XII 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 



299 



Monsieur Furtado (Laffay, 1866). — This Rose still 

 appears in the N.R.S. catalogue ; but the growth is very 

 weak, the flowers small and short-petalled, and though 

 the colour is a good yellow it is certainly a Rose to be 

 avoided. 



Niphetos (Bougere, 1844). — This Rose is a good in- 

 stance of what is termed " free " growth, i.e. neither 

 long nor stout, but branching and generally growing 

 somewhere. The foliage is good and not much liable to 

 mildew, but the blooms will not stand rain. This old 

 Rose has attained a very great reputation for its 

 free-flowering qualities and its purity of colour. I do 

 not know how many thousand feet run of glasshouses 

 have been maintained for the purpose of growing 

 the rose which Mons. Bougere, the raiser, appropriately 

 named Niphetos (" snowy "), but I apprehend the figures 

 would very much have astonished him could he have 

 known them when he issued it, and he would perhaps 

 have wished to attach his own name to it instead of to 

 the much less valuable production (Bougere) of twelve 

 years before. White flowers are always in special de- 

 mand, not only because they are lovely in themselves, 

 do not lose their colour, and go well with everything, 

 but also because they are considered the most appro- 

 priate on the three great occasions of birth, marriage, and 

 death. It so happens that Niphetos, the purest of all white 

 Roses, has a long bud especially suitable for bouquets 

 and wreaths, and is also free-flowering and bears forcing 

 well. It is no wonder therefore that it is, and has been, 

 cultivated for market purposes to an astonishing extent. 

 It is also capable of being exhibited as a Rose of great 

 merit, with very fine petals and of the largest size ; but 

 in this respect it seems to have deteriorated or been 

 superseded, as it is certainly not so often shown now as 



