THE HYBRID TEA. 



531 



Perpetual. If this is so, then we have in this class the intermingling of 

 B. damascena with B. gallica. On the other hand there is considerable 

 variation in Roses of the Tea-scented group, which appears to owe its 

 origin to the blush Tea introduced from China in 1810, and the Yellow 

 Tea received from the same country in 1834. Was not the Hybrid 

 Tea originally a cross between the Hybrid Perpetual and the Tea- 

 scented ? Have we kept to this ? Is there not rather a tendency in the 

 present day to class all perpetual Roses of an indefinite character as 

 Hybrid Teas, regardless of botanical characteristics ? It seems that a 

 raiser considers there are but three courses open to him. He obtains 



Fig. 152. — Hybrid Tea Rose ' Mme. Jules Grolez ' (slightly reduced). (The Garden.) 



a seedling, propagates it, and then, when on the point of distributing it, 

 considers whether it is a Hybrid Perpetual or Tea. If he is unable 

 to determine this point, he calls it a Hybrid Tea. Again, some it may be 

 who approach the question from the more or less restricted view of an 

 exhibitor, jealously protect the Tea-scented class from any intrusion 

 of a red flower. A dark Rose in a stand of Teas, they say, spoils the 

 stand. As an instance of this we may cite the case of 'Souvenir de 

 Therese Levet,' introduced in 1882, which had to struggle hard to main- 

 tain its position as a Tea. If this Rose had been sent out some ten 

 years later, I venture to say it would, solely on account of its colour, have 

 been classed as a Hybrid Tea. And here I would put forth another 



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