the generality of soils. It certainly increases the vigour of a plant, but seems to act more favourably on the foliage than on the flowers. It may be said this is due to the use of it in excess. But this I am not disposed to grant. In the spring of 1846 I scattered guano, in variable quantities, over some newlyforked beds of Roses, just as the buds were pushing forth. The soil where this experiment was made is a dry loam, rather stiff, of excellent staple, but poor. The subsoil, to the depth of twelve feet, is a yellow loam or brick earth. Below this is gravel. In every instance where the guano was applied the growth was more vigorous, and the foliage developed of extraordinary richness and beauty; but, mark! it was at the expense of the flowers. Such were the consequences attending its use to plants in full health on one soil: on soils otherwise constituted the results might be different.

Roses should have manure applied to them at least once a year. It should be in a well pulverized state, and may be dug in, when the borders are dug, in spring; or laid on the surface afterwards, to be washed in by the rains. When manure is applied in such state as to be capable of yielding immediate nourishment to a plant, spring would seem the better season to apply it. The roots are then in full action, and every shower of rain places an abundant supply of food within their reach. If manure is applied in autumn, a great part of its nutritive properties must be carried beyond the reach of the roots by the frequent and heavy rains of winter.

CHAPTER III.

REMARKS ON THE FORMATION OF THE ROSARIUM, AND ON THE INTRODUCTION OF ROSES TO THE FLOWER GARDEN. In the formation of the Rosarium, it appears to us that the simpler the forms of the beds the better. The plants of which it is composed are for the most part budded on stems, and decidedly artificial objects; and parallelograms, squares, circles, ovals, and other regular figures, are in perfect harmony with the character of the plants; admit of the most perfect arrangement; and display the Roses to greatest advantage.

When the Rosarium is intended to be of large or even moderate size, there should be two compartments; the one for the summer kinds exclusively, the other to contain the autumnals. The boundary of each may be defined by planting a single row of Pillar-Roses at intervals of a yard apart. When they reach the height of five feet, each alternate plant may be removed, and small chains be fixed from pillar to pillar, hanging in graceful curves the entire length of the line. Over these some of the branches may be trained to form elegant festoons, two or three shoots being allowed to ascend the pillar until they reach such height as circumstances or taste may point out as desirable.

If Pillar-Roses are not approved of to form the line of demarcation, the same end may be accomplished by a rustic fence, which should be covered with some particular kind of Rose suited for the purpose. It should be a good, free flowering, hardy variety, whether a summer or autumn bloomer: if the latter is preferred, the Bourbon or Noisette offer the best kinds. Or again, this would seem a fitting opportunity of introducing the Sweet-briar, which should abound in every Rosarium; for the delicious fragrance of its young leaves in the earliest of spring, the delicacy of its blossoms in summer, and the gay appearance of the scarlet hips it produces in the autumn, must recommend it to every observer.

The walks of the Rosarium should be invariably of grass, which sets off the plants, when in flower, to much greater advantage than gravel. Grass walks are objected to by some because unpleasant to walk upon early in the morning, or after a shower of rain; but they give such a finish to the Rosarium, and lend such a freshness and brilliancy to the flowers, that it were a pity to forego these advantages solely on this account. And if the grass is kept closely mown, the force of this objection is greatly abated.

When the walks are of grass, it is perhaps not desirable to plant edgings to the beds. When they are of gravel, it is decidedly necessary to do so; and Box, slate, or fancy tiles may be used. In many instances, too, the Pompon and Fairy Roses may be introduced as edgings, with a very happy effect, to form a complete hedge, of less than a foot in height, covered with their miniature blossoms; the one variety blooming in summer only, the other throughout the autumn.

It is desirable that the Rosarium should have a raised spot in its vicinity, from which a bird's-eye view of the whole may be obtained during the season of flowering. A mound of earth thrown up is the simplest plan; and some burs and stones may be placed upon the surface. The sides of the mound may be planted with Ayrshire, Sempervirens, and other running Roses, or climbing plants of various kinds: on the top may be formed a Rose Temple, or a cluster of PillarRoses. From this spot we obtain, in the flowering season, a view of the Roses en masse, as they lie beneath us, the effect of which is agreeable and striking; and indeed every one can appreciate the beauty of the picture thus submitted to him. It needs neither the knowledge of the Florist nor the refined taste of the connoisseur; the beauty and effect of the coup d'oeil thus obtained is acknowledged alike by the skilled and unskilled in these matters. This we regard as one important point gained in the formation of the Rosarium; but there are others deserving of attention.

When the Amateur forms a Rosarium, he does not usually plant for effect: he views his plants individually, rather than collectively. And we should suppose that, to meet his approbation, the Rosarium should be so formed that he may attend to, and examine, each plant, without risking an injury to the rest. He may be delighted with viewing his collection as a whole; and, in addition to this, the knowledge that his friends, who may be less skilled in floriculture than himself, would derive the highest gratification from such a sight, would induce him not to neglect this point. But he finds greater pleasure in looking at his favourites separately. What would be tedious and uninteresting to them, is to him highly amusing. Each of his plants has a name by which he distinguishes it. He regards them as so many friends or acquaintances, every one of which has a claim upon his attention. He therefore wishes them so disposed that he may attend to each in turn, without annoying the rest. How often have I seen, in large beds of Roses, the soil round a favourite tree trodden as hard as a gravel walk! I have also seen the adjoining trees, whose beauty was only dimmed by the presence of a brighter gem, seriously rubbed and broken, being altogether unhceded in the eager haste to inspect more inviting specimens.* It would seem desirable,

* I have a vivid recollection of committing this error. I once stepped pat on a seedling in the garden of a Rose-grower in France. A glimpse of La Reine, for the first time, was the cause of my misfortune. I was made acquainted with the real state of things by a very un-Frenchmanlike roar. Fortunately the plant was uninjured, but the flower-bud was destroyed; and the amount of mischief done was the keeping of the owner in a state of suspense for a month or two longer. Perhaps I was very near annihilating a very fine variety.

then, that the beds be so formed that each plant may be seen from the walks. No one who really loves Roses will be content with viewing a plant placed in the back of a bed some six or seven yards from a walk. To fully appreciate its beauties— to be satisfied-one must have it directly under the eye, or how can he mark the exact colour, form, and various characters, and last, but not least, inhale its perfume? If the plant is so placed that we cannot do this from the walks, the beds must be trampled on; the temptation is too great; we cannot resist it.

When forming a Rosarium, it is at the option of the cultivator to set apart a spot for growing plants from which to save seed. If he desire to raise seedlings, this should be done; for the plants become impoverished by the ripening of the seeds, and therefore those from which he wishes to obtain large and perfect flowers should never be suffered to seed. He should select the sunniest spot in the garden in which to plant the seed-bearers, in order to secure every possible advantage for accelerating the period of maturity. Autumn pruning should also be adopted, as a means to this end, by inducing an early development of flowers. Our climate is not the most favourable for this branch of Rose-culture: we therefore must not waive even the slightest advantage which may be obtained either naturally or artificially.

In preference to giving new plans only, we shall present our readers with some which already exist, and which have obtained the approval of those who have witnessed the effect they produce. For the reasons above stated, we believe the simpler the form of the Rosarium the better. It is therefore thought not necessary to give many plans; but besides those given, we shall offer a description of several places noted for Roses, or where the plants appear arranged with taste.

The most renowned Rosarium in Europe is that of the Jardin du Luxembourg at Paris, which is under the superintendence of Monsieur Hardy. The interest attached to these gardens arises principally from some of our finest varieties having been originated and nurtured there, and to its possessing some unusually large specimens. I remember seeing there, in the month of June, on my first visit to Paris, a Standard of the Tea Princesse Hélène du Luxembourg, of an immense size, with hundreds of its fine flowers in beautiful condition. The tree called to mind the large-headed Hybrid Roses occasionally met with in this country. We shall proceed at once to describe these Gardens.

The wood-cut No. 1, on the annexed page, is a ground-plan of the Rosarium, in which the entire collection of the Luxembourg is planted. It is situated on the right of the public walk leading from the Palais du Luxembourg.

It is below the level of the public promenades, as shewn by the section a, b. In summer, when the Roses are all in flower, they produce a splendid effect viewed from the public walks above, and over the little hedge c, d, and the parapet-wall c, e. If we descend to the walks ff we lose this effect, as the Roses are then brought on a level with the eye. The little round marks in our engraving shew a line of fruit-trees planted in the borders surrounding the Rosebeds, forming a sort of back-ground, which adds to the effect.