DESCRIPTION. 133 



in 1824; and even now, tlioiigli so many fine 

 varieties have been raised, but few surpass it in 

 the size and beauty of its flowers, semi-double as 

 tliey are : it has but a very sliglit tea- like scent, 

 but its offspring have generally a delicious fra- 

 grance, which I impute to their hybridisation 

 witli Rosa odorata. In France the yellow Tea 

 Rose is exceedingly popular, and in the summer 

 and autumn months hundreds of plants are sold 

 in the flower markets of Paris, principally worked 

 on little stems or ' demi-tiges.' They are brought 

 to market in pots, with their heads partially en- 

 veloped in coloured paper in such an elegant and 

 effective mode that it is scarcely possible to avoid 

 being tempted to give two or three francs for 

 such a pretty object. In the fine climate of Italy, 

 Tea-scented Roses bloom in great perfection 

 during the autumn : our late autumnal months 

 are often too moist and stormy for them ; but in 

 August they generally flower in England very 

 beautifully. I was much impressed in the autumn 

 of 1835 with the effects of climate on these roses ; 

 for in a small enclosed garden at Versailles, I saw, 

 in September, hundreds of plants of yellow Tea 

 Roses covered with ripe seed and flowers. The 

 French cultivators say that it very rarely pro- 

 duces a variety worth notice. The culture of Tea- 

 scented Roses is worthy of more attention than it 

 receives, for surely no class more deserves it. In 

 calm weather, in early autumn their large and 



