CHRISTCHURCH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 136, 6 November 1874, Page 3

CHRISTCHURCH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

A meeting of the committee of this society was held at the Clarendon Hotel last night, to make final arrangements for the show to be held on the 12lh inst, in the paddock of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and for other business. The president in the chair. Present—Messrs Greenaway, Leigh, Allen, Chudley, and Crooks. It was resolved—“ That as the show of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association is to be open two days, viz, on the 12th and 13th inst, the Flower Show also should be opened on the same two days.” It was also resolved that It should be opened at 12 o’clock noon on the 12th, and be closed at 5 p.m. on the 13th ; and that, for the first hour of the first day 2s 6d should be charged for admittance, and Is afterwards. A managing committee was appointed to make arrangements for the Rose Show, which is to be held on the 26th iusf ; and it was resolved that the charges of admittance to this show should be Is from 2 o’clock to 5, and 6d from 5 to 9 ; and that subscribers to the society of one guinea should have the privilege of introducing three friends to the show, and subscribers of half a guinea should be entitled to introduce one friend. Messrs Mellish, Low, Proctor, an.d the Rev W. W. Willock will be requested to act

as judges at the Rose Show, anti Messrs Dutton and Napie r to act as stewards. After the committee meeting a monthly meeting was held, at which Mr Greenaway opened a discussion on the cultivation of the rose. He said that the love of roses was universal, hut not so the soil that was fit 'or their cultivation hoses in general needed a heavy soil, hut this was not essential for all varieties, and he should speak at present on the cultivation of the rose on light soils. Rut there was no such garden literature extant that he did not expect to he able to say anything new on the subject. For cultivating the rose on a light soil trenching was of the first importance; and the next thing in importance was to make the light soil as much like, h *avy soil as pos sihle. The soil which, in lbs opinion, was the best in Christchurch for the cultivatioi of the ro'o was to be found between Durham street and th" Church of England cemetery. In manuring light sod for roses, pig manure was the best that could be used, and the next best was to be obtained from the cow shed Canterbury soils were in general light and porous, but as could be seen in the Acclimatisation ground, where the soil is of that nature, certain classes of rosea m >y with care be made to thrive. The planting of roses might seem a very simple matter, but in light soils it was not so. After setting the plant in its lio e it is of great importance to make the soil about it very firm, by ramming it down very hard. To succeed with roses in a light soil earn should ho taken to get the right stock. Those of Australia generally fail; such as the dog rose ami the China mse. Amongst the stocks which thrive in light soils, the best, are (he Maneltie and the Tea Hose. He would prune the plants as h • would a gooseberry hush, leaving it in a pyramidal form; it would (hen have but few buds, but, the fl. iwers would approach perfection The best time for pruning was the middle of August. Our climate was treacher ons, and long after the rose was in leaf we often had frost, he therefore preferred late pruning. Mr Chudley said he hoped the discussion of this subject would be continued in a series of monthly papers, as it was of a very practical nature. He thought it was not so well understood as Mr Greenaway seemed to suppose. Cultivators of the rose coming from Europe were placed in new circumstances in New Zealand, and had much to learn from the old cultivators. He agreed with Mr Greenaway, that the Manettie stock was the best for light soils; and it was so because its root was moat fibrous, and threw out most feeders. If it was planted near a rive l- it threw out fewer fibres than when planted in a dry soil. He recommended double pruning of the rose, and that the last pruning should take place as late as September.

Mr Greenaway, in reply, said he agreed with Mr Ghudley’s recommendation of double pruning. The meeting passed a vote of thanks to Messrs Greenaway and Chudley for their valuable remarks, and hoped that Mr Greenaway w.ould resume the subject at the next monthly meeting, which he promised to do. Mr Greenaway exhibited a very beautiful azalea of the variety La Victorie.