DESCRIPTION OP THE ROSE. 127 



Noisette, and Hybrid Bourbon. The division seems to us 

 needless, for the reason that all these, on analysis, resolve 

 themselves into hybrids of the Chinese Rose, since both 

 the Noisette and the Bourbon owe their distinctive char- 

 acter to their Chinese parentage. The hybrids of the 

 Noisettes are usually inclined to bloom in clusters : those 

 of the Bourbons are distinguishable by their large, smooth, 

 and thick leaves. 



This class, then, may be defined as the offspring of inter- 

 marriage of the French and other June roses with the 

 Chinese Rose and its hybrids. It has, however, none of 

 the ever-blooming qualities which distinguish the China 

 roses. It is remarkable, as a class, for vigor of growth, in 

 which, strange as it may appear, it surpasses, in some cases, 

 both its parents. Most of the Hybrid China roses are, 

 moreover, perfectly hardy even in the climate of the North- 

 ern States ; and they are admirably adapted for forming 

 pillars. For this purpose, they should be planted in a veiy 

 deep and rich soil. If the soil is naturally poor, dig it out 

 to the width and depth of three feet, and replace it with 

 a mixture of strong loam and old manure. Some of tho 

 Hybrid Chinas thus generously treated, and trained and 

 pruned in the manner recommended in a former chapter, 

 will form most gorgeous decorations of a garden ; for in 



