VARIETIES DESCRIBED. 65 



surpassed in beauty by the varieties of Kosa sem- 

 pervirens; still they have distinct and desirable 

 qualities : they bloom nearly a fortnight earlier 

 tlian the roses of that division ; they will grow 

 where no other rose will exist ; and to climb up 

 the stems of timber trees in plantations near 

 frequented walks, and to form undergrowth, they 

 are admirably well adapted ; they also make 

 graceful and beautiful standards, for the ends of 

 the branches descend and shade the stems, which 

 in consequence increase rapidly in bulk. It seems 

 probable that Ayi'shire Eoses will grow to an 

 enormous size as standards, and surpass in the 

 beauty of their singular dome-shaped heads many 

 other roses more prized for their rarity. I had 

 in 1854 two standards of Bennet's seedling about 

 ten years old ; their stems are ten inches in cir- 

 cumference, their branches trail on the ground, 

 and when in full bloom nothing can be more 

 beautiful; they have never been touched with 

 the pruning knife. 



I have a steep bank of hard white clay, which, 

 owing to a cutting made in the road, became too 

 steep for cultivation. Some years since this was 

 planted with Ayrshire and other climbing roses ; 

 holes were made in the hard soil with a pick two 

 feet over and two feet deep ; some manure mixed 

 with the clay, after it had lain exposed to frost 

 to mellow it, and climbing roses planted. This 

 bank is, when the roses are in bloom, a mass 



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