500 Stray Thoughts on Roses. 



quite perfect. Then we have llemi IV, Duke ol^ Devon- 

 shire, Comte Derby, Nadine Fay, Montaigne, Ariel, Admiral 

 d'Esteing, Lindley, Malhilde Jourdeuil, Ohvier de Serres, 

 Titus Livius, or " Tite Live," Reine de Matin, Gulistan, 

 and a host of others from that fertile source of new roses, 

 France. These are all pretty enough, but novelty in shape 

 or color is not to be found among them, and yet they have 

 all been sent out at high prices. The descriptions. Avritten 

 by those who raised them, in the usual elastic French manner, 

 were so tempting, and then the price, generally twenty-five 

 francs each, made one suppose that they must be fine. 

 Plenty of disappointment has been reaped; still, it is the 

 duty of the rose-grower to prove all these novelties. Among 

 them will occasionally be found a gem, like Geant des Batail- 

 les, which will reward him for many trials of his patience 

 and his purse ; and really such a reward is required. About 

 three years since, I paid twelve pounds for six new hybrid 

 perpetual roses, from an amateur, a French "gentleman," 

 not one of which proved worth a farthing. They manage these 

 things well (for themselves) in France, and seem to think 

 that every rose that is new must be good ; but we must en- 

 deavor to manage better, and to avoid this, as well as many 

 other Galilean peculiarities. The rose grower should prove 

 all his new roses before he sells them ; and the real lover of 

 roses, instead of planting a bed of unknown novelties, should 

 make a group of Madame Laffay, another of Baronne Pre- 

 vost or La Reine, another of Due d'Aumale, and so on, pre- 

 ferring to have a small clump of each sort, rather than a 

 large one of mixed varieties. The lawn may thus be painted 

 with excellent effect. It will perhaps be not out of place 

 here to give a list of a few sorts which are really good, and 

 of which the plants are now sold at a very moderate price, 

 so that a clump of each would not be at a heavy cost. 



1. Aubernon : crimson ; habit compact, and rather dv.-arf. 



2. Augustine Mouchelet : crimson, very brilliant in dry 



weather ; habit a little more robust than No. 1. 



3. Baronne Prevost : bright rose (how ve?"y brilliant it has 



been this season !) ; habit vigorous and robust, fit for 

 a clump in centre of lawn. 



4. Comtesse Duchatel : bright rose ; flowers most elegant 



and perfect in shape ; habit compact, medium. 



