eR WeGibson: Inv STS : — -..7' ow ve oe .0' ve THE BOOK. OF “THE (ROSE MACMILLAN AND CO., LimITED LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Lrp. TORONTO P ; Ai ne ete ee ciappce onl : _ tay “ DA namie Dh ‘ = : abe - ‘an _ by ‘ 4 = * THE BOOK OF THE ROSE BY REV. A. FOSTER-MELLIAR, M.A. RECTOR OF SPROUGHTON, SUFFOLK FOURTH EDITION WITH ILLUSTRATIONS EDITED BY REV. F. PAGE-ROBERTS, (PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY), AND HERBERT E. MOLYNEUX VICE-PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY) MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN’S STREET, LONDON I910 G4 Vhs Kom PEs LG /0 RicHArRD CLAY AND Sons, LIMITED. BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK First Edition, 1894. Second Edition, 1902. Third Edition, 1905. Fourth Edition, 1910 PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION ANOTHER edition of this valuable book is called for, as it still holds the premier position amongst Rosarians, especially the Rose Exhibitor as distinct from the Rose lover. There are portions of the book as to which there may be two opinions, and which we are sure the writer would have altered or modified if he had lived to revise this 4th edition. The improvement in Roses has been great, especially in those Roses, called Garden or Decorative, largely drawn from the class of Hybrid Teas. This class was in its infancy when the author wrote this book, and he had little liking for it; the old Rosarian’s intense love for the Hybrid Perpetual made him look with anything but a welcoming eye upon this new intruder into his favourite’s demesne. But one must move with the times and the Hybrid Tea has not only come to stay but has revolutionised our gardens and the Exhibition tent as well. The book was primarily written for the exhibitor; such is still its purpose but one s/ vi PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION cannot shut one’s eyes to the fact that the progress in the Rose world—great as it has been in the exhibition flower, per se—lies rather in the other direction, namely, in use of the plant for garden decoration. It is not for us to criticise the author’s obiter dicta or his methods. We are not rewriting the book, but only endeavouring to bring it more up-to-date ; therefore have not thought it incumbent on us to alter the matter of many of the chapters, preferring to make any comments or alterations considered necessary by way of foot-notes, except in the Chapter on ‘‘ Manners and Customs” and in the lists of Roses, where we have been obliged to eliminate many of his old favourites and to replace them by Roses that are now generally recognised as essential from the point of view of the Exhibitor. We feel that in doing this we have his own warrant, as he strongly advises a vigorous weeding out every autumn of all those Roses which having been thoroughly tried have been found wanting. It is remarkable how few good and reliable Roses of the class he loved, the Hybrid Perpetuals, have been introduced since he wrote and how many Hybrid Teas have been added—but the demand creates the supply and the Rose-loving public has demanded not only ‘‘ free flowering” Roses but “continuous flowering ’’ Roses as well, in a word, true perpetuals. These true perpetuals are to be PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION vii found largely amongst the Hybrid Teas, and though at one time they lacked the brilliancy of colouring and the fragrance of the old Hybrid Perpetual, they are now rapidly approaching them in both these respects, and in all others have taken the lead; so that in every way, and for every purpose, for exhibition, for garden and for house decoration, they supply all the wants of the lover of the Rose and when one adds that they are nearly if not quite as hardy as the Hybrid Perpetuals there is little more to be said. Most Rosarians, we think, will agree with us therefore that itis no longer true that it. is among the Exhibition Rose varieties that one must look to find adaptability for decorative purposes; on the contrary, it is amongst the non-Exhibition varieties, especially those of recent introduction, that one finds the best example of a decorative Rose from the garden point of view. It has been seen, too, that in the past unfavourable season the Roses that have suffered most have been the Exhibition Roses rather than those used for garden purposes. One feels bound to emphasize this point especially to the beginner who still starts his growing with a list of varieties culled from the Show bench rather than from the nursery or the garden of a Rose-growing friend. We have to thank Mr. Mason Good for permission to use those photographs against which his name Vili PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION appears; also Mr. G. A. Hammond of Burgess Hill, Mr. Prince, Messrs. B. R. Cant & Sons, and Dr. Campbell Hall for various photographs of Exhibition and other Roses. F. PAGE-ROBERTS. HERBERT E. MOLYNEUX. March, 1910. PREBACE TO THE THIRD EDITION I must heartily renew my thanks for the increased appreciation shown to this work: and the fact that the Second Edition has been exhausted in little more than a quarter of the time occupied by the sale of the first, seems to testify that Rose-growers have really found it a reliable help in their pursuit. On account of the shorter interval since the last revision not so much alteration has been required for this new issue, but I have endeavoured to bring the book up to date, so far as it could be done in a reliable manner. My best thanks are due to Mr. B. HE. Cant (B. R. Cant and Sons) for four fresh photographs: and to Rev. R. T. Langtree, of Grange-over-Sands, for one of Mildred Grant. Much has been done, since the First Edition was sent out, by British professionals in the raising and production of new varieties, and by the National Rose Society and Amateurs in general, in the showing how to deal with them successfully : may we all continue to work in the true spirit of the motto of our craft, FLOREAT REGINA FLORUM. SPROUGHTON RECTORY, November, 1904. Ay no. Ama yA Syl } Wt ay ae ‘4 Sia eam Len era a Od SR AS. an Mes} h yf tty AA iw , r a and yest ‘ va or . ¥gi rs : rs 5 Paid ¥ i n re | 4 » ehy 51 eas 1 £ ) i (i Nine , fi F) i ee Wi U 4) y ‘ {i SOMO, Ne) Umm ee revi ae } SUT ‘3 Vin ‘a ee | 4 a) AALS al OE: Mitts ay) 4 “Ay rhe iy Ae rm " Fj ge bd aoa eid abd i P i bow &4 / ‘ a i ¢ | ¥ ae) vy i A PREFACE T0 THE SECOND EDITION My warmest thanks are due for the hearty welcome and flattering reception, beyond my highest expecta- tions, which have been so generally given to The Book of the Rose. Not only from the British Isles but from all countries apparently where Roses are erown, I have received kind expressions of approval and commendation, and have gained, I hope, not a few friends. The present edition has been thoroughly revised throughout ; even in matters of routine I have some- what modified, here and there, the views formerly expressed, for seven years’ additional experience should certainly bring alittle further wisdom ; and in Chapter XII., which seems to have been generally popular, it has been necessary, as might well be expected, practically to re-write the whole. I had hoped, in that chapter, to give more examples than I have done of the different ‘‘ manners and customs” which some of our best known Roses may have in other lands, but have not been fortunate enough to gain much such information. I must, however, xI xii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION cordially thank Dr. Huey, of Philadelphia, U.S.A. ; Mr. Halstead, Rose-grower, of Bowral and Hurstville, Sydney, N.S.W.; H. P. Keatinge, Esq., of Cairo; and F. Riggall, Esq., of Charters Towers, Queensland, for some useful notes on the subject; but the differences, though occasionally well marked, are not very great or much varied. I have again to thank Messrs. B. R. Cant and Sons, and D. Prior and Son, of Colchester, as well as Mr. Prince, of the Longworth Rose Nurseries, Berkshire, for much kind assistance in endeavouring to secure fresh photographs of typical Roses, as well as C. W. Pilcher, Esq., of Boston, Lincolnshire, for his excellent drawings; and regret that the past season was so bad for Hybrid Perpetuals of typical form that that section is but poorly represented by fresh examples. I heartily trust that the book may continue to be of assistance and service to the growers and lovers of the Rose. SPROUGHTON REcTORY, February, 1902. PREBACE. 10 THE PIRST EDITION Ir seems right to make some sort of apology, as most of my predecessors have done, for putting forth another Rose-book when there are already so many ; but perhaps it is not really required, as the columns devoted to the subject every week in horticultural literature show that there is ever something fresh to be said on the different matters connected with the Rose. My idea was, in the first place, to give, from an amateur, full details of practical culture for amateurs from the beginning to the end; and I ought to be able to do this satisfactorily even if I have not succeeded, as, under unfavourable conditions of soil and situation, I have done with my own hands every portion of the work, from raising and establishing the stocks to carrying off a champion challenge cup at the Crystal Palace. Secondly, to give such de- scriptions of the best known Roses as should tell of their faults and bad habits as well as of their good qualities and perfections, since I have good reason to believe a record of this sort will be wel- XIIT Xiv PREFACE comed. And thirdly, if possible, to make a readable as well as useful book: under no circumstances did I aspire to tread worthily in the footsteps of Dean Hole: yet (for to me too the world—even the Rose world—‘‘ teems with quiet fun”) I did hope to make it fairly light and amusing; but details and practical matter have proved so overwhelming as to get a mastery of the whole. I have much kind assistance to acknowledge from various sources. From my old friend, Mr. Benjamin R. Cant, Rose-grower, Colchester, and his two sons, I have had very much cordial help in many ways. Mr. Frank Cant, of Braiswick Nursery, Colchester, has freely given me useful information on the subject of Roses under Glass (Chapter X.). Mr. W. D. Prior, of Myland Nurseries, in the same metropolis of Roses, has aided me in the preparation of photo- graphs: and in the same neighbourhood, Mr. and Mrs. Orpen, of West Bergholt, have been good enough to give me opportunities of representing their skill in Rose decoration. I have also received help from Mr. A. Dickson, of the Royal Nur- series, Newtownards, Ireland, in information kindly furnished as to the raising of Roses from seed. Mr. Charles Turner, of Slough, has kindly lent me a photograph of one of his giant Pot Roses. I am indebted to Dr. Hogg, the proprietor of The Journal of Horticulture, for leave to republish certain matters which I have written in that paper under the nom de plume of “‘ W. R. Raillem,’’ especially Chapter PREFACE XV XII., which has been thoroughly revised ; and to Mr. J. Wright of that office I am very much beholden for kind counsel and advice. For revised reproduc- tions of papers of mine which have appeared in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society and in The Rosarian’s Year Book, I have to thank the Rev. W. Wilks, Sec. R.H.S., and the Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain, Hon. Sec. of the National Rose Society. My best thanks are due to my neighbour, the Rev. J. H. Hocking, Rector of Copdock, for considerable trouble in the identification of Insects, and to Mr. E. B. Lindsell, of Bearton, Hitchin, for advice and encouragement. Messrs. A. Hill Gray, J. Bateman, Ismay Fisher, and the Rev. F. R. Burnside have also kindly helped me with photographs, or in other ways. Mr. William Paul’s large work, The Rose Garden, has naturally been consulted and proved of much value, especially in Chapter II., and a further com- parison of ideas and methods has been made with the contents of most other Rose-books; but my own experience, which is considerable, has been through- out my principal reliance, and where my practice is at variance with the general use, reasons have been given for the procedure recommended. SPROUGHTON RECTORY, September, 1894. CONTENTS PAGE MO oR On THE AUTHOR! . foe: «yor as is), os (e-el wh wes. whe) het Xxiil CHAPTER I PAROS UO LON at fie ih Sb AR Mera mua gd Se ram ew ott Ae Bee F otbat ke welat Me 1 CHAPTER II BISTORY AND CLASSIFICATION . 5 ssc «1 ets 4 is 6 eo) okies 7 CHAPTER Ei PM CAD LON PCAN SOE: tet ariaw atureyh otis es tote cele) iskivee ceed. ein sara eats 33 CHAPTER IV PLANTING : WITH LAYING OUT OF THE BEDS AND PROTECTION 50 CHAPTER V RUN OES) 2 ey ERE Re Wei ae ane ae Pe Se a 74 TPR UUANTUNIC! ait AAW, Seah kates Fhe Ra AET ca MAUR A ba See Mrs EP 95 STOCKS’. = : XViil CONTENTS CHAPTER VIII PAGE PROPAGATION: 2.7\0. toy GvkcuLeree Pe bot je verte, Le ano ek bs ee 135 CHAPTER IX PESUS ve A wan lags et Deda eitice aoe? vel ee ey nee Pawan) 68 on re, bee 160 CHAPTER X ROSES UNDER. GIIASS) 5, 25 ne 6 sl uth ere Netia ete cl, nn 192 CHAPTER XI HO RETERULING 5s, fo. 5) es ele eteksneey ve cell «oti Jeuce + 0 Ae 204 CHAPTER XII MANNERS\-AND (CUSTOMS) =. 2...) 0' 1s!) 2 6) © a) sa ee 237 CHAPTER XIII SHIHOTIONS ay 14 AROSH HMDGR—AYRSHIRES . 2. 5 ss 6 6 1 8 we ts 22 TULSA 1 oe Reo ae a RE a A 24 EXE TERVERE TRLKOENS 1 poy ye) ih bie vey vie lie us™ wives, wate. Magi ete = 25 PAN PCRS SENG NTRGSENGY: Ho tebe oe momar iit fe al vs) “sey grees x 28 PEER CUAURITAIN Deu SRV von ok cree WA) She, vou ee Ra eo a es 55 29 ABEED ON DWARK POLYANTHAS , . 9. . 2 2. . 5 5 a « 55 30 ESCH ANGU ET ACEE eo IES. Vols} Seman ci kes tay hs) se) Spud yee ts Be 31 TWO YEARS’ GROWTH ON A PERGOLA AT STRATHFIELD- STAN MM hay eee Pehiatt Coe No ak ls apts: Sat a la nPenbsnns 53 52 MSPROUGHTON © (HOM is2 is.) oo) os) ous eee page 66 GRDUNARY SKOATEURS: 20) o. ffi -c) shies his ee ue Ree a 98 HONG-HANDLED SKECATEURS 5... s 5 «© «8s «+ ° on 99 MARECHAL NIEL, UNDER GLASS ,......... Yoface 109 POOUSHORSSTOCKS ire) Ncwseusa ohn sete seers te 35 118 SRROPANESAW. 206 sf wiles a Pe on Same page 123 MENTA DURE STOOK AKI cin is) eS bos sfley hss vs 53), REDD ENC VAY STANDARD STOCK «3. 20s. 4.25.40) ei ss rp ED CATERPILLAR HIDDEN ON ROSE SHOOT ....... To face 162 62 x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS MILDEW. THE FIRST SIGN, AS SEEN IN THE CURL SUED WAGED AUC: Uh) E ye lig, agteray) autho MUeIeMEN Yer pA Roe A GOOD TWELVE SHOWN BY MR. VIVIAN ROLT . . EXHIBITING.—‘‘ A GOOD TWENTY-FOUR” ROSE FAULTS. A ‘“‘DIVIDED” ROSE ..... A. K. WILLIAMS DUKE ON WELEINGTON) 4) 20612 18 KRAU RAR GD RUSCH IKI inns 2) hele oe, ics fae GUSTAVE SPIGANHAUI) 05, ce con ne HORACE AVIERININD) bo) Sha au Such won site lo: £% MRS. JOHN LAING .. . PRINGH ARTHUR. .0 ola) tue is 5s WIGRTOHMB RUNNER: tc okis ust He tye. bis (oud, ee BESSEEABROWIN 0 tr GPS yG a ieiye feo ieebe! = Bee ot, Melee FCULIGAH NENG duce, Sates MeAete te le bel velit ust re wate ACBOWLRORSUADY ASHTOWN . 5. « «1 se dans LADY MOYRA BEAUCLERC ... . TVAUP EVI AUN' OES (yay 2 (ett, tate aed. eho bs TIMONPMEROSH cee st se) you tsah cs a sede y 6 MILDRED GRANT MRSS WardiGRAIND. Us yond uss aie CATHERINE MERMET . .- « . s « « «© ‘« CLEOPATRA! iit este sh neue: lon) emt sph toy a coh Rouete GOMTESSH DE NADATLIAC . . . % . «© «© ms «ls © TOS US a St A rbene ioe ue, Mig, AeGvhien) cheers ac ea he Web MADAME JULES GRAVEREAUX ... NUARTAN (COCHET. 4. fie eon os MRS. (OAMP BRIT, VAT. xe) Ya) se) sie hen elge MRS. E. MAWLEY. . MUTE GACT E, 7s, Ts) a ieiete inte ale) se) viiien tlie re SOUMENIR: DE PIERRE NOTTING 2 5 3 5 5 ns 2 = NED PANT AN (COGHMOT Tele ic) ce) ee ge! “eich: lathe) veuies OF PAGE To face 180 29 9 29 9 > 230 232 240 242 248 252 254 257 265 266 268 272 280 281 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XX1 PAGE ALBERIC BARBIER. TWO YEARS GROWTH. .... . To face 313 AMMEN E SM SMEDUDING) |. 5.5. sis us fel csi ) wi ye Vienek %, & le 8 314 INDIRATOIN TOTS Aran I) eo 5 317 aPRUHOMMSTS ITOEUNGM oq tS! Mat fi sor SiewGi AE ca) es! So ice a stay sue ng a 321 MEST EVA SPONDING eva to hen We athe te’, alo Gh et dec & adiles a 322 CUMEBING ROSE, REVE D'OR... <)e 65. ele wh oF 327 NPM ist Sst rol ve). vei! os) Giscggh Wea ln ee) oa Gee a9 329 WwW. A. RICHARDSON . a3 330 SVN TPIS UE See ese ees 335 A WEEPING ROSE—AYRSHIRE . Ay 336 ANDREW FOSTER-MELLIAR. Born 12th October, 1841. Died 14th November, 1904. THE Rev. Andrew Foster-Melliar was the youngest son of the late Andrew Foster-Melliar, of Galhampton, Doulting and Wells, Somerset. Originally intended for one of the colonial Civil Services, he seems to have drifted, more by accident than design, into the Church. He was educated at Streatham Academy, Uppingham (under the famous Thring) and New College, Oxford. After leaving Oxford, he went to Wells Theological College, and was the first married student that ever studied there. It was because of an acquaintance made at Wells that he became for the rest of his life identified with Suffolk; he had never been in the county until he began his first curacy there. Mr. (now the Rev.) Holt Wilson was at Wells College at the same time as Mr. Foster-Melliar, and it was through his influence that Mr. Foster-Melliar was offered the curacy of Redgrave, Suffolk. After some years at Redgrave, he was curate at Tostock, near Bury St. Edmund’s. In 1885 the late Marquis of Bristol XXIV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR offered him the living of Sproughton, near Ipswich ; and it was at Sproughton, after nearly twenty years’ residence, that he died. At Redgrave he began to take an interest in rose-growing, an interest that gradually deepened through the years spent at Tostock. At Tostock Rectory he planned and planted a rose garden which, until certainly quite recently, used to be shown on the ordnance survey map as “the rosary,” although the roses have disappeared these many years to make room for a tennis-court. But it was at Sproughton that he became so well-known that, just to mention the name of Sproughton, begat a vision of eternal summers among the lovely roses there—the long low beds of them, backed by the brooding beeches in their dark-green summer garb. Perhaps, in his heart, there was no country quite like the old west country; but, in time, he grew to love this Sproughton of his, lying low along the river, that wound softly through its great green meadows—Sproughton and its people, the people whom he came to know so well, whose troubles were his troubles, whose joys were his joys. He knew their lore, knew their speech and habits, or, as he would say, their ‘‘ manners and customs.” And, in return, the people too learnt to love the “old Rector,” though they never, perhaps, quite under- stood the reserved strong character that lived among them nearly twenty years. But, if they never quite understood him, they knew what he stood for. Upright, steadfast, ‘‘straight,” no case of injustice or oppression passed him by unheeding. Possibly very few ever understood him really. A great talker, most entertaining when telling MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XXV a story (of which he was very fond) and possessing a deep sense of humour, he was reserved in the extreme about his own feelings, about things that really mattered to himself. On the death of his wife, perhaps the one bitter blow of his life, people might have thought that he did not care. To the outer world, to those who saw him at her funeral, he might have seemed almost indifferent and certainly cold, whereas he was merely too proud, too haughty ever to let anyone see what he felt. It was characteristic of him that, recording his wife’s death in his diary, he never wrote down that she was dead, but made the story of a life-long devotion and the stunning tragedy of her death stand out, in five short words, like living fire. And then, in the next few days after her death, follow the most precise, formal statements as to “the funeral,’ never once mentioning whose funeral. Very much, especially in later life, a creature of habit, Mr. Foster-Melliar’s life was ruled strictly by the clock, and nothing put him out so much as unpunctuality. As the clock struck ten every night, he rang the bell for prayers, and, as it struck eleven, he walked upstairs to bed. At a quarter past eight every morning he stepped out of his dressing-room on to the landing, where he stopped for a minute to whistle to some canaries (always the same tune), and then he walked downstairs and out into the garden to look at the thermometer on the wall. At half-past eight to the minute he rang the bell for morning prayers. He was greatly disturbed and upset when he had to leave home. He would walk about, hours before the time fixed for his departure, looking the picture of misery in his best XXV1 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR clothes. He hated his best clothes, and clung to his oldest until they were forcibly taken away from him by his wife or one of his daughters. In connection with his clothes an amusing story is told. The daughter who kept house for him had asked him to speak to the gardener one morning about his clothes and to tell him he really must come to work in more respectable garments. In the afternoon there was a tennis party at the Rectory, and, while they were at tea, Mr. Foster-Melliar came and joined the party, dressed in the most disreputable jacket that could be imagined. The sleeves ended somewhere near his elbows, and the bottom part of his coat barely came below the upper end of his trousers. His daughter was horrified. ‘‘ Where on earth did you get that coat from, father?’ she asked. And amidst general laughter he explained how he and the gardener always hung their coats on adjoining pegs in the greenhouse before going to work, and that, by mistake, he had taken and put on the gardener’s. ‘‘ But the amusing part is,” he added, ‘‘ that I have spent the whole day blowing him up for wearing such disgraceful clothes.”’ To the mind of the writer of this brief memoir, he was a pattern country parson in very deed. He knew the people, knew their speech, understood their ways of thought. He knew all about agriculture, and could talk informingly with either squire, farmer, or labourer. He had a great fund of sympathy, and could always listen to an old woman’s troubles and ailments, and find a gentle amusement in it without hurting her feelings. He had, too, a power, a force of character that he used entirely for good, and by which all with whom he came in contact benefited. MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XXVii It was by no means wise to ‘let the Rector hear of” any underhand deed. Somehow, he seemed to fit an empty niche in Sproughton church ; and, to those who have seen him standing, lonely, by the altar—tall, upright and with snow-white hair waiting to bless his people, it has never seemed quite the same church again. The sun, shining through the stained-glass windows, still fills with roseate hues the space around the altar, but (and what eternal sadness it is that such things should ever be) the clear-cut face, the outstretched hands, as the voice, low, clear, undoubting, gives out the blessing are gone. His sermons were never very long, and they were always listened to with rapt attention. He thoroughly understood the art of ‘‘ making the punishment fit the crime ’”—in other words, his was an agricultural congregation, and he knew what they would under- stand. He would draw his conclusions by appeals to nature or agriculture—they knew all about it and could follow his reasoning. Once, indeed, a deputa- tion waited on him to make his sermons longer! He usually spoke for fifteen minutes. In connection with his sermons, there was a rather amusing occurrence one day. He was decidedly awe-inspir- ing in the pulpit, as well as out of it, and he had a way, when he was not looking atanything in particular, of having the appearance of staring hard at some very definite object. He had greyish eyes, and they looked stern when fixed hard on anything. On this occasion, he was explaining a portion of the Bible, and just down below and in front of him was a small boy with hair of the most brilliant red imagin- able. What he was trying to explain was something XXVili MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR about David being a youth with a ruddy countenance. «A ruddy countenance,” said the Rector, evidently turning over in his mind what would be a suitable explanation, and his eyes, all unseeing, fixed them- selves hard and stern on the small boy in front of him. ‘A ruddy countenance,” he repeated; ‘a ruddy countenance, which probably meant red hair.” As he appeared to be glaring hard at the small boy all the time, it can be well imagined how the latter’s colour spread considerably beyond his hair. Mr. Foster-Melliar, however, when he was taxed about it afterwards, declared that he never saw the boy, and did not, indeed, know that there was one with red hair in the church. It was delightful to hear him read the Lessons. He read them so as to make it appear almost as though the scene was actually happening in front of you. The writer has known several people who were drawn to Sproughton church merely to hear him read the Lessons, which are too often merely ‘‘intoned.” The precise orderly nature that made him put his watch down in front of him when in the pulpit and take it up again exactly fifteen minutes later, led him to enjoy chess problems. For years he never missed solving the problems set weekly in ‘The Field,’ and the initials ‘‘W.R.R.” were almost unfailing in the column set apart for success- ful answers. Once, for a month, he was ill and unable to attempt the problems, and this greatly distressed him. The preciseness of a chessboard appealed to him, and it may have been this precise- ness which accounted for his attitude with regard to Roses. The controversy ‘‘ The Rose for the Garden,” MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XX1x or ‘“‘the garden for the Rose” he waged with much vigour. There was no doubt about it in his mind: it was perfectly plain, perfectly simple. It was the graceful (one might almost say, classical) outlines of the individual specimen that he wanted. To get the perfect specimen was the object of a garden. For roses in the mass he had no sympathy. In fact, they rather irritated him, his orderly mind telling him all the time that the blooms, however beauti- ful they might look so massed together, were none of them perfect, were none of them good individually. What he hked, best of all, was to have a single perfect rose in a specimen glass by itself—just to look at it, just to gaze upon its soft, graceful outlines. You could draw him many miles with a promise of that, but he would not step a yard to see “‘ banks of roses, arches of roses, hedges of roses.” If you pointed out the beauty of colouring that could be obtained by massing roses in such a way, he would tell you that it was a sign of decadence, and that the real object should be, like that of the Greeks of old, to obtain the “‘ perfect form.’ And, if you asked if he did not like to see a garden bright and beautiful with flowers, he would say “yes,” and would explain how fortunate the country was in having so many good nurserymen willing and capable of supplying you with any amount and any variety of flowers, other than roses. But the rose was to be the thing apart, a very Queen. Whether his views were right or wrong depends on the point of view, and is not the concern of this Memoir ; but the result was that his attention was entirely given up to so cultivating roses that they might produce the finest blooms. His advice on XXX MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR cultivation holds good whether you wish for the -mass or whether you only want the single bloom. To find humour in everything is a happy gift, and Mr. Foster-Melliar had it in abundance. His humour was sometimes sarcastic, which is dangerous, but more generally he used his gift to poke gentle good- natured fun at things and people. He _ nearly always managed to bring out the funny side of things, and especially did he have unending amuse- ment with his gardener, Paine. Paine was with him for a great number of years, and was a very quaint and rather illiterate individual. At the time that Osman Digma was defeated in the Soudan, Paine had a son born, and he decided that the unfortunate youth should be baptised with the name of Osman Digma. Fortunately, however, Paine wasn’t much of a ‘“‘schollard,’? and when he was asked for the name in church, he boldly replied “Osborne,” and ‘“‘Osborne”’ the boy is to this day. But Paine still fondly imagines that the boy is named after the eastern warrior. Paine had some peculiar disability which pre- vented him from ever giving an animal or insect its proper sex. He would call the cow “he,” the barn- door cock ‘‘she,’’ the mare ‘he,’ and the tom-cat “she.” Mr. Foster-Melliar came into lunch one morning, rejoicing in Paine’s latest exploit in this direction. A wasp’s nest was being built in a hole under the eaves of the roof, and Paine had been sent up to deal with it. Having dealt with it he reported progress to Mr. Foster-Melliar. It seems he applied smoke to the hole and, as a result, various young wasps dropped down it and were duly despatched. And ‘at last,’ remarked Paine with triumph, “‘ out MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XXxl came the old mister.” Thereafter, a queen wasp was always known as “ the old mister.”’ Though Mr. Foster-Melliar is chiefly known be- cause of his work ‘‘The Book of the Rose” (one admirer has kindly called it “the classic work on Roses’’), roses were by no means his first or only love. His first love was natural history, and his greatest love was shooting. A very early letter of his, when about eight years old, says:—‘‘ My dear Mama, I thank you for your kind note. But I wish you were come back again, as I have got a golden- crested wren’s nest with eight eggs in it to show you when you do.” And nearly every letter, whether from Streatham, Uppingham or Oxford, contains some reference to birds, beasts, insects or flowers. His knowledge of natural history has been described as ‘‘ first-class.” However that may be, the writer remembers well how greatly he was impressed—on a strange rare bird being taken to him to identify—by his saying at once and without the least hesita- tion, ‘‘ Oh, that’s Oedicnemus crepitans”’ (the Stone Curlew). Shortly before he died, the Town Council of Ipswich had elected him as a member of the Committee of the Ipswich Museum. His delicacy as a boy often prevented him from the bird-nesting expeditions that he loved, but he quite outgrew his weakness, and was a great cricketer in his young days. He used to play regu- larly for the Uppingham Rovers, and was at one time Captain of the Suffolk County eleven. His round-arm bowling (then a new-fangled idea) was apt to be deadly, while his batting was distinguished by hard-hitting. The scene of many of his triumphs was on the pretty little ground at Stowmarket, and XXxii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR he often used to tell how the people cheered him through the streets after some great batting or bowling display. In the memory of at least one inhabitant of that town, his powers of hitting were, fifteen years after he had laid down the bat for good and all, still enshrined, as the following anecdote will show. One of Mr. Foster-Melliar’s sons was batting on the Stowmarket ground, and an elderly man was fielding at point, a ball was bowled rather to the off and pitched rather short, the batsman hit it with all his strength straight into point’s hands, point stopped it, dropped it and started jumping about and shaking his hands. Fearing lest he had broken one of his fingers, for the ball was going very fast, the batsman went up to him and hoped he was not hurt. No, he wasn’t hurt, but he was annoyed. It was fifteen years since he had had a ball like that, and he had dropped that one too, and he had never known but one person who could hit a ball like that, and was the batsman’s name Foster-Melliar? In these days of socialistic enterprise, 1t is just as well to remember that the hereditary principle will occasionally assert itself. In his youth Mr. Foster-Melliar was a keen fly fisherman but, in latter years he did not do much, if any, fishing. But the trout pool, hidden beneath the old elm and among the roses, was one of his pleasures. There, on summer evenings, he would sit for hours feeding the fat trout with bread and earwigs, the latter of which he would blow on to the water by means of hollow tubes. He has described in his book how he used to catch the earwigs in those hollow tubes. His great passion, however, was shooting. He MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XXXili was an excellent shot, and always used an old pin- fire gun until five or six years before his death. He had had the pin-fire since he was a boy, and had used it so much that it was positively dangerous. He swore by black powder and number six shot, and the noise the gun made when it went off was astound- ing. Smoke came out all along the barrels (for there were positively holes that you could almost push a pin in down the barrels) and the reverberation was as thunder. If they were shooting the adjacent coverts one knew for miles around when “the Rector’’ was ina hot corner—it was something like the guns at Landguard Fort. He was induced one day to order a new gun, and he was extremely pleased with the hammerless ejector gun that he got, and came to prefer smokeless powders to the old black. He had many good stories to tell about his shooting experi- ences, as, indeed, he had about everything else. He was once shooting with a certain baronet, who was also a distinguished colonial administrator. Included in the shooting party was a bishop. The bishop was not supposed to have had much experience of shoot- ing, and the keeper had been specially instructed to attend on the bishop and see that he shot—in the right direction. The keeper, having a great respect for rank and not having met a bishop before, was sorely puzzled how to address him should occasion arise. When the day’s shoot was over, he confided his trouble to his master. ‘‘ You see, Sir Edward,’’ he said, ‘‘ Dukes I know, and Hearls and sichlike”’ (Sir Edward being evidently, in his keeper’s estima- tion, a ‘‘sichlike!’’), ‘‘ but I was wholly stammed by the bishop.” ‘‘ Well,” said Sir Edward, ‘‘ what did you say to him?” ‘‘ Well, Sir,” replied the ¢ XXXIV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR keeper ‘‘an old hare got up in front of ’un, and he wouldn’t shoot, and then another got up, and he wouldn’t shoot that neither, so at last I shouted ‘Shoot ’un, Your Holiness, shoot,’ and shoot ’un he did!” 4 On another occasion, he was shooting at a place where the host was not a good shot, and it was Mr. Foster-Melliar’s fortune to be the gun next to his host at one particular stand. Mr. Foster-Melliar, of course, was careful not to shoot at any birds that might have been looked on as belonging to his host’s stand, with the result that not much damage was being done. In the midst of it all the head keeper crawled round to Mr. Foster-Melliar and whispered in his ear, ‘‘ Don’t you mind nothing about nobody’s birds, sir’’—which, as Mr. Foster-Melliar said after- wards, was a remark that contained about as many negatives as a sentence of eight words could be expected to carry comfortably. Mr. Foster-Melliar did not hunt, and his attitude towards foxes was—mildly disapproving, shall we say? But in case any rosegrowers are also fox- hunters, here is a story that he used to tell some- times. In the west country, where all the farmers are or used to be great sportsmen, there was a certain gamekeeper who did not attempt to conceal his aversion to foxes. A farmer was riding to the meet on a very wet and stormy morning, and met the keeper. ‘‘ Morning,” said the farmer. ‘‘ Morning,” said the keeper cheerfully, adding, ‘foxes ‘ll most likely be underground this sort of weather.”’ ‘‘ Mebbe,’’ answered the farmer, ‘‘ but—who put ’em theere ?”’ To enter into his toils and triumphs as a rose- MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR XXXV erower has not been the object of this Memoir. His toils are fully written down by himself; and, if he has omitted the triumphs, does that matter? If not the most successful of amateur rose-growers, he was high up in the first flight, and won quanti- ties of medals and silver cups. He was one of the National Rose Society’s judges, and each summer used to see him travelling all over the country to judge at rose shows. His experiences were some- times very amusing, especially when exhibiting, and sometimes they were almost tragic. One year he had to have a new gardener, and this was a sore trial. He usually took the gardener with him when he went to show roses, and the first attempt with the new gardener was at Norwich. While setting up some roses there, Mr. Foster-Melliar asked the new gardener to bring him the rose that was to win the medal. As the man was bringing it, the head snapped off. Rose-growers will appreciate the irrita- tion caused by a mishap of this kind, but Mr. Foster- Melliar merely told him to go and fetch the next best. As the wretched man was bringing it, that one also snapped off at the head. Mr. Foster-Melliar looked at him. ‘‘There, there,’ he said gently, “go and play on the grass’?! Itis doubtful if the man ever got over it, and, at all events, he left shortly afterwards. He was prepared to be stormed at, but to be told to ‘‘ go and play on the grass’”’ was too much for him. In the height and vigour of his manhood, as it would have seemed, he was struck down. On the Thursday he had just completed, signed and de- spatched to the printers the preface to the third edition of this book. On the Saturday he was XXXV1 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR shooting, and it was remarked at the time how well he had been doing.. On the Sunday morning he was obviously very unwell, and could barely take the services in the church, but he managed to struggle through with them somehow or other. On the Monday he was worse, and, on the Monday morning following, he died. It was how he wished to die— in the full possession of his strength and faculties. The crowds that assembled at his funeral, the dis- tressing scenes that were witnessed (many of his parishioners being moved to tears), all testified to the love and respect they had for the ‘‘ old Rector.” The parishioners subscribed over £300 for a memorial, which took the shape of a reading room endowed in perpetuity for the use of the villagers, and a mural tablet inside records the fact that it was so endowed in memory of him. Sproughton Church still stands, Sproughton’s river still wanders like a silver thread through the long green meadows; but gone are the roses of Sproughton now, gone are the long, long rows of them that were the Rector’s delight; and gone, too, is the dear, kind-hearted old Rector and his greatly- loved wife. Ah, well, tempora mutantur ; they sleep together, just as they wished to do, in one grave— between the church, which they loved so well and served so faithfully, and the silent river. K. F.-M. January 26, 1910. LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAPTHR. I INTRODUCTION Ir is a common saying that the love of flowers is universal ; and it is not surprising, seeing that the tendency of the age is to subdivide occupations and interests and make men specialists in smaller branches of subjects, that certain flowers have been selected for cultivation by persons who have given all their leisure, or even the whole of their time, to the study of them. As the Rose has been entitled the queen of flowers without serious dispute for nearly twenty-five centuries, special subjects of such a queen may naturally be looked for; and they may be found among such as style themselves Rosarians, \) who endeavour to cultivate the Rose in such a manner as to get the finest and most beautiful blooms. One would naturally suppose that those who study and pursue this subject might be credited with a special knowledge of it at least, if not with some eeuthority ; but, oddly enough, a certain number of B C5 —