ROSES AND ROSE SHOWS. 171 



present point of view, Roses may be divided into three 

 classes I, prize Roses; 2, garden or decorative Roses; 

 3, Roses which in various degrees unite the leading 

 characteristics of the two former. Class I contains the 

 largest, fullest, most exact-shaped, or best coloured Roses, 

 but also many of the shyest bloomers and growers 

 witness Paul Neyron (large, full, shy bloomer), Devienne 

 Lamy (large, fine colour, rather shy), Marquise de 

 Mortemart (desirable colour, shy grower), Louis Van 

 Houtte (fine shape and colour, shy grower). Nevertheless 

 the grower for prizes must select from this class, or he will 

 not win ; but if the grower for garden or indoor decoration 

 choose from these alone, failure will mark every step, and 

 he will be miserably disappointed. 



The " high educational influences " of our present Rose 

 shows can refer only to these Roses, and I go far with Mr 

 Prior in the remark (p. 244) that "the morality of such 

 exhibitions as now carried on is open to serious doubt." 

 The one in a thousand who grows for prizes may perhaps 

 judiciously go to a Rose show to choose his varieties, but 

 the 999 who grow for garden decoration, or for the 

 ordinary purpose of cut flowers, would, in my opinion, be 

 misled by pursuing such a course. They had better far 

 choose from plants growing under ordinary culture in 

 gardens or nurseries. I appeal to the skilled gardeners of 

 England whether they would ever think of planting for 

 other purposes than exhibition some of the sorts of Roses 

 which figure so conspicuously at the Rose shows. But 

 the general public does not yet understand this. 



Class 2 contains Roses of hardy constitution and elegant 

 habit, which produce plenty of good flowers. Although 

 these latter are not so large, so full, or so precise in form as 

 the former, they answer every purpose for which Roses are 

 grown, except prize winning witness Boule de Neige,Comte 

 de Raimbaud, Due de Cazes, Fisher Holmes, Elizabeth 

 Vigneron, Prince Camille de Rohan, Louise Darzens, 

 Anna Alexiefif, Madame Alfred de Rougemont, Glory of 



