looking for the first aphis, assisted by ready fingers
to catch and destroy it at once, form the best pro-
tection. I remember, on going through a large
range of glass-houses where different flowers, not
Roses, were grown, hearing a boy who was evidently
employed there addressed as ‘‘ Mealy.” On in-
quiring whether that was really his name or only a
sobriquet, I was informed that it was his sole
business to go over all the houses from end to end
and look for ‘‘mealy bug.’”’ There had been a great
visitation of this pest, which is very difficult to
exterminate, and constantly reappears; but the
boy’s eye became by training and sole use so sharp
at its detection, that the houses were quite clear of
it before long, and ‘“‘ Mealy”’ got a change of occu-
pation, and I hope of name.

A determination that no aphis shall be seen is a
saving of trouble in the end, but there are now safe
and effectual insecticides which may be used in
spraying and syringing without the disagreeable and
dangerous fumigation with tobacco. But in such
cases it should be remembered that one or two of

0 2

196 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

the enemy are sure to have escaped: a close ex-
amination the next day is necessary, and often a
second application may be desirable.

When the blooms are just ready to open we may
take a hint from Nature, and, remembering that
Roses in the open, especially H.P.s, are far better
when a dull cooler day follows after some hot
weather, endeavour to shade the plants from the
full sun, and keep them, if possible, a little cooler.
If a light blind be used, or the glass roof be syringed
on the outside with a mixture of whiting and milk,
or some similar clouding material, the flowers will
be brighter, more lasting, and altogether of better
quality.

Ventilation is a most important matter in all forms
of Rose cultivation under glass: the foliage is very
tender, and a cold draught is almost sure to bring on
mildew. Itis far better to give no air at all than to
open the ventilators to an icy wind. Still, Roses
must have air, and there will be few days when it
cannot be admitted on the lee side for an hour or
even less. Where the plants are grown in beds in
a cool house, air should be given as often as possible,
and in increased quantities as the season progresses :
the final removing of the roof or top lights, after the
plants have bloomed once, should be arrived at by
gradual and easy stages, so that as little check as
possible may be felt when all covering is taken away.

As an early second crop of flowers may be expected,
and a third from some of the freest sorts, especially
of Teas, it is necessary that the feeding and culti-
vation of the soil should not be forgotten, or the
plants neglected because the outdoor Roses claim so
much attention. Some of the weaker shoots may be

x ROSES UNDER GLASS 197

thinned out after the first blooming, but there
should be no pruning except in the winter or early
spring, for one of the most prominent objects in
view is to have strong dormant buds on well-ripened
shoots, to prune back to in the winter and to rely upon
for the production of good vigorous growth for the
next season.

If the plants grown in the cool house be in pots,
they should either be planted out in the open
ground about the second week in June, or plunged
in coal ashes and mulched with good decomposed
manure in an open airy place sheltered from strong
winds, where the shoots, slightly thinned, may ripen
and mature. In either case, they should be re-potted
about October, the crocks being removed, and also
as much of the surface soil as possible without
disturbing the bulk of the roots. The compost
generally used is two-thirds of fibrous but strong
loam with one-third of thoroughly decomposed, old,
cow manure. For the Teas, a little sharp grit and
leaf mould may be added.

Roses, if well taken care of, get used to a pot
life whether forced or more naturally treated. They
will get accustomed to an early spring growth, and
will rest and ripen in the autumn as if it was really
their winter. They should however be kept rather
dry at that time to help the ripening and check
undesirable growth. After re-potting, they will of
course require watering and attention, that the roots
may spread in the fresh material provided. By
November the pots may be taken into the cool house,
for pruning in January, and to be ready for a warmer
house to be forced.

In forcing Roses, it should be remembered, as

198 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Mr. William Paul so well explains in The Rose
Garden, that we change all the seasons for the plants
under our care. We make winter spring, spring
summer, and summer autumn, and we must make
autumn like winter, in that it shall be a season of
rest. In making artificial seasons we must see that
they come gradually as they do in Nature, and when
we commence to start the plants about the New
Year, we must remember that spring nights are cold,
and spring days are not very warm, so that a tem-
perature of from 45° to 50°, or 55° from sunheat, by
day, and 38° to 40° or a very little more by night,
will be quite high enough for a beginning.

A commencement should be made with plants
purchased in pots and specially prepared for forcing,
for without the education of an autumnal rest they
will not break and grow strongly in midwinter.
Several firms make a speciality of this branch of
the business. The plants used generally to be grown
on their own root, but H.P.s on the manetti and
Teas on the briar is now the usual practice. If the
pots have holes at the bottom of the sides it will
facilitate giving liquid manure when necessary by
plunging, but the embedding them in the house
pretty deeply in cocoa fibre or some similar material
is not now generally recommended.

The plants should be pruned rather closely to
well-ripened outlooking buds, and the first year,
while they are young, only a few shoots well apart
from each other should be allowed to grow. It is
most important that there should not be too much
heat at first, and that it should very gradually rise
with the increase of light. Even when the buds are
well formed and soon about to open, the artificial

x ROSES UNDER GLASS 199

temperature should not exceed 75° by day and 50°
at night. A further slight rise from sun heat will
do no harm, nor a small decrease when the weather
outside is very dull and cold.

Next to temperature, the most important part is
moisture. The aim should be to keep the plants
and atmosphere sufficiently damp by syringing and
wetting of exposed surfaces in bright weather to
avoid red spider and thrips, and yet not so damp as
to bring on mildew; two syringings a day may be
taken as a general rule, three in dry hot sunshine as
the season advances, and in very dull damp weather
only one. Some fresh air is most desirable; if the
weather be at all mild, the top ventilators may be
opened a little, but not on the windward side and
only for a short time—mind they are not forgotten ;
and do not open the house at all to let in a wind
which is really cold, or in frost or fog. Watch for
all insects, especially aphis—try how soon you can
get the first one, and perhaps it will also be the last.

Clear liquid manure may occasionally be used for
the feeding ; as the plants increase in vigour, do not
make the food stronger, but give it gradually a little
oftener, with always pure rain-water, which should
never be below the temperature of the house, be-
tween each dose. Very strong ammoniacal liquid
manure is kept by some growers in troughs on the
hot-water pipes, and it is generally believed that the
plants benefit through their leaves from the gases
thus diffused in the air.

For a succession, the simplest plan is to bring in
fresh plants during the first few weeks, if there is
only one house. As the Tea Roses, and those that
are sensitive to wet, begin to show the petals, some

200 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

care should be taken to avoid syringing the blooms,
but the house must by no means be allowed to
become dry; the paths and walls should be damped
three times a day in sunny weather at 8 a.M., noon,
and 5.30p.m.; and there should be at least an hour
or two every day, at the time the buds show colour,
when air can be given. If there is also a cool house,
those plants, especially the H.P.s, which are nearly
opening their blooms, will show better and more
lasting flowers if they can be removed to it, or at
all events shaded from bright sun. A slight fall of
temperature and a little less light are always bene-
ficial for the actual blooming, but of course the
decrease of heat should not be great.

Thereis considerable danger in over-watering forced
Roses in pots when the growth is young and the
flower buds are forming, for ‘‘ damping off’ is even
a worse misfortune than mildew. Tapping the pots
with a knob-stick or something similar, to judge by
the sound whether it be wet or dry, is a well-known
device, similar to that of the wheel-testers on rail-
ways. A clear sharp sound indicates dryness and
soundness, and a duller one damp or fracture.

After blooming, summer-flowering Roses, if any
such have been forced, may be removed at once to a
cool pit or some other shelter and hardened off; the
others may be shifted to a cool house, and will give
another useful crop of flowers in April and May. If
there be no other house, and warmth is still desired
to be kept up in the forcing house, some means must
be resorted to for gradually hardening the plants off
till they can be finally removed out of doors. Then,
instead of all trouble being over with the pot plants
for the year, comes as important a time as any, for

x ROSES UNDER GLASS 201

next year’s growth and flowers will depend very
much upon the strengthening, maturing, and ripen-
ing without breaking, of the dormant buds at the
base of the shoots which have flowered.

The pots should be plunged out of doors in cocoa
fibre or some similar material with a bottom of coal
ashes, and a top dressing in each pot of good decom-
posed manure, in a sheltered position, but where
they will get some sun: and here they should be
kept thoroughly clean and be by no means neglected,
but encouraged as much as possible gradually to get
into a condition of rest, not growing much, but
ripening and hardening the wood. They must be
frequently examined for aphides, and should have
only sufficient water to keep them in health, not so
much as to encourage them to grow. If they have
already bloomed twice, or in any case if it does not
excite the dormant buds lower down, flower buds
should be picked off.

About the end of September or the beginning of
October they should be re-potted: they must be
turned out of the old pots, the crocks or charcoal
drainage removed, and also as much of the surface
soil as can be got away without disturbing the main
ball of roots. Thoroughly clean pots should be pro-
vided, a size larger than before if necessary, and the
loam in the new compost should be as fresh as
possible, that from an old pasture being the best.
The new drainage, whether crocks or charcoal, and
everything else, should be fresh, clean and sweet
the plants potted very firmly, and then plunged
afresh in a similar position out of doors. They will
require a little more water after the potting, but if
the operation has been delayed till the season men-

202 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

tioned, though many fresh roots will form in the
new soil, no growth will be made except at the tips
of the shoots, where it will dono harm. The pots
may be removed to some cool shelter where there is
danger of frost or snow, and about Christmas the
earliest plants may be pruned and brought into the
forcing house for another season.

To have Roses in bloom in November and
December the plants in pots should be so managed
and arranged as to form a crop of flower-buds out of
doors in October. Thin-petalled, readily opening
sorts should be chosen, especially the free-flowering
thin Teas, such as Safrano; but some of the freest,
semi-double H.P.s will also answer the purpose.
These should be lightly pruned about August, and
supplied with more water: when the buds have
formed in October the plants should be left outside
as long as possible, and when brought into the house
ought to be kept quite cool, giving plenty of air
whenever it is mild enough. Keep the house rather
dry, and the buds will open at any time by the
application of a httle gentle heat, or even without
it.

Few, if any, growers nowadays care for the
trouble that must be incurred to produce the
wonderful specimen pot plants which used to be
exhibited in May by some of the professional
growers. These were generally summer Roses,
Charles Lawson, H.C., being a favourite variety for
the purpose, as this group has the habit of bringing
the majority of its flowers to perfection at the same
time. Such a pot plant, eight feet high, seven feet
through, and with between 300 and 400 expanded
full-sized blooms upon it at the same time, was a

x ROSES UNDER GLASS 203

grand sight; but an immense amount of labour,
care, and time was expended to bring about such an
astonishing result. There is no real difficulty in the
matter, as the summer Roses grow freely after the
bloom is over, and patience and care for several
years in disbudding and tying out the required
shoots at the proper distances from each other is all
that is required. I have been told it would often
take a man three days to tie out and wire one of
these big plants. The lower shoots were given
sufficient lateral direction by long ties fastened to
wire surrounding the pot; and these were pruned
first to give them a start over the central upright
shoots, which would otherwise get more than their
share of the sap. A pyramid or cone was the usual
shape almed at, but sorts of short stiff growth were
sometimes trained in globular form.

For the pruning and trainmg of Maréchal Niel
and other similar climbing Roses under glass, see
Chap. VI (p. 108). In this case, if the roots run in
the outside border, little or no syringing will be re-
quired, and as a consequence there will be less
necessity for fresh air in cold weather.

CHAPTER XI
EXHIBITING

THE instructions hitherto given have been meant
to show how to grow Roses in the best possible
manner, so as to produce the finest blooms. There
are probably few who will go thus thoroughly into
the matter without desiring sooner or later to put
their care and labour to the test by showing, in
friendly rivalry, against their brother Rosarians.
The true Rose lover may perhaps enjoy and ap-
preciate all the winter and spring work simply from
his personal devotion to the Queen of Flowers. But
if he visits Rose shows he will soon be anxious, I think,
to get an important judgment upon his own blooms,
and see what rank his much-cared-for plants can
take in the world of Roses.

We may perhaps hear a man say, ‘“‘Oh! I don’t
exhibit, but I can assure you I cut some very good
Roses from plants under such and such a treat-
ment (perhaps from plants on their own roots, from
cuttings). In such a case, without throwing the
smallest doubt upon his veracity or bona fides, we
are apt to wonder what he considers “very good ”

Roses, and unless his blooms have been seen by a
204

CH. XI EXHIBITING 205

competent and impartial judge, or better still,
actually tested at a show, the assertion loses weight,
as his standard of excellence may be a low one.

It is odd to notice how generally those Rose lovers
who do not exhibit are set against Rose shows, and
have hardly a good word to say for them. Accord-
ing to these critics the least lovely of Roses are most
shown and encouraged, the manner of exhibition is
faulty, the grace and beauty of the flowers are lost
and the public taste is generally led astray. Hven
the accusation of ignorance is sometimes laid at the
doors of men who have made the Rose the study of
their lives, though such a charge naturally defeats
itself.

It is not unlikely that some good has been done
to the Rose and to Rose-showing by such critics. Any
cause is purified and strengthened by a little healthy
opposition: there may be a grain of truth here and
there in the sweeping charges made, and there is no
doubt that a mania for exhibition does sometimes
tend to the destruction of good useful types, and to
the setting up of unnatural and undesirable ideals.

It is, perhaps, owing to a reaction against show
Roses of approved form that there has been of late a
good deal of interest taken in what are called
“garden” Roses. These were originally old varieties,
superseded as florist’s flowers, but still cherished by
some from sentiment and love of the old-fashioned,
or memories of childhood.

An immense number of new Roses are put forth
every year, and those few only survive which stand
the test and prove superior in comparison with
existing varieties. A very small proportion indeed
of those thus failing in the struggle for existence are

206 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

retained as garden Roses, only those which in colour,
habit, growth, or freedom of bloom are superior or
very different from those already known. Yet most of
the modern failures are probably much better than
the old-fashioned garden Roses which still have
their worshippers, thus proving that sentiment and
affection rather than merit cause them to be still
recognised.

This is very likely as it should be: it is well to
see those old Roses of forty years ago, if only to
realise and be thankful for what we have gained:
the grand H.P.s and Teas of the present day have
certainly no cause to be jealous of the old favourites,
or to dread comparison with them; and the most
inveterate exhibitor will rejoice that the Roses
which so charmed our fathers are still loved and
admired by some.

It will be found that more or less serious objec-
tions may be urged against all exhibitions, where a
“fancy” or fashion decrees arbitrary points in the
things exhibited apart from their useful qualities.
Thus it has been said of dog shows that breeds
notorious for their service for sporting or other
purposes are not judged or awarded prizes for their
useful qualities, but for fashionable points of colour
and shape. And it is also alleged that certain varieties
of poultry have deteriorated because they have been
judged by their feathers and other useless points to
the detriment of their capabilities of furnishing
plenty of good eggs and chickens.

On the other hand, fewer complaints are made
against shows of fat or dairy cattle, because there is
no “‘ fancy ” here, and the animals are usually judged
according to their market value for use. And if it

xI EXHIBITING 207

be said that there is a ‘“‘ fancy”? in Roses, and that
the very term “‘ show-Rose”’ proves it, we must see
what are the desirable and useful properties in
Roses, and whether the system of exhibitions
favours or hinders them.

Beauty and fragrance are the charms of the Rose.
It may be said beauty is a matter of taste, but, as
tastes differ, for the purposes of competition ideals
must be agreed upon and rules laid down. In this
matter I think the show system of the National
Rose Society has laid down fairly correct canons of
beauty. Unhappily, fragrance cannot be accounted
for in competition at Rose shows. It is plain that
among such a number it could not be tested, and
that rules for estimating the amount and quality of
fragrance in each bloom could not be satisfactorily
framed. Individual taste will also differ much in
the appreciation of it, the scent of Maréchal Niel,
for instance, so highly esteemed by some, being not
a pleasant one to my senses.

In fact, the judging of fragrance would have to be
a matter for experts, properly trained, as tea-tasters
are, for the part. Such persons, who have made the
matter a special study, tell us that there is no scent
of tea among what we call Tea Roses, but that some
of them, like Maréchal Niel and Madame Bravy have
a fruity scent resembling the raspberry, that Safrano
has the odour of pinks, the Macartney Rose of
apricots, and the Dog-Rose of mignonette. They
even say that some Roses have a disgusting scent,
the flowers of certain varieties of the Sweet Briar
(of all Roses !) developing a mixed odour of coriander
and a certain horrid parasite which shall be name-
less! I gather these and a few other items as to

a

208 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Rose scent from a pamphlet called Rhodologia, by
Mr. J. Ch. Sawer, F.L.S., of Brighton, which will
be found useful to those interested in the scent
of Roses, especially from a commercial point of
view.

So it is a charge against shows that scentless
Roses are encouraged, and fragrance, a chief part of
the dowry of the Rose is ignored. But there are
really not many scentless Roses, and I think frag-
rance is sometimes over-estimated. Would Baroness
Rothschild have attained no fame without Exhibi-
tions? or is it fragrance which lifts the Rose so high
above the mignonette and the violet ?

Another common complaint against exhibitions is
that prizes are given for mere size, and not for
beauty. This is not correct: size has its influence,
all other things being equal, as it rightly should, a
Rose which is good in all points and large being
naturally better than one which is equally good but
smaller. ‘But,’ it may be said, ‘‘ we hear of so-
and-so getting the first prize because his blooms
were ‘heavier.’ Are Roses judged by weight like
dead geese?”’ The answer to this is that ‘‘ heavier”
means greater thickness and solidity of petal; and it
will not take long for a young Rosarian’s eye to
become sufficiently educated to prefer the thick
fleshy petalled and consequently lasting Rose to
one that is formed of more flimsy material.

Another complaint will probably be that show-
Roses are all so formal and regular, and that négligée
forms, often so truly artistic, are not appreciated.
The answer to this will be, that Rose shows are
held to test cultivation, as to who can grow the best
Roses, rather than decorative powers, as to who can

xI EXHIBITING 209

show them the best. A large advantage is held, as
it is, by those who are gifted in the power of display,
especially in Tea Roses, but if all the merit were in
the showing there would be small encouragement
for the cultivator in his yearly round of work.

And also that as the judging must be accurate and
by strict rule, so only those formal styles of beauty
which can be judged by rule can be held admissible.
It is very unsatisfactory to enter into any competi-
tion where you do not know precisely by what rules
you will be judged.

Thus the charge against Rose shows are that they
encourage size and formal beauty, and care nothing
for fragrance or artistic elegance. Even if these
accusations were unanswerable, which I do not
think they are, it must be considered whether
exhibitions have not done very much for raising
the popularity of the Rose, for the increase of
varieties not only of show sorts but of every descrip-
tion, and for making England the true home and
centre of the national flower?

The large and rapid growth of the trade since
Rose shows were established would be sufficient
answer to these questions. Where ten Roses were
at that time raised by nurserymen and grown by
amateurs, a thousand would now be a more likely
figure : and whereas such a thing as making a living
out of raising Roses alone had not then been
heard of in England, and the number of Rose nursery-
men of note might be counted on the fingers, there
are now and have been for several years three large
and flourishing establishments for the growing of
Roses in one English town, two of which devote
themselves solely to this object.

P

210 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

It cannot be doubted that the popularity of the
Rose, and its greatly increased cultivation, have been
much fostered by Rose shows and by the National
Rose Society which encourages them. With a
possible exception in the matter of fragrance, I do
not think that exhibitions have fostered any undesir-
able qualities in the flowers: it is true that some
modern show varieties are weak and difficult to
grow, but they are often so lovely that it would
have been a great loss if they had not been known:
and even the few scentless forms would, I believe,
have found a footing on their merits.

A young exhibitor should begin by making sure
that he knows a good Rose when he sees it—that
he is well acquainted with the types and ideals
which authority, as represented by the National
Rose Society, requires. And the first thing to be
learnt is that ‘‘ form,” the shape of the Rose, is the
most important point of all.

In Latin, ‘“‘ forma,” shape, is ‘‘ beauty,” and
‘‘ formosus, ’ shapely, is “ beautiful.” Form comes
before colour as drawing before painting. A tumble-
down cottage or a lopsided spray may be picturesque,
but it is only formal beauty that is amenable to the
strict rules necessary in competition. The ‘‘ tumble-
down” style of beauty may be admired in the
garden, but cannot be admitted to judgment at
Rose shows. A Rosarian soon becomes accustomed
to look upon form as the primal beauty of the Rose,
and to regard colour, though necessary, as a
secondary consideration.

Unfortunately, no proper terms have yet been
devised and used for the different types of form in
Roses, for it cannot be denied that the expressions

xI EXHIBITING 211

used in the N.R.S. Catalogue are unsatisfactory.
Five types were originally set out :—imbricated,
globular, globular high centre, cupped, and flat.

“‘Imbricated ” is a term with which no fault need
be found, if no plainer English word that all
gardeners would understand could be hit on. It
implies that the petals are regularly and thoroughly
reflexed (bent back) upon each other, with a “ pip”’
in the centre, like the flowers of a Camellia.
A. K. Williams, H.P., and especially Mrs. Paul, B.,
are good examples of this shape. It is the shape
of a “ Rosette,” but not many “little Roses” are
of this form, though Boule de Neige, H.N., and the
small flowers of Ethel Brownlow, T., are capital
Rosettes. There are several gradations in this
form, some being half-imbricated, and some with
the outer petals only regularly and completely
reflexed. Madame Cusin, T.,is a form which would
be imbricated, but that the petals, instead of lying
close, stand apart from each other.

“Globular” is a term which may perhaps be
fairly applied to Madame Bravy, T., which at its
best is like an incurved chrysanthemum, and even to
such varieties as Violette Bowyer or Eclair, H.P.s.
The latter is of the cabbage form, no longer
esteemed. Baroness Rothschild and its race should
also approach this form. But the N.R.S. Catalogue
gives it, for instance, to Maurice Bernardin, which
is just the common shape of an ordinary crimson
H.P. It is plain that in this and many other cases
the term is quite a misnomer, the flower being
roughly the shape of a hemisphere or half a globe,
semiglobular.

“Globular”? or (as I think it should be) semi-

Pp 2

212 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

globular high centred, pointed or reflexed, are
rather cumbrous expressions, but they may be
understood, and I am not prepared to offer amend-
ments.

‘“Cupped”’ is another unfortunate term, for,
contrary, I believe, to all botanical and scientific
nomenclature, it is used in the N.R.S. Catalogue to
signify, not that the flower is hollow within, but
that it is outwardly of the shape of a chalice—an
inverted cone. It is the more misleading because a
hollow centre is considered a very serious fault, and
“‘ cupped high centre ’’ must be a considerable puzzle
to the uninitiated.

“Flat” is a plain term with which no fault can be
found, Souvenir de la Malmaison, B., and Her
Majesty, H.P., when expanded too far, being
typical examples of this shape. It is rightly
considered a very faulty shape for exhibition, as every
one will admit that the plate-like form is inferior.

There should also be a name for the type of Rose
whose petals are folded on either side at the
extremities so as to form points, as in Mrs. W. J.
Grant and many others: the outline is not so
smooth as in those Roses whose petals retain their
rounded extremities, but it is perhaps even more
effective.

Variations of the above standard forms may be
found in Madame de Watteville, which might be
called the ‘‘ winged” or “butterfly” rose, an
addition to the pointed or high-centred shape being
found in the long outer petals which project as
wings: and in Innocente Pirola, where the petals
radiate away from the centre point in the perfect
form of the whorl of a shell. Buta regular shape,

xI EXHIBITING 213

with full somewhat high centre, circular outline
whether smooth as the edge of a Pansy or a ring
of points as in many other flowers, and perfect
arrangement of petals, is necessary to every form of
a good Rose.

The yearly round of care for Rose plants intended
for exhibition purposes will begin with a strict
attention to the rules of planting, winter protection,
and manuring. Pruning for exhibition has already
been noticed (p. 106), and it must be really severe to
ensure strong growth. In the subsequent thinning
of the buds and shoots he who would win cups and
first prizes must “‘ harden his heart,”’ and see that he
does not leave too many, however strong and healthy
they look. But in this matter of pruning and
thinning, careful regard must be had to the
‘‘manners and customs”’ of the variety : for, to take
two instances, while Horace Vernet must have
all the sap the plant can give it, La France (as good
a show Rose at its best as any of them) must be
almost starved in that respect or the blooms will
not come to perfection. Before rubbing off the
others the selected young shoots should be carefully
examined to see that they have not been injured by
frost or grub, as the hopes of the plant will now
depend on them.

Even among dwarf cutbacks, stakes should be
supplied to support all Roses with flexible stems
such as Earl of Dufferin and Marie Baumann among
H.P.s and most of the Teas. A sufficient number
of bamboos or other stakes of various heights should
be stored in handy corners ready for this purpose.

As a general rule, all buds but the centre or crown
bud should be removed as soon as possible, and

214 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

when the wood buds push, further down the stem,
these also should be rubbed out, if dealing with a
Rose that requires ‘‘ liberal treatment,” but not
with one that is apt to come coarse or requires
semi-starvation. To take the two examples lately
mentioned, Horace Vernet requires that all such
wood buds should be stopped, but La France and
Maman Cochet will be much better if they are left
to grow. The phrase “liberal treatment,” which I
have borrowed from the excellent catalogue of
B. R. Cant and Sons, means that the flower can
assimilate, and be the better for, all the sap that
can be given it: it implies therefore the best of soil
and manure, close pruning, rigorous thinning of
shoots, laterals, and buds, and that the best blooms
may be expected on maiden plants. Horace Vernet,
Dr. Sewell and Xavier Olibo, for instance, are
examples of varieties requiring “liberal treatment ”’ :
while La France, Her Majesty, and Marie Rady are
examples of Roses which will be spoiled by such
high culture.

A quill toothpick or knife-point is sometimes used
for the removal of the tiny flower buds as soon as
they can be distinguished, but finger and thumb will
soon get expert at the work and do it mechanically.

Be careful about delegating this operation to in-
experienced hands. I remember a trade exhibitor
telling me that he once thought he would employ
some women atit. ‘‘I want you,” said he to them,
suiting the action to the word by taking the cluster
at the end of a shoot and rapidly removing all but
the centre bud, “ to take off all these buds like this.”
They set to work with a will, and when he came
back some time afterwards to see how they were

XI EXHIBITING 215

getting on, not a single bud of any description
remained on the rows which they had devastated.
The rule has its exceptions: there are certain
Roses which are apt to come coarse, or too full, so
as to be too long in opening if they are over-freely
supplied with sap. The treatment in these cases
must be modified, the small buds being gradually
destroyed, or one or more left on till the end. With
some varieties, known as bad openers, the crown
bud should not be “taken” (to use a phrase of
chrysanthemum culture) but removed, and a side
shoot with a bud selected in its place. Her Majesty,
Robert Scott, and Ernest Metz are the better for
this treatment: and, as a general rule, where any
bloom comes ‘‘ balled,”’ z.e. the petals covering the
centre point and coming down the other side so
that the flower cannot open, is a sign that the
growth is too strong. In such a case, less “ liberal
treatment,” 2.e., less pruning, less thinning, perhaps
less manure, or even the pinching off the crown bud,
is called for. Only experience, a good knowledge of
the habit of the variety, and a regard to the strength
and number of shoots on each plant and the
character of the weather can guide the grower in
this most needful regulation of sap supply. If the
season be hot and dry more buds may be taken away,
as the Roses will open easier and the natural supply
of sap will be less and more quickly assimilated.
The same caution must be exercised with maiden
plants : some of the weakly growers will give the best
blooms if only a single stem with one bud on it be left.
But many would come coarse or deformed under such
treatment: and in these cases if there be only one
maiden shoot, one or two, according to the weather,

216 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

of the lower wood buds should be allowed to grow
out, and they may form perhaps almost as good
blooms as the older one. Thus Ethel Brownlow, T.,
by no means a very strong grower, when grown as a
Standard Maiden should always have the crown bud
removed : it will come to no good, and very likely will
have a prominent green centre.

The chosen bud should be carefully examined
before it is entrusted alone with the sole responsibility
of the shoot. Any insect perforation however small,
or any unusual appearance or sign of deformity,
should cause the dethronement of the crown bud at
once, and the election of the most perfect of its two
or three companions in its place. Even with the
utmost vigilance many a fine bud will be tended and
cared for and only found to be malformed at the very
last when it should be in perfection and ready for
show.

Where there is still a choice of buds later on
when the first signs of colour are visible, signs of
malformation may often be detected in an uneven
appearance of the green calyx enclosing the petals.
If this is irregularly disposed so that more colour
shows on one side of the bud than the other there is
a strong probability of there being a deformed arrange-
ment of the petals, leading to the bloom being
“‘ divided’ or ‘‘ quartered,” a very serious detriment
to the shape of many of the finest blooms. There is
no remedy : another bud, if possible, should be chosen
in its place. An exception must be made in the case
of Madame de Watteville, whose buds are curiously
wrinkled to enclose the great wing petals.

The tip of the bud should be quite sharp and green :
if at all blunted so that the colour shows, there has

XI EXHIBITING 217

been injury and can be no perfect bloom. Such buds,
if left, will often in June look as if they had been
clean cut in two horizontally with a knife, and though
they will harden and may swell a little, they will not
open at all. This injury is due to frost, or perhaps a
very cold night without actual frost, when the bud is
just formed and the extreme tip, at that time most
tender, exposed to the air.

Before the buds begin to open, measures must be
taken to shelter the delicate blooms from rain and
sometimes from sun. Almost all the Teas and
certain of the H.P.s are liable to a good deal of injury
from rain and sometimes even from heavy dews.
Of the many kinds of protectors which have been
tried, from old umbrellas to Willesden waterproof
paper shades, there are probably none better now
than the protectors of white calico brought out by Mr.
R.°E. West, of Reigate. They seem a little small,
but the square stick and square socket form an
excellent contrivance to prevent horizontal movement
by the wind, and the simple spring to hold the cone
higher or lower is a decided improvement. In
placing the protector over a bud great pains should
be taken to see that both are firm and not likely to
be moved by the wind. Severe gusts often accom-
pany thunderstorms, the protectors offer a good deal
of resisting surface, and the bud, if chafed while it be
wet, is sure to be spoiled.

The protectors should be raised or removed when
the rain is over, particularly if the bud is close to
the ground, as they check the evaporation from the
wet soil and keep the budin a damp state. It often
does good rather than harm to bend down the shoot
of a Tea Rose bud to get it under the protector, in

218 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

very forcing weather, or if the Rose be of a variety
that is apt to open too soon. Such a proceeding
slightly checks the sap, and the bud is likely to
grow a little more before opening.

Pendulous Teas on dwarfs are apt to be splashed
with mud in heavy showers, and this forms an addi-
tional recommendation for standards for such varie-
ties; no protection short of a universal mulch is
much good, but when all Roses are wet, simply
dipping a splashed Tea face downwards a time or
two ina pail of clear water has often made it look
at least as well as its fellows.

The effect of unshaded sun upon the colours of
Roses seems peculiar :—undoubtedly it gradually
absorbs or weakens the yellow tint, which may not
only be preserved but also increased by close shading
or covering: and it appears also generally, at first,
to weaken the pink in Tea Roses; but a very hot
sun will sometimes bring a second red flush on
some, such as Marie van Houtte and Princess of
Wales, and I have seen such a flush come on old
blooms of Maréchal Niel on a south wall in a very
hot time.

On the other hand, all red H.P.s certainly come
much brighter in colour on a dull cool day after a
hot time, and there seems to be little effect in
shading to prevent the “burning” or browning of
the petals of the dark varieties. Generally, for Teas,
remember that very close shading increases the
yellow and destroys the pink or red tints: so that
all those varieties which have both these tints will
lose the pink and come of deeper yellow only, and
pale yellow Teas, like Madame Hoste, are much
deepened in colour.

xI EXHIBITING 219

Papering the buds, that is, wrapping them while
yet undeveloped in cones of white paper, has some-
times a very good effect with the pointed forms of
white or yellow Teas, making the bud grow longer
and preserving the richness of colour. It only
answers in quite dry weather; if rain comes, the
paper must all be removed at once or the Roses will
commence to rot.

Boxes of the approved shape and size, with tubes
and wire supports, can now be readily purchased,
saving much trouble with the village carpenter.
Strength must not be sacrificed to lightness, as
heavy men will not scruple to stand on them in
railway or horse vans. The corners should be
bound with iron, and there should be some readily
distinguishable mark on the lid of each, a white bar
or star or something of that sort, so that each man
can count his own boxes in transit, or find his own
lids easily at the end of the show.

They should all be made exactly alike, so that lids
and trays are interchangeable. Spare trays pierced
for trebles shown in triangles should be provided,
and a large deep box for spare blooms is very useful
but unwieldy. The National Rose Society has now
rightly established regulation sizes for the usual
classes, for setting the Roses closer together some-
what conceals their want of size.

The providing a sufficient quantity of good moss
for placing on the trays between the tubes is some-
times a difficulty when there are many boxes to be
prepared. The ordinary moss of hedge-row banks is
generally used, but it is sometimes difficult to find
in a gravelly district. The north side of a clayey
railway embankment is generally a good place. It

220 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

should be taken up cautiously so that it may be
placed root downwards, and not half of it upside
down, in the boxes, and will require the weeds and
grass to be picked from it.

A much more effective moss is that which grows
on old thatch or even roof-tiles, but it is apt to lose
colour, unless kept damp. If it can be found on an
old north roof, it is much easier to prepare, and has
a far more velvety appearance than the first kind
mentioned, which sometimes looks little better than
badly made hay.

The trays when trimmed with moss should be
watered occasionally and kept in the shade. But a
good overhauling is desirable before a night journey.
In one very dry season my mossed boxes had been
kept in the shade and duly watered, with the result
that two huge slugs each as big as my thumb came at-
tracted by the damp, and concealed themselves either
in the moss or underneath the trays. It was either in
the night journey or during the very early hours of
rest at the Crystal Palace that one of these brutes
crawled out and ate away just the top of my very
best H.P., a large specimen of Her Majesty.

Boxes and allareready—to-morrow is the day of the
show—when shall we cut the blooms ? The distance
and the convenience of trains will almost answer
the question, for a start at three or four o’clock in
the afternoon is by no means unusual for those who
live at a distance from main lines, and want to show
on the other side of the country.

It used to be always laid down that the morning
of the show is the time to cut, and that those who
are near enough at hand to do this are at an
advantage. Modern instances, and especially, I

xI EXHIBITING 221

think, the superior staying power of modern Roses,
have considerably modified this view. If the show
is within driving distance one would naturally cut
in the morning; but very small advantage, if any,
must be expected over those who have come from a
greater distance and had to cut over-night.

I used often to get up to cut very early in the
morning, an hour or more before the mowers made
their appearance in the neighbouring hayfield, but
have long ago come to the conclusion that unless
one can cut after six o’clock in the morning it is
even better to do it the evening before.

I soon noticed that ‘about six o’clock a change
came over the Roses, every one taking, so to speak,
his day’s step forward, and that many fine lasting
blooms altered and aged as much in half-an-hour
about that time, whether cut or not, as they would
in the whole of the long summer day to follow. So,
if itis possible to cut after that hour and yet be in
time, we may be glad to do so, and can choose
blooms a stage in advance of those we should have
cut over-night. But I believe it to be just as well,
and perhaps better as getting them in safety before
a chance shower, to cut at from four to seven o’clock
the evening before, rather than at four or five o’clock
in the morning.

Begin in good time: it is better to start at two
or three o’clock in the afternoon, with the boxes in
deep shade, than to be hurried at the last. There
are several H.P.s too, Horace Vernet and Le Havre
for instance, which shut up their petals towards
night, and though they will open all right next day
it is difficult to choose the best specimens when they
are closed.

222 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

The old idea was that the water in the tubes
should be as cold as possible. This is now, I think,
rightly held to be a mistake, and some hold that the
mysterious collapse which sometimes takes place
early in the exhibition tent, when a fresh young
bloom, generally a dark H.P., suddenly begins ‘‘ to
grow smaller,” arises from this cause. I would
advise that the water be taken from a clear pond
on which the sun has been shining.

Roses should always be cut with strong sharp
scissors ; if at any time a stranger is allowed to cut
blooms from your plants, forbid the use of a knife,
or damage by the breaking of a shoot is sure to
be done.

Perhaps it is best to commence with the Teas, as
these are most lasting, and require longer time for
selection. A large number of them hang their heads
down, and a great many must be lifted and examined,
while among the H.P.s few are so pendulous as Marie
Baumann and Earl of Dufferin. Be sure that the
examination and selection are thorough : I have gone
off once or twice at least without a good Tea Rose,
overlooked because it was hidden under some pro-
tection.

Cut the stems long enough: they must be set up
high when they are shown, and it is very annoying
to find that a good bloom must be set lower than the
others to keep it in the water. It is a shock for a
precious little plant of Comtesse de Nadaillac to cut
away so much wood, but this is the hour of the
Rose’s trial and would-be triumph, and now if ever
it must be prepared to make a sacrifice.

Some expert exhibitors do little arranging, choos-
ing or setting up at the time of cutting, but, putting

XI EXHIBITING 223

a sufficient quantity of their best blooms into the
tubes, leave all that for the place of exhibition. A
beginner, however, had better wire and set up his
best Roses at once as he cuts them, taking others for
spares and arranging them all afresh at the show.

Wiring the blooms, like all mechanical operations,
should be learnt by watching an old hand; it is a
very different business, with the improved supports
now available, from what it used to be when we had
to tie the stems in two or three places to a small
stick or simple straight wire.

A beginner should label each bloom as he brings it
in, and it will always save time even with those who
know the Roses well. The printed labels look nice
—at first—and are convenient if you can always
keep them arranged so as to find at once the one you
want. But they very soon get dirty, especially if
not removed before the home journeys, and many
find the writing each name in pencil on blank labels
as required the shortest and most handy in the end.
But please write plainly.

In cutting the day before a show, the state of the
weather must be considered. If a very long journey
and a hot night are in store, allowance must be made
for rather more than one day’s age in the Rose; but
for a short journey and a cool night, some of the
fullest Roses and those with the thickest petals may
be cut almost as it is hoped to show them. Nothing
but experience can aid the judgment in this case.
Tf there is plenty of choice take another bloom of the
same variety not so far advanced; and three times
out of four the younger bloom will be found the
best when the time comes.

Most Roses are at their best when about three-

224 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

quarters open, but some will stand the full exposure
of their charms, and thin-petalled sorts should be
shown when not more than half open. It is now
the universal practice to tie up the centres of all
pointed blooms to prevent their opening too soon,
and sometimes it may be advisable to do this on the
plant a day or even two before the show. Soft
cotton or wool—not too thin—should be used, and
the outer row of petals being left free, the point or
spike of the bloom should be firmly tied round
sufficiently low to prevent slipping. The form of
knot should be the first half of an ordinary knot,
only with two turns instead of one: an inch or two
of ends should be left, and then the advantages are,
that though the knot will not slip it can always be
tightened by pulling the ends, and is very readily
removed.

Teas are much more lasting when cut than H.P.s,
especially if they be really good blooms of first-class
sorts. Onone occasion I showed as a specimen of
Comtesse de Nadaillac at three separate shows ; on
the first occasion it won the distinction as best Tea,
on the second the medal as best Rose, and the stand
in which it was exhibited won first prize at the third
show. On another occasion I showed twelve Teas
unsuccessfully at one show: the same blooms with
the exception of two or three were shown two days
later at another place where the competition was
quite as severe, and won first prize. Much rain had
fallen in the two days and freshly cut Teas were
spoiled.

In the hot season of 18938, I cut a bloom of Marie
van Houtte on the Monday and showed it; well in
my winning stand at the Crystal Palace, on the

XI EXHIBITING 225

Saturday. It was kept for three days in a dark and
nearly air-tight cellar, and for two days more in
another cellar with a little light. A few drops of
spirit of camphor were added to the water in which
it stood, but I am doubtful if this has much good
effect. I think the equable temperature of a dry
cellar has a good effect in preserving the blooms, but
they will probably lose colour.

If rain is feared, and efficient protection is not to
be had, the Teas should be cut in good time, even
though the buds are hardly opened enough. It may
be noticed that Maréchal Niel improves in colour
after being cut, and a really fine bloom may often
be better the second or even the third day, if it be
dry when gathered, and can be shown on a cool
day.

If the boxes remain at home during the night
it is best, especially if the Roses are not dry, to give
some air by propping up the lids a little way, so as
to exclude chance trespassers in the way of cats and
the like. Still this admits of the entry of slugs or
earwigs, and as we should think little of keeping the
boxes entirely close through a night’s journey, it is
not necessary. The lids should be securely fastened
when they are shut down for travelling, care having
been taken that the Roses are sufficiently low in the
tubes to prevent the roofs of the lids touching them;
but only those perfect persons, who never even in
a hurry leave their keys at home, should use locks.

Railway porters are now becoming used to the
sight of Rose-boxes, and recognise that ‘‘ something
belongs to” the careful handling of them, to use a
Suffolk expression. But personal supervision at all
times when they are moved is still very desirable,

Q

226 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and the legend “‘ Flowers in water this side up, with
care,’ is not much heeded if there is no one pro-
minently visible from whom a tip may be expected.

On one occasion Mr. Burrell of Cambridge and I
were travelling together by night to the Northern
Provincial Show of the National Rose Society. Ata
certain station we had to change, and after keeping
guard over our pile of boxes for a while, we thought,
as all seemed quiet, we might leave them for a little.
We were not absent more than five minutes, but on
our return all the boxes had absolutely disappeared.
It was not till just as our train was starting that we
were assured, and satisfied ourselves by the dim light
of a lamp, that our boxes were all in the van. We
thought it was all right, but my pet twenty-four, on
which I had spent a great deal of trouble, travelled
the whole of the rest of its journey actually upside
down. My companion, who had arranged to take
care of the boxes on our arrival, during the small
portion of the night that remained, discovered the
mishap soon after I had left him: and with a kind-
ness I shall not readily forget, did his best to restore
order, and comfort, and cleanliness to the poor Roses,
with such success that they gained a third prize.

At another of the N.R.S. Northern shows I was
going to show “‘ six new Roses.” A six box is, or at
least mine was, nearly square, but that does not seem
a legitimate reason why a porter should have rolled
that poor box out of the van just as if it were a
cheese. Though my remonstrance was meant to be
severe, the man hoped I should ‘‘ remember him,”
and I have done so.

Truly much depends upon the setting up and final
arrangement of the Roses at the place of exhibition,

XI EXHIBITING 227

and, in Teas especially, a man who shows his Roses
well will often beat a worse performer even though
the latter have better raw material. An old friend
and rival (one of the editors of this edition), the Rev.
F. Page-Roberts, who by his splendid showing had
often beaten me when I felt my blooms were natur-
ally the finer, once most good-naturedly set up my
Teas as well as his own at the Crystal Palace, though
we were showing in the same class. Poetic justice
was for once triumphant, for we came out ‘ equal
first.”

Though perhaps a pity, it is inevitable that the
art of display should have this advantage ; it would
never do for the judges to pull the blooms about and
see what they are capable of. So the beginner must
learn how to show his Roses to the best effect in the
first place by watching others; and he will find that,
next to experience, plenty of patience with a good
allowance of time is the principal requisite.

The first thing will be to “set up” the blooms in
their tubes higher than they were, level, even, and
straight, each Rose so turned as to present its best
side to the front. The ties should be removed from
all except those which open too freely, and an en-
deavour should be made to tie them again one row of
petals nearer to the centre, the second row being
encouraged to open out. If any defect should be
thus exposed in the centre, it will depend upon the
greatness and nature of the flaw and what spare
blooms you may have, whether the bloom is to be
rejected or whether it can be tied up again as it was
before, so that the defect can be hidden. A younger
though smaller bloom is generally the safest. An
old hand by keeping the points of his Roses tied up

Q 2

228 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

till the last minute will sometimes present for judg-
ment fine-shaped perfect blooms which two or three
hours later have opened and lost their form and
beauty. It may be a matter of regret that this can
be done, but some risk is run, and ingenuity and
boldness, provided that all is fair, should have their
chance of reward.

Some blooms will be found hardly more than
buds, and these will require a little assistance to
make them open further. The National Rose Society
was quite right in framing rules against ‘“ dressing”’
when this took the form of forcibly bending down
the outer petals by creasing them. This gives quite
a different appearance and shape to the Rose. Yet
a little assistance, by removing short malformed or
discoloured outer petals, and by gently pressing
back at the base the next row, is a legitimate
accessory of the art of exhibiting.

The handle of a budding knife was the instrument
formerly used for opening a bloom, and I have seen
a pencil do wonders in experienced hands; still a
camel’s-hair pencil of fair size is the best thing to
use, for it is soft and does no injury to the petals
and may be utilised for the removal of specks of
dirt, aphides, or thrips. Work patiently away at
the outer row of petals only, without creasing
them down: it is no use meddling much with the
inner rows, except by a sharp puff or two from
the lps, which will sometimes improve matters
somewhat.

Some sorts cannot be opened at a show—Reynolds
Hole, for instance; however much the petals be
pressed back, nothing short of creasing or mechanical
obstruction will prevent them from closing up again.

XI EXHIBITING 229

I remember a case where a fine-looking bloom of
this variety was being examined by the judges as
the most likely candidate for the silver medal for
best H.P. The owner of the Rose at the door of
the tent was anxiously watching the movements of
the arbiters, and was horrified to see one of them
pull the bloom downwards through his lightly
enclosing hand. Click! the petals, released from
the laborious mechanical opening, sprang back to
their places, and Rose and owner were “shut up”
simultaneously !

Other Roses, of the ‘‘thin”’ type, like Thomas
Mills, are pretty sure to open well enough, and due
regard will have to be paid to this at the time of
cutting, as such sorts should be taken to the show
in an earlier stage of their development than the
very stout and lasting ones like Reynolds Hole or
Horace Vernet. Great attention should also be
paid to the weather and the place: a hot tent forces
on Roses wonderfully, but it used to be generally
fairly cool in the Crystal Palace.

It seems hardly necessary to say that the setting
up and arrangement at the show should be in a cool
and shady place, but even this rule may have an
exception. On one occasion I cut my blooms for a
-celebrated Southern show in a very undeveloped
condition, expecting that my assistant who was to
go with them, as I was unable to do so, would have
a hot time for his night’s journey. The weather
unexpectedly changed, the night proving very cool,
and when he arrived at the place of exhibition he
found to his dismay that my Roses were not nearly
open enough, and that they made no show at all by
the side of the developed blooms against which he

230 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHaP.

had to contend. Being a plucky man of resource,
he resolved on an unusual experiment ; he uncovered
the boxes, and set them to stand for a considerable
time in the full glare of the sun. Whether the
others took him for a lunatic or an ignorant novice
I do not know; but I do know that he brought me
back the first prize.

In several of the handbooks of instruction on how
to show Roses the exhibitor is warned to be careful
how he arranges them as to colour for general effect.
Of course this is worth doing, if it means arranging
all the best blooms thus, but under no circum-
stances should alight or dark bloom be introduced
for the sake of colour if it is not worthy in itself. I
am bound to say that it is very rarely that judges
pay any heed to the arrangement: they look at the
merits of the blooms themselves, and a preponder-
ance of dark over light flowers or vice versd would
have usually no effect with them. Successful
arrangement is only taken into consideration where
rival stands are very nearly equal in the merits of
the individual blooms.

There will seldom be any need to look over the
stand at the last to see if there are any duplicates,
4.e. two of the same sort, if care has been exercised
in this respect from the beginning, and no Rose is
introduced without being sure about it. But a
bloom may sometimes be accidentally changed
without altering the label, so these should be run
over to see that they are right. The National Rose
Society authorities are lenient in this matter,
provided there be no duplicates, but country judges
are sometimes more strict.

There is room for a good deal of legitimate

XI EXHIBITING 231

manceuvring and generalship in the last hour or so
before the judges enter. If a man, who has entered
in several classes and is only moderately strong,
divides his best specimens among his several stands,
he will probably get no first prize and run con-
siderable risk of being out of it altogether. He
should concentrate his strength on one or at most
two classes, take a critical survey of his rivals’
blooms, and show pluck or discretion as the case
may be in selecting the best class in which to put
all his finest flowers.

On one occasion, late in the season, when it was
not likely that there would be more than one or two
serious rivals, I sent my assistant (being unable to
go myself) to a large show, with stands of thirty-six
and twenty-four. He found one rival only of any
note, but he was Mr. X., and to beat him just then
required the best amateur Roses in the kingdom.
My man returned with two seconds, saying
triumphantly, ‘I ran Mr. X. close; for he came
and looked at me five times.” I could not help
replying, “If you had followed his tactics and gone
and looked at him, you might very likely have got
first for the twenty-four.’’ By dividing his forces
my man was beaten in both classes: the expert had
come and looked so often to satisfy himself there
was no concentration of strength requiring a similar
move on his part.

No personal fancies, or likes and dislikes of
certain Roses, should be entertained by the man
who wishes to be successful. Some have an
antipathy to the appearance of the striped Pride of
Reigate : and I have heard, “Oh, I don’t like that
Rose,” of such a variety as Souvenir d’un Ami. It

232 THE BOOK CF THE ROSE CHAP.

is all very well for such as can afford it, but few
can: and it is to be remembered that the judges
will not let their own personal predilections have
any weight in deciding on the merits of each
Rose.

JupGine.—Nothing is more surprising to ex-
hibitors of dogs, poultry, &c., than to hear that at
all National Rose Shows the judges are appointed
from those who are actually exhibiting at that very
show. Of course no one judges in the class in
which his own stands are, and as a matter of fact
probably no exhibitor would have it otherwise than
it is. Many judges are required at a large show,
and even with much subdivision they have often as
much or more than they can do to get through their
task in the hour: and besides this, eyes thoroughly
accustomed to the appearance of Roses as shown
are required to recognise the different varieties, and
note subtle distinctions of merit. A year or two’s
absence from Roses and Rose shows would probably
seriously impair a man’s efficiency as a judge.

Judging is performed by the rules of the National
Rose Society according to the form, size, and
brightness of each bloom, which should be at the
time ‘‘in its most perfect phase of possible beauty.”
A general survey of the class should first be taken,
for it may be that the case is clear and beyond a
doubt. Where the stands are of large numbers—
thirty-six and upwards—there should be another
survey a little way off to judge better by comparison,
and to give at all events an idea of which stands
are “‘out of it,” and which seem to be more nearly
equal.

Those stands about which there is any doubt

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XI EXHIBITING 233

should now be ‘‘ pointed,” ze. judged by points.
Minus one, nought, one, two, three, or in rare cases
four points should be awarded to each bloom,
according to merit, one of the judges suggesting
the number of points to each, the others assenting
or dissenting and one noting the number of points
totalled.

The first thing to be done is to choose and agree
upon a certain Rose worth three points to serve as
a standard. This is important: being useful not
only for reference in cases of disagreement, but also
in the large classes of forty-eight or seventy-two
to prevent the standard becoming insensibly depre-
ciated. Pointing generally begins with the back
row and from left to right: boxes are often set up
in the same order, and the exhibitor would naturally
put his worst blooms in last, which would therefore
be at the right hand of the lower row. At any
rate, considerably smaller and weaker blooms will
generally be found in the front row, and the judges
must take care that their standard remains un-
altered ; the fall in the scale is often very gradual,
but a frequent reference to the chosen standard,
which one of the judges should carry in its
tube, will prevent any lowering or raising of the
ideal.

In cases of equality, or when in a large class only
a point or two of difference is found between two
stands, it is well to “point” them over again,
beginning at the other end of each. If still there
is little difference, taking the boxes down and
holding them with their long sides touching, in
closer juxtaposition, will sometimes throw additional
light on the matter. Comparing each bloom with

234 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

the corresponding Rose in the other stand and
adding or subtracting points accordingly is a
method I have used when judging alone in a
“near thing’; looking at the Roses from the
level of the trays so as to get a comparison of the
depth of the blooms may sometimes be of service
in the task of arriving at a decision: and if the
verdict should still be doubtful, arrangement,
neatness, foliage, and even moss may help to
turn the scale. In such extreme cases, however,
it is better to judge them as equal where the
prizes are money and can be divided; if a cup
be in question, of course one must be declared the
winner.

I went once some little distance to a show solely
as judge, there being no class suited to me. The
prize was a cup for forty-eight, and there was no
second or other prize whatever. I was the only
judge, and the exhibitors were two noted rival
nurserymen of the very first calibre. I was shut
up quite alone in the tent, and proceeded to my
task with cheerfulness, not knowing what was in
store forme. I “ pointed”? each bloom with great
pains, and took care not to add up the total of the
first stand till I had done the other, lest I should
be insensibly influenced. To my horror they came
out exactly equal. I went through them again
from the other end, and this time I did get about
one and a half points’ difference, but still felt that
the second judgment was not quite so trustworthy,
as I might be unconsciously anxious to find a
difference. I compared them in every way I knew,
but still could make hardly more than a _ point
between them, if so much. No difference was to

XI EXHIBITING 235

be found in arrangement. I knew who the ex-
hibitors were, as I had seen them, but I did not
the least know which stand belonged to each.
Their style was the same, as they had been brought
up in the same school, and they were well known
as at that time of very nearly equal strength. Yet
one must have the cup and the other get no prize
at all. In my perplexity I mounted on the central
table in the tent, and took a careful bird’s-eye view,
holding on by the pole. This confirmed me in my
previous idea that there was the slight shade of
difference that I had noticed at my second attempt:
I gave my judgment accordingly, and was most
sincerely pleased when I found the loser was quite
satisfied. I have since, on two or three occasions,
found the bird’s-eye view useful compared with the
view of the depth of the blooms from the level of
the trays.

Another very equal case was in a class for seventy-
two at a Northern show. I had the proper number
of two coadjutors this time, one being a very expe-
rienced and able Rosarian, and the other a local
man who was generally discreetly silent. We pointed
through both the best stands without any disagree-
ment except in the case of one bloom, where I was
for three points and my experienced friend for one
only. The third judge opened his mouth for the
first and only time, and gave his voice against me.
That decided the principal prize of the show, for we
found only one point of difference between the two
stands of seventy-two each, and if my view of that
one bloom had been acted on, the other seventy-two
would have won by one point.

The silent judge played his part and did what was

236 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. Ix

required of him. He did not act, I hope, or give his
judgment from the same motive that influenced one
at a village cottagers’ show. There were three judges
for the fruit and vegetables, &c.—Mr. A, the head
gardener from the big house; and Messrs. B and C,
gardeners in humbler establishments. Mr. A, by
right of his position, took the matter in hand and
distributed the awards, the others humbly assenting
in silence. Presently C, perhaps thinking it was
better, if only as a matter of form, to assert himself
a little, suggested a small point of disagreement.
The matter was promptly referred tc B, and he
decided the question by saying, ‘‘ Oh, I always goes
with Mr. A”! It was all right, for Mr. A was a
good judge, but it was plain that, unless for
ornament, B and C might as well have been at
home.

CHAPTER XII
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

On looking over a good collection of Roses a keen
observer, even if he be unlearned in their culture,
cannot fail to be struck with the difference observ-
able in what is called the ‘‘ habit”’ of each sort, for
there is almost endless variety in wood, leaves,
thorns, strength, and manner of growth, apart from
the blooms themselves. He would also probably
notice a good many of what he would call “red”
Roses, very much alike to his untrained eyes in
general appearance, and he might wonder how they
could be all distinguished apart. But as a good
shepherd can tell every member of a large flock of
sheep by a diligent study of their faces, and an
English apple, or even apple-tree without its leaves,
can be correctly named by some clever pomologists,
so a fairly representative bloom of any Rose can be
distinguished by a thoroughly expert Rosarian.

Descriptions of the different varieties are to be
found in the catalogues issued by nurserymen, and
many of these are now fairly full and accurate.
The colour, naturally enough, occupies the principal

part of the descriptions: but the different shades,
237

238 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

especially of Teas, are very difficult to express to
ordinary readers in language that they will clearly
understand, for some are extremely variable in their
tints, and others come much fuller in colour when
grown strongly.

It is not every one who is, without studying the
matter, well conversant with the different tints
expressed in the terms frequently used. Among
these may be found—ivory, cream, lemon, chrome,
straw, canary, sulphur, nankeen, saffron, apricot,
fawn, buff, salmon, copper, bronze, blush, flesh,
peach, rose, cerise, coral, cherry, currant, madder,
vermilion, scarlet, lake, carmine, lilac, plum, violet,
magenta, claret, maroon, and amaranth. It requires
not only a good eye for colour, but also a certain
amount of training, for an ordinary man to distin-
guish accurately between these shades; perhaps the
description ‘‘a soft shade of écru, passing to a lovely
golden yellow” might leave him not much wiser than
he was before. I confess that some of them beat me,
and that even the first two on the list, ivory and
cream, as seen in Roses, would present very slight
distinctions to my eyes.

A good many of the Tea Roses, especially the light
yellows, come practically, if not pure, white, when
exposed to strong and continued sun; and as these
are generally credited as to colour with the first
descriptions of the raisers as seen under glass, there
is sometimes a little disappointment with the tints
as seen out of doors. Thus Devoniensis, Edith
Gifford, and Innocente Pirola used to be described
without any mention of the word “ white,’ which
must seem very strange to those who know the
Roses.

Such good old colour-words as white, yellow, pink,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 239

red, scarlet, and crimson are my strongholds, and
in the following catalogue I shall mostly use the
descriptions of colour to be found in the trade-lists,
the best of which are carefully compiled from a long
and widespread knowledge of the various sorts, and
a study and comparison of the different shades. My
endeavour will be to supplement these descriptions
with other matters that the purchaser and chooser
would like to know as an addition to and commentary
upon published catalogues.

For instance, the novice student of these seductive
pamphlets will only require a little knowledge of
human nature to enable him to take a fair discount
off the description given by the raiser himself of any
one sort: and he will find it advantageous to be
acquainted with some slight vagaries in catalogue-
English which custom has sanctioned. In this
language ‘‘ medium-sized” means “small,” and
‘pretty’? generally implies the same. In growth,
“moderate”? means ‘“‘ weakly,” ‘‘free’’ describes a
plant which is rather weakly but branching, and
“vigorous” stands for ordinary growth. ‘“‘A good
pot Rose” might very likely mean that it would not
stand any bad weather out of doors, a “‘ nearly full”
one mean shows an eye, and we should probably be
doing no injustice in supposing that a Rose which is _
‘good when caught right” is bad as a rule.

It has become a matter pretty generally known
how unwise it is for a beginner to select his sorts from
those blooms which take his fancy at an exhibition :
and there are drawbacks to the cultivation of a good
many of the show varieties, which we cannot expect
to find noted in catalogues for sale. These demerits
and bad habits of certain Roses I want to point out
as well as their good qualities, as they are of the

240 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

utmost importance to those who wish to choose their
sorts, and have only trade catalogues and the flowers
to be seen at shows to go by. For, among Roses, there
are a great many ‘little ways’’ belonging to the
different tribes, families, and individual varieties, and
many an otherwise excellent sort has a nasty habit
of doing this, that or the other which just prevents
its being as good as it might be.

A variety may be faulty as a plant, having an un-
healthy constitution, weakness of growth, deficiency
of foliage, a special tendency to mildew or orange
fungus, or a lack of freedom of bloom, or of good
qualities in the autumn. Andif the plant is all that
can be desired, there may be serious demerits in the
flowers as a rule, however good an occasional
specimen may be. Among such faults may be—a
hability to be stained, gummed, or rotted by rain, or
to “burn,” that is, turn brown, in hot weather, or to
come badly shaped, malformed, quartered, or divided,
or to have some deficiency in stoutness and smooth-
ness of petal, fulness of centre, accuracy of form, or
brightness of colour.

The Teas have a special fault in that some of
them will not bring blooms to full perfection when
grown as dwarf plants, and they are also peculiarly
hable to be injured by rain; but, on the other hand,
they are somewhat less injured by mildew and com-
pletely free from orange fungus. Besides these
general faults, many Roses have private habits,
either good or bad (generally bad!) of theirown. It
is most desirable that these should be known, but it
should be added that situation, climate, soil, and
culture have much effect upon the manners and
customs, sometimes to a very striking extent.

Rose Fautts. A “ DivipepD” Rose. (Face page 240,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 241

It is quite common to hear one amateur say of a
certain variety that it is useless with him—that it
will not grow, or the blooms come to no good—while
another answers that he finds it all he could wish in
growth and flower. After a fair trial, it is far better
to give up a Rose that does not answer: there are
plenty of different sorts and many new ones each
year, and I should strongly advise a vigorous weeding
out every autumn of all those which have been
thoroughly tried and found wanting.

Usually it takes two or three years’ trial at least
of a new variety to find out its own particular
manners; so, that, unfortunately, I cannot give a
reliable account of the newer Roses, of which Ros-
arians of standing who are exhibitors will most wish
to hear. Not only that, but all lists and catalogues
get out of date before very long, the least valuable
varieties being superseded as others, more perfect in
their especial line, come into commerce.

In revising the following list, I have made a few
additions and a good many omissions: and, however
fleeting and ephemeral lists and selections may be, a
great many are here mentioned which are not likely
to go out of date for some time, and whose manners
and customs are now thoroughly established. I have
also, in deference to general opinion, placed those
which are held to be Hybrid Teas in a separate
division from the Hybrid Perpetuals.

HYBRID PERPETUALS

Abel Carriere (Verdier, 1875).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.
Alfred Colomb (Liacharme, 1865).—Of fine growth
R

242 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and foliage in good soil but not on poor or light
land. Seldom attacked by mildew and can stand
some rain. The blooms generally come good, but
occasionally divided, of fine typical shape, what the
N.R.S. Catalogue calls ‘globular, high centre,’
which I think should be rather ‘“‘ semi-globular,
high centre”: very good in petal, centre, size,
lasting qualities, fragrance, and colour. This is a
first-class late show Rose, good as a standard, fra-
grant, free in bloom, and fine as an autumnal, with
clean, smooth-skinned, handsome wood, striking well
as a cutting. The flowers are often extremely like
those of Marie Baumann, though the wood and
habits of the plants are very different. In my
opinion, if either of these two well-known Roses
was now brought out as a novelty, having been
hitherto unknown, it would be considered synony-
mous with the other. Marshall P. Wilder is held
to be too much alike and therefore considered a
synonym, but a very capable amateur considers it
an improved strain.

Alfred K. Williams (Schwartz, 1877).—Makes long
shoots as a maiden, or at times on good soil as a
cutback, but the constitution is weak. Thorny, with
good foliage, and will stand some rain. This is a
Rose of great reputation, because the blooms nearly
always come perfect, forming first-class examples of
the popular ‘‘ imbricated” shape, 7.e. something after
the form of a camellia. Not a good bloom to last,
or of the largest size, but prominent as a show Rose
from its shape and bright colour. It is not a very
free bloomer but comes again pretty fairly in the
autumn. The shoots, though not very stout, run up
to some height, and though the plant requires

A. K. WILLIAMS. (Face page 242.
Photograph by G. A. Hammond

XU MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 243,

“liberal treatment,” they should not be pruned back
too closely. The variety is not hardy or long-lived,
and should be budded every year, preferably on the
briar, as, though some do well as cutbacks, maidens
are more to be depended on: some find it answers
best as a standard. Not to be recommended for
those who cannot give it good soil, and high culture.
Grand Mogul is said to be a seedling from this
beautiful Rose.

Baroness Rothschild (Pernet, 1867).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Beauty of Waltham (W. Paul & Son, 1862).—Fair
in growth and foliage, and not much liable to injury
from fungoid pests or rain. The blooms come true
and well, being seldom divided or malformed. The
shape varies according to situation and cultivation.
The N.R.S. Catalogue calls it ‘‘ imbricated,” and the
raiser ‘‘cupped”’: my specimens do not come in
either of these forms, but the petals are very closely
curved inwards in the centre in a manner that pro-
claims the variety at once. Nevertheless it should
be noted that on better soil than mine it does come
regularly of semi-imbricated form, and is then a fine
flower. Like some others somewhat of this shape,
and those of the pointed form, this Rose has the
good custom of closing in and guarding its centre
more tightly in hot weather when it is most needed
than at other times. Not first-class, but a free
bloomer, rather late, good in lasting qualities and
as an autumnal, but not very large, very fragrant.
It has produced a seedling, Lady Arthur Hill (Dick-
son, 1889), of a novel shade of colour, but not large
enough.

Ben Cant (B. R. Cant & Sons, 1902).—Raised by

R 2

244 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

the sons of the late well-known professional Rose-
grower at Colchester, ‘and named after him, this
Rose, a seedling from Victor Hugo, has been grandly
shown by them, and gained the N.R.S. Gold Medal
in 1901. It is of fine, clean, strong growth with
grand foliage, and seems to be a splendid crimson
Rose for exhibition when grown on good H.P. soil,
but many amateurs have not been successful with it.
As I have always associated the name with the very
finest of Roses, it has been a great disappointment
to me, but I still hope we shall do better with it,
when it has become more established. This Rose
should only be included in the largest collections as
only occasionally will it give a show bloom.

Boule de Neige (acharme, 1867).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Camille Bernardin (Gautreau, 1865).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Captain Hayward (Bennett, 1893).—This was a
seedling Rose that Mr. Bennett, the raiser of Her
Majesty and Mrs. John Laing, &c., left behind him
unflowered when he died. At its very best, grown
as strongly as possible, in a cool season, it is with
its pointed form and beautiful long smooth petals of
scarlet-crimson as magnificent an example of the
bright red H.P.s as we have at present. It is of
extra vigorous growth with very fine foliage, but the
petals are rather thin and few in number, and it
opens very quickly. It requires the most “ liberal
treatment ” (a phrase which implies good soil, plenty
of manure), close pruning, vigorous thinning, and
that it is best as a maiden—in short, as much sap as
possible put into the bud from the beginning), and
early tying of the bloom for exhibition : but it is im-

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 245

possible to show it in very hot weather. It has even
been recommended that it be planted in a shady
spot. Large in size, not much lable to fungoid
pests or to come malformed, and a grand Rose for
pot-work and forcing.

Charles Lefébvre (Lacharme, 1861).—Synonyms,
Marguerite Brassac and Paul Jamain. Of strong
growth, with stout stiff smooth wood and fine foliage,
requiring strong soil. The secondary shoots are
much stronger than the early ones, and on cutbacks
the latest blooms of the first crops are generally the
best, the first buds being most liable to injury from
cold nights in May. More liable to orange fungus
than to mildew, and can stand rain pretty well.
The flowers generally come good, fine in petal,
centre, and size, lovely in colour, very fragrant and
beautifully smooth and round in appearance. The
shape is open and semi-imbricated, which is very
effective, but not a good form to last. Free in
bloom and a good autumnal, this was for many years
the G.O.M. of the dark crimson Roses.

Clio (W. Paul & Son, 1894).—Elminated by the
editors of this edition.

Commandant Félix Faure (Boutigny, 1902).—A
hardy vigorous grower with very large foliage and free
flowering—but the flowers, excellent otherwise, are
on the small side for exhibition purposes—still their
wonderful colour (dark crimson, shot vermilion)
makes the plant worth noting, more particularly as
the colour is more lasting than the majority of Roses
of this shade. Useful as a front row flower—but
must be severely disbudded.

Comte de Raimbaud (Roland, 1867).—A reliable
full-sized rose of good form and colour, with good

246 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

form and colour, with good average growth and
foliage and clean handsome wood, not particularly
subject to fungoid pests or to injury from rain. An
odd thing about it is that it does not seem to have
been much noticed, or at all events appreciated, till
it was fifteen or twenty years old.

Comtesse de Ludre (EK. Verdier, 1880).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Countess of Oxford (Guillot, 1869).—Elhminated
by the editors of this edition.

Countess of Rosebery (Postans, 1879).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Crown Prince (W. Paul & Son, 1880).—Elimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Dr. Andry (E. Verdier, 1864).—Of capital growth
and foliage, hardy and of strong constitution on all
forms of stock, early in flowering, not much subject
to mildew or orange fungus, and standing rain fairly.
The blooms generally come with a pretty good point,
but are apt to be divided, and sometimes irregular in
the circular outline. Fair in size, good in petal and
centre, and very bright at first in colour, but as
often happens this does not last so well as the shape.
It is very free flowering, a row of it making a grand
show for a few days, but is not very good in autumn.
A useful and thoroughly reliable Rose, which will do
fairly well in poor soil.

Dr. Sewell (Turner, 1879).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Due @ Orleans (E. Verdier, 1889).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Duchess of Bedford (Postans, 1879).—Of rather
weakly growth and best as a maiden. A lovely and
striking flower, beautiful in its semi-imbricated form,

XII < MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 247

and bright with glorious colour, a mixture of scarlet
and crimson. Not strong in constitution, free
flowering, or good as an autumnal, and often fails
to come good, either in colour or shape. An exhi-
bitor’s Rose, and never very large, it seems to like a
cool season, and is therefore best in the North and
Midlands.

Duchesse de Morny (E. Verdier, 1863).—Of fair
growth and foliage in strong rich soil, the wood and
leaves being very distinct and characteristic. De-
cidedly liable to mildew, and cannot stand much
vain. The blooms come well shaped, with very
smooth stout petals, beautifully full, of distinct and
lovely colour, large size, and fair lasting qualities.
This Rose is one of the very smoothest and most
regular in semi-globular imbricated shape that we
have; a free bloomer, but not so good in autumn,
and rather dainty as to soil and treatment. The
buds should be well thinned, for this is one of the
true aristocracy, where no fear of coarseness need
be entertained, and the variety is a great favourite
with me. The shoots often come wholly or partly
fasciated,—z.e. two or more joined together—a bad
habit, and such growth at pruning time should be
clean cut out. Hllen Drew (A. Dickson & Sons,
1896) is a pale sport of this Rose.

Duke of Edinburgh (Paul & Son, 1868).—Of strong
good growth and foliage, with characteristic wood ;
the secondary shoots are very long and rather spindly
and pliable, so that the blooms are sometimes pen-
dant. Not very liable to mildew, or much injured
by rain, but in some places a victim to orange fungus.
It generally comes true to its shape, which is good
so long as it holds its point; but the petals are not

248 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

very stout or the centre very full, and it is not a
good laster. Of full size and most brilliant colour,
vermilion, crimson. In strong specimens the crim-
son predominates when the bud shape is passed,
but the self vermilion, which is generally found
only on the weaker blooms, is perhaps the most
effective. Not lasting in colour or shape, but of
large size, a fair autumnal, good on all stocks. This
was for years the brightest of all red Roses, but has
been surpassed in this respect by later introductions.
Of good constitution, but apt to run to wood instead
of to bloom, especially in autumn, and on the
manetti; it should therefore be lightly pruned, the
shoots being left of some length.

Duke of Teck (Paul & Son, 1880).—Very like the
last named in most particulars. Others of the same
class and apparently of the same family, all coming
from Cheshunt, are Reynolds Hole and Sultan of
Zanzibar, but these last two are very delicate in
constitution, while the Dukes of Edinburgh and
Teck are strong and hearty. Duke of Teck is not
so dark in crimson and not so brilliant in vermilion
as the earlier type, but, like it, should be left long in
pruning. Best on old plants.

Duke of Wellington (Granger, 1864).—Syn. Rosiér-
iste Jacobs. This is marked in the N.R.S. and
some other catalogues as moderate, i.e. weakly in
growth, but it is quite fair in vigour and foliage
with me, and does well as a standard in many
places. Of strong constitution, my oldest dwarf
plants on briar cutting being still my best and
stoutest. Not very liable to mildew or much injured
by rain, a free bloomer and quite a good autumnal.

DUKE or WELLINGTON, H.P. [Baer parte 248,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 249

The blooms come well in what I call the pointed
form and are capital in petal and fulness, grand in
dark crimson colour and lasting qualities, and of fair
average size. Will not do in hungry soil, or where
not well treated, but high feeding and close pruning
will generally produce splendid blooms. Older than
the Duke of Edinburgh, and, in spite of general
repute, much the better show Rose of the two
with me. This is one of those varieties which
close their petals in the evening, thus seriously
disconcerting at times exhibitors who have to
choose their blooms at late hours.

Dupuy Jamain (Jamain, 1868).—Of very strong,
stiff, stout growth and foliage, good on all stocks,
with vigorous, clean, smooth shoots, such as a Rose
should have. Not lable to mildew, but little injured
by rain and does not need close pruning. I ought
to say that all H.P.s, except perhaps Paul Neyron,
Ulrich Brunner, and some others inclined to coarse-
ness, are sometimes attacked by mildew, and are the
better if rain does not fall on the open flowers, so
“not liable’? must be generally taken as not es-
pecially liable. The round fat smooth shoots of
Dupuy Jamain produce round fat smooth blooms,
which generally come well-shaped, but the petals
are not so stout as they look, and the centre is weak
in hot weather. For exhibition it should be cut
young and the point tied up for travelling, as it
opens only too well. Of large size, but a bad one
to last; very free in bloom, and perhaps the best
autumnal of its colour. If I wanted a red Rose at
the end of October I should come here first, and if
any H.P. will bloom at Christmas this will. A

250 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP,

good and reliable cool season Rose, of strong hardy
constitution, which will grow almost anywhere, and
well repay good treatment.

Earl of Dufferin (A. Dickson & Sons, 1887).—Of
long but pliable growth, which, in the case of
dwarfs, must be staked, or the heavy bloom will
bend the shoot right down to the ground. The
foliage is rather weak, and the buds even when they
begin to open do not look promising or attractive.
Nevertheless under favourable circumstances they
slowly grow into large highly-coloured blooms of
semi-globular shape, sweet-scented, lasting, and
sometimes very fine. It is quite a late Rose, not
very free-flowering, nor of much use as an autumnal.
Its principal fault is roughness of outline, which
makes it look ragged, and I have never had a decent
bloom of it. A Rose for exhibitors, but not for
garden culture in this country.

Etienne Levet (Levet, 1871).—Of robust and
smooth but very uncertain growth; long, strong,
and stout in rich soil where it has a good hold, but
otherwise quite short and stumpy. ‘The foliage is
very fine, and the blooms come early and well, with
large very smooth shell-lke petals; there is, or
should be, a good point, but the general shape is
flat, the centre weak, and the form not lasting.
Must be cut young for exhibition and tied up at
once, for it is of no use in hot weather. Not much
injured by mildew or rain, but not good as a free
bloomer or autumnal, and of no use in hot climates.
It is of large size, and its grand petals and smooth,
even outline make it an effective show Rose in a
cool season; but, though it does well on the manetti,
for general cultivation or on weak soils it is not one

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 251

of the best. Duke of Fife (Cocker, 1892) is a deep
crimson sport from this variety, and a much worse
grower. Noteworthy, as a sport generally comes of
a lighter colour than the type.

Eugenie Verdier (J. B. Guillot, 1869).—Syn. Marie
Finger (Raimbaud, 1873).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Exposition de Brie (Granger, 1865), see Maurice
Bernardin.

Ferdinand de Lesseps (Verdier, 1869), see Maurice
Bernardin.

Fisher Holmes (Verdier, 1865).—Of good growth
and foliage. Particularly liable to mildew, but not
much hurt by a little rain. The blooms come well,
of the good pointed shape of the Duke of Wellington,
and the shape is lasting, though the brightness soon
fades. Below the average size in ordinary soil, but
free blooming and a capital autumnal. This is a
most useful sort, which accommodates itself well to
circumstances—shuts up its petals at night, tightens
its point in hot weather, and forms a beautiful
button-hole in autumn or when not thinned for show
purposes.

Francois Michelon (Levet, 1871).—Of peculiar and
very characteristic growth, with green, slender yet
fairly stiff stems, and thin, poor foliage. This is the
Rose above all others whose performance is better
than its promise. It seems incredible that such a
little bud on its spindly stem should open into what
is one of the largest and finest show Roses we have :
but it does. The petals look thin and the growth
seems so weak that an exhibitor who did not know
the Rose would be slow to believe it would stand or
hold its shape in a hot tent: but it does this too.

252 THE BOOK OF THE ‘ROSE CHAP.

Little affected by mildew, but soon injured by heavy
rain, the blooms come fairly well, but the centre
though almost always well covered has seldom a
defined point and is sometimes irregular. The out-
line is often rough and the colour is not lasting.
It cannot be called a free bloomer, and is one of the
worst autumnals in our list of H.P.s, a large
proportion of the plants having no second crop. In
propagating this Rose and others which are shy
bloomers and bad autumnals, care should be taken
to bud from a flowering stem, for the young plant
will probably not bloom the first year if the bud has
come from a non-flowering autumnal shoot; and a
“runaway maiden” is a source of disappointment,
even among Roses. Requires the briar stock, a
cool season, and generous treatment. This Rose is
apparently the progenitor of Mrs. John Laing, still
one of the most reliable of Hybrid Perpetuals.

Frau Karl Druschki (P. Lambert, 1900).—This
Rose, which came from the Continent with no great
blowing of trumpets, has proved itself to be the best
H.P. sent out for many a year, and is universally
acknowledged to be the finest white Rose in culti-
vation. It is of extra strong healthy growth with
very fine foliage, an abundant bloomer, and a good
autumnal. The long buds are pink on the outside
but open into pure snow-white flowers of the largest
size and of quite first-class form. They will not
hold their shape very long in hot weather, but
last generally long enough for exhibition purposes ;
so that the variety has already become one of the
most popular of all Show Roses, and has also proved
itself invaluable for garden decoration. It is not
proof against mildew, and like all white Roses is soon

Frau Kart DRUSsCcHKI. [Face page 252.
Photograph by G. A. Hammond.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 253

injured by vain, but must be highly recommended
for even the smallest collection.

Ican remember when Madame Noman was the
best white H.P.: then came Madame Lacharme,
larger and better: Merveille de Lyon quite super-
seded these two, and was in its turn threatened by
Margaret Dickson. All these should now be given
up, as they are manifestly inferior for all purposes
to Frau Karl Druschki.

Général Jacqueminot (Rousselet, 1853).—Good
but rather slender growth, and fine but thin foliage ;
liable to mildew, but not much injured by rain:
very free-flowering, fragrant, and a good autumnal,
but decidedly thin. It must be grown very strong
and cut young to be fit for exhibition, but it is still
often well shown, principally by nurserymen and
large amateurs, and is best as a standard maiden.
As bright as Duke of Edinburgh when grown to
perfection, but not lasting or of the largest size:
still ‘le brav’ Général” knows its weakness, ‘‘ pulls
itself together’ in hot weather, and tightens its
point as hard as it can. Few Roses have had such
a lasting reputation: for this grand old veteran
is the great-grandfather of almost all our red H.P.s,
and is still grown very largely on all stocks for
market and florists’ purposes, ‘‘ Generals’? being
almost as well and affectionately known in the
trade as ‘“ Niels.”’ It has held a prominent place
for many years, not only for pot-work and forcing
but also for garden and ‘“‘ massing” purposes.

Gloire de Margottin (Margottin, 1887).—Elimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Grand Mogul (W. Paul & Son, 1887), see Jean
Soupert.

254 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Gustave Piganeau (Pernet & Ducher, 1889).— Very
short in growth, which is nearly the only fault of
this very fine Rose. The foliage is good, and the
plump fat buds above it open into very large,
brilliant, grandly shaped blooms, with broad stout
petals and beautiful centre. Very little lable to
mildew, and not much injured by rain. It was
a great disappointment when this splendid Rose
proved to be a poor grower. Moreover, the plant
is not lasting in vigour, but often gets weaker, and
it is best as a maiden, either on briar or manetti.
It is very free-flowering, which seems to be a cause
of its weakness of growth; it will not make wood,
but is constantly forming buds. I must say,
however, that of late years fairly long secondary
shoots have not been uncommon: and as these have
naturally been selected for budding, the general
habit of growth is, I think, decidedly improved.
A good autumnal, capital for forcing and a large,
lasting reliable exhibition Rose.

Heinrich Schultheis (Bennett, 1882).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Helen Keller (A. Dickson & Sons, 1895).—At its
best this is a very beautiful Show Rose. In a
favourable season it would often be among the three
or four most noteworthy H.P.s in the large stands
of the leading nurserymen. Not of very strong
growth, “‘moderately vigorous” representing it fairly.
The blooms are of the ordinary ‘‘ semi-globular ”
shape, very regular and seldom malformed, of a very
bright shade of pink catalogued as ‘‘rosy cerise,”
fragrant, full-sized, with stout petals and good
lasting qualities. The buds form early, with
frequently fatal results in low-lying districts subject

Gustave Picanrav, H.P.

[Face page 254,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 255

to very cold May nights: it is only in exceptionally
good seasons that any but the longer later shoots
yield good blooms with me: but the variety is well
worth growing if only a few fine specimens can be
secured.

Her Majesty (Bennett, 1885).—Manners and cus-
toms are notoriously strict and exacting in royal
circles, and in this remarkable Rose we certainly
have some striking peculiarities. Of long, strong
and yet robust growth if well fed, but by no means
free : 1t makes extraordinary growth under favourable
conditions, but a poor show if not treated regally
and favoured with fine weather. Prune high or
low you will get but few shoots to a plant, and if the
single growth of a maiden shoot be stopped, instead
of breaking in several places like the vulgar herd,
Her Majesty generally shoots only from the top bud
left, and continues one stem upwards as before. We
may place the plants close together, for the stems of
each are few in number and upright and stiff. It
has fine foliage and large stems with tremendous
thorns, the whole being extremely and notoriously
subject to mildew, so that it is best planted by
itself or among the Teas, where the infection will be
less dangerous in the summer season. It is a very
slow starter in growth if pruned hard, and as it is
advisable to get the blooms as early as possible
before the plant is crippled with the inevitable mil-
dew, this Rose alone of all may, with possible
advantage, be pruned in the Autumn, as it will still
not start growth early enough to be injured by frost.
Better still perhaps is it to leave it so long in pruning
as to get a plump and well developed bud for the
coming shoot: indeed it should not be pruned too

256 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

hard, or have too ‘liberal treatment.’ I would not
advise the application of liquid manure after the
buds are formed. If grown well, a large proportion
of the blooms come good, and they can stand a
little rain. They have fine stout petals, and are
wonderfully full in the centre, so much so that the
Rose has quite two shapes, and the best one was not
known for the first year or two: for it has in the
first stage a grand regular semi-globular shape, and
when expanded and overblown it is yet so perfectly
full, even when as flat as a pancake, as to show no
eye, and to be still presentable and wonderful,
though not so beautiful as a Rose. The colour is
best and purest in the first of these stages: in the
second it is more mixed. When presented for the
Gold Medal, which was granted by acclamation, it
was shown by Mr. Bennett in great quantity,
several large boxes of it being staged. Every bloom
was fully expanded, and its true beauty remained
unknown. It was then sold to America and we had
to wait a year forit. Whenit was at last obtainable,
there was a large demand for the half-guinea plants,
with the result, I believe, that there was hardly a
bloom seen in the country that year, the plants
having no doubt been budded from non-flowering
shoots. The following year the true form was seen,
and it is not now quite so shy a bloomer as it was.
In size and lasting qualities it is quite at the top
of the tree: as a free bloomer and autumnal,
absolutely at the bottom. A secondary or true
autumnal bloom is rare: it does bloom as a maiden,
otherwise its title to the term Perpetual might yet
be in abeyance. It is decidedly a hot-season Rose
with us. A remarkable point about this Rose is its

Horack VERNET [Foce page 257,

Photogvaph bu G. A. Hammond,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 257

reputed parentage; for it is said, though it is
generally supposed there must have been some
mistake or accident, to be a seedling from the old
Tea Canary, a yellow flimsy thing according to
modern notions, and Mabel Morrison, a white
sport from Baroness Rothschild, which is particularly
open and deficient in the centre. If this is so, it
should strictly be called a Hybrid Tea. Mr.
Bennett was one of the first to practise hydridising
in this country, and sent out his new issues as
Pedigree Roses: but one would think that on
beholding the illustrious progeny of this apparently
ill-assorted pair he must have been inclined to con-
sider chance quite as likely to be successful as the
careful choosing of seed-parents.

Horace Vernet (Guillot, 1886).—A typical show
Rose: grand in the extreme in every way on the
exhibition table, equalled by few, and surpassed by
none; but to be avoided by those who grow Roses
for ordinary garden purposes. The plant is of a
weak constitution; and often cannot be kept in
health and strength beyond a year or two. Indeed
it is in some places useless as a cutback; no other
Rose is more worthy of the annual system of culture
—budding anew on fresh strong stocks every year
and cutting away the old plants to get the strongest
buds—and for none is it more necessary. When
thus treated, the growth and foliage are good enough,
one would think, to keep the stock roots in health ;
but the plant is almost sure to dwindle if preserved,
lasting best, I am told, on the seedling briar. Not
very liable to mildew or to be injured by rain. The
blooms are large and generally come good; and
good they are, with the stoutest of petals which shut

8

258 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP,

up at night, capital centre, perfect shape (pointed
passing to imbricated), good dark colour, and lasting
qualities of the first order. Not a free bloomer or a
good autumnal : these are “‘ lions,” to be made much
of, and we must not expect many of them. Cut
away the plant, as soon as it has bloomed, with a
ruthless hand, to get the best and biggest buds for
propagating. Waste none on weak stocks or on
manetti, and bud a good many, not delaying too
long, for some may fail and require rebudding; and,
whether you keep the old plants or not, you will
not often cut from them so long as you have young
plants to go to. I think, however, that this Rose,
like Gustave Piganeau, has improved in growth and
habit of late years; and probably from the same
cause, viz., the constant propagation from the
longest and strongest maiden shoots. In the British
Isles hundreds of gardeners and Rosarians, who
would otherwise never have heard of the great
French artist, have had his name “ familiar in their
mouths as household words’’ by the help of this
most noble Rose, his namesake.

Hugh Dickson (Hugh Dickson, 1904).—This is a
great addition to this class—although there are not
wanting those who say it would more fittingly be
placed among the Hybrid Teas. Of a good crimson
shaded scarlet, it has become one of the most
popular of Roses and should be in every garden. It
is a very vigorous grower, free from mildew, has no
conspicuous fault, is in the front rank of exhibition
Roses, and at the same time one of the indispensable
garden Roses.

Awarded the Gold Medal of the N.R.S. and a

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 259

Nickerson Cup as the best all-round crimson or
scarlet rose. Very fragrant.

Hugh Watson (Alex. Dickson and Sons, Ltd.,
1904).—Also a crimson but with a good deal of
carmine in its flowers. This is a good exhibition
variety—fairly vigorous in growth—the bloom of
medium rather than of large size but excellent in
shape. Should be more grown.

Jean Soupert (uacharme, 1875).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Jeannie Dickson (A. Dickson and Sons, 1890).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

John Hopper (Ward, 1862).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

John Stuart Mill (Turner, 1875).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Jules Margottin (Margottin, 1853).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Le Havre (ude, 1871).—Of fair average growth,
with good foliage: not especially liable to mildew,
but rain will impair its quality. A beautiful show
Rose, one of the best examples of the imbricated
form, but the blooms will not come of good shape or
colour in bad weather. Almost like A. K. Williams
at its best, but not often large. Like Fisher
Holmes and some others, this Rose shuts up at
night, the petals crinkling mwards: best as a
maiden, not free in bloom or a good autumnal, but
with a high reputation for its lasting qualities on the
plant as well as when cut.

Louis Van Houtie (Lacharme, 1869)—-Of weak
growth and small foliage; not much injured by
mildew, but suffers from orange fungus and rain and

8 2

260 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

“burns” in hot weather. The blooms will only
come fine if strong shoots are produced and this is
a difficult task with purchased plants, as the consti-
tution is weak and does not bear removal well. It
is best to bud it annually; but plants which have not
been moved will sometimes do well as cutbacks fora
few seasons. It requires high culture on briar and
is not free-flowering or good as an autuninal, but it
is a fine, well-built bloom when you get 1t good, with
stout petals, high centre, fine globular outline, full size
and dark, sometimes rather dull, colour. The flowers
being heavy and the wood weak, flowering shoots of
dwarfs should be staked when the bud is formed.
The lasting powers of the blooms are particularly
good, and itis worthy of notice, as an example of the
odd manners and customs of Roses, that some of the
weakest growers have the most lasting flowers, and
vice versa. For instance, Marquis de Mortemart
and Madame Ducher, two H.P.s that have dropped
out of cultivation from their extreme poorness of
growth, were especially noted for the lasting
character of their blooms, while such strong growers
as Heinrich Schultheis and Thomas Mills show the
opposite side of the picture. Louis Van Houtte will
not do with me: arespectable bloom even on strong
shoots is a rarity : but many others grow it well and
esteem it highly. For anything but exhibition
purposes, however, it should be avoided.

Madame Charles Crapelet (Fontaine, 1859).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Madame Eugéne Verdier (Verdier, 1878).—Grows
well as a maiden, but the first growths of cutbacks
are sometimes very short; still the blooms come
just as well, and the foliage is fine. The constitution

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 261

is delicate in some localities and the plants often
gradually die; it should not becut back too hard, as
severe pruning seems to produce canker. It is not
very liable to mildew, but a slight shower will stain
the colour, and much rain will cause the petals to
‘‘oum,” ae. stick together, and rot. The blooms are
likely to be coarse and are not often of refined shape
or appearance; but they are very large with wonder-
fully fine petals and well-filled centres. Fairly free
in bloom and a pretty good autumnal: the shape is
globular, but delicacy and regularity of outline are
often wanting, and really it is sometimes almost
like a prize cabbage, for it is quite one of the
largest Roses. It should be noticed that there is a
Tea Rose of the ‘‘ Dijon” race, of exactly the same
name, besides Eugénie Verdier, H.P., whose
synonym is Marie Finger, and Souvenir de Madame
Eugéne Verdier, a Hybrid Tea.

Madame Gabriel Luizet (Liabaud, 1877).—A Rose
of distinct habit, with strong vigorous growth,
which only flowers in summer. The foliage is very
fine and sweet-scented, but liable to mildew: it is,
however, maintained through the autumn more
completely than that of any other H.P. The
blooms are occasionally divided, but generally good.
On cutbacks they come early and all at once, also
after the fashion of summer Roses, and as they are
easily injured by wet, two or three hours of rain at a
critical time will destroy three-quarters of the crop.
A once popular Rose and general favourite, for
exhibition of bedding and massing purposes. It is
not particularly good in lasting qualities, but of fair
size, very smooth, with good petals and a capital
pointed centre, and is noted for its delightful

262 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

fragrance, and for its colour, which is the most
attractive shade of pink among H.P.s. A very free
bloomer in the season, but a shocking autumnal,
hardly averaging more than one or two poor things
as secondary blooms to each large plant. Hardy
and of strong constitution, good on all stocks,
making a great deal of thorny growth in the
autumn, and forming quite a big bush or fine
standard in good soil. It should be left long in
pruning and only the outer shoots retained.

Madame Isaac Perewre (Margottin, 1880).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Madame Victor Verdier (Verdier, 1863).—A strong
erower with fine foliage beautifully coloured in the
early spring. Not especially liable to injury from
mildew or rain. <A well-known crimson Rose,
forming large clusters of buds which should be
carefully thinned. The later blooms on the longest
and strongest shoots are the best, and occasionally
these are very fine, full, lasting, and bright. Fairly
free-flowering and good as an autumnal, but though it
is a hardy good grower with strong constitution,
high cultivation is necessary for the production of
really good blooms. Ella Gordon (W. Paul & Son,
1884) is said to be a brighter form of it, but it has
not been satisfactory with me.

Magna Charta (W. Paul & Son, 1876).—EHlimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Marchioness of Downshire (A. Dickson & Sons,
1894).—Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Marchioness of Dufferin (A. Dickson & Sons,
1891).—Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Marchioness of Londonderry (A. Dickson & Sons,
1893).—EHliminated by the editors of this edition.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 263

Margaret Dickson (A. Dickson & Sons, 1891).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Marie Baumann (Baumann, 1863).—Syn. Madame
Alphonse Lavallée. A Rose of great reputation.
The growth as a cutback cannot be called more
than fair, and the foliage is not large. The wood is
weak and pliable, and the flowering shoots of dwarfs
must be staked, as the stem is not stiff enough to
support a heavy bloom. This habit much detracts
from the appearance of the flowers while on the
plant, as they generally fall over with their faces to
the ground. Fragrant, not much injured by rain,
but decidedly liable to mildew. It is especially
noted as one of the most reliable of Roses, for the
blooms nearly always come good and well shaped,
semi-globular, without high centre. Free blooming
and a good autumnal, fair in petal, good in centre,
of large size and fair lasting qualities, and
particularly excellent in smoothness and regularity.
More often good than Alfred Colomb, which is
sometimes very like it in shape and colour, though
the habits of the plants are widely different. Does
fairly as a standard, but not so well on the manetti,
must be highly cultivated, and requires rich soil, not
perhaps quite of the strongest constitution.

Marie Finger (Raimbaud, 1873), see Hugénie
Vernier. Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Marie Rady (Fontaine, 1865).—Syn. Comtesse de
Choiseul. Capital strong growth and foliage, not
very liable to mildew, but the flowers are utterly
destroyed by any rain, even when quite in the bud
state. Requires dry hot weather, and then frequently
brilliant and superb; a striking contrast to the ugly
brown rotting balls which are seen in a showery

264 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

time. The blooms are large and particularly heavy,
and any poet who speaks of being ‘pelted with
Roses”? as an esthetical luxury may, I think, be
convinced of error if he will allow me access to my
Marie Radys in a damp season. A free bloomer, but
does not shine as an autumnal. The buds are very
hard and do not open readily, but a fair proportion
come well if the weather be right, with stout petals,
very full centre, semi-globular shape, sometimes
rather rough, brilliant red colour, and capital lasting
qualities. It does not do well as a maiden, as is
common with those Roses which are extra full, and
will often prove a failure if too closely pruned or
“liberally treated.” Still it is a good healthy, hardy,
late sort, likely to be in demand after a dry season,
and to be neglected after a wet one.

Marve Verdier (Verdier, 1877).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Marquise de Castellane (Pernet, 1869).—Elimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Maurice Bernardin (Granger, 1861).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Merveille de Lyon (Pernet, 1882).—Ehminated by
the editors of this edition.

M. H. Walsh (Alex. Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1905).
—This Rose is apt to be rather too late in flowering
to come in as a useful exhibition variety, but in a
very early season it would be wanted. Velvety
crimson in colour, it is a first-rate autumnal, fairly
vigorous grower, and fragrant, needs shading as it is
apt to burn.

Mrs. Cocker (Cocker & Sons, 1899).—A seedling, I
believe, from Mad. Gabriel Luizet, this Rose is like
it in wood, foliage, and habit, often not blooming as

Mas Jon Late, HP. [Fees pege 205

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 265

a maiden, and of not much use in autumn. The
blooms are a lovely shade of pink, large, and very
full, but not pointed, with fine petals and good
lasting qualities. It is a fine exhibition Rose, but
not recommended for general cultivation.

Mrs. John Laing (Bennett, 1887).—One of the
best half-dozen ; apparently, from a similarity in the
wood, a seedling from Francois Michelon, but stouter
and stiffer in stem, with much better foliage. Com-
ing so soon after Her Majesty, this Rose, though not
so showy at first sight, was a still greater triumph
for Mr. Bennett and English-raised Roses, and was
even more worthy of the Gold Medal. In the matter
of ‘‘ coming good,” there are few Hybrid Perpetuals
to beat it, for it rarely suffers from any malformation
even inthe autumn. Not liable to mildew or injured
by rain, and retaining its foliage well in the autumn.
First rate in petal, fulness, semi-globular pointed
shape, lasting qualities, size, and freedom of bloom
in summer and autumn, the only thing that can be
said against it is that the pink colour is not very
decided or bright. Hardy, doing fairly well in light-
ish soil, and excellent as a standard or a dwarf, it is
everybody’s Rose, with perhaps fewer imperfections
than any other. Mrs. Ff. W. Sanford (Curtis, San-
ford & Co., 1898) is a light blush sport of this variety,
similar in other respects.

Mrs. Paul (Paul & Son, 1891).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Mrs. R. G. Sharman-Crawford (A. Dickson & Sons,
1894).—This Rose was a very valuable introduction,
it is of fair growth and not much liable to mildew,
very free-flowering and a capital autumnal : in fact,
it is almost a continuous bloomer. The flowers are

266 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

a lovely shade of pink, and quite large enough ; they
seldom come malformed, though the shape is not of
the highest class. It has a high reputation as being
easy to grow, and not exacting in its requirements.
A capital Rose for young exhibitors, and it may
confidently be recommended as one of the best for
all purposes.

Paul Neyron (hevet, 1869).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Pride of Waltham (W. Paul & Son, 1881).—A
sport from Countess of Oxford, with all the manners
and customs of the well-known Victor Verdier family.
This is one of the few that have survived modern
competition, being as good a grower as any of them,
with large blooms opening well to good shape, with
stout petals and fine colour. Countess of Oxford
has sported, in more than one place to my knowledge,
to the same shade of pink.

Prince Arthur (B. R. Cant, 1875).—Of good
vigorous growth, but the wood is not quite stiff
enough to support the blooms, and the shoots of
dwarfs should be staked; liable to mildew and
orange fungus, but not much injured by rain. The
blooms come generally well, in a characteristic form,
and though the petals are thin and the flowers look
fragile, they last well. I gathered from the late Mr.
B. R. Cant that the origin of this fine Rose is rather
obscure, but the general appearance points to Général
Jacqueminot as an ancestor. It is, however, much
darker in colour, larger, and does better with me in
every way. It is very free blooming and fairly good
in autumn, but requires good treatment to be seen
in perfection, though it is hardy and healthy in most
soils,

Prince ArTHUR, H P. [Face page 206.

XI MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 267

Prince Camille de Rohan (BK. Verdier, 1861).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Purity (Cooling & Sons, 1898).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Rev. Alan Cheales (Paul & Son, 1896).—A very
good grower which does not require close pruning.
Tt flowers freely and is a ‘‘ good doer.” The blooms
are of a nice fresh colour— pure lake with reverse
of petals silvery white’”—but not very lasting.
The shape is rather loose, and the raiser calls it
a ‘ peony-like Rose,” but I do not think it is quite
so bad as that, and I have seen it with a good point,
and shown well.

Reynolds Hole (Paul & Sons, 1872).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Senateur Vaisse (Guillot, 1859).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Sir Garnet Wolseley (Cranston, 1875).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Sir Rowland Hill (Mack, 1888).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Souvenir de la Malmaison (Beluze, 1848).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Star of Waltham (W. Paul & Son, 1875).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Suzanne Marie Rodocanachi (Leveque, 1883).—
Of Victor Verdier race, and requiring therefore no
description here of manners and customs. A noble
Rose, the best of this family. The colour is not
only bright, glowing, and most, attractive, but also
lasting, a most desirable attribute for a show Rose ;
it also retains its shape when cut better than any
other Rose of the globular form that I know.
The growth is good, it does well as a standard,

268 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

is free-flowering and a good autumnal, and the
blooms are very large and well formed, but nearly
scentless. A rose held in high estimation by
exhibitors, and worthy of a name more suitable
to British tonguesand pencils. Rosslyn (A. Dickson
& Sons, 1900) 1s a hghter coloured sport of this
variety, and Marie Corelli (Prince, 1901), perhaps
the better of the two, is another.

Thomas Mills (K. Verdier, 1873).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Tom Wood (A. Dickson & Sons, 1896).—A fairly
useful Rose, of vigorous hardy growth, with good
foliage, not much lable to mildew. The blooms
are well-shaped and seldom deformed, of average
size and with stout petals, but the colour ts rather
a dull shade of red. It is a good autumnal, and the
plants have a good constitution, growing and doing
well where others fail.

Ulrich Brunner (evet, 1881).—A seedling from
Paul Neyron, of very stout stiff growth and foliage
untouched by mildew. The blooms come well, of
extra large size, with stout petals generally tightly
incurved in the centre, fine regular smooth shape as
a rule, and capital lasting qualities, not much
injured by rain, though the colour soon fades. A
great Rose in many ways, one of the best, of the
red H.P.s: free blooming and capital in the autumn,
hardy and of strong constitution and does well
almost anywhere and on all stocks. When asked to
recommend three good hardy standards for cottage
eurdens, [ suggested La France, Mrs. John Laine,
and Ulrich Brunner, as likely to give satisfaction.

Ulster (A. Dickson & Sons, 1899).—This is just
one of the Roses for which this chapter is needed.

Ucricn BRUNNER. [ Face pare 208,
Photograph by FP. Mason Good.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 269

The flower, as seen in a show stand, is magnificent,
very large, and very finely and regularly formed,
with beautiful bright colour and good fragrance.
But its growth though “robust”’ is very short and
it is plainly a rose for exhibitors only, and for those
only of them who can give it the most “ liberal treat-
ment.” Nevertheless, I think this variety also
has improved in habit, and I find it will often make
a fair “‘ head”’ as a half-standard.

Victor Hugo (Schwartz, 1884).—Of good growth
in rich soil, with very distinct foliage and habit,
hable to mildew, and requiring high cultivation and
“liberal treatment.’’ When ‘well done by,” the
blooms are very handsome, of fine shape, fair petal
and centre, glorious colour, and good size. This is
a very taking sort from the glow of its crimson : the
constitution seems pretty good on strong soil, and
it is fairly free blooming in summer and in autumn,
but the petals are rather thin, and the blooms not
very lasting. A really fine bloom of this Rose, seen
at its best, will attract great attention. Fragrant.

Victor Verdier (Lacharme, 1859).—EHliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Waltham Standard (W. Paul & Son, 1897).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Xavier Olibo (Liacharme, 1864).—Evidently a
seedling from Général Jacqueminot, as the wood is
very similar. A weak grower with poor con-
stitution, not liking manetti, and rather liable to
mildew, answering best if budded annually on the
briar either standard or cutting, but occasionally
doing fairly as a cut-back if not moved. This
Rose used always to be described as ‘‘ velvety
black, shaded with amaranth,” a taking description,

270 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

especially to those who had hazy ideas of what
colour ‘‘amaranth” is. The word means “ fade-
less” or ‘everlasting,’ and seems to have been
applied to the cockscomb family of flowers because
of their lasting qualities. In describing a new
Rose of purplish crimson, the French raisers there-
fore called it ‘“‘amaranthe,” 7.e. ‘‘cockscomb
colour,” a fair description of the shade of Xavier
Olibo. The blooms come divided sometimes, but
it is often a fine Rose, with centre sometimes
incurved and sometimes with a fine point: a good
lasting bloom, of full size. It will not answer
on poor soil, must be ‘‘liberally treated,’ and
from its weak growth is necessarily not good as a
free bloomer or autumnal, or suitable for general
cultivation.

Hyprip TEAs

I have already (p. 26) endeavoured to show that,
in making a separate class of the Roses that are
crossed with the Teas, difficulty is sure to arise
sooner or later in classifying varieties, which have
a predominance of the Tea strain, but yet some
slight strain from a distant cross with some other
race. But, in deference to the general opinion, I
have placed here those varieties which are generally
reckoned as Hybrid Teas. As it is, there are a
few that are not very easily distinguishable from
the Hybrid Perpetuals. Some of the very finest
of all Roses, such as La France and Mrs. W. J.
Grant, are to be found among them, and all colours,
though as yet yellow is only present in a few
instances. Its fast increasing popularity is shown

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 271

by the fact that the large majority of new Roses
belong to this division; nor is this to be
wondered at when we consider that we have here
the hardiness against frost of the H.P.s combined
with the true perpetual character of the Teas, with
a gain if anything in size and beauty of shape. As
a rule, the Hybrid Teas should be pruned fairly
closely. They withstand a hot, dry climate or
summer much better than the H.P.s, and are not so
exacting in the matter of soil requirements.

Alice Grahame (A. Dickson & Sons, 1903).—Eh-
minated by the editors of this edition.

Alice Lindsell (A. Dickson & Sons, 1902).—It is
of fair growth and habit, and the blooms are unique
in shape, being truly globular with yet a decided
point in the centre. Unfortunately the colour is
not very distinct, but the young flowers have colour
in them, which fades, however, in the older flowers
to nearly white.—Gold Medal, N.R.5.

Antoine Rivoire (Pernet-Ducher, 1895).—This is
no longer considered an exhibition variety. El-
minated by the editors of this edition.

Apotheker G. Hofer (N. Welter, 1900).—Elimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Augustine Guinoisseaw (Guinoisseau, 1889).—A
whitish sport from La France, of similar manners
and customs, except that the flowers are very inferior
in size, colour, and shape. No good for exhibition.

Avoca (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1907).—A
beautiful shaped flower, of medium size, only useful
for the late shows, as it is produced on the ends of
long shoots which take time to grow. Colour
crimson scarlet. Awarded Gold Medal N.R.S. Not
very free flowering. Fragrant.

272 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Bardou Job (Nabonnand, 1887).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Bessie Brown (A. Dickson & Sons, 1899).—This is
a Rose that, for exhibition, is quite one of the best,
if not the actual best and most reliable of all Roses.
The growth and foliage are strong, stout, and stiff;
the blooms come exceedingly well, being rarely
divided, and if there is any malformation it is
usually of a slight nature. They are very large,
slightly perfumed, of perfect pointed semi-globular
shape, and the fine petals open just as they should
do, neither too stiffly nor too easily. The colour is
a good true creamy white unstaimed; but it does
not display the beauty of the flowers well upon the
plant, for the stalk, though stout, 1s pliable, and the
heavy blooms hang their heads. With some Roses,
such as Maréchal Niel, this is a very awkward habit ;
the stalk, bent by the heavy bud, stiffens in that
position, and is very apt to crack if an attempt is
made to straighten it. With Bessie Brown the
stalk remains pliable, and may be straightened and
wired without fear. But, for general purposes,
those who may admire this fine Rose at a show
should know that it will not hold up its head on a
plant or in a vase without being wired. I have not
found it affected by mildew; and though rain will
harm it as it will all white Roses, its pendent posi-
tion protects the centre. Itis not good in autumn,
and is purely an exhibitor’s Rose, though one of the
easiest to grow.

Betty (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1905).—In a
cool season this Rose is indispensable, but from the
small number of its petals it is quite useless to

Bessih Brown (Paes page 272.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 273

attempt to show it in a hot one. The petals are
very large, few Roses have longer petals, but tied,
and cut young, it is a beautiful flower useful for its
colour, a coppery-yellow, tinted rose. Awarded
Gold Medal N.R.S.

Captain Christy (Lacharme, 1873).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Caroline Testout (Pernet-Ducher, 1890).—An ex-
cellent Rose, justly popular everywhere. It is of
fair foliage and thorny growth, and flowers are large
and seldom malformed, though the shape is not of
the most refined type. The colour is a good decided
self-pink, and lasts well. A very free bloomer, quite
hardy, and not dainty in its requirements; it is one
of the most reliable of all Roses and should be in
every collection, however small; is equally good for
exhibition or general garden purposes, and it is one
of the parents of very many of our new Hybrid
Teas. Admiral Dewey is a light-coloured sport of
this Rose from America.

Charles J. Grahame (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd.,
1905).—A cool summer Rose only, but at its best
there are few Roses brighter in colour. The flowers
are excellent in shape, fragrant, but the number of
petals is small. A good grower apt to make one tall
shoot, that must not be stopped as it will only shoot
away again from the first eye.

Countess of Caledon (A. Dickson & Sons, 1897).—
Of good growth and foliage, rather of the H.P. char-
acter, and a fine Rose, hardly as much appreciated,
I think, as it deserves. The stems are stiff and
the flowers show themselves well; they are sweet-
scented, of good semiglobular shape, and a fine rich

T

274 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

pink colour. The variety is a good example of the
HLP. side of this class; but its thorough reliability
for autumnal blooms shows the Tea cross.

Countess of Derby (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd.,
1905).—Distinctly a cool season Rose, and perhaps
one of those Roses that are best described as garden
Roses first and exhibition Roses afterwards—mean-
ing by that, that only occasionally will one get a
flower large enough for exhibition. A good grower,
very free flowering, so it must be rigorously thinned
out, shoots and buds too, if exhibition flowers are
desired. A good shape with a fine wing petal; not
go subject to mildew as some of the “ Ivish”’ Roses.

Countess of Gosford (8. McGredy & Son, 1906).—
A Rose that improves every year; inclined at first
to be very thin, it now produces flowers of sub-
stance. Few Roses are of more refined shape. A
good grower that will stand hard pruning. It is an
early Rose, and should be cut young as it opens
quickly.

Danmark (Geiner-Lassen & Dithmer, 1890), and

Duchess of Albany (Wm. Paul & Son, 1888), see
La France.

Duchess of Portland (A. Dickson & Son, 1901).—
fair growth and habit, with very fine well shaped
flowers, the petals being smooth, stout and well
arranged. The colour is weak, being very pale
yellow, occasionally something like Kaiserin Augusta
Victoria : and if not strongly grown, it is practically
white.

Dean Hole (A. Dickson and Sons, Ltd., 1904).—
Messrs. Alexander Dickson and Sons of New-
townards, Ireland, have given the Rose world many
fine exhibition Roses, they are indeed facile princeps

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 275

in that connection, and this Rose must rank as one
of their finest productions. It was a happy thought
that suggested naming such a good Rose after such
a good Rosarian, and it was a singular coincidence
that the last letter the Dean wrote on Roses had as
its subject matter this Rose that had been named
after him. He saw a flower of it, but never saw
the plants growing. Those best qualified to judge
awarded it the Gold Medal of the National Rose
Society ; but its honours do not stop there. It has
received the Nickerson Cup for the best Hybrid Tea
introduced between 1900 and 1907, and many a
silver medal for the best bloom has since fallen to
its share. In Mr. Mawley’s well-known “ Analysis
of Exhibition Roses” (see N.R.S. Annual, 1909) it
stands second on the list of Hybrid Perpetuals and
Hybrid Teas, beaten only by Bessie Brown; it was
actually first on the year’s record taken by itself.
It is needless, therefore, with this record in front of
us to sing its praises. It is difficult to name its
faults. It occasionally comes split; it is impatient
of too much wet; it is subject, but not badly, to
mildew—that is the worst that can be said for it.
It is a good grower alike on maidens and cutbacks,
at its best, perhaps, on standards, and very free
flowering. It is clear, therefore, that it is one of
the absolutely indispensable Roses to all exhibitors.

Dr. O’Donel Browne (Alex. Dickson and Sons,
Litd., 1908).—It is early days to say very much of
this variety, but what little has been seen of it has
been satisfactory. In general habit and appearance
it more nearly approaches the Hybrid Perpetual
class than the Hybrid Tea class. It produces a
large flower of good shape that opens well with a

Tt 2

276 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

nice smooth petal, and should prove very useful to
the exhibitor. Colour carmine rose, very strongly
perfumed. <A good grower.

Earl of Warwick (Wm. Paul & Son, 1904).—This
Rose has taken some time to become generally
known, but it is now recognised as a sterling variety,
and was frequently exhibited in 1909, gaining the
two silver medals as the best bloom in the Hybrid
Tea classes in both the Amateur and Trade Section
at the National Rose Society’s Autumn Show in that
year. The colour is not easily described, being
variable, but is generally of a soft salmon flesh pink,
with a deeper centre. The flowers are of good shape,
and are freely produced—at its best on standards—
showing a certain amount of Tea blood in its veins.
A fair grower, not particularly subject to mildew;
perhaps at its best in autumn. Altogether one of
the best exhibition Roses this well-known firm have
produced.

Edith @Ombrain (A. Dickson & Sons, 1902).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Florence Pemberton (A. Dickson & Sons, 1903).—
This is a good all round Rose, an excellent grower
and one that in an ordinary season may be relied on
to produce large flowers of good quality. Its petals
are slightly tissuey in texture and are somewhat im-
patient of wet—but it is one of those Roses that
have improved very much since introduced and is
quite first rate in every way.

Frau Lilla Rautenstrauch (P. Lambert, 1903).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

George C. Waud (Alex Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1908).
—A promising new Rose, remarkable for its colour
described by the raisers as glowing orange vermilion

XI MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 277

—it is a good grower, is sweetly scented and has
been well exhibited, received the N.R.S. Gold Medal.

Germaine Caillot (Pernet, 1887).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Gladys Harkness (A Dickson & Sons, 1900).—In-
clining to the H.P. side of the class, this variety is
sturdy and hardy in growth and foliage, and the
pink blooms, though not of the most refined shape,
are large, with fine petals, sweet-scented, and good
in the autumn.

Gloire Lyonnaise (Guillot, 1884).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Grace Darling (Bennett, 1884).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Grace Molyneux (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1908).
—A vigorous growing Hybrid Tea of good habit and
constitution, the flowers are produced freely on long
stalks—are sweetly scented and of refined shape—
with high culture and severe disbudding will produce
exhibition flowers. It has been awarded the N.R.S.
Card of Commendation and the R.H.S. award of
merit—but it is as a bedding and garden Rose that
it can be most strongly recommended.

Gruss an Teplitz (Geschwind, 1897).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition,

Gustav Griinerwald (P. Lambert, 1903).—This is a
good early variety that properly grown will give
good exhibition flowers. It must be disbudded freely,
and only one flower allowed to come on each shoot—
the flowers are large and full of petals, cup shaped with
high centre—and of a bright carmine pink in colour
—it is a good grower—not subject to mildew and
while useful to the exhibitor is really a bedding rose
of excellence.

278 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Gustave Regis (Pernet-Ducher, 1890).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Helene Guillot (P. Guillot, 1901).—The flowers are
of unusually good shape, something of the form of
Catherine Mermet, and of varied colour. Not a
particularly good grower, and impatient of wet, but
at its best a useful exhibition Rose.

J. B. Clark (Hugh Dickson, 1905).—Few Roses
of recent introduction have been the subject of more
controversy amongst Rosarians than the Rose under
notice. The sensational Silver Medal bloom at the
N.B.5. 1905 National Show, led the majority of
exhibitors to expect great things and when their
plants did not at once produce the like they
condemned the Rose. Then the unusual character
for an exhibition variety of its erowth was not in
its favour, and those who only grew their Roses in
the orthodox rows found that J. B. Clark wanted
rather more elbow room than they cared to give it. Be
that as it may, J.B. has lived down most of its bad
repute, and now has many friends. It has admit-
tedly peculiarities all its own, and should probably
now take the place formerly held by Annie Wood
and be described as having ‘‘ Manners’ none, and
“Customs” beastly—it is best grown as a pillar
Rose and the long autumnal growths should be
retained almost full length allowing a few laterals
only on each. This method seems to produce less
split blooms—and J.B.’s besetting sin is ‘split
blooms.” Shaded, its colour is superb—‘“ it is prob-
ably the largest crimson or scarlet flower in
cultivation. Mr. Mawley’s analysis, before referred
to, shows its 1908 record as tieing with Caroline
Testout for the honour of sixth place amongst the

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 279

H.P.s and H.T.s. After that its detractors must
surely take a back seat.

John Cuff (Alexander Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1908).
—One season 1909 and such a season! is not a fair
test of the qualities of any Rose—let alone a new
variety—but such as it was, John Cuff came out of
it very much better than the majority of his
compeers. The flowers are of exceptional size and
are early in point of season—the colour is a pleasing
shade of bright carmine, the outside petals are of
good substance and enclose a well-shaped flower.
It is a good vigorous grower and is well worthy of a
trial—one cannot speak more definitely of a Rose of
such recent introduction but it is distinctly pro-
mising.

Katserin Augusta Victoria (uambert & Reiter, 1891).
—Of fair growth and foliage, but requiring “‘ liberal
treatment ” ifitis to be seen at its best. The blooms,
which are full-sized and of good semi-globular shape,
with fine petals, come very well if grown strongly.
In such cases there is a distinct tinge of green or
‘‘lemon ” in the centre of the cream-coloured young
flower, which is very pleasing, but this will not be
seen in blooms on weak stems, which will be simply
white. A fine show Rose, thoroughly reliable and
lasting, and not often malformed. Not, however, a
variety of strong constitution which will do any-
where: it is rather a difficult one to propagate, the
inserted buds, though alive, being often slow at
starting in the spring. It stands hot weather well.
A climbing sport (A. Dickson & Sons, 1897) has been
issued, which is quite reliable: and another, Perle
von Godesberg (Schneider, 1902), claiming to show
more yellow in the flowers, has done well with me,

280 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and though the advance in colour is slight it is a
better grower than the type.

Killarney (A. Dickson & Sons, 1898).—Sent out,
I believe, by Messrs. Dickson as a garden Rose, this
variety has proved itself to be, except in very hot
weather, a show Rose of great merit. It is a good
grower, flowering freely in summer and autumn.
The blooms are very large, of quite first-class
pointed shape, and the colour a lovely shade of pale
pink. The petals are long and stout, but there are
not enough of them, the centre being badly filled.
As long as it holds its half-open shape, which with
ordinary precautions it will do very fairly under
general conditions, it is as fine a show Rose as one
would wish to see, the great petals standing up
stiffly around the centre point; but when the point
goes the Rose is gone too, though as the colour is
lasting it is still a decorative flower. For show
purposes it should be liberally treated and grown as
a Standard. Subject to mildew.

Konigin Carola (Turke, 1904)—This Rose has
been rather a long time obtaining recognition. It is
a seedling, with Caroline Testout as one of its
parents, and it much resembles that fine Rose in
colour and habit of growth, but is a distinctly better
shape, having a well-developed point. Its great
fault is that sooner or later the blooms reveal a
spht. Still it is worth growing in a large col-
lection, but it is not recommended to the small
amateur.

Lady Alice Stanley (S. McGredy & Son, 1909).—
A very promising new exhibition variety. The
growth is vigorous and the flowers large and of good
shape and distinct colour.

Kittarnry, IIT, [Fuee pam 280,

A Bow or Lapy Asitrown [Fees page 281.
Exhibited by Mrs. H. I. Molyneux.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 281

Lady Mary Fitzwilliam (Bennett, 1882).—Elimi-
nated by the editors of this edition.

Lady Ashtown (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd., 1904).—
This is one of the most satisfactory Roses that have
been introduced of recent years. It was unfortunate
in missing the award of the N.R.S. Gold Medal, as
few Roses have deserved it better. It has steadily
increased in popular favour and is now to be found
in every exhibitor’s collection. It is easy to grow,
generally comes of excellent shape, will stand high
culture without getting coarse, and has few if any
faults. It is subject to mildew, moderately vigorous,
and very free flowering, and a good autumnal. It is
high up in Mr. Mawley’s analysis,and would be placed
by most Rosarians in the best dozen H.P.s or H.T.s.

Lady Helen Vincent (A. Dickson & Sons, 1907).—
One cannot say very much about this Rose, particu-
larly as last season was such an unfavourable one.
It is a good grower, and in a fine season its large
buds, which are produced at the end of each shoot,
should give good flowers. It was well exhibited by
the raisers, and has been awarded the Gold Medal
of the N.B.S.

Lady Moyra Beauclerc (A. Dickson & Sons,
1901).—A very fine variety, which for some reason
never gained the Gold Medal, though it certainly
deserved it. Itis of long vigorous growth, showing
a good deal of the Tea habit, but the shoots are
slender and pliable and the heavy flowers will need
support. They are very large, well shaped and
beautifully tinted, but the freshness of the colour
does not last in hot weather. Very free-blooming,
and fair as an autumnal. This is a reliable Rose
for exhibition, but variable in colour. Some ex-

282 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

hibitors, notably Mr. E. B. Lindsell, think very
highly of it.

Lady Ursula (A. Dickson & Sons, 1908).—A Rose
of promise but of too recent introduction to be more
than mentioned. It is a strong grower, very free
flowering with blooms of good shape and high
centre. By many thought to be the best of Messrs.
A. Dickson’s 1908 set.

La France (Guillot, 1867)—Mons. Guillot must
have been inspired when he gave the name dearest
to Frenchmen to the best Rose ‘‘ La France’’ has
produced. If everything be taken into consideration
that can be said for or against a Rose, I am of
opinion that this popular variety might be called the
Queen of Roses. The growth and foliage are good
and very characteristic, and but little liable to
mildew. It should be very lightly pruned, especially
if on strong soil, and the buds should not be thinned
too much, or the flowers will come “ bull-headed ”’
or ‘‘ balled,” the petals covering the centre too far
so that it cannot open. I have seen plants of this
variety in beds with other H.P. Roses, and subjected
to the same “‘liberal treatment,” utterly failing to
produce a single decent flower: and the same plants,
when moved to poorer soil, unpruned and compara-
tively neglected, giving splendid show blooms in the
season and a fine succession all through the autumn.
They are very large and unique and characteristic in
shape and colour: they should be and often are of a
particularly silvery brilliance, but though not more
injured than many others by rain, it is difficult in
some sorts of weather to keep them “clean.” It is
not a good laster in very hot weather, but in this
matter also there are inany worse. The scent is most

Lapy Moyra BEAvcLERC. [Face page 282.
Photograph by G, A.-Hammond,

Lv France, [Fuee page 283.
Photograph by By, Ry. Cant & Sons.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 283

distinct and exquisite—the most pleasing, to my
sense, of any Rose. It is emphatically everybody's
Rose, on all soils and stocks, standard or bush.
None of the seedlings or sports of this famous Rose
have been so good as the original—a climbing sport
(Henderson, 1894) is good for a wall—Duchess of
Albany (W. Paul & Son, 1888) is a little darker in
colour—Augustine Guinoisseau has been mentioned,
and Danmark (W. Paul & Son, 1900) is not so good
in growth and very apt to ball.

Liberty (A. Dickson & Sons, 1900).—This is a
variety which, in America at least, has ‘supplied a
want.” It has there, I believe, taken the un-
disputed first place as the crimson Rose for forcing,
since the flowers show themselves well on stiff
upright stems, are gloriously coloured with brilliant
crimson, very well shaped, and last well when cut.
Té is not often large enough for exhibition and is
not very strong in growth, but it seems likely to
supersede Général Jacqueminot and kindred varieties
as a red Rose for forcing. Richmond is similar in
colour and more reliable out of doors, its flowers,
especially the early ones, being of larger size.

Lohengrin (Schmidt, 1903).— Purely an exhibitor’s
Rose of very fine shape, but fleeting colour, a
medium grower, the flowers nearly always come
good, but it is not recommended to the small
grower.

Lyon Rose (Pernet-Ducher, 1907).—A continental
Rose that came over with a great reputation and
which has been quite borne out by what has been
geen over here these last two seasons, it may indeed
be styled the sensational Rose of 1909, and so great
was the demand for it that the majority of trade

284 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

growers were sold out quite early in the season.
The colour, its most striking feature, is very variable,
from shrimp pink to salmon without any shading of
that yellow which is such a conspicuous feature in the
typical flower, and makes it such a striking object
in the centre of an exhibition box. It is a vigorous
grower, that requires hard pruning and is an early
flowering variety, of fair shape, not too good a centre,
but cut young will last. It is one of the numerous
offspring produced from the original cross with
Rosa lutea of which Soleil d’Or was the first hybrid
and all of which are now called by the raiser Rosa
pernetiana, but for sake of convenience the N.R.S8.
has placed them amongst the Hybrid Teas.

Madame Maurice de Luze (Pernet Ducher, 1907).
—A promising variety that one can hardly say more
about. It is a fine large flower with large petals, a
vigorous grower. The trade showed some excellent
flowers last season cut from maidens but nothing
can be said yet of its manners and customs.

Madame Mélanie Soupert (Pernet-Ducher, 1905).
—A very beautiful garden Rose that with high
culture and much disbudding will yield good
exhibition blooms, especially in a cool season. Its
colour will make us want to exhibit it as often as
possible as we are badly off for yellows. The petals
are large but few in number, cut young it will keep
its shape in the same way that Killarney does, but
too much heat and it collapses. Some very fine
flowers have been exhibited this past season, notably
the one that obtained the Silver Medal for the best
Hybrid Tea at the National show in the Royal
Botanical Gardens. It has been largely used by
hybridists, but it is too soon to write about the

Lyoy Rose. [Free page 224.

Photograph by A. Prince.

Mitpnep Grant, [Paee page 285,

xu MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 285

results though we hear of great things. So far Lyon
Rose is the first of what will be a new race mostly
of good yellows.

Madame Ravary (Pernet-Ducher, 1891).—Elimi-
nated by the editors of this edition.

Mamze (A. Dickson & Sons, 1901).—Of strong
healthy growth with good foliage. The buds are
large and open slowly into very full flowers having
fine petals and globular shape with high centre. A
fine Rose for exhibition, and most reliable, as it is
the best variety to ‘‘stand”’—7.e. keep its shape
and colour—in a cut state I know, outside the pure
Tea class. It is the only Rose, other than pure Tea,
of which I have successfully shown the same bloom
at two exhibitions.

Marquise Litta (Pernet & Ducher, 1893).—This
very soon became a well-known and popular variety.
It is of stout, stiff, thorny growth, with foliage and
general appearance of a H.P. character; and the
flowers are very distinct, there being something
characteristic in the arrangement of the inner petals
which is often very regular and pleasing. They are
large, very bright and fairly lasting. Free-flower-
ing, and a good autumnal even in hot climates, it is
a Rose to be recommended for its fine colour and
shape.

Mildred Grant (A. Dickson & Sons, 1901).—This
is, no doubt, at its best one of the finest of all Show
Roses, no well-shaped bloom of the true pointed
refined form equalling it in size or in length and
stoutness of petal. The habit is robust, the wood
short and stout, and the leaf petioles very long.
Each shoot produces a flower, and strong plants will
bloom well again in the autumn. These great

286 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

flowers take some time to develop, and it is probably
best not to hurry them with liquid manure, as they
are apt to come divided, and a full-sized bloom is not
often perfect right through to the inside of the centre
point. In perfection the faint pink tint on the
cream-white veined petals is lovely, but very often
the flowers are nearly white. It has improved in
constitution of recent years, and though at one time
could only be grown successfully as a maiden now
many exhibitors find it equally good on cutbacks.

Mrs. FE. J. Holland (8. McGredy & Son, 1909).—
As seen growing at Portadown, this is an exceed-
ingly promising Rose of vigorous habits and good
constitution, with flowers of good shape with that
most desirable point in the centre. Colour deep
salmon rose shaded lighter towards the edges.
Said to be mildew proof. A Gold Medal Rose of
the National Rose Society.

Mrs. David McKee (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd.,
1904).—A Rose that has improved since it was
introduced. It will give good shaped flowers in fair
quantity and is to be preferred to the Duchess of
Portland, a Rose of similar colour and better shape
but of poor constitution. Its colour, pale creamy-
yellow, makes it useful to the exhibitor and it was
awarded the Gold Medal of the N.R.S.

Mrs. John Bateman (A. Dickson & Sons, Ltd.,
1905).—A Rose that is gradually finding favour with
the exhibitor by reason of its perfect shape. The
colour does not appeal to many; it is not a
vigorous grower and last season did not suit it, but
it is a good Rose that might be more grown if only
for its lasting qualities when cut.

Mrs. Stewart Clark (Hugh Dickson, 1907).—A

Mrs. W. 7. Gnas, ELT. (Fore pum 27,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 287

very promising variety of large size and fine shape.
Its colour is a little against it, approaching the
magenta shade that is objectionable to some. A
very vigorous grower, almost too much 40, it is
deliciously fragrant and was awarded the N.R.S.
Gold Medal.

Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt (Hill, 1903).—This is
undoubtedly one of the best exhibition Roses we
have received from America. It has no bad
manners and its customs are excellent. Its flowers
almost always come clean and of good shape, and
imbricated rather than pointed. Lasts well when
cut, and in fact hasn’t a bad feature. It has gained
many Silver Medals for best blooms, and as it is easy
to grow is strongly recommended to the small
exhibitor. Makes a fair standard but does better, if
anything, on dwarfs.

Mrs. Alfred Tate (McGredy & Son, 1909).—This
is a very beautiful colour but little is known of its
manners and customs, it has not too many petals,
but like Killarney and Betty, roses of similar
character, it will no doubt be useful to the exhibitor.
It is of good habit and growth and is sweetly
scented.

Mrs. W. J. Grant (A. Dickson & Sons, 1895).—This
truly splendid Rose gained the Gold Medal at the
National Rose Society’s Metropolitan Exhibition in
1892. It was then sold to America, like Her Majesty
ten years earlier ; and, as in that case also, we did not
get it back for two or three years. The purchasers
changed the name to Belle Siebrecht, but in England
we naturally restored the original name under which
it had been shown and received the Medal. The
plant is unfortunately not strong in growth, and is

288 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

best as a maiden: it is said to be a cross between
La France and Lady Mary Fitzwilliam. It is ex-
ceedingly free-flowering till quite late in the autumn,
and the blooms at their best are very large, of a
bright deep pink colour, and very fragrant. The
flowers generally come good if the plant can be
grown strongly enough, for it requires “‘ liberal treat-
ment”: and a good specimen is indeed something
for a Rosarian to feast his eyes upon. The weak
growth is an unfortunate drawback, but a climbing
sport has been issued (W Paul & Son, 1899), which
I can thoroughly recommend. I hoped, in trying it,
that some plants at least would not “run” (we.
make really long flowerless shoots), but would yet
be of increased vigour. As far as one can judge, this
is actually the case, a large majority of budded plants
not making real climbing shoots, but showing
decidedly stronger growth in wood and flower. I
would therefore strongly advise a trial of this cliimb-
ing form, on standards and dwarfs in the open, even
for purposes of exhibition: andif a plant does “ run”’
it can be removed to a pillar, paling, wall, or pergola,
or even staked out in the open, the stout, flowerless
shoots being left in a horizontal position nearly at
their full length, for such growths will the next
season produce a profusion of magnificent flowers.
(Monsieur) Joseph Hull (Pernet-Ducher, 1904).—
Another garden Rose that will give us an exhibition
flower occasionally, especially at the end of the one
long strong shoot that it is the custom of this
variety so frequently to make. The flower requires
careful shading to secure the orange-yellow tint in its
petals which are of good size but rather more twisted
than usual. Itis moderately vigorous in growth, has

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 289

very fine foliage of a deep bronze colour, leathery in
texture, and is altogether a desirable variety. Not
recommended for standards as it “takes” very
badly.

Oberhofgartner Terks (Welter, 1901).—Purely an
exhibitor’s Rose, of very fine shape with a point like
a needle. It is not a pleasing colour, the pink flush
often turning magenta, and if is very impatient of
wet and “balls” badly, but in a dry season is a
very useful Rose. It must be pruned hard.

Papa Gontier (Nabonnand, 1883).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Papa Lambert (P. Lambert, 1899),—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Princesse Marie Mertchersky (Schwartz, 1903).—A
vigorous growing rose of excellent habit and all round
good qualities, and of refined shape and delicate
colour—in a cool season will be a useful exhibition
variety—but it hag not too many petals, and dislikes
being tied.

Queen of Spain (Bide, 1907).—'This Rose has not
come up to expectations but possibly the season last
year was against it. The difficulty is to get the
flowers to keep a point, they develop and grow into
big flowers, but the point is missing when you want
it and a nasty hole that one can put one’s thumb in,
takes its place. Still it can be grown, as it was
exhibited by the raisers in fine form when it won
the N.R.S Gold Medal. It is robust rather than
vigorous and may improve in time.

Robert Scott (R. Scott & Sons, 1901).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Viscountess Folkestone (Bennett, 1886).—Elim-

inated by the editors of this edition.
U

290 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

W. E. Lippiatt (Alex. Dickson & Sons, Ltd.,
1907).—This is probably the best dark H.T. in
cultivation—the colour is deep crimson shaded
maroon. Rather late flowering, but particularly
good in autumn. It is a good grower, free from
mildew, fragrant, and the flowers are of good size
and shape.

William Shean (A. Dickson & Sons, 1906).—The
giant amongst Hybrid Teas—this variety has leapt
to the top of the tree. Its only fault is that the
colour is not very clear and is apt to come streaky.
It is a good grower, good alike on maidens or
cut-backs and makes a fine standard, and is quite
indispensable to the exhibitor. Awarded Gold Medal
N.RB.S.

White Lady (W. Paul & Son, 1890).—A creamy
white sport from Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, and as a
Show Rose superior to that dwarf mother of fine
Roses. It is not much longer in growth, but seems
a little stronger in constitution, and is best as a
standard. The petals are very long and fine, and
the shape and centre are good. A good white Show
Rose, best as a maiden, early.

TEAS AND NOISETTES.

The Teas, that is, Roses of the true Tea-scented
China group, with which may be classed two or three
Hybrid Noisettes not of climbing habit, are especially
liable to the following bad manners: impatience of
rain, susceptibility to frost. But these are more
than counterbalanced by their good qualities, viz.,
being generally freer in the summer from mildew

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 291

than the H.P.s and entirely exempt from orange
fungus, nearly all free bloomers and the best of
autumnals, lasting better than H.P.s and thriving
better than they do on light soil. All the Teas and
Noisettes require dryness and warmth in the soil as
well as the air: thorough drainage is a first essential,
and strong heavy land, such as is most loved by the
majority of H.P.s, is not so much appreciated as
that which is at the same time highly enriched and
thoroughly porous.

Anna Olivier (Ducher, 1872).—A good grower with
bright foliage, but the secondary shoots from the
base are much stouter and longer than the spring
growth. It does better as a dwarf than perhaps any
other of this class: quite as well, many think, as on
a standard. All the Teas are liable to be spoiled by
rain, the petals sticking together and then decaying.
Those which are fullest and stoutest in petal are
the worst in this respect, and this Rose, being
inclined to be thin and not so full as some, does not
suffer perhaps so much. The blooms usually come
well, it being the case with Teas, as with H.P.s, that
the largest and strongest blooms are the most likely
to come divided or otherwise malformed. The plant
should not be pruned too closely, for this is one of the
varieties which resent this treatment, and are apt to
die back if it be continued. A lovely Rose of the
charming pointed shape and capable of reaching a full
size: it requires to be grown very strong to be fit for
exhibition, but is then very effective. The colour
varies very much, a terra-cotta tint, generally
present at the base of the petals, sometimes
attaining to a more lively shade and covering nearly
the whole bloom, as in Lady Roberts (p. 298). Not

vu 2

292 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

in general a Rose of lasting qualities for a Tea, and
slowly being ousted out of the Exhibitor’s garden.

Boadicea (W. Paul & Son, 1901).—A fine Tea
Rose for exhibition. The plant is of fair growth
and habit, and the wood is stiff, showing the
flowers up well. With ‘liberal treatment’’ the
blooms will come very large and of fine pointed shape,
with capital stiff petals. The colour is good, and
altogether this is a useful addition to the ranks of
exhibition Tea Roses.

Bridesmaid (F. L. Moor, 1893).—An American
sport of Catherine Mermet, with much higher and
better colour—a clear pink. This makes it a decided
improvement on the original, whose one fault is weak-
ness of colour. In all other respects it is identical,
save that it seems to me that the outer petals do not
reflex and open so readily as in the type.

Caroline Kiister (Pernet, 1872).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Catherine Mermet (Guillot, 1869).—Of rather
moderate growth, with rather poor foliage, a little
liable to mildew, and easily injured by rain. The
blooms, as a rule, come well, and the amateur who
can get some really strong shoots and keep the buds
dry will generally be richly rewarded, for this was long
held to be one of the finest of Tea Roses when
grown to perfection. It must be strongly fed, and
all the power reserved for two or three blooms;
then in petal, fullness, size, lasting qualities, and
lovely shape it is truly a glorious flower, but the
colour is more fleeting than the shape. The variety
should always be grown as a standard, as it rarely
does really well in the British Isles as a dwarf.
It is very odd why certain of the Teas, if budded

CATHERINE MERMET, T. [Face paw 2

CLEOPATRA, T. | Fete parete 298,

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 293

on the briar close to or under the ground, do not
flower so well as when budded on the same stock
a little higher—even eighteen inches will make
a great difference—but so it certainly is; and as
even short standards are much more difficult to
protect effectually in severe frost, this little piece
of bad manners is especially annoying to growers
in low districts. It cannot be called hardy or
of strong constitution, particularly free in bloom,
a good autumnal. Its colour is a very weak
point, for the light pink shade of the bud very
quickly fades, sometimes degenerating, when the
form of the bloom is still at its best, into a dull
and dirty sort of cream colour. In this matter
it has been quite surpassed by three of the sports
of the variety which have been issued, Bridesmaid,
The Bride, and Muriel Grahame. For show
purposes each of these is superior to the type
in colour. Catherine Mermet, much grown under
glass for market, going out of cultivation for other
purposes.

Cleopatra (Bennett, 1889).—A poor grower, one
of the worst in this section. The wood is fairly
stiff, but often thin as well as short, and it is one
of the most difficult to propagate, as the buds are
small and scarce, and to get two or three often
involves sacrificing nearly the whole of the plant.
This is one of the type of Tea Roses, of which
Princess Beatrice is another example, which grows
fairly well and fast in the spring, but makes no
secondary growth, much less bloom, worth mention-
ing. The flower buds are particularly long and
pointed, and if fair growth can be obtained they
open into grand blooms, retaining the fine point

294 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

in the centre, with splendid long broad smooth
petals most symmetrically arranged. A truly
magnificent Rose, but really only suitable for
exhibitors, for it is difficult to grow to perfection ;
much best asa standard, but tender and requiring
full protection ; indeed hardly worth growing except
where the situation and soil are very suitable, for
though the buds are lovely, it is not free-blooming
enough to be cultivated for their sake, and it will
only retain its point when expanded where it can be
grown pretty strongly. Nevertheless, I have noticed
that standards of this variety seem to bear moving
very well; and will often yield as good flowers the
first year after transplanting as subsequently. The
maiden blooms do not come good.

Comtesse de Nadaillac (Guillot, 1871).—Of dwarf,
thorny, and, unless thoroughly well treated, weakly
growth and foliage; not liable to mildew, but spoiled
by rain, though more tolerant of it than some. This
is a Rose which, despite its small growth and
generally feeble appearance, is commonly considered
second to none as a show Rose, and it is seldom
that a good stand is shown without it. The habit
of this variety is peculiar, though that of Princess
of Wales is somewhat similar. With almost all
other Roses the finest and strongest shoots give the
finest blooms, but with this sort it is very difficult
to tell which will do so. A bud at the end of a very
small shoot may grow and swell for weeks before
opening, and will then probably show a bloom that
not only for beauty, but also for size, will utterly
eclipse anything that can be produced from even
such strong rampant growers as Gloire de Dijon or
Climbing Devoniensis. If the bud remains hard

CoMTESSE DE NADAILLAC, T. [Faee pau 204.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 295

and well-shaped—a perfect smooth cone—and swells
slowly even in forcing weather, while the stem
thickens and stiffens in proportion, it is a good sign.
On the other hand, a thick, strong, tall, fleshy shoot
may open its bud almost at once and produce a
comparatively poor bloom. It does decidedly best
in every way as a short standard, but will also yield
fairly fine flowers as a dwarf. (In speaking of
standards, here and elsewhere, I would strongly
advise the always asking for “‘half-standards.” I
know of no advantage, but of much disadvantage,
in standard stems being more than two feet high.)
The blooms sometimes come divided, but when
good they are first-rate indeed in petal, fullness, and
shape, and wonderful in size and lasting qualities.
The colour is lovely, having many shades, and like
many other Teas, is variable. Mr. Prince can show
it as a yellow Rose, but this is generally when it is
too much expanded and the point is gone, pink
being much more ‘predominant than yellow in my
specimens. The plants are of pretty good constitu-
tion, by which I mean that they will live and not
deteriorate for years if well cultivated, and they
will stand close pruning, but are tender and
must be well protected from frosts. Though they
are so dwarf they should not be put too close
together, for the habit of growth is singularly
lateral, and the principal shoots of old plants will
often be horizontal. It is a free flowering sort for
one of such dwarf habit, but is not of much use in
the late autumn, unless the weather be very fine and
dry. Its freedom of bloom is a nuisance to the pro-
pagator, as it is often difficult to find a sufficiency of
buds which have not started.

296 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Comtesse de Panisse (Nabonnand, 1877).—Elimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Devoniensis (Foster, 1838).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Empress Alexandra of Russia (W. Paul and
Son, 1897).—Eliminated by the editors of this
edition.

Ernest Metz (Guillot, 1888).—Of good growth,
stout and stiff, with fine foliage best as a standard.
The blooms do not come well, a large proportion of
the finest being often divided and opening badly, and
they must be sheltered from rain; but it is a very
fine large Rose when there is no malformation, with
strong stout petals, good centre, and fair lasting
qualities. The stiff growth and large leaves show
the flowers off well, and the plant is fairly hardy,
but not very free in flowering. It should be left
rather long in pruning, and not too severely thinned,
as the strongest shoots seldom give perfect flowers.
This is again rather an awkward Rose to deal with.
If ‘liberally treated” and grown strongly, the buds
are apt to get too much sap, and to become flat,
cracked, and distorted in anything but very hot
weather. It is well in such a case to pinch off the
crown bud and take one of the side ones, which will
probably be quite large enough. Unfortunately,
even the strong buds very often come singly, and
there is no side bud to take. And if the plant is not
liberally treated it may hardly bloom at all. <A fine
Rose indeed, when at last caught right, but it should
only be grown by exhibitors.

Ethel Brownlow (A. Dickson & Son, 1887).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Ervesr Merz, [Puce page 296.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 297

Francisca Kriiger (Nabonnand, 1879).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Francois Dubreuil (Dubreuil, 1895).—This is a
dark crimson Tea, in many respects like Souvenir de
Thérése Levet. Opinions seem to be divided as to
which is the better of the two. This has come
rather more uniformly of good shape with me, and
of rather clearer and lighter colour, but, except to
an expert, there is very little difference between
them.

Georges Schwartz (V. Schwartz, 1899).—Elimin-
ated by the editors of this edition.

Golden Gate (Dingee and Conard, 1892).—Of only
fair growth, with habit and foliage somewhat similar
to Niphetos. A Rose for exhibitors, capable of pro-
ducing very large, finely shaped, creamy white
blooms, but not vigorous or free flowering enough for
general purposes. The name, of course, is taken
from the harbour of San Francisco, but English
gardeners are naturally apt to expect it to be yellow;
whereas it is certainly not golden, any more than it
is like a gate. Deliciously fragrant.

Harry Kirk (Alex. Dickson and Sons, 1907).—In
growth this rose more nearly approaches the Hybrid
Teas than a pure tea, its chief feature is its colour,
a good deep yellow—sulphur almost in the centre of
the flower, fading to white at the edges of the petals.
The flowers so far have not come so large as one
would like—it is free rather than vigorous in growth
—has not been exhibited very much up to the
present, and one can say very little of its manners
and customs. It will require shading and high
culture.

298 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Hombre (Robert, 1859).—Eliminated by the editors
of this edition.

Hon. Edith Gifford (Guillot, 1882).—Of good
stout, stiff, but not long growth, with fine foliage,
liable to mildew in the autumn, and requiring
protection from rain. A good Tea Rose in the
old days, a large proportion of the blooms coming
good, of fine shape, petal, centre, and size, on
straight stiff upright stems. It is thoroughly
reliable, one of the earliest, very free-blooming, a
good autumnal, and does excellently as a dwarf.
A ‘good doer,” giving little trouble and ample
returns; but it looks very small nowadays among
modern Show Roses.

Innocente Pirola (Ducher, 1878).—Only fair in
erowth and foliage; requires rich soil and in many
places does not do well as a dwarf; rather hable to
mildew, but for a white Tea Rose little injured by
rain. The blooms come well, and the typical shape
is unique, one of the most perfect we have, some-
thing like the whorl of a shell. Fairly free in
bloom, lasting, and quite full-sized, A first-class
Rose, fine in petal and centre, it should be a great
favourite with those purists (with whom I have
much sympathy) who insist upon regularity and
perfection of shape as the one thing desirable above
all others.

Jean Ducher (Ducher, 1874).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Josephine Malton, see Madame Bravy.

La Boule @Or (Margottin, 1860).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Lady Roberts (F. Cant & Co., 1902).—A highly-
coloured sport or form of Anna Olivier, which has

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 299

gained the Gold Medal. Anna Olivier itself is very
variable in colour, sometimes on the same plant
being entirely pale yellow and sometimes entirely
of different shades of pink and buff and terra-cotta,
with many intermediate stages. Lady Roberts at
its best is very beautiful and of superior colouring
to any of the variously shaded Anna Oliviers we
have been accustomed to. It is well to bud only
from the shoots which have produced the best
coloured flowers, to prevent reversion to type. In
manners and customs it seems identical with the
parent variety, possibly a better grower if any-
thing.

Ma Capucine (Levet, 1878).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Madame Bravy (Guillot, 1848).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Madame Charles (Damaizin, 1864).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Madame Chédane Guinoisseau (Lévéque, 1880).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Madame Constant Soupert (Soupert et Notting,
1905).—This is quite first-rate and one of the best
exhibition Teas of recent introduction. It suffered
rather badly from overproduction, but has now got
over the ill-effects and proves itself to be a vigorous
grower fora Tea. It requires heat to open properly
so last season did not suit it, but given a fair season
it will probably be found to be the most reliable
yellow Tea in cultivation. It should be pruned
hard and does almost as well on dwarfs as Standards.

Madame Cusin (Guillot, 1881).—Of ‘“ robust,” but
often poor growth, with distinct wood and foliage.
It is rather able to mildew, tender to frost and

300 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

requires hot dry weather. Much better as a
standard, from which a fine maiden bloom may
sometimes be cut, but it is difficult to grow well,
and requires very good treatment. The blooms
almost always come well, though they are often
undersized; and the shape is unique and very
good, with a fine point in the centre, and the petals
arranged in imbricated form, but standing well
apart from one another. This is the true form,
but large flowers sometimes do not show it. No
dressing for exhibition is required for this Rose,
which naturally shows itself to the best possible
effect. Very free-flowering : it must be well thinned
for the production of exhibition blooms, but even
the small flowers are lovely and of good lasting
quality. A fine colour sometimes, but this is not
often very lasting. Mrs. Pierpoint Morgan is an
American sport of this variety, of a deeper colour,
but it has not been found satisfactory: and Mrs.
Oliver Ames (May, 1902) is a paler sport of very
little service.

Madame de Watteville (Guillot, 1883).—A notable
and most distinct Rose, in habit and flower. The
growth as a dwarf is frequently poor, and it is
decidedly best as a standard. It is somewhat
capricious, and some good growers have but little
success with it; indeed, for the first few years of
its existence it was, I think, only shown in its full
beauty by one Rosarian, but several of the leading
exhibitors are able to grow wonderful blooms of it
now. ‘They come well, even though the buds be
crinkled and apparently badly shaped, and it is
quite a type of the “‘long-winged”’ Roses, the great
petals standing out well, and giving it a most

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 301

effective appearance. It is, in fact, perhaps more
distinct in shape than any Rose. Liable to mildew,
and very tender in hard frost; a free bloomer of
most charming buds, but these must be thinned
with an unsparing hand to see the Rose in per-
fection. It is sometimes of large size if grown as
it should be, able to hold its own with H.P.s in a
mixed class, and excellent if caught right. Fair in
a dry autumn, but having serious demerits in its
uncertainty of growth and want of hardiness. This
and the foregoing variety, Madame Cusin, of weak
constitutions, tender in winter and apt soon to
deteriorate as plants, are among the few Teas which
are best as maidens.

Madame Falcot (Guillot, 1858).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Madame Hoste (Guillot, 1887).—Of good growth
and fine foliage, doing pretty well as a dwarf, but
better as a standard. The flowers are rather thin,
and though they stand a long time in the advanced
bud stage, when once open they soon go, showing a
weak centre. They are, however, very large and of
very fine shape, and produced in great abundance,
often very fine in the autumn. In fairly cool and
dry weather this is a very effective Rose for ex-
hibition and all other purposes, as the stems are
stiff and straight and the buds long and clean. It
is a pity it is not deeper in colour and a little
stouter in petal, but even as it is we must consider
it one of the best. I remember the late Mr. B. R.
Cant, in the year that it came out, showing me a
tiny bud on a grafted plant, with a prophecy, which
has been amply fulfilled, of its future value and
popularity.

302 THE BOOK OF THE ROSH CHAP.

Madame Jules Gravereaux (Soupert et Notting,
1901).—An exhibition Tea of the highest rank, in
fact it was more frequently exhibited than any
other Tea at the National of 1909, and threatened
to depose White Maman Cochet from the place of
honour in Mr. Mawley’s Analysis. Not a true Tea
in the ordinary acceptation of the term as it is a
climber of the Gloire de Dijon family—it yet
produces flowers that rival in size any other Rose
in this section—it was awarded the Nickerson Cup
for the best Tea introduced since 1900. It is easily
grown, very free flowering and must be severely
disbudded. Its only fault is that it is a little
impatient of wet, but what Tea isn’t? It makes a
very fine pillar and is best grown in this form or on
a fence or wall.

Madame Lambard (Lacharme, 1877).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Madame Vermorel (A. Mari, 1902).—A good “ hot
season’ Rose useful to the exhibitor, but very
impatient of wet, so much so that hardly a flower of
it was seen the whole of last season. Fairly good
grower that produces its flowers on stems of some
length. Not recommended to the small exhibitor.

Maman Cochet (Cochet, 1893).—This is still one
of the finest Tea Roses for exhibition purposes, and
it speedily attained a great celebrity and popularity.
The growth is very strong for a Rose that cannot be
called a climber, but it has a tendency to put all its
strength into one shoot rather than to form a well-
balanced head. The foliage is good, but has a
liability in the autumn to attacks of what is called
‘‘ silver-leaf ”’ on other plants. This does not do much
damage, however. The blooms are very large, stout,

MapaME JULES GRAVEREAUN.
Photograph by @. A. Humimond.

[Face priye 302.

[Fare psn 303.

}OCHET, T.

C

Maman

XI MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 303

and lasting: they are also very well shaped, but have
often some little disarrangement in the petals, which
just prevents perfection. The colour of the flowers
is rather mixed: in fine hot weather sometimes
beautiful, but often undecided and weak. Occasion-
ally, also, the blooms are rather coarse and rough.
Still, a very fine Rose and easy to grow and get good:
lasting and thoroughly dependable and very popular
for exhibition ; it succeeds very well as a dwarf,
and does not require close pruning: with too
“liberal treatment ”’ the blooms are almost sure to
come divided: when laterals issue from the wood of
the shoot bearing the chosen bud great caution
should be used in suppressing them, for they are
the safety valves of the sap supply, and it is only on
weakly plants or in very hot weather that they
should be stopped. Said to be a seedling from
Catherine Mermet, but if so the other parent would
seem to have had a much more vigorous con-
stitution.

A lemon-white sport of this Rose was issued in
1897, which is quite the finest and best white
Tea Rose of the pure pointed shape which we
have at present. Identical with the type in all
manners and customs, it has done for Maman
Cochet what the Bride did for Catherine Mermet—
corrected the weakness of colour while retaining the
beauty of shape and all other good qualities. It is
now probably the most popular of all the Exhibition
Teas: and thus the most highly appreciated Roses
in the three classes—Frau Karl Druschki, H.P.,
Mildred Grant, H.T., and White Maman Cochet, T.
—are all white. But a tinge of lemon just prevents
this Rose from being pure white.

304 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Marie van Houtte (Ducher, 1871).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Medea (W. Paul & Son, 1891).—Of stout stiff
growth, but susceptible to frost, not very free-
blooming, a fine Rose for exhibition, but not well
suited for general cultivation. The blooms are
particularly full, with the rounded centres which
require a hot season or situation for their full develop-
ment. They are sometimes very large, and in
perfect blooms the outer petals reflex well, making
a very fine shape. A very excellent Show Rose,
which would be better still if the colour were a little
deeper.

Mrs. B. R. Cant (B. R. Cant & Sons, 1901).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Mrs. Campbell Hall (Dr. J. Campbell Hall).
This very fine Tea is not yet in commerce, but it
has been awarded the Gold Medal of the National
Rose Society. As seen growing in Monaghan it is a
Rose of excellent constitution; habit similar to
Maman Cochet ; very free flowering, and the flowers
are of exquisite shape and colour. It will become
indispensable to the exhibitor, and the trade and the
amateur alike await its advent with impatience.

Mrs. Edward Mawley (A. Dickson & Sons, 1899).
—A Rose of the first rank, singularly free from bad
manners. Taken all round, it is, I think, the best
of the three very fine Show Roses (Ulster H.P. and
Bessie Brown H.T. being the other two) which
Messrs. Dickson issued together in 1899. Said to
be a seedling from Mrs. W. J. Grant, it hardly shows
a strong family likeness to that fine Rose, nor is it
a better grower. Here, then, is one of those cases,
which might easily have been foreseen, where it

Mrs. CampBett Hat. [Face prtae 804.
Photograph by Dr. Campbell Hall.

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Mrs, E. Mawtey, T.

(Free pepe 308.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 305

seems almost impossible to decide whether the Rose
is a Hybrid or pure Tea (p. 26, &.). At any rate, it
is an extremely good Rose, free in growth, very free-
blooming, and producing extra large finely shaped
flowers even quite late in October. The shape of
the blooms is quite first-class, colour very good, and
size magnificent. It does not show at its best in a
very hot season, but even then it will come again
very fine in the autumn. Best as a standard, and
producing its finest blooms as a maiden, with grand
wing-petals and very sweetly scented. I have
detected no bad habit, save some loss of colour and
stiffness of outer petals in very hot weather, in this
truly fine variety. Its constitution is not, perhaps,
so good as it might be, and it undoubtedly does best
as a maiden.

Mrs. Hubert Taylor (Alex. Dickson & Sons, 1909).
—A beautiful Tea, with a flower reminiscent of
Madame Cusin, but nearly white in colour; has
been shown well, and awarded the Gold Medal of
the N.R.S.

Mrs. Myles Kennedy (Alex. Dickson & Sons, 1906).
—A promising exhibition variety, with flowers of
great size. Colour silvery white, with a delicate
picotee edging to the petal. It is purely an exhibi-
tor’s Rose, and requires high culture. A fairly
vigorous grower for this class, and was awarded the
Gold Medal of the N.R.S.

Molly Sharman-Crawford (A. Dickson & Sons,
1908).—A beautiful Rose, as exhibited by the
raisers, but 1909 was all against it. The flowers
are large, with a good centre, and are of a pleasing
shade of white, with a slight suggestion of eau de nil.
Nothing can yet be said of its manners and customs.

x

306 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Muriel Grahame (A. Dickson & Sons, 1898).—A
pale cream sport of Catherine Mermet, which at
first seemed hardly sufficiently distinct from The
Bride. It is thoroughly distinct, not only in colour,
but in shape, when grown strongly, preferably as a
maiden standard, but weak flowers of it and The
Bride would still look much alike. Not a hardy
grower, it resembles Catherine Mermet in manners
and customs, and differs from The Bride, when both
are at their best, in being more pointed and less
globular in shape, and of a cream white colour
instead of the pure white with lemon tinge of the
other. A very fine exhibition Rose, but not of
sufficiently strong constitution or free-flowering
habit for general cultivation.

Niphetos (Bougére, 1844).—This rose is a good
instance of what is termed ‘free’ growth, ze.
neither long nor stout, but branching and generally
growing somewhere. The foliage is good and not
much lable to mildew, but the blooms will not
stand rain. This old Rose has attained a very
great reputation for its free-flowering qualities and
its purity of colour. I do not know how many
thousand feet run of glasshouses have been main-
tained for the purpose of growing the Rose which
Mons. Bougére, the raiser, appropriately named
Niphetos (‘‘snowy’’), but I apprehend the figures
would very much have astonished him could he
have known them when he issued it, and he would
perhaps have wished to attach his own name to it
instead of to the much less valuable production
(Bougére, known in Australia and elsewhere as
Lord Tarquin) of twelve years before. White
flowers are always in special demand, not only

Musser Grapame, T. Face page 306.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 307

because they are lovely in themselves, do not lose
their colour, and go well with everything, but also
because they are considered the most appropriate on
the three great occasions of birth, marriage, and
death. It so happens that Niphetos, the purest of
all white Roses, has a long bud especially suitable for
bouquets and wreaths, and is also free-flowering and
bears forcing well. It is no wonder therefore that it
is, and has been, cultivated for market purposes to an
astonishing extent. It opens very easily and freely,
and for this reason will probably continue to hold
its own for winter forcing against the newer white
Roses which are better for exhibition. For this
latter purpose it is no longer of use against their
increased competition, for, though capable of attain-
ing a very large size, with fine long outer petals, it
is almost always malformed or divided in the inner
centre if not throughout, the shape is very fleeting,
and when the outside petals do come down they fall
completely, giving the idea of a total collapse. It
is free-blooming throughout the season, but the
autumnal buds do not come large and require fine
weather. It does not do as a dwarf, for the blooms
come smaller, and, the wood being neither stiff nor
upright, the petals get much injured by wind and
rain unless the flowers are well held up above the
ground. <A good Rose, if fully fed, for a low wall.
Perle des Jardins (Levet, 1874).—Of good stout
stiff growth, with reddish wood and fine foliage,
doing well as a dwarf, but a Rose of shocking bad
manners. We want much a well-shaped Tea of
a good decided yellow to take the place of Maréchal
Niel when it is off bloom; and Perle des Jardins is
always promising to do this, and very, very seldom
x2

308 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

doing it. It comes divided, or quartered, or mal-
formed in some way almost to a certainty during
the summer, but manages to stave off execution of
just judgment by the aid of better-shaped and far
more valuable blooms in the autumn. At that
season it will often prove the only available sort
which is really yellow, and even one bloom of this
colour will make a wonderful improvement in a
bouquet of autumn Roses. The plant is tender and
the newly formed buds are spoiled in shape by our
cold nights in May. This theory not only accounts
for this variety producing better-shaped blooms in
the autumn, but probably also supplies the reason
for all malformed Roses of midsummer. A climb-
ing sport of this Rose (Henderson, 1891) seems if
anything more tender, but is good under ‘glass or in
a tropical climate ; and another called White Perle,
has not met with much favour. Two other sports,
Sunrise and Sunset, equally tender, are mentioned
in their proper places.

Princess Beatrice (Bennett, 1887).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Princess of Wales (Bennett, 1882).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Rubens (Robert, 1859).—A good grower, producing
strong clean shoots with very fine foliage, and quite
capable as a short standard of covering the wall of a
one-storeyed building. It is not liable to mildew,
and the blooms, which are slightly pendent, can
stand a little rain. They can be generally relied on
to come of good shape, but the petals are thin and
the form fleeting. The fine half-open buds are well
supported by grand foliage, but the flowers are
difficult to exhibit well, as they look weak and un-

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 309

substantial when shown with other Teas. It is
pretty hardy, best as a standard and in cool weather:
capital, early and late, against a dwarf wall: very
free blooming and a good autumnal, thriving well
on lightish soil.

Safrano (Beauregard, 1839).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Souvenir de Catherine Guillot (Guillot, 1896).—
Eliminated by the editors of this edition.

Souvenir d’ Elise Vardon (Marest, 1854).—Not of
free growth or of good constitution, but there ought
to be at least one pretty strong shoot on each
plant: not liable to mildew, but easily injured by
rain. The blooms come generally well, though
sometimes divided, and when fine on a strong shoot
and taken at the right stage it used to stand easily
at the head of all Tea Show Roses. For some
strange reason or other this is not now the case,
and a fine perfect bloom is not now often seen.
The late Mr. B. R. Cant used at one time almost
every year to take the medal at the Crystal Palace
with a flower which simply had no rival for size,
purity, and faultless shape: and I have taken several
medals with it myself, but not for the last six or
seven years. This may be owing to some deteriora-
tion in the variety, but also we have not had seasons
suitable for it. It requires cool, weather in which it
can grow slowly, a burst of heat bringing it out too
soon. Being a weak grower, one would expect from
the analogy of Teas of a like character that it would
do best as a Standard, but it is not so in my experi-
ence, all my best blooms having come from established
dwarf plants. In freedom of bloom it is not good,
for the blooms come singly, and the weak shoots

310 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP,

will often not flower at all. The growth is shy and
the constitution delicate. It is a Rose for exhibitors
and enthusiasts, and not for garden purposes or
general cultivation.

Souvenir de Pierre Notting (Soupert et Notting,
1901).—As this variety is said to be a cross between
two such Roses as Maréchal Niel and Maman
Cochet, it naturally aroused “ great expectations”’
which perhaps have not been entirely realised.
Still it has proved a very useful exhibition Tea, and
is worthy of being considered in the first six. It is
an excellent grower, very free flowering, its only fault
bemg aweak outside petal. Makes a fine Standard.

Souvenir de Thértse Levet (Levet, 1882).—Elimi-
nated by the editors of this edition.

Souvenir d'un Ame (Defougére, 1846).—A grand
old Tea Rose, of strong, healthy, vigorous growth
with extra fine foliage. This is one of the hardiest
of the show Teas, doing well on light soil, and fairly
as a dwarf, but much better as a standard: a free
bloomer and a capital autumnal, and the blooms
generally come well, of fine shape, substance, and
petal, the largest size and good lasting qualities.
The principal fault is that the flower soon loses
colour and is apt to look dirty, but it is still a
general favourite for all purposes.

Souvenir de S. A. Prince (Prince, 1889), syn.:
The Queen.—This is a pure white sport from the
last-named, and very valuable as giving us a really
white Rose of good pointed form, though the blunt-
ness or roundness of the point prevents the shape
being so refined as White Maman Cochet. In habit
and general manners it is just like the type, and we
have here another instance, of which we have

SouvENIR DE PinrRe Norrina. [Face page 310.
Photograph by G. A. Hammond.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 311

noticed two already in Catherine Mermet and
Maman Cochet, of a Rose being much surpassed
in popularity by its white sport, for the obvious
reason that the latter maintains its colour so much
better after being cut.

Sunrise (Piper, 1899).—This is a sport of smaller
size from Sunset, next mentioned, a button-hole
Rose of most varied and beautiful colours when
grown under glass. It appears to be even more
tender than the variety from which it sported, and
a worse grower, and it is quite useless out of doors.

Sunset (Henderson, 1883).—Eliminated by the
editors of this edition.

Sylph (W. Paul & Son, 1895).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

The Bride (May, 1885).—A pure white sport from
Catherine Mermet, of great value. It speedily took
a high rank, and gained a great reputation quite
equal to that of the type, and was at once acknow-
ledged as being one of the best half-dozen. Newer
varieties have now to a certain extent displaced it
from this high position. In manners and customs
it is similar to C. Mermet, but, like its sister sports,
Bridesmaid and Muriel Grahame, differs from it a
little in form as well as colour. The true form of
The Bride is perhaps the most charming disposition
and arrangement of the petals round a centre point
to be found among Roses. From Muriel Grahame
it differs, when both are at their best, not only in
this matter of form, but also in being of a purer
white with occasionally in a young bloom a greenish-
lemon tinge at the base of the petals. There are
very few, if any, white Roses which are more lovely
than a perfect flower of The Bride.

312 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

White Maman Cochet (Cook, 1897).—see Maman
Cochet.

W. R. Smith (Henderson, 1908).—This is an ex-
ceedingly promising new Tea of excellent growth and
habit. The flowers are creamy white, the outside
petals of the younger flowers being tinged a delicate
pink. Of good shape and size, its only fault being
that it develops a split. Sent out only last year by
Messrs. Hugh Dickson, of Belfast, it has already
created a reputation, and has undoubtedly come to
stay.

CLIMBING RosEs

T will next endeavour to deal with Climbing Roses
of all classes, for as they cannot be grown with
others in beds, but require to be trained to some-
thing, it will perhaps be more convenient to have
them by themselves. Walls are best suited for the
more tender varieties, such as the Banksias, Climbing
Devoniensis, Fortune’s Yellow, and others, which
require heat and protection. Pillars are best for
those which are not too strong in growth, hardy, and
do not get naked at the base, but flower well from
top to bottom when growing upright, such as Crimson
Rambler, Carmine Pillar, and the climbing sports of
H.P.s. For arches the Wichuraianas, Ayrshires, the
Dijon, and other strong growing and hardy Teas are
the most suitable: these flower best on the shoots
that are more horizontal, as at the top of the arch;
and it should be noted, as a rule, that the same
Rose will not flower well on the horizontal and on
the perpendicular shoots, so that a Pillar Rose

Write Mamas CocuHrr. | Face page 312.

te ptaqgoM Wire Kypeteg waite
“UPMOLA sive G CMETAUVG OTM

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 313

should be used for the uprights and an Arch Rose
for the horizontal top of the arch. There are a good
many comparatively new Climbing Roses, but most
of the best will be found in the following list :—

Alberic Barbier (Barbier, 1902), an early flowering
hybrid Wichuraiana, buds creamy yellow changing
to white, a good grower as are nearly all the
Wichuraianas.

Aimée Vibert (Vibert, 1828).—An old Rose, one of
the very few true Noisettes, showing the character-
istics of the race by its hardiness and clusters of small
flowers. Almost evergreen, with full, rosette-like
clusters of small white flowers. The climbing form
should be chosen, as the original strain was less
vigorous. Not such astrong climber or so effective as
a white cluster Rose as some of the Ayrshires and
Evergreens, but good for pillars.

Alister Stella Gray (Paul & Sons, 1894).— Raised
by the well-known amateur, Mr. A. Hill Gray, of
Bath. A Noisette, free-blooming and perpetual, with
small flowers of a pale yellow, borne in clusters.
Suitable for pillars and arches.

Ards Pillar (A. Dickson & Sons, 1902).—Hybrid
Tea is a later introduction by the same prolific firm
of raisers, with good, full crimson flowers, a fine
pillar rose.

Ards Rover (A. Dickson & Sons, 1898).—A Hybrid
Perpetual, with handsome foliage, and good-sized
flowers with stiff petals; worth growing for its colour
of dark shaded crimson, a rare tint among Climbing
Roses. Suitable for walls, pillars, and arches.
This variety was awarded a Nickerson Cup for the
best crimson climber.

Ayrshires.—This class, with the Boursaults and

314 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Evergreens, are the quickest and longest growers of
all Roses, blooming in clusters in the summer only.
There is nothing to equal them for quickly and
thickly covering a space, either for walls, pillars,
arches, pergolas, or even as hedges by themselves.
Trained a little at first to grow among the branches
of a half-dead tree, they should then be left to them-
selves, and the highest shoots will hang down when
no longer supported, and will be a mass of bloom for
a short time in the following summer. They will
cover an ordinary-sized summer-house, forming in
time a deep, thick mat all over the roof. Budded on
Standard stocks 8 or 9 feet high they make the most
perfect weeping Roses, at last quite hiding the stems,
and becoming huge bushes. They differ but little,
except in colour, which can be learnt from the
Catalogues. Among the best known are :—Ayrshire,
Dundee Rambler and Splendens ; Bennett's seedling
or Thoresbyana: Evergreen, Félicité et Perpétue
and Madame D’ Arblay.

Banksias.—Tender Roses, which require a warm
wall, and must not be pruned or even tipped, only the
dead and unwanted wood being cut out. They will
not flower much till well established, and have quite
small blooms in large clusters. There are only two
varieties, in general cultivation, the White (Kew,
1807), very sweetly and characteristically scented, and
the Yellow (R. H. 8., 1824), with smaller, scentless
flowers, but more of them.

Blush Rambler (B. R. Cant & Sons, 1903).—This
beautiful Rose is quite the best of the descendants
of Crimson Rambler. Very strong in growth,
producing large clusters of beautiful apple blossom-
like flowers—single, but lasting well on the plant.
One of the best for pillar, pergola or hedge. It has

‘pony uesvyy ‘y Aq ydv.bo,04g
‘F1g nd 2907) “ONITGITS §,LLANNag.

x MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 315

no faults, and was deservedly awarded the Gold
Medal of the National Rose Society.

Billard et Barré (Pernet-Ducher, 1899).—Probably
the best semi-hardy yellow climber suitable for
pillar or wall. Very fine in the half open bud
stage.

Bouquet d'Or (Ducher, 1872).—-Another of the
Gloire de Dijon family, and one of the best, being
quite distinct in colour, as hardy as the type and
superior to it in form, nearly good enough to show ;
a fine yellow with coppery centre. This Rose
was sent out, probably by accident, asa Noisette : it
has rather more of a branching habit than others of
the same family, suitable for walls, arches or pillar.

Carmine Pillar (Paul & Son, 1895).—For a single
Rose which is not an autumnal, this is perhaps one
of the best. It is very bright in colour and free-
flowering, remaining in bloom a good while, makes
a fine pillar and does well on an arch.

Cheshunt Hybrid (Paul & Son, 1873).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

Claire Jacquier (Bernaix, 1888).—Rather sus-
ceptible to frost but a very vigorous grower, the
flowers are produced in clusters and when estab-
lished the rose is very free flowering —colour
yellow.

Climbing Caroline Testout (Chauvry, 1902).—A
very reliable climbing sport of this well-known Rose
with all the good qualities of its parent, suitable for
arches and walls.

Climbing K. A. Victoria (A. Dickson & Sons,
Ltd., 1897).—A useful Rose for walls or pillars not
so vigorous as the last named but quite reliable.

Climbing Devoniensis (Pavitt, 1858).—Eliminated
by the editors of this edition.

316 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Climbing Mrs. W. J. Grant (The E. G. Hill Co.,
Ltd., 1899).—A vigorous growing free flowering sport
of this well-known Rose suitable for arches but at
its best on a wall, where it is unusually early and
produces quantities of flowers of good size and
quality. The three climbing sports above mentioned
can all be relied on as excellent climbing Roses for
wall, or arch.

Climbing Niphetos (Keynes & Co., 1889).—This is
a valuable climbing sport of the well-known Tea
Rose, though there is sometimes a little difficulty in
getting it to commence “running.” It will not
answer well except under glass, and requires to
be liberally treated, it is most useful with its large
constant supply of fine pure white flowers, not
recommended for out of door culture.

Cloth of Gold (Coquereau, 1843).—Eliminated by
the editors of this edition.

Crépuscule.—A noisette worth growing for its
colour only; it is a deep copper yellow with pink
shadine-—fairly free flowering and the young buds
make a delightful buttonhole. Semi-climbing only
and best grown as a pillar or on a screen. Does well
on a wall.

Crimson Rambler (Turner, 1893).—A_ strong
growing form of Polyantha, introduced from Japan.
‘Rambler’ does not seem to be a very good name
for it, for though it is of strong long growth, very
different from that of the dwarf Polyanthas, it has
not a true rambling habit, fresh strong shoots
constantly trying to rise from the base of the plant
instead of high up on the shoots, as would be the
case with a true rambler like Polyantha Simplex,
for instance. The wood and foliage, covered with

Porting’s Yrruow. (Foes poge 817.

Photeaqvaph ba Po Mason Good

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 317

short hairs, are very distinct, and the trusses of
small crimson flowers which come, in perfection,
in the shape of a bunch of grapes, produced quite
a sensation from their unique character when the
Rose was first exhibited. It is not an autumnal,
but lasts in bloom a long time. It does not do well
against a wall, fairly as a bush with the shoots
supported by bamboos, and decidedly well as a pillar
Rose, though autumnals are certainly best for that
purpose. With the same reservation it will be
found to answer well as a hedge, but is subject to
mildew. Psyche (Paul & Son, 1899) is a seedling
of this variety, with paler flowers and similar habits.
Queen Alexandra and Blush Rambler, mentioned
on p. 24, are later descendants. The flower-trusses
last well, either on the plant or in water, and the
plants themselves are thoroughly hardy, even in
America.

Débutante (M. H. Walsh, 1905).—Pretty soft
shade of pink belonging to the late flowering section
of the Wichuraianas. Makes a good weeping
standard.

Evangeline (M. H. Walsh, 1907).—Sent out as
a Wichuraiana but apparently more allied to the
Polyanthas, a single flower of a bright apple blossom
colour, very strongly scented—very strong grower—
late flowering.

Flower of Fairfield (Schultheis,{1908).—A perpetual
flowering sport of Crimson Rambler that should be
an acquisition as perpetual flowering Ramblers are
scarce.

Fortunes Yellow (Fortune, 1845).—A strong
growing Noisette, which requires a warm wall and
a dry situation. The flowers are only semi-double

318 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

and of loose and irregular form, but they are very
beautiful, of a lovely colour—yellow flaked with
carmine and the fine loose petals are of charming
texture and ‘“‘complexion.” It is very early, quite
one of the first Roses to be gathered out of doors,
and will almost always be in bloom in May on
a warm wall, but is tender and will not do every-
where.

Francois Crousse (Guillot, 1900).—One of the
best crimson pillar roses, rather late flowering,
hardy and perpetual.

Francois Foucard (Barbier, 1901).—An_ early
flowering Wichuraiana, pale lemon yellow flowers,
medium size, slightly more perpetual than most
of this class. Makes a good weeping standard.

Gardenia (Manda, 1899).—The best all-round
yellow-flowered Wichuraiana. Exquisite in the bud,
useful for all purposes except as a weeping standard
as the growths are to stiff. Early flowering.

Gloire de Dion (Jacotot, 1853).—Perhaps the best
known of all Roses. It is always classified as a
pure Tea, but there can be no doubt it is a hybrid,
having a cross in it of some other race, for the
plant is absolutely hardy in this country, of very
vigorous climbing growth, and the foliage is that of
a Hybrid Tea. Like the Noisettes, Roses of this
race must not have the strong young shoots pruned
back, or wood instead of flowers will be produced ;
but, when this is understood, no Rose, save the
common pink China, blooms so profusely and
constantly, early and late, as the one under notice.
Dean Hole says, ‘‘ Were I condemned to have but
one Rose for the rest of my life, I should ask, before
leaving the dock, to be presented with a strong

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 319

plant of Gloire de Dijon.’’ For my part, I would
choose La France, for there is very little beauty of
colour or form to a florist’s eye in the well-known
“ Glory Die-John,” except perhaps quite in the bud,
and even these are comparatively fat and squat, and
wanting in the elegance of the long, clean, pointed
buds of the aristocrats of Roses. A plant of Gloire
de Dijon may be a hundred times the size of one of
Comtesse de Nadaillac, and may have more than
a hundred times the number of blooms; but take
the finest Gloire de Dijon that ever was seen
and set it in a stand by a fair representative flower
of the other, and the great inferiority in every
respect, even in size, would at once be manifest.
The foliage is very fine, but it is not so evergreen as
Maréchal Niel and some other of the Noisettes,
nor does it clothe the bases of the branches so well
as Reve d'Or. It is not liable to mildew, cares little
for rain, and its bushels of blooms come unusually
uniform in colour and generally of the same weak
open shape. It is thoroughly hardy in this country,
and will grow and flourish almost anywhere and
anyhow, tolerably well even on a north wall; but in
America it has not proved so hardy against really
severe winters as some of the pure Teas, such
as Francisca Kriiger and Edith Gifford, and it is not
so popular in any country as it is here. A Rose of
such notoriety, which forms seed vessels freely, has
naturally been a prolific parent of varieties of similar
habit, forming a race, almost a class in themselves.
They differ only in colour, in shades of yellow,
salmon, and white. Among the best are Belle
Lyonnaise, Bouquet d’Or, Duchesse d’Auerstadt,
Emilie Dupuy, Henriette de Beauveau, Kaiserin

320 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Friedrich, Madame Berard, Madame Chauvry,
Madame Eugéne Verdier, Madame Jules Gravereaux
etc.

Gruss an Zabern (Lambert, 1904).—A very free-
flowering semi-climbing pillar Rose, blooms in large
trusses of sweet scented pure white flowers, summer
flowering only.

Hiawatha (M. H. Walsh, 1905).—A single flowered
Crimson Rambler of rather better colour with
a white eye, a good grower and likely to prove a very
popular variety. Makes a good weeping standard as
its growths are long and pendulous. Late flowering.

Jersey Beauty (Manda, 1899)—One of the first
and still one of the best of the single Wichuraianas,
its pale yellow flowers with their cluster of yellow
stamens are unique. Useful for all purposes and
one of the most rampant. Harly flowering and nearly
evergreen,

Johanna Sebus (Miller, 1899).—One of the best
of pillar Roses, exceptionally good in the autumn,
deliciously perfumed, should be more grown.

Joseph Lamy (Barbier, 1906).—Flowers large size
white flushed pink, mid-season, Wichuraiana.

Lady Waterlow (Nabonnand, 1902).—A Hybrid
of exquisite colour, salmon pink with petals edged
with bright carmine, long pointed buds opening
into a large flower. A fine dwarf pillar Rose of
good constitution.

Lady Gay (Walsh, 1905).—Similar to Dorothy
Perkins but a slightly larger flower. Late
flowering, Wichuraiana.

Lady Godiwa (Paul & Son, 1908).—A very
beautiful sport from Dorothy Perkins, very promis-
ing. Late flowering, Wichuraiana.

“poug vosnpy yp VQ yd
Lae Bl “‘NUMISDHOUGT

XIL MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 321

Lamarque (Maréchal, 1880).—A Noisette which
was highly prized fifty years ago, when varieties
were few. Of strong climbing growth on a south
wall, with bright small shiny foliage, not thoroughly
evergreen. It produces with great freedom in the
season large open flat blooms not fit for show, but
the second crop on a wall is scant. Very sweet
scented, the fragrance being distinct and said to be
like Violets. Not hardy against severe frost, but
tolerably safe on a south wall. Said to be the
parent of Cloth of Gold and grandmother of
Maréchal Niel.

Leontine Gervais (Barbier, 1906).—Salmon rose
tinted yellow, a pretty variety, early to mid-season
flowering, a promising new Wichuraiana.

Leuchtstern (Schmidt, 1899)—A good pillar or
bush Rose, free flowering, colour-bright rose, with a
prominent white eye, single flowers in clusters.

Lina Schmidt-Michel (Lambert, 1905).— Soft
bright pink semi-double flowers, makes a fine dwarf
pillar.

Madame Alfred Carriére (Schwartz, 1879).—A
Noisette of very fine growth. The flowers are large
and showy, sweet-scented, and practically white.
It is very free-blooming and perpetual, and may be
depended on to cover a large space and make a good
show. The best white climber for all purposes.

Madame Bérard (uevet, 1870).—Of Gloire de
Dijon race, one of the best in shape and colour, very
pretty at times, but not as hardy as the type.

Maréchal Niel (Pradel, 1864).—This is without
doubt the finest yellow Rose in existence, no real
rival to it having ever been issued. It is a Noisette,
said to be a seedling from Cloth of Gold, and

¥

322 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

strongly Tea-scented. To a large extent it stands
by itself, being thoroughly distinct in growth, habit,
and flower, its reputed seed-parent being the most
like it of existing Roses. It is of very strong
climbing growth, with magnificent foliage evergreen
under glass, but very liable to mildew. The blooms,
which lose colour when exposed to the sun, come
generally good if not exposed to cold nights in the
early bud stage, and are fine in petal, centre, shape,
colour, fragrance, and size: of fair lasting qualities
if kept dry and fairly cool, but apt to go before the
day is out in a hot exhibition tent. It is a very
free bloomer if treated properly, and flowers fairly
well throughout the autumn on standards where
these can be grown and flowered in the open air.
Like most, if not all, other yellow Roses, instead of
losing colour after being cut and kept in the shade,
the colour deepens, but loses in brightness. Like
all Noisettes, the best blooms come on the long
secondary shoots of the previous year, which should
be as well ripened as possible, and left nearly of full
length. Though often grown on its own roots in
pots—for it strikes readily as a cutting—it does
much better if budded on the briar, preferably as a
standard. It is decidedly tender, bemg much liable
in the open to be injured or killed outright by severe
frosts; but on a wall, particularly if there be
anything in the nature of a coping above, it will
stand ordinary winters in most localities. In such
a case, do not forget to give it plenty of water or
weak liquid manure in all dry times in the summer :
things growing on walls require much more water
than plants in the open, and often get none at all:
a large shallow basin-shaped depression should be

Marecuat NIFL, N, [Fuce page 322.

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 323

formed and maintained round the base of the plant
that liquid may be put down by the pailful and sink
in, instead of running away.

Like other Noisettes it is an early bloomer. And,
on walls or other places where it is likely to stand
the winter, the first crop of flowers (and in such hot,
dry positions there is seldom much of a second one)
are over considerably before the time of shows. For
exhibition purposes, therefore, the problem is how
to preserve standards in the open from frost in
winter, and from breaking too soon in the spring,
for they must not be hard pruned. I have for some
years been successful in this, and have had plenty of
these glorious yellow blooms to shine like lamps in
my show-stands among the reds and pinks and
whites. A row of half-standards is planted, some
two or three yards from plant to plant, leaning in
the row at a sharp angle, so that the head of the
plant is not much more than a foot from the
ground. For winter protection the stem by the
head is bent and pegged down to the ground as
far as it will go without straiming the roots, and
the long shoots are similarly laid down. Any long
dry rubbish is now laid thickly over the whole row
(nothing green’ or damp that will ferment and rot
should be allowed), forming a long mound, and
finally the whole is covered thickly, deeply—the
thicker the better—with earth, and smoothed and
made as air and water-tight as possible with a spade.
In short, they are ‘‘ clamped” just like mangolds in
afield. It will be well to remove the very sappiest
and greenest of the shoots before doing all this, as
they would not be of much use if preserved, and
will probably rot when buried. This treatment

y 2

324 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

should preserve them from frost till the middle of
February; and then, instead of removing the pro-
tection, mend it and restore it by covering any
cracks with more earth till April, for the very
opposite reason, to keep them from the heat and
influence of the early spring sun. I do this, not
only to delay the flowering that the blooms may be
available for exhibition, but also because the very
first buds to break are those of the flower-bearing
shoots which will be injured by cold nights, and per-
haps actually destroyed by late frosts. If the latter
calamity should occur, the plants may be flowerless
throughout the season, for autumnal blooms will
only come, as a rule, from the shoots which have
already flowered. When the protection is removed,
at such a date in April as may suit the locality and
the danger of frost, the plants may be slightly raised
again, the heads being tied to bamboos and the long
shoots cut back only where they have died, being
kept in a fairly horizontal position.

Maréchal Niel is easily forced and much grown
for the market, the best method of pruning and
training under glass to get a fine crop of these
splendid blooms in early spring having been de-
scribed on p. 108. Pruned under this system,
the power of growth of a well-fed Rose of this
variety under glass is astonishing. A gentleman—
Mr. Bagshawe Dixon—purchased a house in this
parish and with it a small greenhouse which had a
somewhat neglected short standard of Maréchal
Niel in one corner. He very much enlarged the
glasshouse, and by my advice cut the Rose com-
pletely back, and then fed it highly, when it grew
very. strongly. In April, 1903, he cut it back again

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 325

completely to one horizontal arm, according to my
instructions, and then fed it twice a week with
liquid manure. The growth was so great that at
Christmas in the same year he had not only 213
feet of strong new wood trained under the glass,
but had also actually cut away of new wood (much
of these being secondary laterals), as too much for
his room, no less than 291 feet. The plant had thus
made 168 yards of new growth in 9 months! The
trained shoots, after judicious thinning of the buds,
produced 416 fine blooms between Christmas and
April; there ought to have been more, but several
of the shoots had, owing to the exigencies of the
space, to be trained for a short distance perpendi-
cularly, and they only broke into flowering shoots
when laid horizontally.

All was cut away again in April, 1904, to the old
horizontal arm, and 11 shoots from it, most of them
as thick for a considerable distance as one of my
fingers were allowed to grow. These shoots I took
the pains to measure and they were aggregated over
227 feet, and were still growing fast.

In this mode of culture under glass mildew is the
principal trouble, and the ventilators should be kept
entirely shut when the wind is cold. The variety
has another piece of bad manners which is most
troublesome under glass, because there is more
growth there, viz., a liability to canker, especially
at the point of union between stock and scion. As
this probably arises from the inability of the briar
stem to swell sufficiently for the growth of the Rose,
a useful preventive measure is to make one or two
longitudinal cuts through the bark, passing through
the point of union and extending some little way

326 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

above and below it. This will not cure established
canker, but may help in a great measure to prevent
and modify it. There is no cure in a really bad
case: good strong young plants are cheap and soon
come into bearing, but when putting in a new plant
where a large Rose has stood, remember to take out
a good deal of the old soil and to replace it with
rich fresh stuff in which Roses have not been grown.
A white sport of Maréchal Niel has been issued ; but
it seems to me to differ little from that undesirable
pale yellow which is the natural colour of the
original when exposed to strong hot sun. On a
very hot wall the sun will sometimes cause weak
blooms to show a tinge of red on the outer petals.
Within the last few years two Roses have been
issued which are said to be crosses with this variety
—Grand Duke Ernest Ludwig, red, a cross with
Général Jacqueminot—and Souvenir de Pierre
Notting, said to be a cross with Maman Cochet,
which gained the Gold Medal (see p. 310). In
America Maréchal Niel will not do well out of doors
much north of Washington, but it is most highly
appreciated in all tropical countries.

Minnehaha (Walsh, 1905).—One of the best pink
Wichuraianas. Medium sized flowers borne on an
exceptionally large truss. Makes a handsome
weeping standard, and is useful for all purposes.
Late flowering.

Mrs. F. W. Flight (Cutbush, 1907).—A polyantha
of very strong growth, producing its flowers in large
loose panicles suitable for arches and pergolas.

Noélla Nabonnand (Nabonnand, 1900).—A Hybrid
Tea suitable for tall pillars or walls. The flowers are
sweet scented and of good shape and size, but the

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Remmceltony |

XII MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 327

colour is rather against it, the crimson having a
bluish tinge.

Paul Transon (Barbier, 1902).—Shows more
traces of the Tea than most of the Wichuraianas.
Salmon pink, a good creeper, sweet scented, and
mid season flowering.

Psyche (Paul & Son, 1899).—A seedling from
Crimson Rambler, but not such a rampant grower.
Colour, pale flesh; flowers produced in trusses,
suitable for arches.

René André (Barbier, 1900). — Saffron-yellow
tinged red. An early flowering Wichuraiana.

Reine Marie Henriette (Levet, 1878).—A Hybrid
Tea, which, though now an old Rose, is still useful.
It is very vigorous, with good foliage, and the
blooms are large, red, and bright, full and good.
I have occasionally seen extra good specimens well
exhibited. It is sometimes called the red Gloire de
Dijon, which, as there is no resemblance between
the two in any particular, I take to mean that the
one should be as well-known as the other. It is
thoroughly hardy, is one of the very best and most
constant of autumnals. Useful for pillars and
arches and perhaps at its best on walls, still fairly
popular, and would perhaps be more so if people
would remember that climbing Roses require food
and water even more than those in beds.

Reine Olga de Wurtemburg (Nabonnand 1881).—
An excellent Hybrid Tea of fine vivid colouring, and
good shaped flowers which are freely produced, one
of the best of the crimson climbers useful for all
purposes.

Réve d’ Or (Ducher, 1869).—A very strong climbing
Noisette, with stout and rapid growth and early

328 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

evergreen foliage. This valuable Rose has one
most desirable piece of good manners as a climber ;
other Noisettes and Roses of the Gloire de Dijon
race are apt, when grown as climbers, to become
weak and bare of foliage towards the bottom so that
all the blooms are out of reach and the plants look
unsightly from the naked condition of the lower
branches. This isnot the case with Réve d’Or, and it
adds considerably to its merits as a climber that the
lower parts of the plant are fairly covered with
blooms and foliage. The blooms come in clusters,
well shaped, of much the same colour as Safrano and
Sunset, but not good enough in shape, size, or
lasting qualities for exhibition. It is wonderful as a
free-bloomer, the plant being smothered with flowers
from top to bottom during the first crop, and a fair
amount of blooms contimue into the autumn. Quite
hardy in this country, a capital Rose for arches, and
all round one of the very best of climbing Roses.
Not so large as Reine Marie Henriette or even
Gloire de Dijon, but superior to either in its manner
of growth on the lower parts of the plant.

Ruby Queen (Conard and Jones, 1899).—Not so
well known as it deserves. Early loose flowers—in
small truss. Recommended as a weeping standard.

Tausendschén (Schmidt, 1907).—A charming ad-
dition to the dwarf pillar Roses, colour bright satiny
pink, the flowers produced in clusters with a
pendulous habit that stand well out from the
foliage.

Tea Rambler (Paul and Son, 1903).—A beautiful
Hybrid tea'with strong polyanthaleanings—a rampant
grower, very free flowering, its only fault is that it is
not perpetual. Colour deep coppery pink in the bud,

USA, [Boer page 329,
Photogruph bu By Meson Gove,

aa MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 329

changing to soft pink in the older flowers—suitable
for arches and pergolas and makes a fine hedge.
One of its parents was the Tea Cleopatra, one of the
worst of growers—such is the uncertainty of Rose
hybridisation.

Trier (Lambert, 1904).—A perpetual flowering
polyantha and a very great acquisition to the pillar
Roses—its small but beautifully shaped flowers are
fully produced on long panicles—not a vigorous
grower for a climber, but a Rose that should be in
every garden.

Una (Paul & Son, 1900).—A Hybrid Tea one of
whose parents was Gloire de Dijon—A beautiful,
nearly single, pale creamy yellow flower of good
size, lasting well on the plant, but summer flower-
ing only. Does best as an isolated bush but can be
grown as a dwarf pillar.

White Dorothy (Paul & Son and Messrs. B. R.
Cant & Sons, 1908).—A pure white sport of Dorothy
Perkins that should prove very useful. Except in
colour similar to its parent in every respect. Late
flowering.

Wichuraiana (the type introduced to Europe
about 1873).—Small glistening white flowers, sweet
scented, single with golden stamens, very free
flowering. Exceptionally good as a creeper, latest
of all to flower.

William Allen Richardson (Ducher, 1878).—A
Noisette of good strong growth, but not so vigorous
as most of those I have mentioned in this section.
This is a Rose that very soon gained a great reputa-
tion by its colour, which is a real orange, a shade
till then unknown in Roses, and even now only to be
found in the centres of some few others. It is quite

330 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. XII

small and only suitable for button-holes and
decorative use, being more valued and generally
grown for the former purpose perhaps than any other
Rose. It is only of value in the bud, which is well
shaped, but hasa disappointing habit which must often
have caused annoyance. The blooms often come prac-
tically white with no trace of orange, except perhaps
at the very base of the petals: but about the time
that the nurseryman who supplied it has received an
indignant letter of complaint the buyer on passing by
the plant sees a bud coming of the true colour. For
a while they will all come of deep orange, or orange
tipped with white, and then some perhaps come
nearly white again. Often the weakest shoots
produce the highest coloured flowers, but this does
not seem to be a general rule. This lovely and
favourite Rose should be grown in quantity, in the
open, as a pillar, against walls and trellises, and
under glass. It is free-blooming, pretty good as an
autumnal, does well as a dwarf, and is popular all
over the world, but it should be well treated in
good soil, and requires protection in severe winters.

Zéphirine Drouhin (Bizot, 1873).—A Rose that
was almost lost to cultivation in this country but
has recently had its merits recognised. It is
quite thornless, the flowers are bright silvery pink
in colour with a delicious scent. It makes a good
pillar Rose but at its best as a hedge. A Hybrid
Perpetual Bourbon.

W. A) Ricnarpsoy, [Fare page 330.
Photogruph by F. Mason Good.

CHAPTER XIII
SELECTIONS

THis must always be the most unsatisfactory part
of a Rose-book, both to the author and the reader.
In the first place, the compiler of a selection feels,
or ought to, that he has at least one or two
favourites which he places in a higher position than
most of his brother Rosarians do, and that there are
perhaps as many popular sorts that he does not
succeed with. His own situation, soil, or climate
has probably more to do with this, in most cases,
than actual personal predilections.

Next, a certain number of new Roses, issued
within the last three years, have to be dealt with:
and, their quality and characters being not yet
established, it is difficult to know what to do with
them. Great mistakes, elther way, may be made in
attempting to rank them too soon, but on the other
hand it seems impossible to ignore notable issues.
I have therefore only included varieties sent out
later than 1907 where there seems to be a character
already established.

And, also, no one who makes a selection of Roses

can shut his eyes to the fact that such a list,
331

332 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

especially if given in the order of merit, must be of
very ephemeral value. New Roses, working their
way to the front, not only take the places of estab-
lished favourites but sometimes entirely supersede
them and cause them to drop out altogether. Thus,
Madame Lacharme, at one time the best white
H.P., was made absolutely useless by the coming
of Merveille de Lyon, which in its turn has been
quite superseded by Frau Karl Druschki.

Roses suitable for Exhibition.—In these lists it
should be noticed that weakness of growth or con-
stitution, or in fact any good or bad manners, are
not taken into account. Chapter NII. should be
consulted on such matters, for in the following
selections the merits of the perfect bloom when
once obtained are only taken into consideration.

It has been thought advisable to give two lists of
each class, H P., H.T., and Teas; the first list
includes the pick of the varieties, the secondary list
is supplementary. They have not been placed in
order of merit, because it is felt that any such
attempt while possible, say, for the first dozen,
becomes ridiculous in dealing with larger numbers.

Furst List of H.P.s. for Exhibition.

A. K. Williams Helen Keller

Alfred Colomb Her Majesty

Comte de Raimbaud Horace Vernet

Captain Hayward Hugh Dickson

Duke of Wellington M. H. Walsh

Dupuy Jamain Marie Baumann

Frau Karl Druschki Mrs. John Laing
Gustave Piganeau Mrs. R. G. Sharman-
Frangois Michelon Crawford

Pa

td

xIil

Suzanne Marie Rodocan-
achi
Prince Arthur

SELECTIONS 333

Ulrich Brunner
Ulster

Second List of H.P.s. for Exhibition.

Beauty of Waltham

Bob Davison

Ben Cant

Commandant Félix Faure
Duke of Edinburgh

Earl] of Dufferin

Fisher Holmes

Général Jacqueminot

Hugh Watson

Madame Gabriel Luizet

Marchioness of Down-
shire

Mrs. Cocker

Rev. Alan Cheales

Tom Wood

Victor Hugo

Hybrid Teas suitable for Exhibition.
First List.

Alice Lindsell

Bessie Brown

Charles J. Grahame
Caroline Testout

Dean Hole

Earl of Warwick
Florence Pemberton
Gladys Harkness

G. C. Waud

J. B. Clark

Killarney

Kaiserin Aug. Victoria
Lady Alice Stanley
Lady Ashtown

Lady Helen Vincent
Lady Moyra Beauclere
Lady Ursula

La France

Lyon Rose

Madame Maurice de Luze

Madame Melanie Sou-
pert

Mamie

Marquise Litta

Mildred Grant

Mrs. David McKee

Mrs. E. J. Holland

Mrs. John Bateman

Mrs. Stewart Clark

Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt

Mrs. W. J. Grant

Oberhofgartner Terks

Pharisaér

Princess Marie Mertcher-
sky

Queen of Spain

Richmond

W. E. Lippiatt

Wm. Shean

334

THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Second List.

Avoca

Betty

Comtesse Icy Hardegg

Countess of Caledon

Countess of Gosford

Dr. O’Donel Browne

Duchess of Portland

Frau Lilla Rauten-
strauch

George Laing Paul

Grace Molyneux

Gustav Grinerwald

Joseph Hill

Joseph Lowe

John Cuff

Konigin Carola
Laurent Carle
Lohengrin

Mrs. G. W. Kershaw
Mrs. Harold Brocklebank
Perle von Godesberg
Yvonne Vacherot
White Lady

Teas suitable for Exhibition.

First List.

Bridesmaid

Catherine Mermet

Comtesse de Nadaillac

Madame Constant Sou-
pert

Madame Jules Graver-
eaux

Maréchal Niel

Medea

Molly Sharman-Crawford

Mrs. Edward Mawley

Mrs. Hubert Taylor

Mrs. Myles Kennedy

Muriel Grahame

Maman Cochet

Souvenir d’Elise Vardon

Souvenir de Pierre Not-
ting

Souvenir de 8. A. Prince

The Bride

White Maman Cochet

W. R. Smith

Second List.

Anna Olivier
Boadicea
Cleopatra
Ernest Metz
Golden Gate
Harry Kirk
Innocente Pirola

Lady Roberts
Madame Cusin
Madame de Watteville
Madame Hoste
Madame Vermorel
Souvenir @un Ami

[Face page 335.

SULPHUREA,

Photogiaph bu FE.

Mason Guort,

XII

SELECTIONS 335

Roses suitable for Bedding.

T = tall; M = medium growth.

Anna Chartron (M)

Antoine Rivoire (T)

Betty (T)

Caroline Testout (T)

Commandant Félix Faure
(t)

Comtesse du Cayla (M)

Corallina (T)

Dorothy Page Roberts
(1)

Ecarlate (M)

Edu Meyer (M)

Frau Karl Druschki (T)

G. Nabonnand (M)

Gustav Griinerwald (T)

Grand Duc A. de Luxem-
bourg (M)

General McArthur (T)

Harry Kirk (M)

Irish Elegance (T)

Lyon Rose (T)

Lady Ashtown (T)

Lady Battersea (M)

La Tosca (T)

Madame Abel Chatenay
(1)

Madame Leon Pain (T)

Madame Pernet-Ducher

(M)

Madame Segond-Weber
(M)

Madame Jules Grolez
(M)

Madame Melanie Soupert
(t)
Madame Ravary (M)
Marie van Houtte (T)
Marquise de Sinety (M)
Mrs. John Laing (T)
Papa Gontier (M)
Peace (M)
Sulphurea (M)
Viscountess
(ar)
Warrior (M)

Folkestone

Roses suitable for Walls.

T = tender, suitable for South and South-West
aspects only.

Banksia alba (T)

Banksia lutea (T)

Bouquet d’Or

Climbing Mrs. W. J.
Grant

Climbing Caroline Test-
out

Climbing Aimée Vibert

Climbing K. A. Victoria

E. V. Hermanos

336 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

Fortune’s Yellow (T) Maréchal Niel (T)

Francois Crousse Réve d’Or

Félicité et Perpetué Sinica Anemone

Madame Jules Graver- William Allen Richard-
eaux son

China Roses suitable for Bedding.

Betty Berkeley Fabvier

Chin Chin China Irene Watts

Comtesse du Cayla Laurette Messimy
Cramoisie Supérieure Madame Eugene Resal
Ducher Maddalena Scalarandis

Roses suitable for growing as tall weeping Standards.

Dorothy Perkins Joseph Lamy
Débutante Leontine Gervaise
Evangeline Minnehaha

Félicité et Perpetué Paul Transon
Francois Foucard Rugosa repens alba
Hiawatha Ruby Queen
Jersey Beauty White Dorothy

Roses suitable for growing as Climbers under Glass.

Climbing Liberty Madame Jules Graver-
os Mrs. W. J. eaux
Grant Madame Abel Chatenay
5 Niphetos Fortune’s Yellow
Maréchal Niel Wm. Allen Richardson

Roses suitable for Pot Culture wnder Glass.

Bridesmaid Joseph Hill

Catherine Mermet Lady Faire

Captain Hayward Lady Roberts

Dean Hole Madame Abel Chatenay

Frau Karl Druschki Madame Constant Soupert

(Face preg 836.

AYRSHIRE,

A Wrepixg Rosk

XIII SELECTIONS 337

Madame Leon Pain Richmond

Maréchal Niel Souvenir de Pierre Nott-
Mrs. David Jardine ing

Mrs. John Laing Sunrise

Mrs. W, J. Grant, The Bride

Niphetos White Maman Cochet

For the pegging-down system of training, Roses
should be free-flowering and strong, yet fairly
pliable in growth; but some of the stiffer ones
can be bent down, if it be done gradually as they
grow.

Roses suitable for Pegging Down.

Frau Karl Druschki J. B. Clark
Gruss an Teplitz Madame Isaac Periere
Gloire Lyonnaise Madame Jules Gravereaux

Gustave Regis

For button-hole Roses, as for exhibition kinds,
beauty of form should not be neglected, as it
sometimes is, for mere colour, though a combination
of both is most desirable. A round fat bud is much
less elegant than a long, slender, and pointed one.
In this respect the Teas have a decided advantage,
but if a bright red or really dark bud is desired, the
H.P.s or H.T.s must be called upon.

Roses suitable for Buttonholes.

Anna Olivier Madame Jean Dupuy

Anna Chartron Madame Falcot

Gustave Regis Ma Capucine

Lady Roberts Richmond

L'Ideal Rosette de la Legion

Liberty d’Honneur

Madame Antoine Mari Souvenir de Stella Gray

Madame Chédane Guin- William Allen Richardson
oisseau

Z

338 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

For very miniature button-holes the pompons are

excellent.

Dwarf Polyanthas or Pompons.

Cecile Brunner
Eugénie Lamesch
Leonie Lamesch

Petit Constant
Philippine Lambert
Perle d’Or

Roses suitable for Pillars, Pergolas, and Arches.

Alister Stella Gray
Ards Rover
Alberic Barbier
Blush Rambler
Climbing Aimée Vibert
Conrad F. Meyer
Crépuscule
Crimson Rambler
Dorothy Perkins
Flower of Fairfield
Gardenia
Goldfinch
Hiawatha

Héléne

Jersey Beauty

Lady Gay

Lady Godiva
Longworth Rambler
Madame Alfred Carriére
Madame d’Arblay
Marie Lavalley

Mrs. F. W. Flight
Minnehaha

Noélla Nabonnand
Paul Transon

Paul’s Carmine Pillar
Psyche

René André

Tea Rambler

White Dorothy

Roses suitable for Dwarf Pillars.

Billard et Barré
Electra

J. B. Clark

Johanna Sebus
Lady Waterlow
Leuchtstern

Lina Schmidt-Michel
Mrs. O. G. Orpen

Purity
Tausendschon
Thalia (Perpetual)
The Garland
Trier

Frangois Crousse
Una

Zéphirine Drouhin

XIII SELECTIONS 339

Selection of Single Roses.

Austrian Copper Trish Harmony

Austrian Yellow Macrantha
Dawn (semi-single) Maharajah (semi-single)
Gottfried Keller (semi- Morgenroth
single) Muriel Jamison
Trish Elegance Simplicity
Beauty Sinica Anemone
» Glory Una (semi-single)

In making a selection of varieties suitable for
culture in asuburban or town garden, there is con-
siderable difficulty without knowing the actual
circumstances of the situation. It may vary from
that of a small country town, or distant and pure
suburb of London, in which case if other matters be
favourable the best Roses may be grown, to that of
areal town garden in a thoroughly smoky atmosphere,
where none can be cultivated to perfection. I have
consulted some good suburban growers, but their
lists do not at all agree, the probability being that
where good Roses can be cultivated at all, most of
the best sorts will answer. It seems, however, to be
generally admitted that the Austrian briars are as
impatient of impure air as any Roses.

Roses suitable for a suburban garden.

Antoine Rivoire

Betty

Caroline Testout

Blanc double de Coubert
Conrad F. Meyer
Commandant Félix Faure
Dupuy Jamain

Gustav Grinerwald

Frau Karl Druschki

Hugh Dickson
Killarney
Lady Ashtown
La France
Laurette Messimy (China)
Madame Abel Chatenay
Madame Ravary
Madame Isaac Pereire, B
Marquise Litta

Z 2

340 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. XLII

Mrs. John Laing 8. M. Rodocanachi
Mrs. R. G. Sharman- Ulrich Brunner

Crawford Viscountess Folkestone
Mrs. Paul

If any of the delicate Teas can be grown, the list
should be consulted; the hardier sorts should be
tried to start with.

For the sea-side, I do not know of any varieties
that are more impatient of violent winds and oc-
casional salt in the air than others. For hardy use-
ful Roses the above list would suffice; but as there
is seldom much harmful frost near the sea, Tea
Roses may often also be well and successfully culti-
vated.

CHAPTER XIV
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS

In the following list of Rosarian work for each
month I have not repeated the details of each
operation, but merely noted the times when they
are to be performed. This is often important, as
delay and loss of opportunity will frequently leave a
mark on the work throughout the year. A novice
should study some such calendar as this, see how
much work he has to get through in a given time,
and make his arrangements accordingly. It will be
seen that a large collection will supply sufficient
work to keep a man ‘out of mischief” pretty nearly
all the year round.

October.—By general consent this is considered
the first month of the Rosarian’s year. Nursery-
men’s catalogues for the coming season are now to
be had, and they are eagerly scanned by ardent
amateurs. Orders should be given as soon as
possible, and it is better still to visit the nurseries
in the early autumn and choose and order the finest
specimens. It is rather hard on those who go by
the catalogues, but first come first served is a good
old rule of trade, and it is right that those who take ©

341

342 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

trouble about a thing should reap some benefit from
it. In ordering Standards, do not forget that unless
you ask for ‘‘ Half-Standards” you may get stems
4 or 5 feet high. If new beds are to be made or
planting on an extensive scale is to be undertaken,
preparations should have commenced even in
September, in procuring fresh soil and digging the
beds out to the depth of two feet. It should be
pushed on at any rate early in October. Pot Roses
for growing under glass should now be repotted.
Many of the free-blooming Teas, now covered with
buds, will open them indoors at a time when they
will be much appreciated. But beware of too much
heat when the amount of daylight is small. This is
the month for taking cuttings out of doors: those of
the Roses themselves do better if the leaves have
not fallen, and these, if used at all, had better be
taken first. Manetti and briar cuttings will do as
well without the leaves. All extra long shoots of
Roses should now be shortened sufficiently to
diminish the wind leverage on the roots; these
pieces may be used as cuttings. Towards the end
of the month a commencement in planting may be
made with those Roses which have simply to be
moved from one part of the garden to the other.
Such may be planted before their leaves have fallen,
much care being taken that their roots are exposed
as little as possible; they should be watered and
syringed immediately after planting, and will probably
do better thus than if moved later. About the middle
of the month fresh cuttings may be taken of briar
and manetti, and later the rooted cutting and seed-
ling stocks may be planted out, but standard stocks
will not be ready yet.

XIV CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS 343

November.—This is a busy and important month,
as it is the time for planting, and the work should
be pushed on whenever the soil is fairly dry, for
November days are short, and no planting should
be done when the ground is sticky. Unpack the
purchased Roses carefully, and lay them in the
ground when they cannot be planted at once. Be
careful in each detail of planting, for much depends
upon it. Stocks of all sorts should now be planted
also if possible, but there will not be much time yet
for getting standards from the hedges. Where seed
is saved it should now be gathered. All wild growth
is now to be cut away from budded stocks, leaving
one or two buds on those laterals of the standards
which have been successfully operated on. Roses
in pots should be brought into cool shelter before
severe weather. In northern districts it may be
well to place the winter protection round the Teas
before the month is out, or they can now be earthed up.

December.—In most English counties it will
suffice to apply the winter protection during the
first fortnight of this month, but dead leaves should
have been collected by the end of the first week in
November, and bracken should have been cut and
set ready, in sheaves, not in heaps, as soon as it
began to change colour. It is perhaps best to
commence the protection as soon as the Rose
planting is finished, even though the setting out of
stocks has to be postponed. They will do nearly as
well if planted at any dry time during the winter,
but a severe early frost coming before the bed-
clothes are on the tender Teas may cause much
lamentation. Now is the time, on dull damp days,
to sally forth with the little stock axe and the Grecian

344 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

saw in quest of standard stocks. If no winter
mulch is applied to the Rose beds, the surface
should still be kept stirred and loose. Roses for the
earliest forcing may be pruned and started at the
end of the month, and grafting under glass may be
commenced about Christmas time.

January.—This is the best month for grafting in
heat, though it may be continued in February. In
light frosts, strong liquid manure may be put on the
Rose beds, when it will sink in rapidly and in
quantity. After or during high winds, the Teas
may be inspected to see that the protective materials
are secure, and standards should be looked to, as
they may have broken away from their stakes.
Standard stocks may still be got at any time when
the weather is open. Even in severe frost work
may be found in digging trenches to discover and
cut off the invading roots of trees and shrubs.
Roses being forced under glass will now be starting
and requiring much care, and winter grafting will
be in full swing.

February.—If farmyard manure is used in the
soil, now is the time to dig or fork it in, but be sure
it is thoroughly decomposed, or in my opinion it
will do more harm than good. Still, it supplies the
vegetable matter of humus, and if the soil in the
beds be raw and light-coloured, such an addition
is necessary, but the upper portion of the beds
should originally have been supplied with humus, in
old garden mould or the like. If no digging is
practised, the soil should be well loosened by the
hoe, as some weeds will probably have grown since
October. The artificial manure should then be
applied, choosing a still day when it can be

XIV CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS 345

distributed evenly. If the weather be favourable at
the end of the month any arrears of planting may be
finished and stocks of all sorts may still be set out ;
but Roses planted now may require watering in
March and April, if the weather be dry, till they
have got a hold. Cuttings should be examined, and
those that have been lifted by the frost should be
set firm again, either by pushing them down or
consolidating the soil round them. Roses on sunny
walls may be pruned after the middle of the month,
and towards the close we may proceed with the
summer and hardy garden sorts. Maréchal Niel
and other climbing Roses indoors will be starting,
and they and all forced Roses should be watched for
mildew and insects, and will require much care in
the regulation of air and moisture.

March.—This is the month for pruning all outdoor
Roses except Teas, but the second week will generally
be early enough for H.P.s in northern and midland
districts. The Teas should not be pruned yet, but
the winter protections should be most carefully
removed towards the end of the month. Do not be
persuaded to take away the shelter earlier, as the
weather is by no means safe yet. It is an error to
suppose that the winter protection forces them into
precocious growth, for it has just the opposite effect.
The same blanket that keeps a man warm will also
keep a block of ice cold. It is true, however, that
such shoots as are made under the protection grow
longer than they would outside simply because they
are not stopped by frost, but these premature
growths would have to come off in any case.
Planting may still be done, with care, but watering
will probably be required to follow it. The roots of

346 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

all plants moved at this time, whether stocks or
Roses, should be kept in water as long as they are
out of the ground. All budded stocks should now
be staked, and the buds carefully examined, for the
grub is sometimes at work before March is out. If
it be desired to retard the blooming of Teas, a thick
heavy mulch of long wet manure laid on now while
the ground is still very cold will keep the roots cool
and, toa certain extent have the required effect. Be
most careful of the ventilation of Maréchal Niel
under glass, and attack mildew and aphides when
they first appear. With the increased light, Roses
in pots will bear more heat, but remember that all
of them, indoors or out, open their finest and best
coloured flowers in a slightly decreased temperature.

April.—In most seasons, in midland districts, the
second week will be soon enough for the pruning of
Teas. There will be no difficulty in finding Rose
grubs now, if the signs indicating their presence in
the shoots and young leaves are known. Maiden
shoots and buds should be examined the oftenest,
as in these cases the life of a whole plant is at stake.
Suckers will begin to be troublesome on all plants,
especially on maiden standards. Tie up the maiden
shoots as soon as possible; if left too long, even
though not blown out, they will grow away from
the stake and be troublesome to secure. A regular
system of hoeing should now commence on the
Rose beds, on which no hard crust must be
permitted to form: one of the simpler forms of
push-hoes, of which I believe the ‘‘ Sproughton ” to
be the best, will generally be found most convenient.
If liquid manure is available it may be applied but
cautiously, and not among dwarf maidens. The

XIV CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS 347

pushing buds and ‘shoots of pruned H.P.s may now
be well thinned ; the sooner it is done the better, as
rubbing, or even cutting, out a great fat shoot leaves
an ugly wound which bleeds a good deal for a time.
See that the shoots left are free from pests. Pinch,
“ stave,” or cut carefully back, to form finer plants,
the first pushing buds which were inserted last year
in the stocks, as recommended on p. 149. Indoors,
cut back Maréchal Niel, climbing Niphetos, and the
like, gradually as the blooms are gathered. The
first bloom of the forced Roses will now be over,
and liquid manure—not too strong or too cold—
may be administered to those intended to flower a
second time by immersing the pots.

May.—This is the month for insect pests of all
sorts. The only plan is to go over the whole collec-
tion as often as possible: I have several times found
a large caterpillar or two in the afternoon on a small
plant which I had carefully examined in the morning.
If a rolled leaf be simply pinched you will probably
carefully squeeze the same leaf again half a dozen
times; it must therefore either be picked off or un-
rolled, and the latter plan is best. If several leaf
sprays are curled on one shoot the enemy will be
found in the topmost one, which probably shows the
disfigurement least: he is working upwards towards
the bud, and with inherited cunning leaves his
past abodes most manifest, and artfully conceals his
present one. Be not satisfied with a pinch unless
you feel him ‘“‘go squash.” Never go up and
down without a supply of raffia about you; some-
thing is sure to want tying: the maiden plants
should be looked over for this purpose very fre-
quently. Do not be satisfied with any shoot till

348 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

it is firmly and closely tied to a support. Raffa
does not keep well in my pockets somehow: there
should be supplies of it ready in places close at hand.
Tea shoots should be thinned; harden your heart if
you want good blooms: early trusses will require
disbudding before the end of the month. Suckers
should be pulled out or rubbed off as soon as they
appear; in fact, there will now be hardly a plant
which will not want a little attention pretty fre-
quently. Liquid manure may be applied, particu-
larly to those plants which are already showing
flower buds; and hoeing, especially after rain or
liquid applications, must on no account be neglected.
A further light dressing of artificial manure may be
desirable if there has been much heavy rain since
February. Towards the end of the month Teas on
sunny walls will be in bloom: let them all be cut as
wanted, and not remain to seed on the plants. In-
doors the Maréchal Niel will have been cut com-
pletely back, by slow gradations as the blooms are
gathered to the original horizontal old wood. Pot-
plants which have bloomed should be hardened off
by slow degrees that they may be put out in June.
June.—Disbudding will be in progress for a time,
of the later sorts. The plague of caterpillars will be
waning, but those that remain will be far more
dangerous, as they will now be found attacking the
buds themselves. The shoots of all flexible varieties
should be staked, the ties being made pretty close to
the buds. Watering may be necessary if the weather
is very dry, but it is probably better to give none at
all if a thorough soaking cannot be managed. Hoe
the next day after rain, watering, or liquid manure.

XIV CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS 349

Green fly and mildew must be met and combated at
once. Where thrips have been prevalent in former
years, or at all events in very dry weather, Teas and
light-coloured Roses should be syringed in the
evening until the petals begin to show. In dry
weather Tea buds may be wrapped in paper where
intended for exhibition, and the protectors—water-
proof cones attached to stakes—should be got out,
overhauled, and placed in readiness. Exhibition
boxes, tubes, labels, and wires should also be pre-
pared, and moss procured, picked over, and laid on
the trays in a shady place in readiness. Constant
watchfulness will be required by an exhibitor, as his
best bloom may be spoilt by a caterpillar, a gust of
wind, or even a shower of rain, inafew hours. Raffia
and stakes for tying, and sulphur for mildew, should
always be ready where they can be got at once. The
new shoots of Maréchal Niel under glass should be
thinned and trained up under the wires. Forward
stocks may be budded this month with buds from
Roses on walls or grafted plants. Roses in pots
should have been so hardened off that they can be
planted out if desired by the middle of the month.
It is sometimes advisable, to prevent a check, to
gently break the pot in the hole made and pick out the
pieces rather than turn the plant out. Those plants
which are intended for re-potting should now be fit
and ready for plunging out of doors in their autumnal
quarters. Many Roses will be in bloom by the end
of the month, especially the Teas and summer
Roses, and the first fruits, often the best and finest,
will gladden our eyes.

July—In many districts this is, in average

350 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP.

seasons, the month of Roses, H.P.s being a little
later than the old-fashioned Roses of the poets.
The last week in June and the first fortnight in July
are roughly the general bounds of ‘‘ the season” for
the metropolitan latitude. Rose shows will be in full
swing, and exhibitors for a time will have enough to
do in cutting their blooms and rushing about the
country night and day to the various shows.
Mildew often gets a chance now of establishing
itself, and hoeig and aphides are too frequently
neglected. It is harvest time, and the details of
culture} are naturally neglected for a while. Still,
even before the show-boxes are put away, budding
will have commenced with Tea buds on standards
stocks, as these stocks often suffer from a stagnation
of sap in August, and Tea buds, which cannot always
be got in sufficient quantity, will stand the winter
better if they be budded early.

While the Roses are still at their best, it is
advisable that notes be made of the colours and
good or bad qualities of unfamiliar varieties, as even
a good memory may hold a somewhat unreliable
picture of certain flowers if they be not accurately
judged in comparison with others, and the results
of observation commited to writing at once. Now
is the time to condemn certain sorts for weeding out
and to determine to grow more of others. If it be
found that some variety does better in a certain
situation or on a particular stock, especial notice
should be taken of the fact. The foundations of a
good deal of work for the rest of the year may
depend upon a few days’ observation. All flowers
should be cut as soon as they are faded, if not before,

XIV CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS 351

as only the very earliest would be available for seed.
Mildew is now likely to be very troublesome and
vigorous efforts should be made to keep it under.
Hoeing should not be neglected, or watering if the
weather is very dry, but no more liquid manure
should be used. Pot Roses should not be neglected,
and though they will require but little water, they
must be watched for aphides and mildew.
August.—This is the month for budding on all
stocks. When buds are plentiful and the sap of the
stocks runs freely, the work should be pushed on as
fast as possible, for the sooner it is done the better
will be the chance for rebudding in three or four
weeks’ time the stocks that have failed. Layering
may be done in this month, and summer cuttings of
Roses struck in bottom heat. Watering and hoeing
seem the only remedies for rust, the autumn stage
of the orange fungus. There is pleny of time for this,
and for seeing that aphides do not get a footing any-
where, for the man who does not bud his own
Roses; but he who does this in any quantity will
generally find his hands full, for the mere settling
how many, of what varieties, on which stocks, in
what situation, he shall bud will require plenty of
consideration and arrangement.
September.—Budding on briars should be finished
during the first week, but manettis may still be
budded a little later. Roses for foremg should be
kept at rest. Maréchal Niel under glass will now
probably be growing very fast, and should be kept
tied up, and watched for mildew. Wall Roses may
require nailing or otherwise fastening up, as they
grow rapidly during this month. There will be

352 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CH. XIV

beautiful Roses in abundance out of doors, among
which, if the weather be dry, Teas and Hybrid Teas
will be pre-eminent ; but in spite of this I should
strongly advise the hard-worked Rosarian now to
take a holiday, for if he does not I do not know
when he will get one, unless it be during the snows
and frosts of Christmas and January.

ANALYsIS, of soil and Rose
ash : .

Ants

Aphides . .

April, work for

Arches, Roses for .

Arrangement, of Rose beds

of blooms for

show ..

Artificial manures

August, work for

Austrian Briars

Axe, . «

Ayrshire Roses .

Bamsoo stakes
Banksian Rose .
Bedding Roses
Beds, shape of
preparation of
Black grub
Blooms, shapes of .
faults of .
Boring insects
Bourbon Rose
Boursault Rose. .
Boxes for exhibition
Bracken, for protection
Briar, Austrian .
sweet
as a stock
seedling
standard .
cutting

INDEX

353

Budding .

Burnt clay . eK 44

Button-hole Roses,
selection of 337
CALENDAR of operations . 341
Caterpillars 163
Chalk soil . 2 48
China Rose. . ‘. 27, 336
Christmas, Roses at . 202
Classification l4
Clay soil . 42
burnt. . . 44
Climbing Roses . 312
Colours of Roses 238
Cuckoo-spit 171
Cultivation ? 66
Cutting for exhibition . 221
Cuttings of Roses . 155
briar . 130
manetti 133
Damask Rose s 18
December, work for 343
Depth for planting . 62
Dijon Teas, pruning of 108
Disbudding of shoots 105
for exhibition . 106
of buds. —. :112, 213
Dog-Rose 14, 115
Drainage 43, 56

AA

NDEX

PAGE
Dressing of blooms for show 228
Dwarf plants, qualifications
of good 58
Eartu, burning of 44
as protection . 69
Earwigs 171
Elevation, advantage of 38
English Roses 11
growers 11, 13
Evergreen Rose a2
Exhibitiag 204
boxes for 219
Farry Roses . 28
Faults of Roses . 240)
February, work for 344
Fly, green 167
Forcing Roses 192
Form in Roses 210
Fragrance . 207
French Rose . 1s
growers 10
names 12
Friends, insect 175
Frog hoppers . 3 171
Frost, injury from in May 189
remedial measures for 189
protection against 68
Fungus, orange 184
(GARDEN Roses 31, 335
Glass, culture under 192
Grafting 152
Gravel soil . 46
Grecian saw 193
Green fly 167
Gross shoots . 104
Hapzirs of Roses 240
Hoe, use of : 66, 87
a Sproughton ” 66
Hybrid Bourbon Roses 19
China Roses 19

PAGE

Hybrid Perpetual Roses . 26, 241
selection of 332

Tea Roses . 26, 270
selection of 334

Hybridisation 158
IcHNEumoN flies. 175
Increased culture of Roses. 210
Insects 160
Iron in soil. . 92
JaNuaRyY, work for B44
Japanese Roses . 30
Josephine, Empress 10

Judging . . 232

July, work for 349
June, work for 348
LABELS 67
Larva: of moths 162
Layering . . 156
Lawrenceana Roses 28
Leaves, dead, as protection 69
Liquid | manure SO)
Lists of Roses 331
Loam 45
Locality . 36
Macartney Rose . 30
Manetti stock 115
Manures, natural solid qu
liquid su

artificial $s

March, work for 344
Marl. 48
Maréchal Niel 321
May, work for 347
Mildew 178
Miniature Roses 16, 28
Moisture, under glass 199
rising in soil 64+

Monthly Rose 27
Moss, for exhibition 219
Roses V7
Moths 162

Mulching . .
Multiflora Rose
Musk Rose

Names, French
Night-soil

Nitrates . .
Noisette Rose
November, work for

OctToseER, work for
Odours of Roses
Old-fashioned Roses
Operations, calendar of
Orange fungus

Otto of Roses

Packine Rose blooms .

Pegged down Roses .
selection of

Pergolas, selection of .

Pests ...

Pillars, Rose

Planting ‘

Polyantha Rose

selection of dwarf

Pompon Roses .
Potash
Pot Roses

selection of .
Preparation of beds .

Procuring standard stocks .

Propagation
Protection against frost
rain

Provenge Rose
Pruning de takes
for exhibition .
roots .

QUEEN of flowers .

Ratsers, French
English .
Red rust .

INDEX

355
PAGE
Red spider. . . . 194
Remedies for mildew . 181
late frosts. . 189
orange fungus 186
Roots of different stocks 118
Rosarium, pattern or shape
Of ne es 52
Rose progress 209
Rose-water . 8
Sanpy soil . 49
Saw, Grecian 123
Saw flies... 165
Scent of Roses 207
Scissors . 222
Scotch Rose a 21
Sécateurs . . 98
Seed, Roses from . 157
Seedlings 158
Selections 331
September, work for 351
Setting up for exhibition 227
Shading blooms . 217
Shelter. : 36
Single Roses . 31, 339
Site. ; 36
Soils, different 41
Soot... 88
Specimen pot plants 202
Sports, climbing 315
‘“Sproughton ” hoe 66
Stakes for standards 37, 150
Standards . . 116
getting the stocks. 122
Stocks . ‘ 114
Suckers, to eradicate P 186
propagation by 156
Summer Roses. 16
Sweet briar 21
TALL Standards 50, 127, 336
Tap roots . 118, 133
Tea Roses 28, 290
pruning of 107
selections of 334
Thinning shoots 104
buds _ 112, 213

356 INDEX

PAGE
Thorns . 123 = Varietiss, habits of
Thrips. $9 174 selections of .
Top-dressings : io Ventilation
Town gardens . 339
Trailing Roses : 22,24 Watts for Roses
Training Maréchal Niel 108 Watering
specimen pot plants 202 Weeping Roses .
Tying maiden shoots 150 Weevils :
Tying, material for . 147 = Wichuraiana Roses
Types of Roses . 210 Wind, danger from
THE END

R CLAY AND SONS, LTD. BREAD ST. HILL, &.C., AND BUNGAY SUFFOLK.

F. CANT'S

CHAMPION

ROSES

Roses for Exhibition.
New Roses and Old Roses.
Everblooming Roses for Beds and Hedges.
Roses for any Soil or Situation.

euernseuan ITU Pla Yl Ya aa ha PY a a ah

STANDARD ROSES. BUSH ROSES.
CLIMBING ROSES. PILLAR ROSES.
ROSES FOR GARDEN DECORATION.
ROSES FOR PERGOLAS.

Consult our New Illustrated Catalogue, Post Free.

FRANK CANT & CO.,

Braiswick Rose Gardens,
Ge a eta)

COLCHESTER,

gMe~ Please carefully address to ensure correct delivery.

Winners of the Champion Trophy of the N.R.S.
five times.

1 [Facing last matter.

BENJN. R. CANT & SONS

THE OLD ROSE GARDENS,

COLCHESTER:

Che Finest Roses in the World.

Direct from the Original Firm.
ESTABLISHED 1765.

WINNERS of the
CHAMPION CHALLENGE TROPHY of THE NATIONAL
ROSE SOCIETY ELEVEN TIMES.

Also THE QUEEN’S EUP—Presented by Her late Majesty,
and THE KING’S CUP in 1906.

BENJAMIN R. CANT & SONS’ CATALOGUE
IS THE BEST PUBLISHED—sent free.

The late Very Rev. S. REYNOLDS HOLE,
Dean of Rochester and late President of the National Rose
Society, says :-—
‘“*No Roses in the World can come up to those of
BENJAMIN R. CANT.”

The Rev. H. HONY WOOD DOMBRAIN,

late Hon. Sec. of The National Rose Society, writes :—
‘““BENJAMIN R. CANT is still the Champion.”

ROSES SHIPPED TO ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD.
SATISFACTORY DELIVERY GUARANTEED.

2

Practical
Gardening Books

By Prof. L. H. BAILEY.
Horticulturist’s Rule Book. Third

Edition, Revised and Extended. Globe 8vo, BS: Net.

The Nursery Book. A Complete Guide

to the Multiplication of Plants. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo,
6s. 6d. net.

The Forcing Book. Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d.

net.

The Principles of Fruit =- Growing.
Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d. net.

The Principles of Vegetable Gardening.

Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d. net.

The Pruning Book. Eighth Edition.

Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d. net.

Garden Making: Suggestions for the Utiliza-
tion of Home Grounds. Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d. net.

The Amateur’s Practical Garden Book.
By C. E, Hunn and L, H. Baitey. Globe 8vo, 3s. 6d. net.

Children’s Gardens. By the Hon. Mrs.

EVELYN CECIL. Illustrated. Extra crown 8vo, 6s.

Spraying of Plants. A Succinct Account
of the History, Principles, and Practice of the Application of
Liquids and Powders to Plants for destroying Insecis and Fungi.
By E. G. LopEMaN. Crown 8vo, 55. net.

Bush Fruits. By F. W. Carp. Crown 8vo,
6s. 6d. net.
London: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd.
3

The National Rose Society.

The Guide, Counsellor and Friend
of the Amateur Rosarian.

Patroness : HER MAJESTY, QUEEN ALEXANDRA.

Although the Society has been in existence more than
thirty years, the Council feel that there is still a very large
number of Amateurs interested in Roses and Rose culture
who are unaware how helpful it would be to them if they
became members.

Membership.—lIt is not necessary that a member should be an
expert Rosarian. No introduction is required, as there is no ballot for
membership. The number of members is now over 4,009, the Society
having doubled its membership in the last four years.

The Subscription.—The subscription is only Half-a-Guinea per
annum, and members can with equal advantage join the Society at any
period of the year.

The Publications.—Each new member at once receives the
following helpful publications. The ‘‘ Hints on Planting Roses,” with
a list of the best varieties with which to begin a collection, however
small. The ‘‘ Official Catalogue of Roses,” giving descriptions of 500
of the best Roses of the day, together with select lists of the varieties
most suitable for different purposes. The ‘‘ Handbook on Pruning
Roses,” which gives directions for pruning 1,000 different varieties.
The ‘‘ Enemies of the Rose,” which shows how best to keep these in
check. The ‘‘ Rose Annual,” issued each year during the spring. All
these publications, except the “‘ Hints on Planting Roses,” are bound
in cloth, and several of them beautifully illustrated.

The Metropolitan Exhibition.—This is the Society’s prin-
cipal Exhibition, and is held each year in London early in July. For
that Show—the finest display of Roses in the world—Members receive
three tickets, and also two tickets for the Autumn Show.

A prospectus containing further particulars than can be
given in this short notice will be sent on application to—

EDWARD MAWLEY, Zon. Secretary,

i Rosebank, Berkhamsted, Herts.
Q 4

Fehcteaeh