CHAP..X. FLOWEnS. 391 



(p. 4) fully expects it to become the parent-type of a new family. 

 The tendency to vary is so sti'ong in some kinds, as in the ViHage 

 JMaid (Rivers, ]). 16), that when grown in dilforeut soils it varies so 

 much in colour that it has been thought to form several distinct 

 kinds. Altogether the number of kinds is very great : tlius M. 

 Desportes, in his Catalogue for 1829, enumerates 25G2 as cultivated 

 in France ; but uo doul^t a large proportion of these are merely 

 nominal. 



It would be iiseless to specify the many points of diiference 

 between the various kinds, but some constitutional peculiarities 

 may be mentioned. Several French roses (Rivers, p. 12) will not 

 succeed in England ; and an excellent horticulturist ^'''' remarks, 

 that " Even in the same garden you will find that a rose that will 

 do nothing under a south wall will do well under a north one. 

 That is the case with Paul Joseph here. It grows strongly and 

 blooms beautifully close to a north wall. For three years seven 

 plants have done nothing under a south wall." ]\lany roses can be 

 forced, " many are totally unfit for forcing, among which is General 

 Jacqueminot."'**" From the effects of crossing and variation 

 Ml". Elvers enthusiastically anticipates (p. 87) that the day will 

 come when all our roses, even moss-roses, \\i\l have evergreen 

 foliage, brilliant and fragrant flowers, and the habit of blooming 

 from June till November. " A distant view this seems, but per- 

 severance in gardening will yet achieve wonders," as assuredly it 

 has already achieved wonders. 



It may be worth vi^hile briefly to give the well-known history of 

 one class of roses. In 1793 some wild Scotch roses {IL spinosissima) 

 were transplanted into a garden ; '"' and one of these bore flowers 

 slightly tinged with red, from which a plant was raised with semi- 

 monstrous flowers, also tinged with red ; seedlings from this flower 

 were semi-double, and by continued selection, in about nine or ten 

 years, eight sub-varieties were raised. In the course of less than 

 twenty years these doul)le Scotch roses had so much increased in 

 number and kind, that twenty- six well-marked varieties, classed in 

 eight sections, were described by Mr. Sabine. In 1841 ^'^ it is said 

 that three hundred varieties could be procured in the nursery- 

 gardens near Glasgow ; and these are described as blush, crimson, 

 purple, red, marbled, two-coloiired, white, and yellow, and as 

 diflering much in the size and shape of the flower. 



Faiisy or Heartsease {Viola tricolor, &c.). — The history of this 

 flower seems to be pretty well known ; it was gTown in Evelyns 

 garden in 1687 ; but the varieties were not attended to till 181U-1812, 

 when Lady Monke, together with Mr. Lee, the well-known nui'sery- 



"» The Rev. W. F. RadclyfTf, ia "i Mr. Sabiue, in ' Ti'ansact. Hort. 



' Journal of Horticulture,' March 14 , Soc.,' vol. iv. p. 285. 

 186.i, p. 207. '82 ' An Encyclop. of Plants,' by J. 



"» 'Gardener's Chronicle,' 1861, r C. Loudon, 18,1, p. 443. 

 46. 



