DESCRIPTION OP THE ROSE. 177 



very beautiful rose, of a clear salmon-color, and is said to 

 be a sport from the Crimson. 



" As the culture of this class of roses," says Rivers, " is 

 at present bu\ imperfectly understood, I shall give the 

 result of my experience as to their cultivation, with sug- 

 gestions to be acted upon according to circumstances. 

 One peculiar feature they nearly all possess, a reluctance 

 to root when layered : consequently, Perpetual Damask 

 roses, on their own roots, will always be scarce. When it 

 is possible to procure them, they will be found to flourish 

 much better on dry, poor soils than when budded, as at 

 present. These roses require a superabundant quantity 

 of food : it is therefore perfectly ridiculous to plant them 

 on dry lawns, to suffer the grass to grow close up to their 

 stems, and not to give them a particle of manure for years. 

 Under these circumstances, the best varieties, even the 

 Rose du Roi, will scarcely ever give a second series of 

 flowers. To remedy the inimical nature of dry soils to this 

 class of roses, an annual application of manure on the sur- 

 face of the soil is quite necessary. The ground must not 

 be dug, but lightly pricked over with a fork in November ; 

 after which some manure must be laid on, about two or 

 three inches in depth, which ought not to be disturbed, 

 except to clean with the hoe and rake, till the following 

 autumn. This, in some situations, in the spring months, 

 will be unsightly : in such cases, cover with some nice 



green moss, as directed in the culture of Hybiid China 

 12 



