108 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



" Can you describe any of your indigenous 

 Brazilian roses?" said she, laughing. 



After considering some time I was obliged 

 to acknowledge that I could not recollect any 

 one that I kn3w to be a native of Brazil. 



(( This is one of the numerous instances of 

 taking for granted which we meet every day," 

 said she. " You imagined that the rose must be 

 wild in all parts of the world because it is every- 

 where cultivated : you will therefore learn with 

 surprise, that it is generally believed that all the 

 roses yet known have been found between the 19th 

 and 70th degrees of North latitude ; none, there- 

 fore, belong to South America, though the profu- 

 sion of China roses, cultivated in Brazil, might 

 very naturally have given you the idea of their 

 being natives. It is possible, however, that here- 

 after new species may be discovered south of the 

 line, which will come under the head Rosaceae, 

 for the industry of botanists has wonderfully in- 

 creased this family in a few years. In Wildenow's 

 book, published in 1800, he enumerates only 

 thirty-nine species, yet ihere are upwards of one 

 hundred now known and cultivated in this country ; 

 and a foreign professor has given a list of even two 

 hundred and forty species. He proposes to divide 

 them into twenty-four series, each of which is to 

 bear the name of some botanist who has dis- 

 tinguished himself by a knowledge of that beau- 

 tiful genus. For instance, Rosa Candolliana,- * 

 Wildenowiana, Pallasiana, and so on." 



