WORK 



Priors, the Mounts and Hicks's do not find as much joy and zest 

 in the pursuit as the Pembertons, the Hollands, and other famous 

 experts ? Such being the case, we might assuredly anticipate a 

 pleasant journey together. 



In the year 1874, when we first began to take an intelligent 

 interest in the rose, the following dozen varieties (written from 

 memory) were in the first flight, and we record them merely to show 

 how far we have travelled since then. They were : Paul Neyron, 

 John Hopper, Captain Christy, La France, Charles Lefebvre, 

 Prince C. de Rohan, Duke of Edinburgh, M. Niel, Devoniensis, 

 Boule de Neige, Countess of Oxford, General Jacqueminot. We 

 rather wonder what rosarians would think of such a dozen if placed 

 on the exhibition boards alongside the best dozen of to-day ! Yet 

 we used to hang over these with an affection and admiration which 

 even the grand creations of recent years cannot surpass ! 



There can be no doubt whatever that the vast improvements 

 effected the choicer, the more aesthetic forms, the delightful and 

 more delicate colours, combined with a more continuous season of 

 flowering have done very much toward popularising the rose, 

 and is more responsible than anything else for the great commerce 

 now done in it, and created something of a boom of which we 

 should take full advantage. The fact, too, that it is our ".Rose of 

 England," embodying the national ideal, must ever maintain 

 its popularity, or at least as long as the ideal lives and may that 

 be for ever ! 



If we made this jump, from 1874 to I 9 2I > taking no note of all 

 the varieties which come between, we should be guilty of ingratitude, 

 for without them the exquisite varieties we now bend the knee to 

 would have been impossible. They were, as a whole, necessary 

 to the evolution of the rose. Many hundreds of varieties, some 

 of outstanding merit, which are still admired, but by far the greater 

 portion of which have been consigned to oblivion, have played 

 their part, each marking a step in the path of progress, and we should 

 be churlish indeed if we did not give them this passing recognition. 

 The number of them must have run into thousands, and some 

 among them might well be called remarkable, though their place 

 knows them no more. Instance, for example, Bennett's master- 

 piece, Her Majesty massive, perfect in form, pleasing in colour, 



