82 ON NEW ROSES. 



gratification of others with very moderate profit to them- 

 selves. Unless he think proper to pursue this course, to 

 stand forth in substantial shape a real man, he must 

 excuse me from continuing this controversy. I confess 

 that I am not sufficiently Quixotic -in spirit to find satis- 

 faction in wrestling with a shadow. 



[From " The Gardeners' Chronicle" February jih 1857, p. 85.] 



IN an article on New Roses in last week's Chronicle, 

 extracted from the Florist, Mr Rivers expresses a hope 

 that some of the correspondents will "quietly give their 

 opinions on the subject." In a previous article in the 

 Florist by Mr R., he says "The new Roses sent out 

 in 1855 haVe not cut a brilliant figure." In an article 

 published in the succeeding numbers, and penned before I 

 saw this statement, I gave it as my deliberate opinion that 

 " the present year had been more fruitful than many in 

 the introduction of really valuable novelties." These 

 antagonistic views may, I think, be fairly taken as the 

 points at issue. Subsequently, however, Mr R. qualifies 

 his remarks by the words " I ought to have added ' few 

 of/ which gives the exact state of the case," naming five 

 varieties of 1855 and two of 1856. It unfortunately 

 happens that few can pass an accurate judgment on these 

 differences of opinion ; the many may, however, shortly 

 be in a position to do so if they will only watch and wait, 

 and in the meantime it may prove interesting to hear 

 the question quietly discussed. I shall commence my 

 remarks from the first article in the Florist (November 

 1856). The statistics there given merely show what was 

 known to every cultivator of Roses, that numbers of 

 worthless new kinds are annually sent out at high prices, 

 and it is only just to say that Mr Rivers is neither the first 

 nor the only one who has used his influence to check this 

 dishonest practice. I cannot, however, agree with Mr 

 Rivers " to excuse our floral friends over the water " for 



