PEE3IANEKT COLORS, ETC. 153 



siderable importance, enabling us to place in fa- 

 vored situations those sorts easily affected by these 

 several conditions, and, if necessary, giving posi- 

 tions exposed to the direct rays of the sun to those 

 varieties which have proved best able to endure 

 them. The most severe ordeal which tries the 

 color of a rose is an excess of moisture followed 

 by a hot sun. Exposed to these conditions 

 many of our choicest sorts, of which Charles 

 Lefebvre and Countess of Oxford are notable 

 examples, lose their pristine brilliancy or purity, 

 and become lamentably faded and sullied. 

 Others, like Louis Yan Houtte and Marie Bau- 

 mann, are under such circumstances much less 

 injured, and though losing some of their origi- 

 nal freshness still remain exceedingly attractive. 

 Dark roses are, as a rule, the first to fade ; their 

 glory passes away very much sooner than is the 

 case with the rose-colored varieties and those of 

 light shades. Among the crimson sorts we have 

 observed none which retains its color so well as 

 Louis Yan Houtte ; this quality, combined with 

 fine form, fragrance, and freedom of bloom, 

 places it at the head of all crimson-maroon roses. 

 Yarieties of somewhat lighter shade that rank 



