82 THE ROSE GARDEN. 



he works in an enchanted sphere ; he is striving to raise up new forms, 

 knowing what he wishes, what he works for, but not what he will obtain. 

 The seeds ripen beneath his care, and he sows them ; but as to the issue of 

 events, he remains in ignorance profound, until, by the flowering of his pets, the 

 magic wand of Nature dissolves the spell, and realizes or dissipates his hopes. 

 And, may we be permitted to ask, is it unworthy of the chief actor in these ter- 

 restrial scenes to employ his hours of relaxation in striving to diversify and in- 

 crease the beauty of the natural objects scattered around him, thereby holding up 

 to view the wonders of the Infinite, and administering to the necessities and en- 

 joyments of his fellow-man ? As a recreation, who can object to it ? Its tendency 

 is useful. It is harmless, healthful, and exhilarating, and calculated to soften 

 down the asperities and ills of life. There is philosophy in striving to improve 

 the simple Pansy, counted as a weed in our corn-fields, as well as in turning 

 the attention towards the amelioration of those more valuable plants which con- 

 stitute the food and raiment of man. 



But it is with the Rose we have to deal at present, and let us turn imme- 

 diately to the subject. 



The improvement of this flower by cultivation has been wrought out chiefly 

 by foreign cultivators. But why seedling Roses should not be raised in Eng- 

 land, is a question I could never yet determine. I know it has been said by 

 some, " We do not understand the business ;" by others, " Our soil is not 

 suitable ;" and, again, " The climate of England will not admit of the seed 

 ripening perfectly." But these are seeming objections — mere obstacles of the 

 imagination, the semblance of which is greater than the reality. For, if our soil 

 is not naturally suitable, we can render it artificially so : if we do not understand 

 the business, surely we can learn. We are not isolated from our fellow- 

 labourers ; we cannot be so satisfied with our own doings as to refuse to learn a 

 lesson from them : or, even were it so, the great book of Nature is open to us all, 

 in which " we may read, and read, 



And read again, and still find something new : 

 Something to please, and something to instruct." 



To me the difference between the climates of England and France seems the 

 only point worthy of consideration ; and that difference, although great, is not of 

 such magnitude as to raise an insuperable barrier against the successful prosecu- 

 tion of the art. 



If we compare the climate of London with that of Paris, where the greater 

 part of our modern Roses have been originated, it will be found that rain is less 

 frequent in Paris during Summer and Autumn ; there is also a greater intensity 

 and duration of sunlight there, which increases the temperature of the atmosphere 

 and soil, and thus accelerates the period of maturity. 



The above is also true as regards the climate of Angers and the south of France, 

 only in a still greater degree ; and who would doubt those districts being emi- 



