PREFACE IN the latter half of the nineteenth century the rose was regarded primarily as an exhibitor's flower, and books on its cultivation, although useful to all growers, were written chiefly from an exhibitor's point of view. But fashion has changed; the rose is now extensively grown for garden and house decoration, for which no flower is more adaptable or more popular. Species, hybrids of species, varieties old and new, summer flowering and perpetual, roses for pillars and pergolas, for bedding purposes and specimen bushes, all are in demand. The rose-grower's horizon is wider than it used to be, and it is in the hope of affording assistance in the cultivation of these many and varied classes of the Rose this book is offered. Among the many kind friends who have assisted me in the preparation of this book, I am greatly indebted to Alexander Dickson & Sons of Newtownards, the eminent raisers of new roses, to whom I submitted the chapter on hybridisation; to Dr. Cooke, the author of Fungoid Pests of Cultivated Plants," for his assistance in preparing the chapter on rose pests; to Mr. George Mount, of Canterbury, well known for his beautiful roses grown under glass; and by no means least of all to Mr. E. T. Cook, the editor of The Garden, for reading the work in manuscript and giving me most valuable help. I also tender my acknowledgments to the firm of George Bell & Sons for permission to make extracts from excellent works, "The Soil and its Management," by Dr. Fream, and "Manures and their Uses," by Dr. Griffiths; to the Royal Horticultural Society for extracts from the "Report of Conference on Hybridisation,” and the sketch of mildew growth; to the Director of the Kew Herbarium for assistance and permission to copy plates of roses. I am also indebted to Mr. W. Paul's book, "The Rose Garden," and to Mr. T. Rivers' "Rose Amateur's Guide," and other authorities on the subject, a list of which is given at the end of the book. The sketches from which reproductions have been made, appearing in chapters on budding and pruning, are the work of my sister, Florence Pemberton. |