INTBODUCTION. 



CUSTOM has made it the privilege of authors to 

 set forth the merit and purport of their productions 

 in some preliminary remarks. Of this privilege I 

 gladly avail myself, to disclaim at once all preten- 

 sions to the art of composition. 



These pages owe their existence merely to the 

 repeated demands of numerous friends and cus- 

 tomers, for a work on ROSES, simple in its arrange- 

 ment, and clear in its directions. I have endea- 

 voured to gratify their wishes, and have now only 

 to hope that their satisfaction may bear some pro- 

 portion to the pleasure I have found in the task. 



This volume contains the result of twenty years' 

 experience on the subject of which it treats, fifteen 

 of which have been as a nurseryman cultivating 

 the largest collection in the country. I do not 

 wish to be understood, however, as arrogating to 

 myself any greater share of knowledge in rose 



