182 GROUPING OF GARDEN VARIETIES OF ROSES. 



they have descended. Roses were grown from seed at 

 least 2000 years ago, and the seedlings would no doubt 

 vary in appearance of plant and flower even then. This 

 variation would go on widening and increasing up to a 

 certain period, and finally the hybridising and cross- 

 breeding of modern times comes into play. The latter 

 process has so mixed up the botanist's species, that in 

 studying the modern varieties I often see, or fancy I see, 

 features or traces of more than one or two species in the 

 same variety. 



Now, the grouping of the garden varieties of Roses, 

 might be attempted from various points of view ; for 

 example, they might be grouped (i) according to their 

 botanical affinities, (2) according to their season of 

 flowering, (3) according to their habit of growth, (4) 

 according to the colours of the flowers, and so on. If, 

 however, I rightly understand my work, I have nothing to 

 do to-day with botanical affinities. Monsieur Crepin, who 

 has greatly distinguished himself in this line, will no doubt 

 efficiently cover this ground; I have to deal with Roses 

 from the cultivator's point of view. In taking up this 

 work, two lines of action present themselves to my mind as 

 the most desirable to follow the one to sweep away every 

 vestige of the labours of previous workmen, and rear a 

 structure entirely new ; the other to preserve the founda- 

 tions and solid walls of the old building, re-arranging both 

 old and new materials in such order as congruity, taste, 

 and convenience may dictate. After due study and reflec- 

 tion I have chosen the latter course, and in doing so I have 

 not striven to differ as much as possible from my prede- 

 cessors in this line in order to appear original, but as little 

 as possible that I might not add to the perplexities already 

 existing from the too frequent practice of changing names. 

 The classification which I have endeavoured to work out 

 has been largely influenced by the desire to bring into 

 closest proximity those garden varieties which have the 

 greatest external resemblance in foliage and flowers, so 



