THE WORTHY USE OF ROSES 351 



enriched our gardens with many good hybrids, 

 Mme. Georges Bruant and the Coubert Double 

 White among them. The fruits of R. rugosa are 

 orange-shaped, scarlet red, and of large size alto- 

 gether very ornamental. 



R. SERICEA. For some reason this Rose has never 

 obtained the recognition it deserves. Perhaps its com- 

 parative rarity may account for this. It is the earliest 

 of all Roses to flower out of doors, its first blossoms 

 opening as a rule towards the latter end of May ; the 

 flowers are creamy white. In the cooler days of May 

 and early June it lasts longer in bloom than many of 

 the later flowering species do. It has one very dis- 

 tinctive character, in the petals being nearly always 

 four (instead of the usual five) to each flower. Some- 

 times the bark of the young shoots is a bright red. 

 A native of North India. 



R. SETIGERA. Of the North American Roses none 

 has proved more useful in this country than the Prairie 

 Rose. A rambler in habit, it is valuable for its vig- 

 orous growth and late flowering. The flowers are 

 large, deep rose, and appear in July and August. 



R.SPINOSISSIMA (R. PIMPINELLIFOLIA). The Scotch 

 Rose is one of the earliest species to bloom ; it is also 

 one of the prettiest and most distinct. The stems are 

 dwarf and covered with bristles, the leaves small, and 

 the flower white and cup-shaped. There are several 

 wild varieties of it, the two most noteworthy being 

 altaica (or grandiflord) and hispida. Both these grow 

 6 feet or more high, and the flowers of both are larger 

 than the typical Scotch Rose. Those of altaica are 



