GENERAL REMARKS.
The name of the Rose is very similar in most languages, but of
its primitive derivation very little or nothing is known. It is
_rhodon_ in Greek; rhos, in Celtic; _rosa_, in Latin, Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Polish; _rose_, in French, Saxon,
and English; _rosen_, in German; _roose_, in Dutch; _rhoshà_, in
Sclavonic; _ros_, in Irish; _ruoze_, in Bohemian; _ouasrath_, in
Arabic; _nisrin_, in Turkish; _chabhatzeleth_, in Hebrew; and _gul_,
in Persian. These are the various names by which the flower has been
known from very early times, and a strong resemblance can be traced
through all. The Latin name, _rosa_, also forms a component part of
terms used to designate several other things.
The name of _rosary_ was given to a string of beads used in the Romish
Church to represent a certain number of prayers; it was instituted
about the year 667, but was not much used until Peter the Hermit
excited the Christian nations to the Crusade, about 1096. Dominique,
a Romish saint, established, in 1207, the brotherhood of the Rosary,
and the festival of the Rose was instituted in 1571 by Pope Pius V.,
in thanksgiving for the victory gained by the Christians over the
Turks at Lepante. Subsequent popes gave to that ceremony more éclat,
and caused it to be established in Spain. The name of _rosary_ was
formerly also given to the vessel used in distilling rose-water. The
Rose has also given the idea of new forms of beauty in architecture
and the arts. A rose is sometimes sculptured in the centre of each
face of a Corinthian capital. It is also frequently seen in iron
castings for the banisters of the stone steps of a house, and it
is sometimes displayed upon the pavement in front of some splendid
mansion. This, however, is rare in the United States, although
frequent in Europe.
Among all the imitations of the Rose, none can compare with those
painted on glass, some of which can be found in the windows of
celebrated European Cathedrals in Canterbury, Cologne, Milan,
Rheims, St. Denis, and others. We can scarcely imagine anything more
beautifully soft than these paintings on glass, as seen from the
interior of a church, in the rich light of a glowing sunset; the Rose
thus painted seems to possess all the freshness and beauty of the real
flower.
The nave of the Cathedral of Paris, besides twenty-four large windows,
is lighted by three others, large and magnificent, in the shape of a
Rose, which are each forty feet in diameter. The paintings on glass
which ornament these windows were executed in the 13th century, and
still retain their fresh and bright colors: that over the grand
entrance represents the signs of the zodiac, and the agricultural
labors of each month.
In heraldry, the rose frequently forms part of a shield, in full
bloom, with a bud in the centre, and with five points to imitate
thorns; it is an emblem of beauty and of nobility acquired with
difficulty.
The Golden Rose was considered so honorable a present, that none but
monarchs were worthy to receive it.
In the 11th century, the Pope introduced the custom of blessing a
golden Rose, which he presented to some church, or to some prince or
princess, as an especial mark of his favor.
In 1096, the Pope Urban II. gave a Golden Rose to the Comte d'Anjou.
Alexander III. sent one to Louis, King of France, in acknowledgment of
the attentions of that prince during the Pope's visit to France, as
stated in a letter which he wrote the King.
"In accordance with the custom of our ancestors, in carrying a rose of
gold in their hands on Dimanche Lætare, we do not think we can present
it to one who merits it more than yourself, from your devotion to the
Church and to ourselves."
Pope John, in 1415, sent the Golden Rose to the Emperor Sigismund.
Martin V., in 1418, sent another to the same prince. Pius II., in
1461, sent one to Thomas Paleologue, Emperor of Constantinople. Henry
VIII., of England, before his separation from the Church of Rome,
received the Golden Rose twice; the first from Julius II., and the
second from Leo X.; and in 1842, the Pope's Nuncio Capaccini presented
it to Donna Maria, Queen of Portugal. Isabella, Queen of Spain, was
presented with it a few years since.
The public ceremony of blessing the Rose was not instituted until
1366, by Urban V.: that pontiff, wishing to give a particular mark of
his esteem to Joanna, Queen of Sicily, solemnly blessed a Golden Rose,
which he sent her, and made at the same time a decree, that a similar
one should be consecrated every year. For fifty or sixty years, the
Pope gave the Rose to princes who came to Rome; and it was the custom
to give 500 louis to the officer who carried it for the Pope. The
Rose, in its intrinsic value, was, however, sometimes worth double
that sum.
* * * * *
We have thus given all the information we have been able to collect
respecting the history of the Rose.
We shall feel abundantly gratified if the facts and anecdotes we have
cited shall tend to enhance the already growing interest in this
flower; and by thus connecting it with the lore of antiquity, cast
around it a bright halo of pleasant associations.
Among the various riches of the garden, there are many flowers of
great attractions: some we admire for their beautiful forms, others
for their brilliant colors, and others again for their delightful
fragrance; and we scarcely know which to pronounce the most pleasing.
But whatever may be our feelings of admiration for these beautiful
flowers, a desire for something still more beautiful draws us to the
Rose, and compels us to pronounce it superior to all its rivals. It
is the Rose alone that never fatigues, that always exhibits some new
beauty, and that is never affected by fashion; for while Dahlias and
other flowers have had their hour of favor, and have passed out of
notice, the Rose has been a favorite for some three thousand years,
and is still the first and most beautiful,--the _chef d'œuvre_ of the
vegetable kingdom.
The Rose is rendered a favorite by many pleasant associations. It has
been the cherished flower of the ancient poets, and with modern poets
it has lost none of its charms, but is still apostrophized and made an
object of frequent comparison. With the ancients, it was, as we have
seen, the ornament of their festivals, their altars, and their tombs:
it was the emblem of beauty, youth, modesty, and innocence, and was
full of tender sentiment and pleasant images. A French writer, in a
somewhat more extravagant vein of laudation, says, "Its name alone
gives birth in all sensible minds to a crowd of pleasant thoughts,
while, at the same time, it excites a sensation of the most delightful
pleasures, and the most sweet enjoyments." The name of "Queen of
Flowers," has been given to the Rose, almost from time immemorial; but
this name is particularly applicable to the _R. centifolia_ and the
hybrids from it. Yet the little, modest wild rose, found only in woods
and hedges, adorns the solitude where it grows, and possesses for many
a charm not surpassed by that of any of the cultivated varieties:
its regularly formed corolla, of a soft and delicate color, combines
in its simplicity many an attraction not found in the most beautiful
flowers of the garden; and late in the season, when the fields are
stripped of their verdure, the landscape is enlivened by the bright
appearance of its red, coral-like fruit.
The beauty of the Rose has preserved it and its reputation for many
ages. The most populous nations, the largest cities, the most wealthy
and powerful kingdoms, have disappeared from the earth, or have been
involved in the revolutions and subversions of empires, while a simple
flower has escaped them all, and still remains to tell its story. It
has seen a hundred generations succeed each other, and pass away; it
has traveled through ages without changing its destiny or losing its
character: the homage rendered and the love borne it have been always
the same: now, as in the earliest periods of the world's history, it
is decreed the first place in the floral kingdom. In these days, as
in those of antiquity, it is _par excellence_, the Queen of Flowers,
because it is always the most beautiful, and because no other flower
can furnish half its charms. To elegance and beauty of form it unites
the freshness and brilliance of the most agreeable colors, and, as if
nature had showered upon it all her most precious gifts, it adds to
its other qualities a delightful perfume, which alone would suffice to
entitle it to a distinguished place among the beautiful and pleasant
things of the vegetable kingdom.
INDEX.
Arbor for Roses 96
Bedding Roses 100
Botanical Classification 7
Diseases--Mildew 140
Mould 141
Rust 140
Eglantine 19
Forcing 103
Garden Classification 27
General Culture 69
Hybridizing 130
Insects--Gall-flies 142
Green-fly 141
Rose-bug 146
Rose-slug 143
Rose Leaf-hopper 151
Multiplication by Seed 130
Pillar Roses 94
Planting 89
Potting 102
Propagation--Budding 120
Cuttings 113
Grafting 125
Leaf-cuttings 116
Layers 117
Suckers 120
Pruning 93
Pyramids of Roses 95
_Rosa agrestis_ 19
alba 19
_arvensis_ 20
_atrovirens_ 22
_Balearica_ 22
Banksiæ 25
_Belgica_ 15-17
_bifera_ 15
_blanda_ 17
bracteata 12
_Burgundiaca_ 18
_calendarum_ 15
canina 20
_caryophyllea_ 16
centifolia 16
var. bipinnata 17
muscosa 17
pomponia 17
provincialis 19
_Damascena_ 15
_diffusa_ 22
_Eglanteria_ 19
_flava_ 22
_florida_ 22
Rosa Gallica 17
var. parvifolia 18
_glandulifera_ 24
_glauca_ 20
_glaucescens_ 20
_glaucophylla_ 13
_hemispherica_ 13
_holosericea_ 17
Indica 21
var. Noisettiana 22
odoratissima 21
_Indica fragrans_ 22
_Laurenciana_ 22
_lutea_ 13
_flore pleno_ 13
microphylla 12
moschata 24
multiflora 22
var. Boursaulti 24
Grevillei 23
Russelliana 24
_nitens_ 20
_odoratissima_ 22
_platyphylla_ 23
_polyanthos_ 16
_provincialis_ 16
_remensis_ 18
_Roxburghii_ 23
rubiginosa 19
_rubra_ 17
_rugosa_ 22
_scandens_ 26
sempervirens 22
_sempervirens globosa_ 22
_senticosa_ 20
spinosissima 14
_suavifolia_ 19
sulphurea 13
_sylvatica_ 17
_Teneriffensis_ 20
_unguiculata_ 16
_varians_ 16
Rose--Adornment of Burial Places 167
Attar of 187
Conserve of 199
Early History of 153
Early Works on 9
Electuary of 200
Geographical Distribution of 11
Honey of 201
In Ceremonies and Festivals 167
In the Middle Ages 175
Luxurious Use of 161
Medical Properties 198
Otto of 187
Perfumes of 185
Syrup of 200
Tables Concerning 153
Tincture of 200
Vinegar of 200
Rose-Water 191
Rose-leaves 196
Roses, Classes of--Ayrshire 62
Banksian 63
Bengal 2-8
Bourbon 37
Boursault 64
Brier 59
China 40
Climbing Tea 48
Damask 52
Evergreen 65
French 52
Garden 52
Hybrid Bourbon 52
Hybrid China 52
Hybrid Climbing 66
Hybrid Perpetual 30
Hybrid Provence 52
Macartney 50
Microphylla 51
Moss 56
Multiflora 67
Musk 51
Noisette 41
Polyantha 48
Prairie 68
Provence 52
Remontant 30
Remontant Moss 37
Remontant Scotch 36
Rugosa 49
Scotch 59
Tea 42
White 52
Situation 88
Soil 86
Sweet Brier 19
VARIETIES AND SPECIES.
Abel Grand 32
Acidalie 39
Adam 42
Agrippina 40
Aimée Vibert 41
Alba odorata 51
Alfred Colomb 32
Alice Leroy 56
Amadis 65
American Beauty 32
Andre Schwartz 43
Anne de Diesbach 33
Anne Marie de Montravel 48
Annie Wood 33
Antoine Mermet 43
Antoine Mouton 33
Appoline 39
Auguste Mie 33
Ayrshire 62
Baltimore Belle 68
Banksian 63
Baron de Bonstettin 33
Baronne de Wassenaer 56
Baronne Prevost 33
Baroness Rothschild 33
Beauté de l'Europe 41
Beauty of Waltham 33
Blanche Moreau 37
Blush 65
Boieldieu 33
Bon Silene 43
Bougere 43
Boule de Neige 33
Boursault 64
Brier 59
Captain Christy 33
Captain Ingram 56
Capucine 43
Caroline 43
Caroline de Marniesse 41
Caroline de Sansal 33
Catharine Mermet 43
Celestial, S. B. 60
Celine Forestier 42
Cels multiflora 40
Charles Lawson, H. B. 54
Charles Lefebvre 33
Chénédole, H. C. 54
Clara Sylvain 43
Common 56
Comtesse de Frigueuse 43
Comtesse de Murinais 56
Comtesse de Serenye 34
Copper Austrian, A. B. 60
Coquette des Alpes 34
Cornélie Koch 43
Countess of Glasgow 59
Coupe d'Hébé, H. B. 55
Cristata 56
Daily Blush 40
Daily White 41
De la Grifferaie 67
Devoniensis 43
Dundee Rambler 63
Double Blush Ayrshire 63
Double Margined Hip, H. S. B. 60
Double Yellow 64
Double Yellow Provence 60
Douglass 41
Double White 64
Dr. Berthet 39
Duc de Magenta 43
Ducher 41
Elise Boelle 34, 42
Emerance, H. P. 55
Eponine 52
Etendard de Jeanne d'Arc 43
Etna 57
Eugene de Savoie 37
Eugene Verdier 34, 57
Evergreen 65
E. Y. Teas 34
Félicité Perpetuelle 65
Fisher Holmes 34
Fertuniana 64
Francois Michelon 34
Gem of the Prairie 68
General Tartas 44
General Jacqueminot 34
General Washington 34
George Peabody 39
George the Fourth, H. C. 55
Gloire de Dijon 44
Gloire des Mousseuses 57
Grevillei or Seven Sisters 67
Harrisonii 62
Her Majesty 44
Hermosa 33
Homer 44
Indica Major 66
Isabella Sprunt 44
Jane 69
Jaune d'Or 44
Jaune Serin 64
John Cranston 57
John Hopper 34
Jules Margottin 34
Julie d'Etranges, F. 55
Julie Mansais 44
La France 34
Lamarque 42
Laneii 57
La Reine 35
Laure Davoust 67
Little Gem 57
Little Pet 41
Louise Carique 35
Louis Gimard 57
Louis Van Houtte 35
Luxembourg 57
Mabel Morrison 35
Macartney 50
Madame Bravy 44
Madame Bréon 41
Madame Chedayne Guénoisseau 44
Madame Cusin 44
Madame d'Arblay 66
Madame de Rochelambert 57
Madame de Tartas 44
Madame Edouard Ory 37, 57
Madame Falcot 44
Madame Gabriel Luizet 35
Madame Hardy, F. 55
Madame Plantier, H. C. 55
Madame Victor Verdier 35
Madame William Paul 37
Mademoiselle Cécile Berthod 44
Magna Charta 35
Maréchal Niel 42, 47
Marguerite de St. Amande 35
Maria Leonida 51
Marie Baumann 35
Marie Berton 44
Marie Guillot 45
Marie Van Houtte 45
Marquise Balbiano 40
Marquise de Castellano 35
Marquise de Mortemarte 35
Marshall P. Wilder 35
Maurice Bernardin 36
May Paul 45
Melanie de Montjoie 66
Menoux 66
Merveille de Lyon 36
Microphylla 51
Mignonette 49
M'lle. Cécile Brünner 49
Moss 56
Mousseline 37
Mrs. Bosanquet 41
Mrs. Hovey 69
Musk 51
Myrianthes 66
Niphetos 45
Notting 37
Nuits de Young 57
Obscurité, F. 55
Œillet Parfait, F. 55
Ophire 42
Pæonia 36
Papa Gontier 45
Paquerette 49
Paul Neyron 36
Paul's Single White 36
Paul's Single Crimson 36
Perle d'Angers 40
Perle de Lyon 45
Perle d'Or 49
Perle des Jardins 45
Perpetual White 37, 58
Persian Yellow, A. B. 62
Pierre Guillot 45
Pierre Notting 36
Polyantha 48
Pride of Waltham 36
Pride of Washington 69
Prince Camille de Rohan 36
Princesse Adelaide 57
Princesse Wilhelmine des Pays Bas 49
Princess of Nassau 52
Princess Royal 58
Puritan 45
Queen of Bedders 40
Queen of May 59
Queen of Queens 36
Queen of the Bourbons 40
Queen of the Prairies 68
Reine Blanche 58
Ramanas 49
Reine Marie Henriette 45
Rev. J. B. M. Camm 36
Rose Angle, S. B. 62
Rubens 46
Rubra 51
Russelliana 67
Safrano 46
Salet 37, 58
Sir John Sebright 66
Solfaterre 42
Sombreuil 46
Soupert 37
Souvenir de la Malmaison 40
Souvenir d'un Ami 46
Stanwell 36
Sunset 46
The Bride 46
The Garland 67
Thomas Mills 36
Tricolor de Flandre, F. 55
Triomphe de Bollwiller 66
Triomphe de Guillot fils 49
Triomphe de Rennes 42
Vallée de Chamouny 46
Vicomtesse de Cazes 46
Victor Verdier 36
Viridiflora 41
Waltham Climbers 48
W. F. Bennett 48
White Baroness 36
White Bath 58
William the Fourth 59
FOOTNOTES:
[1]
"Tempora subtilius pinguntur tecta coronis,
Et latent injecta splendida mensa Rosa." (OVID, lib. v.)
[2]
"Non vivunt contra naturam, qui hieme concupiscunt Rosam?
Fomentoque aquarum calentium, et calorum apta imitatione, bruma
lilium florem vernum, exprimunt." (_Seneca, epistle 122-8._)
[3]
"Ergo cum primum, magnas invecta per urbes
Munificat tacita mortales muta salute;
Ære atque argento, sternunt iter omne viarum.
Largifica stipe dilantes, ninguntque Rosarum
Floribus, umbrantes matrem comitumque catervas."
LUCRETIUS, lib. ii., ver. 625.
[4]
"Hæc hora est tua, dum furit Lyæus
Cum regnat Rosa, cum madent capilli,
Tunc me vel rigidi legant Catones."
Lib. x., epig. 19.
* * * * * *
Transcribers Note:
Page 123 contains a reference to “c in fig. 10” which does not exist.
The text reads: “Then take a mat-string, or a piece of yarn, and
firmly bind it around the bud, leaving only the petiole and bud
exposed ...” seemingly intending to refer to the image in fig. 10 on
the left.