HOW TO SHOW THE ROSE 247 



as you do, the red hair of your dear little Augustus 

 a soft chestnut, or a rich auburn ; they have been 

 known, on the contrary, to murmur ^ Carrots/ They 

 do not declare a squint, as Charles Mathews in the 

 play, to be * a pleasing obliquity of the left eye.' 



Have the sticks holding the cards which tell the 

 names of your Roses in their places before you put 

 on the lids. If you are showing in the larger classes, 

 it is wise to make this arrangement when you insert 

 the flowers ; otherwise, forgetting names, you may run 

 a risk of including duplicates. Moreover, you will 

 find the process of naming your Roses after your 

 arrival at the show a tedious occupation of time, which 

 might be much more advantageously employed. 



Have your lids on before the sun is high, and be on 

 the show -ground as early as you can. You will thus 

 have the advantage of selecting a good place for your 

 boxes, not exposed to draught or to glare ; of re- 

 placing from your spare blooms those Roses which 

 have suffered from the voyage ; of setting each flower 

 and each card in its position ; of filling up the tubes 

 with fresh water ; and of making the best of your 

 Roses generally, leisurely, and at your ease. 



This done, you may put back your lids, just raising 

 them at the front a couple of inches with wooden 

 props ; and then you may survey (as I propose to 

 do in my final chapter) the exhibitors, the judges, and 

 the Rose-show itself 



