100 NAT. ORDER. ROSACE.E. 



garden, from the most humble cottage to the gorgeous palace. Some 

 species, such as the Rosa centifolia, Rosa damascena, &c., are also 

 cultivated on a large scale by commercial gardeners, for distilling 

 rose-water, and for making ottar, or essential oil of roses. Six 

 pounds of the petals will impregnate by distillation a gallon of water 

 strongly with its odor ; but a hundred pounds afford hardly half an 

 ounce of ottar. The Rose is also used in medicine. Botanists are 

 not agreed as to the number of original species of this genus ; and, 

 notwithstanding the labors of many scientific men, the genus still 

 remains a chaos, from which it can never be extricated. 



Propagation and Culture. The varieties are raised from seed 

 in warm climates, but will not ripen well in this country. A num- 

 ber of varieties have been raised in this country, especially of the 

 Rosa spinossissima, or Scotch Rose. New varieties are raised in 

 France and Italy, annually. Some are quite black, others shaped 

 like a ranunculus, and many of them highly odoriferous. New vari- 

 eties are chiefly propagated by seed, but mostly by layers, for con- 

 tinuing approved sorts. They are also increased by budding, cuttings, 

 and suckers. 



Bi/ seed. The hips containing the seeds are obtained from semi- 

 double and single flowers ; and to increase the chance of new vari- 

 eties, these should be taken from plants that have been planted 

 among or near to the Idnds of which a cross is desired. Extracting 

 the stamens from one flower, and dusting the stigmas with the pollen 

 of another kind might answer in most instances. In France, Italy, 

 and some parts of this country, the usual mode is to form a planta- 

 tion of double and semi-double sorts, mixed indiscriminately, and 

 take the result of promiscuous impregnation : this is often done in 

 some of the extensive nurseries of this country. The hips generally 

 ripen in September or October. The seeds do not vegetate till the 

 second season after sowing. The first year, instead of sowing them, 

 they may be preserved among sand, or the hips entire may be so 

 preserved a full year, when the husks will be perfectly rotten, and 



