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THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
Thus we find the ordinary Cabbage, or Hundred-leaved Rose, 
in the garden of the humblest cottager; and yet some of the 
choicest varieties cultivated by the florist have been obtained by 
crosses with that and various other species or varieties. 
Roses, notwithstanding their beauty and the estimation in 
which they are held, are plants of which it is exceedingly easy to 
obtain a succession ; and if the necessary precautions have been 
taken, a number of new varieties maybe had almost in every case 
of sowing the seeds of Roses, even though there has been no in¬ 
tended cross impregnation. Some of the Roses, such as the 
Damask, produce a great quantity of pollen ; and when the natural 
anthers of a plant are deficient in this article, the plant is liable to 
be impregnated by that one in which the pollen is more abun¬ 
dant. This natural tendency to cross impregnation, or indiscri¬ 
minate mixture, is a great addition to the means, and encouragement 
to the hopes of the breeder, when he breeds for new varieties. 
He has not the same anxiety and the same apprehension of the 
want of success of new varieties of most flowers. He knows well 
that both the fertilizing and the fertilizable energies of his plants 
are vigorous—at least, he may choose them so ; and then, if he 
guards against common casualties, he is sure to have plenty of 
good seed. Farther than this, if he has had much practice, he 
knows which parent the resulting plant will resemble the most; 
and thus he is guided, as it were, to the production of a new Rose, 
the leading characters of which he knows tolerably well before¬ 
hand. The cross impregnation of Roses is, however, a very in¬ 
teresting department of floriculture, and throws much light upon 
the process of cross-impregnation, whether natural or brought 
about by human art. This renders the subject well worthy of 
being treated in a separate paper. 
From the ease with which Roses are propagated, the new 
varieties obtained, and old ones multiplied by cuttings, by 
layers, or by budding on the briar, Roses are exceedingly nunre- 
rous, both in varieties and individuals; and they are, perhaps, 
cheaper, in proportion to their intrinsic value, and the real plea¬ 
sure which they afford, than any other plants whatsoever. The 
varieties already existing amount to between 1,500 and 2,000, 
and new ones are added every year. Some idea of the value of 
a single species in the obtaining of varieties may be found from 
the fact, that nearly 200 varieties have been obtained by impreg- 
