HOW TO SHOW THE ROSE 239 



let him bravely and hopefully set it among its peers. 

 If it suffers from the journey, it must be replaced, of 

 course, from the box of spare blooms which the exhibitor 

 must always take with him; i but if it holds its own, 

 if it is really a Rose of superior merit, nothing can 

 now happen which will prevent a righteous Rosarian, 

 such as every judge ought to be, from recognising its 

 claims. I once saw, and the recollection makes me 

 shudder still, a senseless censor thrust the end of a 

 huge finger into the heart of a magnificent Due de 

 Rohan, in his anxiety to assure us, his coadjutors, 

 that the Rose was too fully blown. Oh, how I wished 

 that the Due, to whom we voted by a majority the 

 highest marks, had been armed for the moment with 

 a ferret's teeth ! 



The arrangement of Roses with regard to their 

 colour has not been studied as it deserves to be. 

 With some few exceptions, the nurserymen aie not 

 successful in this matter ; but it is very difficult for 

 them to find the time, granting the taste to be there, 

 for a minute assortment of the large collections which 

 they are called upon to show ; and knowing that the 

 awards will be made upon the merits and demerits of 

 the individual flowers, they are not solicitous about 



^ The Roses taken to replace others should be in a less advanced 

 stage when cut. In many cases they will develope during the journey, 

 and so prove most acceptable substitutes for those which, on opening 

 our boxes, we may find to be hors de combat. 



