14 ARISTOCRATS OF THE GARDEN 



be expected that every species will be found useful in 

 the advancement of the Rose, yet at the same time 

 only experiment, long continued, can decide which are 

 useful or useless. Be it remembered that our pres- 

 ent-day Roses owe their principal origin to forms 

 cultivated, we know not how long, by the flower- 

 loving Chinese. The prototypes of the China and 

 Tea Roses have single flowers, and blossom but once 

 a year. When these forms gave rise to "monthly 

 blooming" Roses, or how the latter originated is un- 

 known. Possibly, it was some erratic sport or maybe 

 it was due to a radical change in environment caused 

 by the removal of the parent plants to a region where 

 the seasons were less fixed or winter unknown. How- 

 ever, be this as it may, a Rose with a decided ten- 

 dency toward perpetual blooming was the most 

 marked advance in the genus, from a garden view- 

 point, that had occurred up to that time. How mod- 

 ern hybridists have taken advantage of this variation 

 needs no comment. 



All Rose breeders have their ideals, but in striving 

 after size, form, color, freedom of blossom and of 

 habit, after good foliage, hardiness, constitution, 

 keeping qualities of the flowers and the like, fragrance 

 should not be lost sight of. We want Roses good in 

 all points. We want fragrant Roses in increasing 



