110 EXHIBITING. 



catalogues from our leading nurseries, and in most of 

 them are lacking names of old friends — roses that have 

 won high awards in the past and have now gone out 

 of commerce. And why?. I will tell you. It is the 

 result of trade competition, which finds its standard of 

 perfection confined within the narrow limits of ad- 

 mirable and necessary rules laid down by the National 

 Rose Society, in conjunction with the fact that certain 

 important classes which command the premier awards 

 embrace too wide a field. Thus, since shape, colour, 

 and size define the perfect Rose, and Hybrid Per- 

 petuals. Hybrid Teas, and Teas are asked to yield their 

 best to make up these premier exhibits, what wonder 

 if the public taste is impaired. 



The Hybrid Tea, taking nearly every post of 

 honour by its size and colour, dismisses from the show 

 tent — except in the case of small classes devoted to 

 them — the Hybrid Perpetual and the Tea Rose. But 

 here, in all fairness, I must admit that the Tea Rose 

 has less to complain of than the Hybrid Perpetual. 

 Now, the result is patent to all. The public views over 

 and over again in various exhibits the same varieties, 

 and every years it is much as before. The moment a 

 fresh Hybrid Tea Rose is born, equal in size and shape 

 to " Mildred Grant," '* William Shean," or '* Caroline 

 Testout," then out of the list goes a Hybrid Perpetual 

 or a Tea Rose, owing to its smaller size, and not even 

 its scent or shape can save it. True, it can be ex- 

 hibited in its special class — Hybrid Perpetual or a Tea 

 — but then these classes are generally small at all 

 shows. He is a bold nurseryman or amateur wha 

 would venture to discard an indifferent " Mildred 

 Grant " for a fine " Sir Rowland Hill," or a ** Caroline 

 Testout " for a ** Duke of Edinburgh," and to trust ta 

 the judges to consider the actual merits of the smaller 

 Rose. No; the only cure seems to me to be one which 

 I have long wished for — namely, to put on an equal 

 footing Hybrid Perpetual, Hybrid Tea, and Tea classes, 

 making the number of varieties exhibited the same in 

 each section, and the awards of equal value. The 

 result would be that more varieties would be put before 



