over Scottish highlands, tours through Ireland and the Lake district, wanders to the Land's End, or strolls by the sea-shore, will have eyes to see the beauty, variety, and adaptability of the roses of Great Britain and Ireland.

WILD roses had a place in gardens and shrubberies in the days of our grandfathers, but in more recent times the selection of shrubs was much restricted. Generally speaking, the choice was confined to laurel, laurestinus, Portugal laurel, and one or two varieties of rhododendron. The cultivation of rose species as bushes and shrubs was a thing of the past, owing, in no small degree, to the advent of the autumnal-flowering roses such as the hybrid perpetual and tea-scented, for these gave a succession of flowers as long as the warm weather lasted, while the species had only one crop of flowers. The taste, or lack of taste, of the early Victorian era may also account for the decline of the wild roses; and so together with the artistic decoration of our houses, the beauty and grace of the single roses in our gardens were things of the past. It was an age of stiff, stout, mahogany, wax flowers, antimacassars, bedding-out, and standard rose trees. Gone were such species as alpina, rubrifolia, multiflora simplex, lucida, and others that were grown in the early years of the nineteenth century; they were almost unknown, and

never seen except in very old gardens. Fashions happily have changed, and once again these and others like them are planted in suitable situations, where, left to themselves, and with no ruthless knife to spoil their beauty, they are forming large bushes delighting the eye with masses and streamers of glorious flowers once every year. Notwithstanding that they bloom only once in the season, if selected with reference to the date of flowering-some early, some late-it is quite possible to have wild roses in flower from the end of April to the middle of August, beginning with alpina and altaica, and ending with setigera. Nowadays no rose garden can be deemed complete unless it contains a few of these wild roses. This is an age of collecting, and whilst we collect stamps, post-cards, old pewter, and other things equally absorbing, the rosarian might do well to collect and cultivate as many rose species as possible; it would certainly be as interesting.

chapter to give an exThose wishing for fuller

It is not proposed in this haustive list of rose species. information on this point should study Lindley's Rosarum Monographia (1820), and other works of a similar character. Nor should it for one moment be inferred that those here mentioned are the only ones worth growing for their beauty; the writer simply offers a few remarks on species which have either been cultivated by him or come under his personal observation.

Before dealing with these roses seriatim, let it be borne in mind that species, as a rule, are best left in a state of nature; no pruning is really required to encourage bloom, they flourish best when left alone. Thin out the

old growth, not annually, but only from time to time when needful to keep them within bounds, and to admit light and air to young wood. Nor do I advocate that they should be trained over arches or pergolas, for they look much better and appear far happier if allowed to develop according to nature. And it should also be remembered that, since these rose species are not perpetual—that is, they do not have more than one crop of flowers in the year it is not advisable to plant them in a conspicuous part of the garden; and further, that inasmuch as they occupy a considerable space of ground, they should be regarded as flowering shrubs like rhododendrons, and in some instances even more beautiful, by reason of the rich colour of the fruit succeeding the flower. Again, as these species, for the most part, take a year or two to become established, it stands to reason that they resent frequent transplanting, and therefore should be planted with regard to permanency. You may often, with advantage, lift and replant hybrids, but not species. Care should be taken in the preparation of the soil; it should be deeply trenched-for the roots will run far-and well manured, not only with farmyard manure, but, if the soil requires it, with a dressing of half-inch bones or any substitute equally lasting, applied below the earth on which the roots are placed. One cannot by surface dressing make up for any deficiency in the preparation of the soil previous to planting. A rose species, when once it is established, will forage for itself. Give it plenty of plant food when planting, and it will require no more for years

to come.

With these few general remarks let us now proceed