AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



377 



ROS 



bloomers, with the farina of a French or 

 Provence Rose, and you entirely take away 

 tho tendency of autumnal blooming in their 

 offspring." The plants of this section are 

 of very vigorous habit, and the flowers com- 

 bine all the properties desired in the Rose, 

 viz., size, form, fullness, and exquisite color- 

 ing. The Hybrid Bourbon (R. Borboniana 

 hybrida) owes its origin to the Bourbon 

 Rose, which is itself a hybrid. There is some 

 uncertainty about the crossing ; it is sup- 

 posed to have been R. Indica and R. Damas- 

 cena. They are a very beautiful class of Roses, 

 large and rather flat, with rich, velvet-like 

 petals, much darker inside than on the outside 

 of the flower. They flower moderately well 

 in autumn. The original species of the White 

 Rose (Rosa alba) is a native of the central 

 part of Europe, and was introduced into 

 Great Britain in 1597. The flowers are small ; 

 the colors are white, blush, flesh and pink. 

 They are readily distinguished from all other 

 Roses by a glaucous appearance of the foliage, 

 which appears as if covered with a grayish, 

 impalpable powder, and by the shoots being 

 almost spineless. They are perfectly hardy, 

 and of easy cultivation. A type of this class 

 is finely represented by the well-known variety 

 Madame Plantier. The original species of the 

 Damask Rose (R. Damascena), is a native 

 of Syria, and was introduced into Europe in 

 1573. It is now, as formerly, largely culti- 

 vated in the gardens of Damascus for the 

 purpose of making Rose-water, Attar of Roses, 

 etc. Nearly all the Perpetual Roses, now so 

 much sought after, owe their origin to the 

 older members of this family, which may 

 readily be distinguished from other Roses 

 by their rough spiny shoots and leather-like 

 leaves. They are all of robust habit, and have 

 large, well-formed flowers. The Sweet Brier 

 (R rubiginosa) is indigenous to many parts of 

 Great Britain in its native or single state ; 

 it has become naturalized in many parts of 

 the United States. Not content with the 

 delightful fragrance of the foliage, art has 

 added several varieties with double bright 

 rose-colored and crimson flowers. The best 

 of them is Celestial Sweet Brier, with flowers 

 very double and fragrant. The Austrian 

 Brier (R. lutea] is a native of the North of 

 Italy. Its stems are spiny, and of a reddish- 

 brown color; it has a straggling habit of 

 growth, leaves quite small, and flowers of cop- 

 per and yellow color. From this species has 

 sprung the Persian Yellow, which is said to 

 have originated in Persia, hence its name ; 

 also the Harrison Rose, a variety that origi- 

 nated in this country. These two are as yet 

 the best hardy yellow Roses that have 

 been produced. The Double Yellow Rose (R. 

 sulphurea) is very beautiful in warm climates ; 

 but the flowers are produced with so much 

 difficulty that it is rarely met with. The 

 origin of this Rose is unknown. It is rarely 

 seen in collections. The Alpine or Mountain 

 Rose of the south of France and the Alps, is 

 the type from which the Boursault Rose (R. 

 Alpina), a very distinct family of Roses, 

 sprung. It was originated by M. Boursault, of 

 Paris, in whose honor it was named, and 

 is remarkable for the abundance of flowers 

 it produces. It is perfectly hardy, and 

 well adapted for covering walls or trellises. 

 The Banksian Rose (R. Banksiana), a native 



ROS 



of China, was introduced in 1807, and was 

 named in compliment to Lady Banks. There 

 are several varieties, producing immense 

 clusters of white or yellow-colored flowers. 

 The plant is a rapid climber, beautiful in 

 foliage and graceful in habit. As it is an 

 annual flowering species, and too tender 

 to stand the severity of our winters, even if 

 protected, it does not meet with favor among 

 our Rose-growers. The original of the Many- 

 flowered Rose (R. multiftora) was introduced 

 in 1804 from Japan by the celebrated botan- 

 ist Thunberg. Growers in France and Italy 

 have since then originated several varie- 

 ties, of which R. Grevillei is a fair represen- 

 tative. They are annual bloomers, but too 

 tender to live out without protection north of 

 Virginia. The prairie Rose, R. setgera (syn. 

 R. rubrifolia fenestralis), is of American ori- 

 gin, the type being the single-flowering 

 Climbing Rose of the Prairies, from which 

 have originated several double-flowering sorts, 

 the best known of which are the Queen of the 

 Prairies and the Gem of the Prairies. Tho, flow- 

 ers are light crimson, sometimes striped with 

 white. Though wholly devoid of fragrance, 

 they well deserve a place in every collec- 

 tion. They are perfectly hardy, of the easi- 

 est culture, and flower with great profusion. 

 The origin of the Hybrid Climbing Roses is 

 entirely unknown, and they present traces of so 

 many sections that conjecture on this point is 

 useless. Their hardiness in this climate has 

 not been tested sufficiently to warrant an opin- 

 ion as to their usefulness here. The Evergreen 

 Rose (R. sempervirens) is of Italian origin, 

 though the French have produced many of the 

 varieties. In our Northern States it could 

 scarcely be called an "evergreen;" at the 

 South it could. The varieties are among the 

 most valuable of Climbing Roses, being free 

 growers, perfectly hardy, and producing 

 immense clusters in a variety of colors. 

 The origin of the Ayrshire Rose (R. arvensia 

 var. scandens), like that of many others, is un- 

 known, though it is generally credited to Scot- 

 land. There are a number of varieties, all 

 rapid growers, of easy culture, and well 

 adapted for covering large trellises or arbors. 

 The colors are white, rose, blush, etc. ; unfor- 

 tunately they are rather tender for this vicin- 

 ity. The class known as the Hybrid Perpet- 

 ual or Remontant Rose, has distanced all 

 others. In it we have beauty of form, 

 fragrance, depth and variety of color, united 

 with a constitution so vigorous as to endure 

 the seventy of our Northern winters. They 

 have been produced by crossing the Hybrid 

 China Roses with different varieties of Chinas 

 and Bourbons, and, to a limited extent, with 

 the Teas. This crossing has resulted in 

 imparting to the more hardy Roses, to some 

 extent, the blooming qualities of the tender 

 sorts without impairing the vigor of the 

 former. It is a mistake to suppose that 

 all Roses in this class are perpetual bloom- 

 ers, as their name would imply. Thoy are, 

 without question, the most valuable for 

 their abundance of bloom in June, and most 

 of them will give an occasional flower dur- 

 ing the summer, and in favorable seasons, 

 a fair show in autumn ; but to expect con- 

 tinuous bloom, as the Chinas and the Teas 

 afford, would be a sad disappointment. As a 

 class they are nearly all hardy in the Northern 



