A FEW POINTS ON ROSES. 



Fig. 1635. — Anne de Diesbach. 



YOUR Toronto correspondent 

 asking for a list of hardy roses 

 places no easy task upon a 

 Canadian rose grower, by her 

 special requirement that they must have 

 fragrance This requirement very much 

 hampers the selection and bars out 

 many of our finest appearing sorts 

 which may be classed as hardy. There 

 are, in fact, but a limited few among 

 the fragrant varieties that can be classed 

 as hardy enough for our climate north 

 of Hamilton. 



Permit me to digress for a moment 

 to say that your correspondent, M. E. 

 B., in the July number, testifies — 

 together with a considerable number of 

 private inquiries which I have received 

 through the post on the same subject — 



3 J 7 



to the gratifying interest that is taken in 

 rose culture in this splendid province of 

 ours. I had no idea that so many, even 

 beyond our province, were looking for 

 the fulfillment of that promise which I 

 made in the December number of the 

 Horticulturist, to give a gilt edge 

 list of really hardy roses in time for 

 spring planting. I had to answer each 

 one, as I must now explain to M. E. B. 

 that I feared to give a list during the 

 awfully severe winter lest there might 

 not be many or any of those in exist- 

 ence, when the spring opened, which I 

 might have named. And it is well that 

 I did fear and act cautiously, for the 

 past winter has compelled me to reverse 

 my list. 



Assuming that the climate at Toronto 

 is only a trifle more severe than that at 

 Hamilton, I will endeavor to give a list 

 subject to my latest experience of " Our 

 Lady of the Snows," having regard as 

 far as possible to the requirement named 

 by your Toronto correspondent. I can- 

 not, however, get a very dark, real 

 hardy rose, with fragrance, to take the ; 

 place which must be given to Baron de 

 Bonstetten, nor a next in shade to sub- 

 stitute for Gen. Jacqueminot, which is 

 only slightly fragrant. For fragance in 

 the very dark shade Jean Liabaud will 

 surpass the Baron de Bonstetten, but it 

 is :iot so hardy nor quite so strong a 

 grower. Then comes in order Alfred 

 Colomb, with the only fault that it 

 sometimes lacks in vigor and does not 

 fully open all its blooms. It should, 

 however, do well at Toronto. Next 

 comes Francois Levit, Francois 

 Michelon, slightly tender, Baron 

 Provost, Leopold Premier, slightly fra- 

 grant, Duke of Edinburgh, Magna 

 Charta and Anne de Diesbach. This 

 brings us into the lighter shades and we 



