BOOK REVIEWS. 



135 



one, however, is that this process gives a fair representation 

 of the true colour only within somewhat narrow limits. The art 

 colours, that is the shades of salmon, orange, and yellow, are good, 

 but the greens are often very unpleasing, while the crimson Roses 

 depicted give a very inaccurate idea of the true colour of the 

 flower. Moreover, the flowers have in many cases been photographed 

 in a very immature state, merely as buds, some of them having their 

 outer petals turned back in a rather unnatural manner, such as we 

 are familiar with at some of our shows, and which lead judges to 

 declaim against "overdressing." For instance, 'Earl of Warwick,' 

 normally a rather full Rose, is shown as a thin bud in a way which 

 gives little idea of the flower as generally seen. 



The text is open to a certain amount of criticism. Thus, after 

 referring to the introduction of ' La France ' in 1867, it is stated : 

 " The next Hybrid Tea that appeared and stood the test of time was 

 ■ Reine Marie Henriette,' raised by Levet in 1878." This seems a little 

 misleading, for 'Captain Christy' and ' Cheshunt Hybrid,' the latter 

 the first Rose to be called a Hybrid Tea, were both introduced in 1873, 

 and are probably quite as popular as ' Reine Marie Henriette.' 



Again, we are told that "in ' Roses and Rose-growing ' Miss 

 Kingsley states that the Banksias and some of the Multifloras, such as 

 ' Crimson Rambler,' and one Noisette, ' Fortune's Yellow,' only flower 

 on the sublaterals, i.e. on wood three years old. We knew that 

 ' Crimson Rambler ' needed practically only thinning, but were 

 ignorant of the interesting fact regarding the sublaterals." The 

 statement seemed so contrary to our experience of ' Crimson Rambler ' 

 in this country that it was thought worth while to refer to Miss 

 Kingsley's book, where, on p. 20, we find the following passage : " The 

 Banksias, some of the Multifloras such as ' Aglaia,' and that beautiful 

 Rose ' Fortune's Yellow,' only flower on the sublaterals." Of ' Aglaia ' 

 the statement is more or less true, but not, in this country at least, 

 of ' Crimson Rambler.' It is fair to state that the edition we referred 

 to is published by Whittaker, while the author gives as his authority 

 an edition by the Macmillan Co., and it is possible there may be a 

 difference between the two editions, but would it not have been better 

 if before publishing this statement, however interesting, the author 

 had taken the trouble to look in the garden to ascertain the fact ? — ■ 

 when he would have found that ' Crimson Rambler ' flowers freely on 

 laterals from the wood of the previous year as well as on the sub- 

 laterals from two-year-old wood. 



In another place we find the Rose ' Pierre Notting ' compared 

 with the Tea Rose ' Alexander Hill Gray.' Now ' Pierre Notting ' is a 

 Hybrid Perpetual, brought out in 1862, and carmine-crimson in colour, 

 and the Rose intended to be referred to must be the Tea Rose ' Souvenir 

 de Pierre Notting,' which, like ' Alexander Hill Gray,' is of a yellow 

 colour. In so far as this may indicate a desire for the simplification of 

 Rose names we have much sympathy with the author, but surely, if 

 confusion is to be avoided, the desired reform must be carried out by 



