THE WORTHY USE OF ROSES 349 



China. It has a sturdy bushy habit, few spines, and 

 the curious habit of peeling its bark. Its foliage is 

 very handsome, the leaflets being small and numerous. 

 The flowers are rose coloured and very fragrant. 

 The shrub is interesting for its fine fruits, which are 

 of large size, very spiny, and of a yellowish colour 

 when ripe. Although some other species surpass 

 this in showiness, it is one of the most distinct. 



R. MOSCHATA (Musk Rose). When seen at its 

 best, few of the rambling species are more beautiful 

 than this. It is not, however, so hardy as some, 

 especially when young, in which state it makes 

 long, succulent shoots during summer and autumn, 

 which are apt to be killed back in winter. Old 

 plants do not suffer in the same way, or not so 

 severely. Its flowers are borne in great clusters, and 

 are notable for their pure whiteness and conspicuous 

 bunches of bright-yellow stamens. The best plants 

 often of this species are in shrubberies, where, no 

 doubt, the other shrubs afford it some protection. 

 It is a native of the Orient and India. The name 

 " Musk Rose " refers to a perfume which may occa- 

 sionally be detected in its flowers after a shower, but 

 is never very apparent. Nivea is a beautiful form. 



R. MULTI FLORA. This, the Polyantha Rose, the 

 wild type of the group so named and the progenitor 

 of many graceful Roses, is a native of Japan and 

 China. It is a shrub 8 feet or more high, forming 

 a dense thicket of arching branches. Its flowers 

 individually are small, but they come in large dense 

 clusters and so abundantly as to transform the shrub 



