ROSES : GROWTH AND PROPAGATION". 51 



gaiety. It requires summer temperature 60 to 70, 

 and winter 50 to 55 ; likes rich earth, and is propagated 

 by cuttings, laid up a few days to dry before being 

 planted. When the plant has done flowering, it should 

 be cut down to within six inches of the pot, and kept in 

 a cool dry situation for two months, and then treated 

 with re-potting and more warmth. As the plant grows, 

 give more water. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



ROSES: GROWTH AND PROPAGATION. 



FIRST among flowers in beauty and sweetness, general 

 favourite all over the world, without which no flower 

 garden can seem bright, the rose, with all its other 

 merits, has that also of universal utility ; for there is 

 scarcely a garden with situation so unfavourable that 

 roses of some kind cannot be found to prosper there, to 

 lend fragrance and beauty, where both, from being so 

 much needed, are sure to be most thoroughly valued. 



There are very few roses that will do in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of large towns, but there are a few, 

 among which the old cabbage rose stands supreme, alike 

 for beauty and fragrance. That pretty old sort, the 

 delicate maiden-blush, too, will do ; true, she often does 

 not open very kindly, and sometimes treats her protectors 

 to an objectionable green centre ; but there are few 

 flowers than which even a poor rose is not better, and 

 this blooms so abundantly that it can afford to have some 

 imperfect blossoms. The common white rose does well 

 and flowers abundantly in gardens which are troubled 

 with smoke. The old-fashioned damask rose, although 

 deficient in the number of its fine large petals, and 

 showing an objectionable yellow centre, when fully open, 



