CHAPTEE XYL 



RAISIITG NEW VARIETIES. 



New Roses occasionally come as sports, but 

 the only metliod depended upon for their pro- 

 duction is sowing seed. Eoses of the past have, 

 for the most part, been the product of nature un- 

 aided by the hand of man. The common prac- 

 tice lias been to gather the seed, without even 

 keeping the varieties separate, and to sow it pro- 

 miscuously. There are a few instances recorded 

 where artificial crossings have been resorted to, 

 with successful results, but the number of such 

 operators has been very limited. It is a well- 

 known fact that most fruits and flowers seldom 

 reproduce themselves with exactness from seed ; 

 there is often a close resemblance, yet some di- 

 vergence from the original. Nature is constantly 

 struggling for variation ; even though the pistils 

 receive pollen from their own flower alone, this 

 law holds good ; but through the agencies of 

 wind, insects, etc., the pollen from one flower is 

 often carried to the pistils of another, and so 



