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ame —_—_- 
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SOK er 7 Ke . 
T comes like a shock to the enthusiastic Rose- 
grower who is no botanist, to tell him that all the 
lovely blossoms upon which he sets such store are, 
strictly speaking, monstrosities. He will probably 
seek to rebut your assertion by pointing to the 
exquisite forms and delicate shades of colour of his 
pets, whose beauty is enhanced in many cases by the 
exhalation of subtle and delicious perfume. ‘“ How,” 
he may ask, “can you apply the term ‘monstrous’ 
to such beautiful creations as these?” The term 
certainly appears on the surface to be misapplied, 
yet, in judging flowers, we are bound to consider 
not the arbitrary rules of floricultural exhibition 
judges, or the varying standards of beauty set 
up by mankind, but the purpose for which the 
flowers exist in nature, and how far the particular 
specimens in question are fitted to serve that 
purpose. 
The first and last purpose of the flower is to 
insure the continuance of the species by the pro- 
duction of good seed; but the most perfect Roses 
21 
