VARIETIES DESCRIBED. 27 



very double flowers, finely shaped, of a delicate 

 cream, tinted with fawn-colour, which is placed 

 in this family ; but perhaps has quite as many 

 claims, like Eose Devigne and some others, to be 

 grouped with the hybrid China roses. Like 

 botanists, rose cultivators are often posed by the 

 freaks of Nature, who seems to delight in breaking 

 into every artificial system, and to pay no more 

 respect to the classification of the botanist than to 

 that of the more humble florist. 



Within the last twenty years how many plants 

 have been named and unnamed, classed and re- 

 classed Professor A. placing it here, and Dr. B. 

 placing it there ! I can almost imagine Dame Na- 

 ture laughing in her sleeve when our philosophers 

 are thus puzzled. Well, so it is in a measure with 

 roses; a variety has often equal claims to two 

 classes. First impressions have perhaps placed it 

 in one, and the rival amateurs should let it re- 

 main : for the classification of roses, although in 

 almost every case imperfect, owing to the un- 

 bounded fertility of nature, is necessary; rose- 

 culture is rendered by it more interesting and 

 attractive. 



Hybrid Provence roses are very robust and 

 hardy, useful to the rose amateur, as serving to 

 form a most delicate group of soft colours : they 

 also make admirable standards, as the branches of 

 most of the varieties are inclined to be spreading, 

 diffuse, and, of course, graceful: the pruning 



