246 



from three to four thousand different varieties, mostly 

 home-raised seedhngs^ are housed in one huge glass 

 structure, one will have some idea of the patience and 

 time that must be exercised waiting for certain crosses 



If a cross takes and the seed sets, there are scores 

 of hazards before the hip ripens, almost a year after- 

 wards. Records are kept of every cross, .and charac- 

 teristics of any Roses as parents can be traced back 

 many years and improved upon. 



As soon as seed ripens, conditions must be watched 

 for sowing, and a hundred perils assail the tiny seed- 

 lings, from mice to mildew, as they come up. Once 

 potted the little plants must be pushed on into larger 

 sizes before a character bloom can be seen and ma- 

 ture judgment made. 



The next stage is outdoor; any plant showing 

 promise under glass is budded outside in the open and 

 the following year tested again. It still promising a 

 larger number are worked, and the following year 

 tested properly and the true value estimated as near 

 as possible. If considered worthy, and up to the 

 standard laid down by Messrs. McGredy the variety 

 is then shown and distributed, this adding another 

 period of from one to three years from time of cross- 

 ing. Thus it will be seen that the average time is 

 about five years from the time two varieties are crossed 

 until the general public sees them. 



Messrs. McGredy's testing fields are a wonderful 

 sight to any Rose lover. There is an average of a 

 hundred thousand new seedling plants tested yearly, 

 and the wonderful new colours and formations can be 

 seen and tested, against the acres of standard varieties 

 grown by them, and nothing pleases the firm better 

 than to ** show off " their improvements to any person 

 interested. The huge strides in this direction can be 

 better appreciated when compared against the varieties 

 of ten to twenty years ago 



After testing at home the Roses are then tested 



