Chapter XVI: 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.