Chap. X. FLOWERS. 367 



it is evident that in very many cases the differences due to variation and 

 to hybridisation can now only be conjecturally distinguished. 



The species have varied both by seed and by buds ; such modified buds 

 being often called by gardeners sports. In the following chapter I shall 

 fully discuss this latter subject, and shall show that bud-variations can be 

 propagated not only by grafting and budding, but often even by seed. 

 Whenever a new rose appears with any peculiar character, however pro- 

 duced, if it yields seed, Mr. Eivers (p. 4) fully expects it to become the 

 parent-type of a new family. The tendency to vary is so strong in some 

 kinds, as in the Village Maid (Eivers, p. 16), that when grown in different 

 soils it varies so much in colour that it has been thought to form several 

 distinct kinds. Altogether the number of kinds is very great: thus M. 

 Desportes, hi his Catalogue for 1829, enumerates 2562 as cultivated in 

 France ; but no doubt a large proportion of these are merely nominal. 



It would be useless to specify the many points of difference between the 

 various kinds, but some constitutional peculiarities may be mentioned. 

 Several French roses (Eivers, p. 12) will not succeed in England ; and an 

 excellent horticulturist 179 remarks, that " Even in the same garden you will 

 find that a rose that will do nothing under a south wall will do well under 

 a north one. That is the case with Paul Joseph here. It grows strongly 

 and blooms beautifully close to a north wall. For three years seven plants 

 have done nothing under a south wall." Many roses can be forced, 

 "many are totally unfit for forcing, among which is General Jacque- 

 minot." 180 From the effects of crossing and variation Mr. Eivers enthu- 

 siastically anticipates (p. 87) that the day will come when all our roses, 

 even moss-roses, will have evergreen foliage, brilliant and fragrant flowers, 

 and the habit of blooming from June till November. " A distant view 

 this seems, but perseverance in gardening will yet achieve wonders," as 

 assuredly it has already achieved wonders. 



It may be worth while briefly to give the well-known history of one class 

 of roses. In 1793 some wild Scotch roses (-#. spinosissima) were trans- 

 planted into a garden; 181 and one of these bore flowers slightly tinged 

 with red, from which a plant was raised with semi-monstrous flowers, also 

 tinged with red; seedlings from this flower were semi-double, and by con- 

 tinued selection, in about nine or ten years, eight sub-varieties were 

 raised. In the course of less than twenty years these double Scotch roses 

 had so much increased in number and kind, that twenty-six well-marked 

 varieties, classed in eight sections, were described by Mr. Sabine. In 

 1841182 ^ i s sa id that three hundred varieties could be procured in the 

 nursery-gardens near Glasgow ; and these are described as blush, crimson, 

 purple, red, marbled, two-coloured, white, and yellow, and as differing much 



in the size and shape of the flower, j 



179 The Eev. W. F. Kadclyffe, in 181 Mr. Sabine, in ' Transact. Horfc. 

 ' Journal of Horticulture,' March 14, Soc.,' vol. iv. p. 285. 



1865, p. 207. 182 ' An Encyclop. of Plants/ by J. 



180 ' Gardener's Chronicle,' 1861, p. C. Loudoo, 1841, p. 443. 

 46. 



