50 PARSONS ON THE ROSE. 



five to twelve feet in height, according to the usual length 

 of the shoots of the variety of rose to be planted. Upon 

 the top of this post can be placed a circular or square 

 piece of board, the diameter of the bottom of the pot. 

 The post should then be planted firmly in the ground and 

 painted green. Fill the pot with rich soil, as directed in 

 a preceding chapter ; plant in it one or two roses of pillar 

 varieties, and place it on the top of the post. The surface 

 of the soil should then be covered with moss, and if the 

 sides can also be covered, the good efiect will be enhanced. 

 The plants, if strong, will soon throw out long, graceful 

 shoots, which, drooping to the ground, will hide the pot 

 and post, and present the appearance of an everblooming 

 weeping tree of great beauty. If a pyramid is desired, 

 wires can be carried from the top of the post to the 

 ground, some two or three feet from its base, and the 

 shoots trained down these. We can imagine few things 

 more beautiful than Chromatella and Solfaterre, growing 

 and blooming in this way. 



MACARTNEY ROSES. 



The Macartney rose was brought from China to Eng- 

 land by Lord Macartney, in 1793. Its habit is luxuriant, 

 and its foliage is more beautiful than that of any other 

 rose, its leaves being thick, and of a rich, glossy green. 

 It commences blooming about midsummer, and its flow- 

 ers, with a fragrance like the perfume of an apricot, suc- 

 ceed each other without interruption till the first frosts, 

 while the leaves remain till the very latest. Although as 

 hardy as the hardiest of the China Roses, it would be bet- 

 ter in this latitude to give it the same protection as recom- 

 mended for the China. It is one of the most desirable 

 roses for beds or borders. When covering the whole 

 ground, and kept well pegged down, its rich, glossy foli- 

 age, gemmed with fragrant flowers, produces a beautiful 



