CHRISTMAS ROSES. 225 



October an abundant crop of incipient flower-buds 

 will be apparent; the plants may then be re- 

 moved to a light and airy glazed pit or green- 

 house, and placed as near the glass as possible. 

 No fire-heat, unless frost is very severe, should 

 be employed, and abundance of air they cannot 

 have too much should be given: it will also be 

 much better to place the pot on slates or on a 

 layer of sand, rather than on a dry wooden shelf. 

 I am induced to recommend sand from the perfect 

 success I have had with my plants, which, after 

 being taken from the bed in which they had been 

 plunged all the summer,, were placed on sand : 

 they put forth roots from the bottoms of the pots 

 into the sand, grew luxuriantly all November, 

 and commenced blooming in December. On 

 January 4 I cut a most beautiful bouquet of 

 flowers. I may add, that, if large plants can be 

 procured, they may be potted into 8-inch pots, 

 and in process of time, into 12-inch ; so that large 

 bushes covered with flowers may ornament the 

 drawing-room in that month above all others> in 

 which roses are ' rich and rare ' December. 



At present I know of only three or four other 

 varieties equal to the above as Christmas roses. 

 These are all varieties with thin petals which in 

 the warm rose-tide of June, soon fade. L'Etoile 

 du Nord is one of the most desirable. This is a 

 new variety, a seedling from General Jacqueminot, 

 which gives its large globular crimson flowers very 

 Q 



