218 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



ness and unevenness in the blooms. They are of the 

 largest size and more or less of the true cupped shape, 

 but a perfect one is a rarity. 



Annie Laxton (Laxton, 1869). — A garden Rose, with 

 good growth, unusually fine foliage, and strong consti- 

 tution. Not liable to mildew or much injured by rain. 

 One of the earliest, sometimes good enough for 

 exhibition, a free bloomer and good autumnal. The 

 flowers are of fair size and bright colour, somewhat flat 

 and often irregular in shape, with rather thin petals. 



Annie Wood (E. Verdier, 1866). — Here we have a 

 Rose with manners and customs (fortunately) peculiar to 

 itself. It is a fine strong grower, with fair foliage, liable 

 to mildew and orange fungus, but not much injured by 

 rain. A great quantity of buds form on each stem : 

 the top bud of all, which one would naturally reserve, 

 is nearly always cracked, hollow, and distorted before it 

 is much bigger than a thimble, and sometimes has a 

 great green pip in the centre. You may search for the 

 best-shaped bud, and do away with all the others for its 

 sake. Even then, nine out of ten buds will show a 

 great eye before they are more than half expanded, and 

 the tenth will do it soon after being cut. You make up 

 your mind to discard the sort altogether : but, just at 

 the close of the season, a beautiful bloom makes its 

 appearance on a shoot you had not noticed, with 

 brilliant colour, full size, delightful fragrance, and good 

 imbricated shape — a lovely Rose: and the plants are 

 spared to serve you just the same trick another season. 

 The title of this chapter being Avhat it is, it seems im- 

 possible to avoid sooner or later bringing in the time- 

 honoured anecdote of the traveller who, describing the 

 " manners and customs " of some native tribes he had 

 been visiting, was constrained to dismiss one of 



