74 PARSONS ON THE ROSE. 



and which produced in Egypt and Rome flowers at all 

 seasons, as the Damask does now with us, under a proper 

 mode of culture. 



The extent to which the culture and commerce of roses 

 was carried among the Romans is shown by the fact 

 that, although they had confounded the tree and its flow- 

 ers under one name — that of Hosa, — they nevertheless 

 gave particular appellations to the gardens or ground 

 planted with rose-bushes. They were termed a Hosariiim, 

 or a Mosetum. Ovid says, " Quot amoena Rosar la flares y 

 The dealer in roses was also designated by the distinctive 

 appellation of Hosarkis. 



In the latter part of the decline of the Roman Empire, 

 when paganism still existed to a great degree, the"re arose 

 a people who formed, as it were, the connecting link be- 

 tween the ancient and modern world — a people who ac- 

 knowledged but one Supreme Ruler, and his sole vicege- 

 rent, Mahomet ; a people whose origin was among the 

 wildest tribes of Ishmael's descendants, who possessed in 

 a great degree the luxuries of civilized life, and among 

 whom the arts, sciences, and agriculture, were very flour- 

 ishing for many ages. Among the Moors of Spain, the 

 culture of the Rose was pursued with as nmch scientific 

 and practical method as at the present day, but with 

 somewhat less happy results. When in Paris, some years 

 since, we became acquainted with M. Hardy, the chief di- 

 rector of the Luxembourg gardens, and who is well 

 known to rose growers, by the many beautiful varieties 

 which he has originated. His interest in this subject was 

 very great, and in 1828, he published in the Journal cles 

 Jardlns some interesting observations which he had ex- 

 tracted from a manuscript of 31. de la Neuville. The 

 latter having been employed as military superintendent 

 in Spain during the war of 1823, translated from a 

 Spanish version some parts of an Arabian work upon cul- 



