180 THE ROSE, 



than tlie other ; but I hold it as an axiom that, in 

 the case of any rose which is crossed by another 

 variety, the progeny will surely show traits per- 

 taining to both parents. Among men we find 

 great divergencies of character between brothers 

 and sisters, yet it is observed they always hold 

 something in common which distinguishes them, 

 some link which connects one with another. It 

 is believed by some of the raisers who have prac^ 

 tised hybridization, or crossing of roses, that 

 seedlings of greater beauty are to be obtained 

 simply by selecting heps from naturally fertilized 

 flowers, than from those which have been arti- 

 ficially crossed ; that there are very many types 

 among roses which are all beautiful in their way, 

 but that when these are crossed, the varieties 

 which result will have coarsely formed flowers, 

 or be of weak constitution, etc. Such, I infer, is 

 the belief of Messrs. Laxton, William Paul, and 

 others of the English rosarians. With all defer- 

 ence to these gentlemen, whose experience cer- 

 tainly gives weight to their belief, I do not sub- 

 scribe to this opinion. I cannot but believe that 

 we are even more certain of obtaining flowers of 

 high finish from artificial than we are from nat- 



