172 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



for two such ubiquitous ailments as 

 toothache and baldness. These excres- 

 ences are caused by the puncture of 

 an insect in the same way as galls, to 

 which also the leaves of roses are very 

 subject. Roses are veiy susceptible of 

 grafting and budding, the latter is a very 

 light and easily performed operation, 

 the result if successful being exceedingly 

 interesting. In warm, moist, growing 

 summer weather, with a sharp knife 

 remove a well-developed leaf from a rose 

 stem, be careful not to injure the little 

 budin the axil of the leaf, for on it de- 

 pends the success of the operation, then 

 on the stem of another rose make 

 a T shaped incision, gently roll back 

 the bark and insert the base of your 

 leaf, replace the bark and cover up the 

 wound with a little moist clay to 

 prevent undue evaporation, keeping 

 the whole in position by a few turns 

 of bast wrapping, and there you are. 

 If skilfuUy performed one may have 

 several kinds and colours of roses 

 growing on the same bush. 



The poetical and legendary lore of 

 the rose is unexhaustible. As maybe 

 seen by looking at any current coin of 

 the realm, it is the floral emblem of 

 England. 



" Let merry England proudly wear 

 Her blended roses bought so dear." 



This refers to the disastrous wars of the 

 roses, when the followers of the house 

 of Lancaster adopted the red, and the 

 adherents of York the white rose as 



their distinctive badge. After the 

 close of this internecine strife a 

 peculiar rose said to have sprung up 

 on one of the battle fields, with blended 

 petals of white and red, was supposed 

 to typify the union of these rival claims, 

 when the wedding of Henry YII. 

 with Elizabeth of York brought peace 

 to the distracted country. This was 

 a favourite subject with the poetical 

 wits of that period, the following neat 

 epigram being an example— 



" If this fair rose offend thy sight, 

 It on thy bosom wear ; 



'Twill blush to find itself less white, 

 And turn Lancastrian there. 



But if thy ruby lip it spy, 

 As kiss it thou mayest deign, 



With envy pale 'twill lose its dye, 

 And Yorkist turn again." 



The phrase suh-rosuj under the rose, is 

 said to be a relic of those troublous 

 times when so much secret plotting 

 had to be carried on ; although it has 

 been referred to the more ancient 

 practice of hanging a rose over the 

 heads of guests at feasts, as an intima- 

 tion that whatever transpired in con- 

 versation was to be held sacred and 

 confidential. It was one of the flowers 

 dedicated to Yenus, and the mysteries 

 of her worship might well suggest and 

 demand secresy from her devotees. It 

 also formed part of the chaplet of Isis, 

 the goddess of ancient Egypt, and was 

 by her, gifted to her son Harpocrates, 

 the god of silence, and thus the rose 

 became the symbol of silence. The 



