THE ROSE 37 



flowers as far as Abyssinia in one hemisphere and 

 Mexico in the other. The coldest climate holds no 

 terrors for a flower which has conquered Green- 

 land and Kamchatka. Species of Roses are found 

 even in parts of Iceland, where vegetation is so 

 scanty that the natives are often driven to feed 

 their cattle on dried fish, and they bloom on the 

 polar shores of Hudson Bay and in the snow- 

 laden districts of Lapland during their all too 

 short summer. 



Few indeed are the British colonies where theRose 

 does not flourish. It is, however, not indigenous to 

 Australasia ; but, thanks to extensive importation 

 from the Mother Country, Roses now grow in pro- 

 fusion both in Australia and in New Zealand. 

 Loyal colonists, amid all the luxuriance of their 

 Southern vegetation, find a large corner for the 

 flower which recalls the land they hold so dear. 



It is fitting that the greatest of modern Empires 

 should be represented by a flower which has taken 

 all the world for its province, and is itself the 

 monarch of flowers. The Rose's claim to this posi- 

 tion has been asserted by a line of poets ranging 

 from Sappho to Mrs. Browning. 



What's the best thing in the world ? 

 June Rose, by May-dew impearled. 



