The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-07-11
ROSES

10 Doss these serv1tors-
ROSES:
The rose is the type of large family
Of plants known as Rosucee. To this
family belong our finest flower and
our most valuable fruits. The apple,
pear, plum cherry, almond, ounce,
peach, blackberry, raspberry and straw
berry all belong to this family, with
many varieties Of desirable flowers, be-
sides the queen of the garden. OF the
rose itself there are many species, be-
ginning with the common dog or wild
rose Of the fields and woods up to the
delicate china rose, the odorous damask
rose of Provence, which yields the fra
grant and costly altar, and the delicious
roses of our gardens, the hybrid or re-
montant, with their gorgeous color,
and the moss rose with its beautiful
buds. The dog rose, with its single
flower, consisting of five petals, is the
type of the whole family, including even
the cultivated kinds, which have great
number of so-called petals, but which
are really changed stamens and pistils
that go to make UP the double blossoms.
The rose is extremely long-hTed, and
trees and bushes still exist In vigor
which are considerably more than one
hundred years old. It is propagated
by seed and by all the arts known to
the gardener, as by layering, by cut
ings of the stem or roots, by grating
and by budding. It has been the theme
of the most ancient poets and has been
used to adorn the gardens of civil
lied man from the most remote
periods. An the, ancient writer's
upon husbandry have treated of
the culture of roses. The Greek
Theophrastus,, and the Latins Yarro,
Columella, Virgil and Piiny have all
written more or less fully upon this
subject. The twentieth book of Pliny's
Natural History is devoted to roses,
and they are referred to in other por-
tions of the work. The cultivation of
the flower must have been quite extern
sive in those days, foy roses were used
ceremonies, but, while the flowers were
extensively cultivated, the art of propa-
eating them, producing new varieties,
was almost unknown. Still, while
modern rose-cultivators have greatly
increased the varieties and have i'm
proved the form and color of the flow
ers, vet all our present profusion in
quantity is far less than that which the
Romans produced in their gardens from
the few kinds which they cultivated.
So enormous was the quantity of flow
ers grown and used that the stories of
the Yoluptuousness of the Sybarites,
who were not satisfied with less lux
urious bed than one of rose-leaves, and
used these flowers abundantly for this
purpose, are not at all incredible. 1t is
certain, however, that the Roman gar
deners possessed some varieties now
lost and unknown excepting in history,
and which have been sought for by en-
terprising florists without success
throughout all Italy. A kind which Is
said by Pliny and Virgil to have
bloomed senni-annually, for instance,
has not been discovered, although it
has been closely searched for.
xThe Roman gardeners possessed the
Secret of forcing and retarding the
blooming of their roses, and in this way
continued the blooming season during
nearly the whole year. Florists did not
want for patronage in those days. al
though the same complaints which we
now hear of were made then about the
extravagant expenditures of the Emper-
ors and mobiles Of Rome Nero spent
1000 of our money for roses alone
for one fete, while tenth part OF the
sum spent by our modern Cresus very
recently was considered most extrav-
agant outlay, even for an extraordi-
nary occasion, for all the floral decora-
tions- All the rose-houses In the world
Mt this day could not supply the de-
mand of ancient Rome alone.
The Greeks were the first to extract
perfumes from roses, and this art was
acquired by the Romans and has con
tinned In the East to the present day
where large plantations are cultivated
expressly for the production of tn,
costly altar. The island of Rhodes wa.
chiefly occupied by rose gardens, and
its name signifies the isle of roses
Rhodon being the Greek word for rose
while medals are stin In existence II
cabinets of collections which were strucl
In Rhodes having rose on one sid
and sunfiower on the other. Th'
Moors in Spain followed the Romans il
this special culture, and, If we may be
Heve history, possessed variety whicl
exists now only IN the imagination o
the swindling flower peddlers, who offe
for sale blue roses and tree strawber
ries. The Moorish historians mentione'
rose-culture as q prominent pursuit
and said: ssThere are roses Of man,
coIors- white, yellow an
skv blue: some of the last being blu
outside and yellow within" This sto
~ is, however, most likely fiction
areporter of those days who desired Z
create sensation; for another write
states that there were only four kind
of roses-white, yellow, purple an
flesh color. The Moors practiced som
curious arts, such as filing hollow pipe
like stems of trees with earth. and plan1
ing roses at the top, so as to form
blooming head, which, by pruning
fheT loaded with flowers They ma
serve as hint to modern grow
ers, who might thus produce VI
rious ornamental and picturesqu
devices for the adornment OF gal
dens and lawns. AS regards tn
blue rose of this period it may after a
be no myth, for the yellow rose the
written of was not known or believed
until quite recently. So that arder
and hopeful rose-g growers may still col
tinue to grow seedlings in the expect:
tion Of gaining afortune by means OF
s<y-blue rose. But though we have NJ
q blue rose we have green one, wn1c
Is more than the Moors had, and
modern times may Justly claim to !
ahead Of the ancients- Eyerywhere
tbe East Is the land of roses. Damasct
gives US the exquisite damask ros'
Gashmere, Barbary and Egypt all col
tribute the rose oil or essence ana