216 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



dark H.P.s, and this among them, will stand it as well 

 as any. It cannot be called a free-bloomer, a good 

 autumnal, or an early Rose. Perhaps best as a standard. 



Abel Grand (Damaizin, 1865). — A useful early garden 

 Rose of very strong stiff hardy growth, with fine foliage, 

 and stout and numerous thorns. This is a good type of 

 the " garden " Rose, as, though its flowers are not good 

 enough for show, the plant is vigorous and hardy, doing 

 fairly well in poor soil, strong of constitution, not liable 

 to fungoid pests, and flowering freely in summer and in 

 autumn. The pink blooms are of large size, open and 

 flat and rather weak in the centre ; not very lasting, and 

 with thin petals. It has sported once or twice to a 

 lighter shade, one of these variations having been fixed 

 and named " Bessie Johnson," and a climbing sport of 

 this has also been issued. 



Alfred Colomb (Lacharme, 1865). — Of fine growth and 

 foliage in good soil but not on poor or light land. Not 

 very liable to mildew and can stand some rain. The 

 blooms generally come good, but occasionally divided, of 

 fine typical shape, what the N.R.S. Catalogue calls 

 " globular, high centre," which is a good description of 

 this Rose in its perfection : very good in petal, centre, 

 size, lasting qualities, and colour. This is a first-class 

 late show Rose, good as a standard, fragrant, free in 

 bloom, and fine as an autumnal, with clean, smooth- 

 skinned, handsome wood, striking well as a cutting. 

 The flowers are often extremely like those of Marie 

 Baumann, though the wood and habits of the plant are 

 very different. In my opinion, if either of these two 

 well-known Roses was now brought out as a novelty, 

 having been hitherto unknown, it would be considered 

 synonymous with the other. Marshal P. Wilder is held 

 to be too much alike and therefore considered a synonym. 



