THE STORY OF THE MODERN ROSE 11 



six species are recognized as indigenous in North 

 America; and of these virtually only one (R. seti- 

 gera), the Prairie Rose, has been utilized by the 

 hybridist to date, and this but sparingly. However, 

 it is well to mention that a double-flowered form of 

 Rosa virginiana, the Rose d' Amour, has been known 

 since 1768, and quite recently Rosa humilis has been 

 crossed with Rosa rugosa. 



Except in gardens devoted to forming collections 

 of plants, species of Rose, with a few exceptions, are 

 rarely cultivated and it is trite to say that Roses as 

 ordinarily understood are "made," not discovered 

 wild. In other words, they are the product of the 

 gardeners' skill. I would I could take the readers 

 of this work to the mountain fastnesses of central and 

 western China, and to certain remote parts of Japan 

 and there introduce him to the wild types — the raw 

 material — from which have been evolved our "Kil- 

 larneys," "American Beauty," "Mrs. Chas. Russell," 

 "Lady Hillingdon," "Caroline Testout," "Mrs. 

 George Shawyer"; our "Rambler" and "Wichur- 

 aiana" hybrids and innumerable others, and his 

 or her astonishment would be profound. Truly it 

 hardly seems credible that the Roses of to-day had 

 such lowly origins. 



The French Rose (R. gallica), Provence Rose 



