54 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



she gave to him a feast of roses. The floors of the rooms and hall» 

 were covered to the depth of 18 inches with freshly blown roses, held 

 in place by a strong but delicate net stretched above them so that her 

 guests might walk over them. Nero, not many years later, gave a 

 feast where $100,000 was spent in roses alone. 



When the use of these flowers first came into vogue, the Romans 

 were obliged to send to Egypt for them in the winter time. The ad- 

 vance in rose-culture is clearly shown by an incident in the days of 

 Bomitian, the last of the Csesars, and Nero's immediate successor. The 

 Egyptians proposed making a magnificent donation of roses to the 

 Emperor, but the Romans laughed them to scorn. " In every street,'* 

 says Martial, with reference to the proposed gift, " the odor of spring- 

 is breathed, and garlands of freshly gathered flowers are hanging. 

 Send us corn, O, Egyptians! and we will send you roses." 



Latinus Pacatus, reproaching the Romans for their luxury, said 

 they were not satisfied till they had reversed the seasons, having roses 

 in winter wherewith to crown their cups of wine, and ice in summer ta 

 coolit. Martial says: "The moment for soliciting a favor is when 

 the patron is entirely given over to the pleasures of the table and 

 roses.'''' As the stern conquerors and law-makers of the earth fell from 

 their high estate, and their martial valor was quenched in luxury, their 

 passion for the use of roses grew ; they crowned the statues of their 

 gods and heroes with them, they scattered the petals through their 

 temples. At feasts the floors and couches were fragrant with fresh 

 blossoms, the vessels from which they drank, and the heads of the 

 guests, were wreathed with them, and the petals were thrown into the 

 cups from which they drank the vaunted Falernian wine. On the occa- 

 sion of certain water parties given at Baite, the whole lake of Lucina 

 was covered with roses, which parted before the moving boats and 

 closed after them as they passed. 



Lucius Yerus reached a luxury in the use of the rose never sur- 

 passed before or after his time. He slept upon a couch covered with 

 cushions made of a fine, thin net, and filled with freshly gathered rose- 

 leaves. The extreme fastidiousness of the young Smindyrides, the 

 Sybarite, whose sleep was disturbed by a crumpled rose-leaf, has 

 passed into a familiar proverb. 



So enormous a demand created, of course, its commensurate sup- 

 ply, and acres upon acres of ground were devoted to their cultivation. 

 The sale of flowers has always been intrusted to the most beautiful 

 women. Some of the Roman poets have immortalized the names of 

 these charming rose-venders. It is altogether probable that Flora, or 

 Chloris, the goddess of flowers, was one of the earlier and more charm- 



