CONCERNING ROSE-SHOWS. 1 99 



mindful how much of my happiness I owe, humanly speak- 

 ing, to their skill and enterprise, remembering them as we 

 Rosarians of to-day would fain be remembered hereafter, 

 when our children's children shall pluck their snow-white 

 Madame Furtado, 



"Pure 

 As sunshine glancing on a white dove's wings," 



and shall wish we were there to see. I like to think of Lee 

 of Hammersmith complacently surveying those standard 

 Rose-trees which he introduced from France in the year 

 18 18, which were the first ever seen in England, and which 

 he sold readily (it was reported at the time that the Duke 

 of Clarence gave him a right ro}'al order for lOOO trees) at 

 one guinea apiece. I like to imagine the elder Rivers look- 

 ing on a few years later, half pleased and half perplexed, 

 as Rivers the younger, now grey with age, but young in 

 heart as ever, budded his first batch of Briers, and the old 

 foreman who had served three generations boldly protested, 

 — " Master Tom, you'll ruin the place if you keep on plant- 

 ing them rubbishy brambles instead of standard apples ! " 

 I fancy the pleasant smile on Master Tom's handsome face, 

 knowing as he did that instead of the Brier would come up 

 the Rose, that his ugly duckling would grow into a noble 



