370 : THE, FLORIST. 
of the Post-office by Shirley Hibberd?*” which finally, my Mattocks, is 
the Queen of flowers, Rosa Mundi, perfect, peerless! ‘‘Zi-wie,” says 
the French proverb, ‘true aime mieux, bran. que Hoses”. the: sow 
would rather have its nose in the swill-tub than smelling the sweetest 
posey; and he is a hog who does not love the Rose...) / 
“There! ,. The hunter has had his gallop round, the ‘‘ rosea, rura,””, the. 
(as a Nottinghamshire Rose grower in his garden by, the silyery, Trent 
might be inclined to, misquote the ling) and,.we will moderate our. 
pace now if you please and pitch our note an octave lower: 
i | rg q ee) ) RAs ‘ a5 j fa 
i 5 H WA 
ion top Iu; 
But we follow, though, more slowly, the, same route ;,. the refrain..of 
our.song may not be changed, tose est Bonheur, the, Rose.1s. happiness ! 
. To review then more calmly,and to demonstrate. more. practically 
what I have said, I will speak first. of the Rose’s popularity... Im) March. 
last (1860) I received an application from a society, of working men at 
Nottingham, inviting me to assist at their, ‘‘ Rose Show,” which, they, 
proposed to hold on Easter Monday. ,..As I had rot at that time.a, Rose-, 
bud in my possession, and-neyer entertained. the idea_of an. artizan, 
with a conservatory, I came to the conclusion that some facetious frend. 
was enlivening himself at,,my expense, and I. wrote back, curtly,, 
enquiring what, particular Roses were so kind as to bloom_at Nottingham 
three months before, they condescended, to appear in, other, less favoured. 
localities 2? The reply, that, the flowers intended for exhibition were, 
grown under glass in pots, made me thoroughly ashamed of my inere-, 
dulity, and on.Haster Monday, 9th April,-I set forth in .a.snow storm, 
not daring to reveal my mission to any, one, for who was likely to believe. 
me, and travelled forty miles in all. by rail,and road. forthe. show,, 


Never was journey more delightfully recompensed.... Driving through, 
sleet and -sludge..to the ‘‘General Cathcart,” the: weather painfully, 
recalling that hero on the hills of the Crimea, 1 found, to my, sudden, 
but complete happiness, a long table. covered with, Roses! , Yes,.there, 
were our summer sweethearts, fresh and fair, smiling af the hail which, 
pattered against the windows, as though: teproying them. for. their 
precocious forwardness. Ah, did we not enjoy ,our stolen, kisses, the, 
bright glowing tints, the shining foliage, the. delicious perfume... Had, 
we not a genial, joyous time of if, praising and comparing our charmers |, 
Rose growers, all of us, we said our, say without reserve. or restraint,: 
smoking our, pipes, and no more standing on ceremony than the Roses;, 
which stood-in porter bottles! . Then, after an hour's thorough enjoy-. 
ment, I-went, with the most successful tramer of the day,.,T,. Flinders, 
jun., and a very pleasant companion I found him, from the race-course ; 
to the stables, from the show to the greenhouses, some of them sosmall, 
that I, being of extra size, and wearing a winter, over-coat,;was;com-. 
pelled to remain outside, and all of them belonging to working, men,, 
who, living in the town, often, come long distances, before and after, a 
hard day’s labour, to attend to firing and watering, and to wait, with an_ 
affection, which defies all. difficulties, upon, their, lovely mistress, the 
Rose. I went home with my heart full of pleasant thoughts, and with 
my hands-full of such winsome flowers as made every passenger in the 
train livid with envy x1378 28 at beaisinos oonehasotmo) To abs6w Sane 
ISAOIIW TOP Faswosan BAT Oe ess ad iH 
