204 MORE POT-POURRI 



flower. This is without a doubt the ' roses damasked, red 

 and white ' the rose l nor red nor white, had stolen of 

 both ' of Shakespeare, and it is the It. versicolor of the 

 old botanical writers. In the other sort the petals are a 

 rich crimson flaked with white ; it is a very handsome 

 Rose, comparatively modern, and is the Rosa mundi of 

 the ' Botanical Magazine ' 1794." ' I have lately seen a 

 double Rosa lucida, a great improvement on the single 

 one ; also a double white Rosa rugosa. 



Since writing the above I have succeeded in pro- 

 curing through my Frankfort friend a coloured copy of 

 ' Rosarum Monographia' by John Lindley (London, 

 J820). On the title-page is this nice little motto : 



E guadagnar, se si potra, quel dono, 

 Che stato detto n' , che Eose sono. 



The letterpress is far more interesting and instructive, 

 but the actual artistic treatment of the plates is less 

 beautiful and delicate than Redoute^s. 



February 9th. Where people suffer much from the 

 birds eating out buds, as I do, I strongly recommend pick- 

 ing some of the branches of Prumis pissardi when in bud, 

 and sticking them into Japanese wedges or into ordinary 

 glass vases. This, in so far as house decoration is con- 

 cerned, defeats the bullfinches, and the buds come out very 

 well in the room. This is the same with all the early- 

 flowering blossoms. The pink Almond and Pyrus 

 japonica are far more lovely flowered in water in a warm 

 room than left on the trees exposed to the cold nights and 

 the nipping east wind. 



February 10th. On this day last year I went to one 

 of the Drill Hall Horticultural Shows, and was especially 

 delighted with Amygdalus davidiana ; it is one of the 

 earliest of the flowering shrubs. I immediately bought a 

 plant, and on my return this year I found it in full flower, 



