II HISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION 13 



though in each division there are others treading 

 closel}^ on their heels, and occasionally victorious. 



Classification. — In botany, the number of actual 

 species of Roses is very great, even the wild Dog-Rose 

 of our hedges being divided into many sub-species, as 

 may be seen from the great variety in foliage and habit 

 in the early growths of briar stocks in nurserymen's 

 quarters. Of the cultivated classes, probably nine out 

 of ten Rose-lovers will only care to know about the two 

 great divisions as they are commonly understood : viz. 

 Hybrid Perpetuals, including Hybrid Teas and Per- 

 petual Bourbons, and Teas and Noisettes, with perhaps 

 a few climbers. Comparatively few will be interested in 

 the Austrian, Bourbon, Polyantha, Moss, and Provence 

 races ; and a still smaller number will care to investigate 

 thoroughly the forty-one groups carefully enumerated 

 by Mr. W. Paul in his systematic work. 



Now that hybridising and crossing of groups is so 

 largely undertaken, it seems plain that many new 

 divisions and classes are likely to arise, and old lines 

 of demarcation to be lost. Apart from the true 

 climbers, and all summer or botanical varieties, Roses 

 to the novice or spectator at Rose shows are generally 

 divided into H.P.s and Teas, and the more these two 

 great divisions are consolidated and made inclusive 

 instead of being subdivided, the less confusion, to my 

 mind, is likely to arise from crossing and hybridising. 



Cultivated Roses are naturally divided into two 

 divisions at the outset : Summer {i.e., those which only 

 bloom once in the year), and Perpetual {i.e., those which 

 have at least something of a second crop). It is obvious 

 that the latter is the more valuable ; the H.P.s if taken 

 to include the Hybrid Teas and all Bourbons which are 

 perpetual, and the Teas, with the Noisettes which are 



