HOW TO SHOW THE ROSE. 255 



If it suffers from the journey, it must be replaced, of course, 

 from tJie box of spare blooms zvhicJi tJie exhibitor must ahvays 

 take with him ; * but if it holds its own, if it is really a Rose 

 of superior merit, nothing can now happen which will pre- 

 vent a righteous Rosarian, such as every judge ought to be, 

 from recognising its claims. I once saw, and the recollec- 

 tion makes me shudder still, a senseless censor thrust the 

 end of a huge finger into the heart of a magnificent Due 

 de Rohan, in his anxiety to assure us, his coadjutors, that 

 the Rose was too fully blown. Oh how I wished that the 

 Due, to whom we voted by a majority the highest marks, 

 had been armed for the moment with a ferret's teeth ! 



The arrangement of Roses, with regard to their colour, 

 has not been studied as it deserves to be. With some ^qw 

 exceptions, the nurserymen are not successful in this mat- 

 ter ; but it is very difficult for them to find the time, grant- 

 ing the taste to be there, for a minute assortment of the 

 large collections which they are called upon to show ; and 

 knowing that the awards will be made upon the merits and 

 demerits of the individual flowers, they are not solicitous 

 about minor details. The amateur, with more leisure than 



* The Roses taken to replace others should be in a less advanced stage when 

 cut. In many cases they will develop during the journey, and so prove most 

 acceptable substitutes for those which, on opening our boxes, we may find to be 

 hors de combat. 



