190 Gleanings from the 



All through the Bengal Preiidency rofes are 

 magnificent ; but their beauty culminates at 

 Umritzur, which is a mafs of myrtles and rofes, 

 like a city of the "Arabian Nights." 1 Of the 

 many natural varieties, three are mainly the parents 

 of the enormous number of kinds cultivated by 

 modern gardeners, and thefe three were probably 

 equally well-known to the ancients. Thefe are 

 Rofa centifolia, which has been found wild in 

 thickets on the eaftern fide of the Caucafus; 

 R. Damafcena^ a native of Syria ; and R. Indica^ 

 the Chinefe rofe. Some 3,000 fpecies are now in 

 cultivation in France, which will give an idea of 

 the varieties which have fprung from budding, 

 grafting, and feed ; and Mr. Rivers enthufiaftically 

 anticipates, it may be ftated for all lovers of the 

 queen of flowers, that " the day will come when 

 all our rofes, even mofs-rofes, will have evergreen 

 foliage, brilliant and fragrant flowers, and the 

 habit of blooming from June till November." 2 The 

 rofe twice mentioned in the Old Teftament is 

 no true rofe, but moft probably the narciflus. 

 Similarly the fo-called Rofe of Jericho (Anaftatica 

 Hierochuntina) is a cruciferous plant, found in 



1 Together with Adrianople thefe two cities make moft of 

 the Oriental attar of rofes. Umritzur " makes attar of rofes 

 from the R. centifolia, which only bloffoms once a year, and it 

 makes it for the world. Ten tons of rofe-petals are ufed 

 annually in it, and are worth from ^20 to 30 per ton in the 

 raw ftate. The petals are diftilled through a hollow bamboo 

 into a vefTel which contains fandal-wood oil. The contents 

 are then poured out and allowed to ftand till the attar rifes to 

 the furface in fmall globules, and is fkimmed off. The pure 

 attar fells for its weight in filver." " Greater Britain," i., p. 278. 



2 See Darwin, "Animals and Plants, etc.," vol. L, p. 391. 



