XI EXHIBITING 207 



be said that there is a " fancy " in Eoses, and that 

 the very term " show-Eose " proves it, we must see 

 what are the desirable and useful properties in 

 Eoses, and whether the system of exhibitions 

 favours or hinders them. 



Beauty and fragrance are the charms of the Eose. 

 It may be said beauty is a matter of taste, but, as 

 tastes differ, for the purposes of competition ideals 

 must be agreed upon and rules laid down. In this 

 matter I think the show system of the National 

 Eose Society has laid down fairly correct canons of 

 beauty. Unhappily, fragrance cannot be accounted 

 for in competition at Eose shows. It is plain that 

 among such a number it could not be tested, and 

 that rules for estimating the amount and quality of 

 fragrance in each bloom could not be satisfactorily 

 framed. Individual taste will also differ much in 

 the appreciation of it, the scent of Mar^chal Niel, 

 for instance, so highly esteemed by some, being not 

 a pleasant one to my senses. 



In fact, the judging of fragrance would have to be 

 a matter for experts, properly trained, as tea-tasters 

 are, for the part. Such persons, who have made the 

 matter a special study, tell us that there is no scent 

 of tea among what we call Tea Eoses, but that some 

 of them, like Mar^chal Niel and Madame Bravy have 

 a fruity scent resembling the raspberry, that Safrano 

 has the odour of pinks, the Macartney Eose of 

 apricots, and the Dog-Eose of mignonette. They 

 even say that some Eoses have a disgusting scent, 

 the flowers of certain varieties of the Sweet Briar 

 (of all Eoses !) developing a mixed odour of coriander 

 and a certain horrid parasite which shall be name- 

 less ! I gather these and a few other items as to 



