The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-02-21
VOL. XXIII---NO. 8.
far1MRrs' Column.
Speed the PIOtU."
A Few Of our Finer Roses.

At this season of the year, when cultiya-
tors are intending to order new varieties of
the rose, few suggestions to assist in Sc
lection may not be out of place. The va
rieties have been greatly increased of late
years by the many cultiYators in Europe,
and the described sorts are numbered liter
ally by thousands. The great point is to
select o few of the best. Some would think
dozen kinds enough; Others would want
fifty, or even hundred. Alfred Since, in
his admirable work entitled my Garden"
says, in speaking of the hybrid perpetuals,
that it is best to commence with at least
two hundred kinds, and to add afterwards
as fancy may dictate. Most of our readers.
however, would prefer to take tenth of
that number. We naturally take IL for
granted that no rose worthy of being
named and described would be moor or
worthless sort; nevertheless, out of the
thousands under this head, there are few
that all amateurs would decide as superior
in excellence, proof of which was furnish.
ed two years ago in England in the selec.
ton by 1orty-seven of the best rose cultiva-
tors. Each of these made out a list of
what he regarded as the twenty best sorts.
ana also the fifty best. 1t is an interesting
TACT that there were eight varieties which
received unanimous vote from the whole
forty ,seven and there were thirty-nine
Whlch mad the sutfrages of more than one
mali. The interest of this selection was in
creased by the circumstance that at the re-
quest OF an English cultivator, a list was
made by Mr.. 81. B. Ellwanger, of Ellwan-
ger q Barry's nurseries, at Rochester. with
out knowledge of the selections made in
England, two-thirds of which agreed with
the European list. The world-renowned
lNarechaJ Mel a combined Tea and Noisette,
stood at the head of all the lists, position
to which it was fully entitled, although
less adapted to general cultivation here,
from its want of hardness. The other
seven which received full votes were alfred
Colom6, Charles Lete6re, Marie Baunaan,
Mile. RothSchild, La France, Louis Van
Houtte and MarYuise de Castellane, all nv
brid perpetuas. Madame Victor Verdier
received A votes; Etienne Leuet, Countess
Of Oxford and Duke Of Edin6urg received
each 43, and Nile. Eugenie Herdier and
Francois Michelon each AZ. John Homer
and several others had 81, and Gloire de
Dion the famous tea rose, received 81
The old Souvenir de la Malnaaison (half.
hardy Bourbon) had 20 votes.
The Hybrid China and other June roses
make the most brilliant display of masses
of flowers while they last. The Madame
Planter, for example has not ceased dur
ing the many years it has been in cultiva.
ton, to furnish a profusion of its white
clusters; and the old George the Fourth,
Great Western and others, are still ad.
mired as among the best of the dark color
ed bloomers. The Persian YellOp although
moderate grower and requiring careful
pruning, has not been equalled among the
hardy yellow sorts. The moss roses are
greatly admired, although not 80 fine
growers, or such fine bloomers as other
sorts.- Country Gentleman.