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THE CULTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ROSES. 
know little or nothing of the subject, it is 
the only sure guide to the safe and superior 
culture of the Rose. 
From another pen we have, to follow the 
treatise, some excellent remarks on the present 
incomplete and unsatisfactory classification of 
the various Roses, under the heads of what 
may be called families. It is appropriate, 
1 localise it is desirahle we should concentrate 
all that we can get upon so interesting a 
subject. With regard to this paper we Avill 
not say much; it is not without some interest, 
and may do good service, because, however 
crude a proposal may he made, it might form 
the ground-work of improvement. That there 
is a great deal of truth in some of the remarks 
is certain ; and though we cannot exactly 
follow the writer through all his opinions with 
equal pleasure, he states known and prevailing 
evils, and speculates on the probable means of 
averting them for the future, by a new classi- 
fication, which, if it have no other merit, can, 
at least, be well understood by common people, 
of whom there are many as fond of the Rose 
as the most elaborate writer upon the subject. 
Ed. 
SELECTION OF PLANTS. 
The varieties which are being added every 
season to this beautiful flower, and its univer- 
sal adoption, as a leading ornament in gardens 
of all kinds, warrant us in preparing the ama- 
teur, who is beginning to grow them, for the 
evils he may have to encounter, and the plea- 
sure that he will derive from conquering them. 
We agree with a former writer on this subject, 
that the division of Roses into families, with 
the most unimportant differences or distinc- 
tions, is discouraging to the amateur, who may 
wander through the most popular catalogues, 
withoutbecoming acquainted with the fine lines 
which divide one family from another : and 
therefore we propose to make a few distinctions, 
which are important, and which even a novice 
can understand. And here we would observe, 
that out of one thousand which are mentioned 
in the larger catalogues, eight, or, perhaps, nine 
hundred, can be done without as well as with ; 
unless people really mean, for curiosity's sake, 
to grow an entire collection. The properties 
of the rose have been laid down upon prin- 
ciples which no one can mistake; and as one of 
our present lessons is to assist the amateur in 
his first purchase, we will give the original 
rules for estimating the good from the bad. 
THE PROPERTIES OF A FINE ROSE. 
There is no flower more difficult to define 
than the Rose, and the difficulty arises out of 
several curious facts. First, the Rose is the 
only flower that is beautiful in all its stages— 
from the instant the calyx bursts and shows a 
Streak of the corolla, till it is in full bloom. Se- 
condly, it is the only flower that is really rich 
in its confusion, or that is not the less elegant 
for the total absence of all uniformity and order. 
The very fact of its being beautiful from the 
moment the calyx bursts, makes the single 
and semi-double Roses, up to a certain stage, 
as good as the perfectly double ones are ; and 
there is yet another point in the construction 
of some varieties, which makes them lose their 
beauty when they are full blown. For in- 
stance, the Moss-rose is a magnificent object 
so long as the calyx is all seen, but so soon as 
the flower fully expands, all the distinction 
between a Moss-rose and a common one has 
departed, or is concealed. From this one fact 
we insist that Roses, even for show, must 
be divided into distinct families, and those 
qualities for which families are most distin- 
guished, must be exhibited to the best advan- 
tage. This brings us at once to an acknow- 
ledgment that the grand characteristic of a 
Moss-rose is its calyx . These properties must 
never be estimated by full blown flowers, and 
therefore, all varieties of moss, from the cristata 
to the moussue presque partout, must be exhi- 
bited before they expand enough to hide the 
calyx. In the present state of Horticulture, 
we can hardly allow that any other description 
of Rose should be grown, if semi-double. Those 
who are more indulgent, consider that a Climb- 
ing-rose, or a Rose of peculiar habit, or indeed 
any other distinction, should .be sufficient to 
justify semi-double and imperfect flowers. 
Certainly, if we concede anything, this would 
be the extent ; that a new colour should jus- 
tify the saving of any Rose, even if it were 
single. But we are much mistaken if any 
who have been used to grow the best double 
Roses, would give much for a semi-double or 
single variety. 
If there be any distinct and valuable fea- 
ture in a plant, which justifies the growing of 
a variety, for its beauty as a plant, the bloom 
is at once out of the question, and we hardly 
take such a variety to be worth the florist's 
keeping. There are, however, some proper- 
ties which apply to all Roses, whatever be their 
characteristics in other respects, and, therefore, 
must be taken as an estimable point in the 
construction of a flower. 
" 1. The petals should be thick, broad, and 
smooth at the edges." 
Whether this be for a Moss, which is 
never to be shown fully opened, or the 
florist's favourite, which is to be shown as a 
dahlia, this property is equally valuable, be- 
cause the thicker the petal the longer it is 
opening, and the longer does it continue in 
perfection, when it is opened. There is an- 
other essential point gained in thick-petalled 
