ROSES IN GENERAL CULTIVA TION. 57 



it being made a matter of conjecture, or left 

 to fallible memory to recall. The varieties 

 differ greatly in all their characteristics, 

 and so require somewhat different culture 

 and treatment. Those that are of vigor- 

 ous growth, as in other classes, need much 

 less pruning than those of dwarfed habit, 

 for if cut back too severely they run too 

 much to wood. There have been hundreds 

 of varieties of this class sent out, and the 

 number of new sorts somewhat increases 

 each year. Eugene Verdier, of Paris, has 

 been foremost in the dissemination of new 

 sorts, and it will be interesting to take note 

 of the number of varieties offered by him, 

 including those of his own raising, for a few 

 years back. In 1872 he offered for sale 

 thirty-nine new Hybrid Perpetual Roses, 

 eight of them his own seedlings; in 1873 

 he offered forty-five, ten of them his own ; in 

 1874 he offered forty-six, ten of them his 

 own; in 1875 he offered forty-eight, twelve 

 of them his own ; in 1876 he offered thirty- 

 four, ten of them his own; in 1877 he offered 

 forty-one, ten of them his own; in 1878 he 

 offered forty, ten of them his own ; in 1 879 

 he offered forty -two, eight of them his own. 

 There are, of course, several new sorts each 

 year which M. Verdier does not get hold of ; 



