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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 148, 18 March 1920, Page 7

The world's largest rose garden is situated on the Thracian pla : n. with the little, Bulgarian town of Knsanlik in its centre. There'are 173 villages in the district, each devoted entirely to rose culture. Where in other lands the peasants would be ' crowing wheat or rye. the Bulgars of this area devote themselves wholly to the crowing of roses. The industry dates buck two centuries, and is n legacy from the Turk', who first discovered the special quality of the so'l,. In 1901 no less tliiin 81-1711). of attar of roses was produced at Kafinnlik. That meant the distillation of something like 13,057,312,000 roses all of which were grown on the surrounding plain. The traveller in Bulgaria at the end of Mar or in early .Tune can'ride R0 miles and feast hi* eves on damask blooms, breathing all the whilo the vent of millions of roses. But tho miles of bloom are not comprised m one or more great gardens. Tho flowers are almost all thg jivoduct of the humblo peasant tilling his own little plot.