148 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1891. 



The Rose is the acknowledged queen of flowers, in its great 



variety blooming from June until hard frost in autumn : 



" And tirst of all the rose ; because its breath 

 Is rich beyond the rest; and when it dies, 

 It doth bequeath a charm to sweeteu death." 



To grow Roses well requires more skill and the know-how than 

 is required by any other class of plants, and perhaps no flower- 

 ing plant better repays all care bestowed upon it. The old June 

 roses in former years were the only class of roses found in 

 gardens ; they made large stately plants, were free to bloom, 

 and long lived, and even now what rose can surpass the old 

 white, when well grown? But in later years the Hybrid Per- 

 petuals are popular, and are enHsting the ardent attention of 

 rose-growers. Their variety is numberless, and their forms and 

 shades ot: color is seemingly without end, more than enough to 

 satisfy the most particular and fastidious, and still they continue 

 to come. New ones are brought out every season to be tried, 

 approved, or condemned, and the list of the best twelve or 

 twenty-five will not remain the same more than one or two 

 seasons. The Rosa Rugosa, recently introduced from Japan, 

 of robust habit, its leaf free from insects ; its bloom, and seed, 

 are ornamental. 



I now come to the herbaceous, bulbous, and tuberous flowering 

 plants, some of which are in bloom from spring until checked 

 by the severe frosts of autumn. Perhaps no class of plants 

 better repay for the care bestowed or add more beauty and 

 cheer to the garden. In their great variety are well adapted to 

 either large or small plantings, the most refined and fastidious 

 taste can be satisfied, with the large class to choose from, and 

 with a proper selection some are suited to all conditions, either 

 of soil or climate, aftbrding quick returns with their varied 

 bloom during the season. 



The Tulip is one of the earliest to bloom and has been a 

 favorite for ages ; their fine form and almost endless shades of 

 color give them prominence wherever planted : 



" Then comes the Tulip race, where beauty plays 

 Her idle freaks; from family diffused 

 To family, as flies the father dust. 

 The varied colors run; and while they break 

 On the charmed eye, th' exulting florist marks 

 With secret pride the wonders of His hand." 



