XIV PREFACE. 



shire, formed by Mr. Paxton. Mr. Sabine, 

 whose valuable treatises on the rose are well 

 known, founded some years ago a valuable 

 collection at North Minims; and one of the 



,v 



earliest and most interesting made in Eng- 

 land, was that of the illustrious Charles James 

 Fox, at St. Anne's Hill. 



The best nursery-rosaries are those of Messrs. 

 Rivers of Sawbridgworth, whose collection 

 includes both French and English ; and of 

 Messrs. Loddige at Hackney, who cultivate 

 two thousand five hundred varieties. Messrs. 

 Lee and Kennedy were formerly of high repute 

 as rose-growers ; and Messrs. Henderson of 

 Kilburn are supposed to produce the most 

 extensive choice of forced spring roses to be 

 found in the neighbourhood of London. 



The Luxembourg school excludes all but 

 eighteen hundred varieties of the rose ; but 

 most rose-growers are of opinion that not more 

 than twelve hundred are worthy of cultivation 



The main object of the annexed work, is to 

 render every amateur a rose-giower. The cul- 

 ture of roses, which has increased prodigiously 

 in England within the last few years, may still 



