238 NA TURE-STUD Y RE VIEW 



meet with, for example, in Europe or the Old World. Those 

 who describe and write about roses tell us that upwards of an 

 hundred kinds of wild ones have already been named, and this, 

 mind you, does not include the numerous kinds of garden roses. 

 So, taken together, there may be as many as a thousand differ- 

 ent kinds of roses that have been described for us in the books 

 that treat about them. 



As you know, some of the garden roses are perfect wonders, 

 when we come to consider their size, form, and delicate colors. 

 Still, beautiful as they all are, you must bear well in mind that 

 any one of these elegant varieties have been, through cultivation, 

 derived from a wild rose of some kind. Ages upon ages ago 

 the florists undertook this delightful work — so long ago in- 

 deed, that no one now living really knows when it was first start- 

 ed. Little does it matter how handsome any one of these gar- 

 den roses may be — if planted in the woods or fields again, and 

 neglected, it will, should it live along from year to year, soon 

 come to be a common, wild rose again, of one kind or another. 



Roses are the favorite flowers of every nation where they 

 are known, so much so that in England it is the national emblem. 

 Then, too, when great wars are over, and victorious soldiers 

 march in parade down the principal avenue of the capital of 

 their country, — be it London, Paris, Rome, or our own Wash- 

 ington, the people, often including hundreds of little boys and 

 girls, cast scores of roses before them, in the line of their march. 

 In fact, all through history roses seem to be mingled with every 

 great event in our lives, including baptisms, weddings, and 

 funerals; and to wear a rose has a great many meanings 

 among the different peoples of the countries where this flower 

 of history is found. 



So great is the number of kinds of garden roses that have 

 been derived from the various sorts or species of wild ones, that 

 to name and describe them here would be quite out of the- ques- 

 tion. As you already know, they vary wonderfully in form, 

 size, and c )lor~some being sm.all plants, som.e big, bushy ones, 

 and still others are known as ramblers, because, if allowed to 

 grow to the limit, a rosebush will, in time, climb all over a good- 

 sized cottage, or even an ordinary city house. 



Ciiltivated roses are of various colors in addition to being 

 ptire white. We meet with pink ones of all shades; red ones; 



