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THE BOOK OF ROSES

By Francis Parkman

Boston

J. E. Tilton And Company.

1871.




INTRODUCTION

|IT IS needless to eulogize the Rose. Poets from Anacreon and Sappho,
and earlier than they, down to our own times, have sung its praises; and
yet the rose of Grecian and of Persian song, the rose of troubadours
and minstrels, had no beauties so resplendent as those with which its
offspring of the present day embellish our gardens. The "thirty sorts
of rose," of which John Parkinson speaks in 1629, have multiplied to
thousands. New races have been introduced from China, Persia, Hindostan,
and our own country; and these, amalgamated with the older families by
the art of the hybridist, have produced still other forms of surpassing
variety and beauty. This multiplication and improvement are still
in progress. The last two or three years have been prolific beyond
precedent in new roses; and, with all regard for old favorites, it
cannot be denied, that, while a few of the roses of our forefathers
still hold their ground, the greater part are cast into the shade by the
brilliant products of this generation.

In the production of new roses, France takes the lead. A host of
cultivators great and small--Laffay, Vibert, Verdier, Margottin,
Trouillard, Portemer, and numberless others--have devoted themselves to
the pleasant art of intermarrying the various families and individual
varieties of the rose, and raising from them seedlings whose numbers
every year may be counted by hundreds of thousands. Of these, a very few
only are held worthy of preservation; and all the rest are consigned to
the rubbish heap. The English, too, have of late done much in raising
new varieties; though their climate is less favorable than that of
France, and their cultivators less active and zealous in the work. Some
excellent roses, too, have been produced in America. Our climate is
very favorable to the raising of seedlings, and far more might easily be
accomplished here.

In France and England, the present rage for roses is intense. It
is stimulated by exhibitions, where nurserymen, gardeners, landed
gentlemen, and reverend clergymen of the Established Church, meet in
friendly competition for the prize. While the French excel all others
in the production of new varieties, the English are unsurpassed in
the cultivation of varieties already known; and nothing can exceed
the beauty and perfection of some of the specimens exhibited at
their innumerable rose-shows. If the severity of our climate has its
disadvantages, the clearness of our air and the warmth of our summer
sun more than counterbalance them; and it is certain that roses can be
raised here in as high perfection, to say the very least, as in any part
of Europe.

The object of this book is to convey information. The earlier
portion will describe the various processes of culture, training, and
propagation, both in the open ground and in pots; and this will be
followed by an account of the various families and groups of the rose,
with descriptions of the best varieties belonging to each. A descriptive
list will be added of all the varieties, both of old roses and those
most recently introduced, which are held in esteem by the experienced
cultivators of the present day. The chapter relating to the
classification of roses, their family relations, and the manner in
which new races have arisen by combinations of two or more old ones, was
suggested by the difficulties of the writer himself at an early
period of his rose studies. The want of such explanations, in previous
treatises, has left their readers in a state of lamentable perplexity on
a subject which might easily have been made sufficiently clear.

Books on the rose, written for the climates of France or England,
will, in general, greatly mislead the cultivators here. Extracts will,
however, be given from the writings of the best foreign cultivators, in
cases where experience has shown that their directions are applicable
to the climate of the Northern and Middle States. The writer having been
for many years a cultivator of the rose, and having carefully put in
practice the methods found successful abroad, is enabled to judge with
some confidence of the extent to which they are applicable here, and
to point out exceptions and modifications demanded by the nature of our
climate.

Among English writers on the rose, the best are Paul, Rivers, and
more recently Cranston, together with the vivacious Mr. Radclyffe, a
clergyman, a horticulturist, an excellent amateur of the rose, and a
very amusing contributor to the "Florist." In France, Deslongchamps
and several able contributors to the "Revue Horticole" are the
most prominent. From these sources the writer of this book drew the
instructions and hints which at first formed the basis of his practice;
but he soon found that he must greatly modify it in accordance with
American necessities. There was much to be added, much to be discarded,
and much to be changed; and the results to which he arrived are given,
as compactly as possible, in the following pages.

Jan. 1,1866.

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CHAPTER I. OPEN AIR CULTURE


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|THE ROSE requires high culture. This belle of the parterre, this "queen
of flowers," is a lover of rich fare, and refuses to put forth all her
beauties on a meagre diet. Roses, indeed, will grow and bloom in any
soil; but deficient nourishment will reduce the size of the flowers,
and impair the perfection of their form. Of all soils, one of a sandy or
gravelly nature is the worst; while, on the other hand, a wet and dense
clay is scarcely better. A rich, strong, and somewhat heavy garden loam,
abundantly manured, is the soil best adapted to all the strong-growing
roses; while those of more delicate growth prefer one pro-portionably
lighter.

Yet roses may be grown to perfection in any soil, if the needful pains
are taken. We will suppose an extreme case: The grower wishes to plant
a bed of roses on a spot where the soil is very poor and sandy. Let him
mark out his bed, dig the soil to the depth of eighteen inches? throw
out the worst portion of it, and substitute in its place a quantity
of strong, heavy loam: rotted sods, if they can be had, will be an
excellent addition; and so, also, will decayed leaves. Then add a
liberal dressing of old stable manure: that taken from a last year's
hot-bod will do admirably. It is scarcely possible to enrich too highly.
One-fourth manure to three-fourths soil is not an excessive proportion.
Now incorporate the whole thoroughly with a spade, level the top, and
your bed is ready.

Again: we will suppose a case, equally bad, but of the opposite
character. Here the soil is very wet, cold, and heavy. The first step is
to drain it. This may be done thoroughly with tiles, after the approved
methods; or, if this is too troublesome or expensive, simpler means may
be used, which will, in most situations, prove as effectual. Dig a
hole about five feet deep and four feet wide at the lower side of your
intended bed of roses: in this hole place an inverted barrel, with the
head knocked out; or, what is better, an old oil cask. In the latter
case, a hole