5O2 GENERAL REVIEW. 



Herbert, in alluding to the origin of the florists' varieties or 

 races of cultivated Roses, as long ago as 1837, observes (see 

 1 Herb. Am.,' p. 362) : "In the lovely genus Rosa I believe little 

 has been done, except by accident and the necessary conse- 

 quences of cultivation (see p. 95) and the approximation of 

 species in gardens. The first decided original cross that we 

 know was brought by Fraser from America, where it had been 

 raised between the Musk Cluster and the ever-blowing Chinese, 

 probably by accident, and having been sold to M. Noisette, it 

 has been made to bear his name, and being more fertile in 

 France than in this country, it has become the parent of an 

 extensive family of beautiful varieties. From this plant Mr 

 Smith (of Surbiton) raised by impregnation with the yellowish 

 Indian Rose a variety of some merit, but not a good flowerer 

 under general circumstances ; and Rosa ruga is understood to 

 have been raised in Italy from the Ayrshire Rose, by the pollen 

 of the Chinese odorata, but the fact is not authenticated ; and, 

 if I am rightly informed, the great variety of cultivated Roses 

 is owing rather to accidental than artificial admixture." 



The Rose has been described by M. Rouillard in the ' Jour- 

 nal de la Societe Imperiale et Centrale d'Horticulture,' vii. 

 480, as one of the most complete and glorious triumphs of the 

 French florists ; and, without a doubt, until very recently we 

 have imported all our new Roses from French raisers. The 

 rosarian's heart has been gladdened over and over again by the 

 productions of Descemet, Dupont, Cartier, Ecoffe, Desprez, 

 Hardi, Vibert, Laffay, Verdier, Partemer, Margottin, Fontaine, 

 Ducher, Lacharme, and many others, whose names are familiar 

 wherever Roses are grown. Our own rosarians now, however, 

 have a better opinion of our climate, and raise thousands of 

 seedlings annually. Among those who have been successful 

 in raising Roses in this country we may name Mr W. Paul, 

 Messrs George Paul & Son, Mr Bennet, Messrs Cranston, Mr 

 T. Laxton, Mr Ingram, Messrs J. Veitch, and others. From 

 the ' Garden,' 1876, p. 149, we learn the following interesting 

 details as to the parentage of English-raised Roses : 



" In 1860 a batch of seedlings was in existence at Cheshunt, 

 some the produce of seed obtained by hybridising General 

 Jacqueminot (H.P.) with the Hybrid Chinese Rose of that 

 name. Two were sufficiently good to have been numbered, 

 and proved to be respectively No. 8, Beauty of Waltham (Wil- 

 liam Paul), and No. 12, Lord Clyde (Paul & Son), sent out 

 respectively by these two firms. The careful watching of the 

 unbloomed seedlings left at Cheshunt proved interesting, and 

 of these some were good, but did not survive. In 1865 Duke 



