CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE. 31 



CHARACTERISTICS OP A PINE ROSE. 



THERE is no flower more difficult to define than the Rose, and the 

 difficulty arises out of several curious facts. First, it is the only flower 

 that is beautiful in all its stages from the instant the calyx bursts and 

 shows a streak of the corolla, till it is in full bloom. Secondly, it is 

 the only one that is really rich in its confusion, or that is not the less 

 elegant for the total absence of all uniformity and order. The very 

 fact of its being beautiful from the moment the calyx bursts, makes 

 the single and semi-double roses, up to a certain stage, as good as 

 the perfectly double ones; and there is yet another point in the forma- 

 tion of some varieties, which makes them lose their beauty when they 

 are full blown. Fo* instance, the Moss Rose is a magnificent object 

 so long as the calyx is all seen, but so soon as the flower fully expands, 

 all the distinction between a Moss Rose and a commoji one has de- 

 parted, or is concealed. This brings us at once to an acknowledg- 

 ment that the grand characteristic of a Moss Rose is its calyx. These 

 properties must never be estimated by full-blown flowers, and there- 

 fore, all varieties of Moss Roses must be exhibited before they expand 

 enough to hide the calyx. 



There are some properties, however, which apply to all roses, what- 

 ever be their characteristics in other respects, and, therefore, must be 

 taken as an estimable point in the construction of a flower. 



1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges. 

 Whether this be for a Moss, which is never to be shown fully 



opened, or the florist's favorite, which is to be shown as a dahlia, thi? 

 property is equally valuable, be use the thicker the petal, the longer 

 it is opening, and the longer does it co linue in perfection, when it if 

 opened. There is another essential point gained in thick-petalleo 

 flowers : The thicker the petal, the more dense and decided the shade 

 or color, or the more pure a white, while the most brilliant scarlet 

 would look tame and watery if the petal were thin, transparent, and 

 flimsy. Hence, many semi-double varieties, with these petals, look 

 bright enough while the petals are crowded in the bud, but are watery 

 and tame when opened, and dependent on their single thickness. 



2. The flover should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it, 

 fragrant 



