MC 



JOtTBNAL OF HOBTICtTLTTTBE AND COTTAG'E GABDEVEB. 



[ Fabnurr 90, Uas. 



were devieod for preserving the gatliered flowers throngbont 

 the yc«r with an much froehnes!) as was attainable. 



The wreath of Eoses, of which one reads and wTites about so 

 often without any other ima^e than that of a carved twig with a 

 tolerably rich supply of floral ornaments, was capable of a high 

 degree of elaboratiun ; fur the Koman florists looked upon an 

 enlaoement of whole flowers as an excecdinply meagre afTair. 

 For a grand work of art tliey took the Eoee leaves separately, 

 laid them over euoh other like scales, and thus produced a Eort 

 of fragrant sausage. 



This refinement in the consbuction of wreaths wlU show 

 UaA the luxorious ancients not only insisted on the constant 

 presence of Koses, but were determined to have them in as 

 large a quantity as possible. The anecdotes that illustrate 

 this form of the floral passion could scarcely be surpassed in 

 wonder by the wildest imagination :— " To enjoy the scent of 

 Boses at meals," says Herr 'Wustemann, "an abundance of 

 Bese leaves was shaken out upon the table, so that the dishes 

 were completely surroimded. By an artificial contrivance, 

 Boses, during meals, descended on the guests from above. 

 HeUogabalus in his folly caused Violets and Boses to be 

 showered down upon his guc«ts in such quantities, that a 

 number of them, being unable to extricate themselves, were 

 suffocated in flowers. During meal times they reclined tipon 

 oashions stuffed with Rose leaves, or made a coucb of the 

 leaves tliemselves. The floor, too, was strewn with Boses, 

 and in this custom great luxurj- was displayed. Cleopatra, 

 ftt an enormous expense, procured Boses for a feast which she 

 gare to Antony, had them laid two cubits thick on the floor 

 of the banquet-room, and caused nets to be spread over the 

 flowers in order to render the footing elastic. HeUogabalus 

 eaased not only the banquet-rooms, but also the colonnades 

 that led to them, to be covered with Boses, interspersed with 

 Iiihes, Violets, Hyacinths, and Narcissi, and walked about 

 t^mn this flowery platform." 



As a source of artificial perfumes the Eose was employed by 

 the ancients in other ways than in those oils and waters that 

 are familiar to modem life. When the leaves had been 

 pressed out for higher uses, they were dried and reduced into 

 a powder, called " diapasma," which was laid on the skin after 

 a bath, and then washed off with cold water. The object of 

 this process was to impart a fragrance to the skin. As a 

 medicine. Quinces preserved in honey were introduced into a 

 decoction of Bose leaves ; and the preparation was deemed 

 good {or complaints of the stomach. In the culinary art 

 Boses had likewise their place of honour, and were put into 

 many dishes for the sake of their pleasant flavour. For this 

 end they were sometimes preserved — a delicate process, as 

 they were very apt to become mouldy. — Bev. W. H. E. 



GLEANINGS FROM ROCK AND FIELD TOWARDS 

 ROME.— No. Vi. 



Fbom the inn beneath the Susa mountains we began the 

 ascent of Mount C'euis on foot, hoping to proceed leisurely a 

 little in advance of the carriage, enjoying the pure air and the 

 now flora. We had not proceeded far when a mountain storm 

 overtook us, and w* had to run for shelter to a soldier's hut. 

 The soldier mode us welcome in the most courteous fashion, 

 giving ns seats, and at the same time a great deal of weather 

 wisdom in an unknown tongue. Presently a poor girl, carrying 

 a fat baby, came in for shelter also, and never did I see a more 

 picturesque pair. The girl was dressed in a brown dress, very 

 old and very worn ; but round her neck she wore a large gilt 

 cross, and above that a large gilt heart, necklace and earrings. 

 She had several rintrs on her hands, and on her head a cap of 

 the coarsest linen trimmed with old point lace — very coarse 

 but real, and scrupuloualy clean. And the baby ? The baby, 

 too, had a little white cap, and laughed and crowed at the 

 strangers right merrily. 



We had a grand journey np the old mountain amidst torrents 

 of rain mingled with Uiunder and lightning, whicb broke at 

 one moment above us, at another below, and again, as it were, 

 in our very faces ; while vast armies of cloud rolled majestically 

 to and fro in the valley l>eneath or about the mountains around 

 us, disclosing now snow-capped peaks fdittcring like diamonds : 

 now waterfalls scattering their airy spray, across which sun- 

 beam? played at rainbow-making ; and now a tiny happy valley 

 adorned with beds of the brilliant Oentiana aca'ulis. Primulas 

 marginata and longifoUa, with the little Gentiana pnmila (?) 



growing on grassy slopes beside hnge ttbUs of snow 12 feet 

 high. 



We passed fields full of the lorrely white Anemone sylveetris, 

 much like onr A. nemorosa magnified half a dozen times its 

 usual size ; and then we came npon other fields one mass of 

 a pole little Crocus, which rises into life and beauty diieetly 

 the snow melts ; while here and there the rocks would show 

 beautiful tufts of Piimnla marginata, and the broken walls 

 revealed masses of Cystopteris fragilis and Ceterach olEcinarmn, 

 with banks of Polypodinm dryopteris waving at their fee*. It 

 seemed like a new world of flowers springing up from a grave 

 of desolation, for nothing conld exceed the savage morose look 

 of the scene, saving when a temporary burst of light and sun- 

 shine fell on a chosen space. As we neared the top of the 

 ascent the storm concentrated itself into one trcmendons ox- 

 plosion, and then rolled away down to the valley beneath, 

 blotting it out from creation, and leaving us a bine sky shining 

 down into a clear lake, which hcs outspread on the top of the 

 mountain close by the hospice where snow-trapped shepherds 

 and travellers find refuge, and where there is a diaptl and an 

 altar at which the hardy mountaineers may meet in worship. 



Every now and then, while making the ascent, we came on 

 one of the twenty-three houses of refuge, built with its thick 

 rock-hke wall turning its sturdy back to the road, which in 

 most cases made a sort of shelter for it. I looked in vain for 

 the gieat dogs of St. Bernard, and yet the houses of refuge are 

 in great request during the winter ; bat instead of dogs there 

 ran oat groups of little children with bouquets of wild flowers, 

 and by never refusing to buy these I used to make a tolerable 

 collection, even when the day was too wet or the roads were 

 too good for flower-htmting. 



What I saw of Ferns during this morning's drive gave me 

 an exceeding longing " to do " Mount Cenis leisurely ; for the 

 few 1 managed to procure by making a dash out of the carriage, 

 or by buying from the children, seemed but as the advanced 

 gnard of a whole beautiful army lying hidden, like riflemen, in 

 their suit of green, in every nook and cranny of those gkrrious 

 mountains. How I longed for roots of all I saw I could never 

 tell. What my companions endured in the way of sundry 

 halts after this or that treasure, from petticoats all dabbled 

 in mud and water or fringed with ice, from bundles of cold 

 clammy Ferns with dripping roots being nnceremoniouriy 

 poked into their warm hands with, " I pray yon jnst hold these 

 till I'm settled ;" or, '• Would you mind taking charge of them ? 

 for my bag is throttling me. And where are the trowels ? 

 Oh, here in my pocket, or there under yon. And the knife? 

 Why, bless me, I forgot to shut it ! Do take care." All these 

 pleasures and sundry others — such as cake f^the delicious Mi- 

 lanese flat raisin bread which cannot be procured elsewhere), 

 ptit unawares into the Fem-bag, or the Ferns put into the 

 cake — 1 leave all this for their pens, not mine, to describe for 

 me. Had I not my treasures, and was I not content ? 



Why do I thus linger on the mountain-top, seeing visions of 

 the past in the clear waters of the lake ? I am taking my last 

 leave of Italy; for almost immediately after leaving tlie hospice 

 yon descend by Fir-clad slopes into Savoy — Frencb Savoy now 

 — so smiling and fertile, one wonders how Victor Emmanuel 

 could ever have found it in his heart to give up such pleasant 

 places. 



By-and-by we passed fields literally covered with the 0«a- 

 tiana pnmila (?) and Primula longifolia ; and there in the 

 bright sunshine I dug away at the roots to my heart's content, 

 till the carriage was filled with perfume and the siftings of 

 sandy clay, as if we had been na\'\ies revelling in Cowshp tea. 



After a while we came to a beautiful valley, through which 

 the river Are carries its rushing waters in a wild tamultaons 

 manner, while snow-clad mountains rise on every side, only 

 the snow was melted. All at once I hoard, " Ijook up I there 

 is the 'Mount Cenis tunnel." I obeyed and 1 mked np. We 

 were close upon the village or town of I'onmeaux, between 

 Lans-le-honrg and St. Michel ; and on the left-hand side, far 

 up a giant mountain, I saw two square framed doors, wliile 

 perched against the mountain side were the workmen's cot- 

 tages. Near the square doors is a large semicirciJar bole, 

 which every now and then vomits forth rocks and stones, which 

 go rattling down the mountain's face. This was the Savoy 

 side of the Great Bore which is to pierce through seven and a 

 half miles of monnfain. to make a railway, by which travellers 

 will be taken that they may avoid the sweet air of heaven, 

 laden with the breath of flowers, and be enabled to go rnahing 

 to and fro Italy and Switzerland during everj- mouth of the 

 year. 



