258 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



cultivation, to make it perfect. It opens quickly, is weak 

 in the centre, and must be cut quite small for exhibition. 

 This race has a splendid hardy robust constitution : no 

 blanks occur in my rows of cutbacks of this Rose and 

 the Baroness. The plants are alike and even: none 

 die, or are ever " sick or sorry." They do well on any 

 stock or even on their own roots, and are splendid 

 autumnals but scentless. 



Miss Hassard (Turner, 1875). — Of strong thorny 

 growth, hardy, free blooming and a pretty pink colour, 

 but weak and loose in shape. A garden Rose, worthy of 

 note as being one of the earliest to bloom. 



Monsieur Boncenne (Liabaud, 1864). — Syn. Baron de 

 Bonstetten. A strong grower with fair foliage, but 

 liable to mildew and orange fungus, and not liking rain. 

 Very early : one of the first to show flower buds. A 

 poorly shaped flat bloom at the best, only a small 

 proportion of them coming good, but a beautiful dark 

 colour, particularly " velvety." Requires a hot season, 

 and yet is liable to be " burnt." Fairly free blooming 

 and of average size, but not lasting or a good autumnal 

 and of no use as an exhibition Rose. 



Monsieur Noman (Guillot, 1866). — A capricious 

 grower, often very weak, and better in growth on light 

 soil though the blooms are then poor. The character- 

 istic wood is very enticing to prune to, if you do not 

 know " its tricks and its manners " ; for the base of 

 every shoot swarms with great strong red wood buds, 

 looking as if the plant was going to grow with great 

 vigour : but the experienced primer will leave very few 

 indeed of these buds, and allow only two or three 

 shoots to remain. It is best as a maiden, budded 

 annually on small fast-growing stocks. Not liable to 

 mildew, but absolutely spoiled by rain, which in the 



