74 THE ROSE: 
told him, ‘that, although he had heard the 
most renowned performers of the age, he had 
never met one who—perspired so freely!’ 
Nor could I, with my heart as full of charity’s 
milk as a Cheshire dairy of the cow’s, think 
of any higher praise of the plot before me 
than that it was an admirable place for fern; 
and therefore, when my commentary was re- 
ceived with an expressive smile of genteel 
disgust, as though I had suggested that the 
allotment in question was ¢/e site of all others 
for a jail, or had said, as Carlyle said of the 
Royal Garden at Potsdam, that ‘it was one 
of the finest fog-preserves in Europe,’ then, 
without further prevarication, I told the 
truth. And the truth is, that this boundless 
contiguity of shade is fatal, and every over- 
hanging tree is fatal as an upas-tree to the 
tose. Therose inclose proximity toa forest- 
tree can never hope to thrive. In a two-fold 
sense it takes umbrage; robbed above and 
robbed below, robbed by branches of sun- 
shine and by roots of soil, it sickens, droops, 
and dies.” * 
In connection with a choice of location, 
we must see that roses are provided with a 
proper soil. They will do well in any or- 
dinary garden soil that is free from standing 
*** A Book about Roses.”’ 
