278 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



have been not only ripened but almost roasted. It is 

 said, however, by those who used to grow it thirty 

 years ago or more that it bloomed freely and well at 

 that time, but received a check in a certain severe 

 winter which affected the constitution of the whole 

 variety. This may be possible, but perhaps jealousy 

 was a hidden trait among its manners and customs, and 

 that it shut up from envy at sight of the rising star of 

 1864, Marechal Niel. It is said to do well still in Ceylon, 

 Australia, and other warm places, but in this country it 

 does not seem wise to waste time and space upon it. 

 It has fine yellow flowers indeed, large and well 

 shaped, but not so good as those of its great rival. 

 Oddly enough, it may be seen blooming fairly as a 

 maiden in the open in some nurserymen's quarters, but 

 I have never seen a bloom of it exhibited, and it really 

 is not worth growing in the British Isles. 



Comtesse de Nadaillac (Guillot, 1871). — Of dwarf, 

 thorny, and, unless thoroughly well treated, weakly 

 growth and foliage ; not liable to mildew, but spoiled by 

 rain, though more tolerant of it than some. This is a 

 Rose which, despite its small growth and generally feeble 

 appearance, is commonly considered second to none as 

 a show Rose, and it is seldom that a good stand is shown 

 without it. The habit of this variety is peculiar, 

 though that of Princess of Wales is somewhat similar. 

 With almost all other Roses, the finest and strongest 

 shoots give the finest blooms, but with this sort it is 

 very difficult to tell which will do so. A bud at the end 

 of a very small shoot may grow and swell for weeks 

 before opening, and will then probably show a bloom 

 that not only for beauty, but also for size, will utterly 

 eclipse anything that can be produced from even such 

 strong rampant growers as Gloire de Dijon or Climbing 



