No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 773 



We have the exotic Orchids for cut flowers, but Roses are really 

 the most popular flowers before the public at the present time, and 

 observers of events feel they can safely say that the Rose, the "Queen 

 of Flowers," vriU for all time hold the affections of the people. 

 To the laymen, if I may be allowed to so designate those who are not 

 iu close touch with the forcing of Roses for cut flowers commercially, 

 it may seem strange when I say that out of hundreds of species and 

 varieties and of Roses in and out of catalogues and books of refer- 

 ence, there are less than a dozen which are recognized as being both 

 profitable and popular for the purpose indicated. 



As to varieties, American Beauty stands first on the list. Its 

 cerise color is too well known to need anything more than a passing 

 mention here. Its sweet June Rose scent endears it to all, besides 

 being a Rose which when well grown may be cut with almost any 

 length of stem desirable. For special purposes, flowers with stems 

 eight feet long have been cut-^these are the most expensive of any; 

 not that the individual flower is any better on these extremely long 

 stems than ou shorter ones, because they are not. Frequently the 

 flowers on a stem a foot long or even shorter will be equally as per- 

 fect in form, size, color, and, of course, fragrance, as those with a 

 much longer stem. It is the scarcity of these very long stemmed 

 l^owers, and the special uses to which they may be put, which makes 

 them more valuable and consequently higher in price than the 

 shorter ones. This Rose may be bought all the way from one dollar 

 to twenty-five dollars per dozen, according to the season of the year 

 and the length of stem and quality of the flower, but the fragrance, 

 bear in mind, is always found in the flower oo matter how long 

 or how short the stem or how far from perfect may be the flower in 

 form. 



The origin of American Reauty Rose is in doubt. A claim is made 

 that it was discovered in the garden of the late historian, George 

 Bancroft, at Washington, D. C, who was a great lover of Roses 

 and had a collection of numerous and choice varieties. It was the 

 gardener for Mr. Bancroft who discovered it first, but whether he 

 thought he could see that it possessed a possible forcing quality or 

 whether by accident it was fouud out, has not to my knowledge been 

 placed on record. Certain it is that more area under glass is devoted 

 to its culture for the large cities, as Philadelphia, New York, Chicago 

 and Boston, than all the other varieties of winter forcing varieties 

 combined. 



Although we owe much to the florists of Boston for having been 

 the pioneers in the development of Rose forcing in general, yet the 

 American Beauty, for some unaccountable reason, has not in the 

 past been grown thereabouts so successfully until the past 

 year or two when better reports have been recorded; consequently 



