POSITION 59 



home we must find, or make, for our Roses, wherein 

 we may see them in a serene and placid loveliness, 

 what time their unprotected sisters are withering 

 beneath burning suns, and may admire their ample 

 and glossy foliage when, in exposed and unfenced 

 ground, the furious wind seems almost to blow out 

 the very sap from the shimmering, shivering leaves. 

 Transitory, almost ephemeral, is 'a Rose's brief life 

 of joy,' 



and there comes a broiling day towards the end of 

 June, when the Rose, unshaded, is burnt to tinder, 

 and the petals of that magnificent Charles Lefebvre, 

 which was intended for next day's show, crumble as 

 we touch, and are as the parsley which accompanies 

 the hot rissole. Or there comes a gusty day, and lo ! 

 that lovely bloom which was perfect just now in tint 

 and symmetry, is chafed, discoloured, deformed, for 

 want of a guardian screen. I know that in the one 

 case something may be done by the use of those 

 florumbras and metallic hats of which I shall have 

 more to say when I speak of Roses for exhibition 

 — and that in the other, strong stakes, secure tying, 

 and low stature will do much to save ; but in both 

 instances a natural shelter and a natural shade are far 

 more reliable aids — far more conducive to the beauty 

 and endurance of the Rose. 



