All of the above have very distinctly the Noisette characteristics, as inherited from their parent, the Musk Rose. Those which follow have been hybridized to such a degree with the Tea Rose, that its traits predominate; and though, in some of them, the cluster-blooming habit of the Musk is not lost, the flowers bear, in size, shape, color, and fragrance, a marked resemblance to the Tea. Chroma-tella, or the Cloth of Gold, is, when in perfection, the most beautiful of all the yellow roses; but it is shy of bloom, and difficult of culture. Solfaterre is also a fine yellow rose, much more easily managed than the last. The same may be said of Augusta, a seedling raised from it in this country. Isabella Gray was also raised in America, and is a seedling from the Cloth of Gold, which it rivals in beauty; though, like its parent, it is somewhat difficult to manage. Jaune Desprez, or Desprez's Yellow, is of a sulphur-color tinged with red, very large and fragrant. America is also a large and fine flower of a creamy white; but perhaps the best known of the whole group is Lam arque, in New England the greatest favorite among greenhouse climbers. Its flowers are of a sulphur-yellow, large and double; and its growth is very vigorous.
"But few of the Noisette roses will bear seed in this country: the following, however, if planted against a south wall, and carefully fertilized, would probably produce some. The object here should be to obtain dark crimson varieties with large flowers; and for this purpose Fellenberg should be fertilized with Octavie, Solfaterre with the Tea Rose. Vicomtesse Decazes would probably give yellow varieties; and, these would be large and fragrant, as in Lamarque and Jaune Desprez. In these directions for procuring seed from roses by fertilizing, I have confined myself to such varieties as are almost sure to produce it; but much must be left to the amateur, as many roses may be made fertile by removing their central petals, and consequently some varieties that I have not noticed may be made productive."—Rivers.
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Rosa Damascena.—This is a race of Damask roses endowed with the faculty of blooming in the autumn. The old roses known as the Monthly (not the China roses so called) and the Four Seasons are the parents of the group, though not without some infusion of foreign blood. The Damask Perpetuals are hardy, and remarkable for fragrance. They demand rich culture, even more than most other roses; and the best of them with neglect and low diet will bloom but once in the year, and that indifferently. On the other hand, they repay generous treatment liberally, as some of them are as beautiful as they are fragrant. American nursery-men usually catalogue them among the Hybrid Perpetuals, where they are out of place; since the true Damask Perpetual is not, in any sense, a hybrid, though, as before mentioned, some foreign blood has found its way into the family.
The French rose-grower Vibert has formed a new group, which he calls the Rose de Trianon, out of the Damask Perpetuals; but, as the subdivision seems unnecessary and perplexing, we shall re-annex it to the parent group.
The following are good examples of these Perpetuals: Joasine Hanet has deep purplish-red flowers, very showy. Sydonie bears large flowers of a rose or bright salmon, and blooms profusely. Yolande of Aragon has deep-pink flowers, and is an abundant autumn bloomer. The above belong to Vibert's new division. The following are unquestioned Damask: Crimson, or Rose du Roi, is of a bright crimson, very large, very fragrant, and an excellent autumn bloomer. There is a history attached to it. Count Lelieur was superintendent of the royal gardens of St. Cloud, where this rose was raised from seed, a little before the restoration of the Bourbons. He named it Rose Lelieur, after himself. When Louis the Eighteenth came to the throne, an officer of his household insisted that the new rose should be named after him. Count Lelieur resisted. A debate ensued. The party of the courtiers prevailed: the new rose was called the King's Rose, Rose du Roi; and the count resigned his post in disgust. Mogador is a seedling from this rose, and is, perhaps, an improvement on it. Portland Blanche is pure white, and blooms well in autumn. An English writer sets it down as worthless: whence I infer that there must be two of the same name; for here it lias proved itself one of the most beautiful of white roses. Bernard is a small but very beautiful rose, of a clear salmon-color, and is said to be a sport from the Crimson.
"As the culture of this class of roses," says Rivers, "is at present but imperfectly understood, I shall give the result of my experience as to their cultivation, with suggestions to be acted upon according to circumstances. One peculiar feature they nearly all possess,—a reluctance to root when layered: consequently, Perpetual Damask roses, on their own roots, will always be scarce. When it is possible to procure them, they will be found to flourish much better on dry, poor soils than when budded, as at present. These roses require a superabundant quantity of food: it is therefore perfectly ridiculous to plant them on dry lawns, to suffer the grass to grow close up to their stems, and not to give them a particle of manure for years. Under these circumstances, the best varieties, even the Rose du Roi, will scarcely ever give a second series of flowers. To remedy the inimical nature of dry soils to this class of roses, an annual application of manure on the surface of the soil is quite necessary. The ground must not be dug, but lightly pricked over with a fork in November; after which some manure must be laid on, about two or three inches in depth, which ought not to be disturbed, except to clean with the hoe and rake, till the following autumn. This, in some situations, in the spring months, will be unsightly: in such cases, cover with some nice green moss, as directed in the culture of Hybrid China roses. I have said that this treatment is applicable to dry, poor soils: but, even in good rose soils, it is almost necessary; for it will give such increased vigor, and such a prolongation of the flowering season, as amply to repay the labor bestowed. If the soil be prepared as directed, they will twice in the year require pruning: in November [in March, for this country] when the beds are dressed; and again in the beginning of June. In the November pruning, cut off from every shoot of the preceding summer's growth about two-thirds its length: if they are crowded, remove some of them entirely. If this autumnal pruning is attended to, there will be, early in June the following summer, a vast number of luxuriant shoots, each crowned with a cluster of buds. Now, as June roses are always abundant, a little sacrifice must be made to insure a fine autumnal bloom: therefore leave only half the number of shoots to bring forth their summer flowers; the remainder shorten to about half their length. Each shortened branch will soon put forth buds; and in August and September the plants will again be covered with flowers. In cultivating Perpetual roses of all classes, the faded flowers ought immediately to be removed; for in autumn the petals do not fall off readily, but lose their color, and remain on the plant, to the injury of the forthcoming buds. Though I have recommended them to be grown on their own roots, in dry soils, yet, on account of the autumnal rains dashing the dirt upon their flowers when close to the ground, wherever it is possible to make budded roses grow, they ought to be preferred; for, on stems from one to two feet in height, the flowers will not be soiled: they are also brought near to the eye, and the plant forms a neat and pretty object."