CULTURE OF THE ROSE. 129 



winter ; those of Campania bloomed next in order ; then those 

 of Malta ; and lastly those of Peestum, which flowered in the 

 Spring and Autumn. It was probably the blooming of this last 

 species, which the gardeners of Rome discovered (in Seneca's time) 

 the secret of retarding by a certain process, or of hastening by 

 means of their warm green-houses^ 



In the first part of this work, we have cited many passages 

 from ancient authors, which show to what enormous extent was 

 carried the use of roses by the Romans on certain occasions. It 

 is difficult to credit, at this day, the relation of Nero's extrava- 

 gance (which is however attested by Suetonius), when it is told 

 that in one fete alone he expended m roses only more than 

 four millions of sesterces, or one hundred thousand dollars. It 

 would be no easy matter, even at the present period of abundant 

 cultivation of roses, to obtain from all the nurseries of England, 

 France, and America together, roses sufficient to amount to so 

 large a sum. 



The Romans derived the use of this flower from the Greeks. 

 In Greece, and throughout the East, roses were cultivated, not 

 only for the various purposes we have mentioned, but also for 

 the extraction of their perfumes. Among the many plans which 

 they adopted for preserving the flower, was that of cutting off 

 the top of a reed, splitting it down a short distance, and enclos- 

 ing in it a number of rose-buds, which, being bound around with 

 papyrus, prevented their fragrance from escaping. The Greeks 

 also deemed it a great addition to the fragrance of the Rose, to 

 plant garlic near its roots. The island of Rhodes, which has 

 successively borne many names, was particularly indebted to the 

 culture of roses for that which it bears at this day. It w^as the 

 Isle of Roses, the Greek for Rose being PoJov, — Rodon. 



Medals of Rhodes, whose reverse impressions present a rose in 

 bloom on one side and the sunflower on the other, are to be found 

 even now^ in cabinets of curiosities. 



Extravagance in roses, among the Romans, kept pace with 

 the increase of their power, until they at length desired them at 

 all seasons. At first they procured their winter's supply from 



