THE ORIGIN OF ROSES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16487, 28 February 1914, Page 6

THE ORIGIN OF ROSES.

WHERE THE NEW VARIETIES

COME FROM

FAMOUS RAISERS AND THEIR. WORK. (By JOHN POULSEN.)

Tho question is frequently asked, “ How do new varieties of roses originate P” Now roses come from two sources. A small proportion originates from what are known as sports or variations of some existing variety. It is recognised by botanists that there is character in plants as well as in human beings and animals; Some botanists even go 60 far as to declare that there is character in each individual eye of a plant and judging from tho number of sports that appear in various plants from time to time the contention certainly 6eems justified. There aro three ways of propagating roses, namely, from cuttings, grafting and budding. Very little grafting is done in New Zealand and only a limited number of varieties aro grown from cuttings, although, of course, all stocks are so grown. Most varieties of roses aro propagated by inserting a leaf bud or eye of the desired variety in a suitable stock. It _is in this way that most sports originate, although they occasionally appear on a bush growing in a garden. In the middle of a row of a certain variety, it is found that there is one plant which has a different coloured bloom, although it still retains all the characteristics of tlie parent plant as regards foliage and habits of growth. Tho percentage of sports is extremely small and the tendency to 6port seems to be confined to a limited number of varieties. Some of our very best roses have originated from sports. Notable cases are Lady Roberts and Mrs Stephen Tressider from Anna Ollivier, White Maman Oochet from Maman Coohet, White Killarney from Killarney, Rainbow from Papa Gontier, Perlo von Godesberg from Kaiserin Augusta Victoria and Bridesmaid, and the Bride and Muriel' Graham from Catherine Mermet. Belle Siebreoht and Caroline Testout have also given a number of sports hut none to equal their famous parents. The well-known Wichuraiana rose, Dorothy Perkins, has riven us Dorothy Dennison, White Dorothy, Lady GodiVa and Lady Gay, although I have never been able to distinguish the latter from the parent.. Many of our best climbers have originated from sports but while some of these are true climbers others constantly revert back to the dwarf form. It is rarely, however, that a sport is superior to its fiarent, but an exception to this rule s in the case of Lady Robert®, which is much better than Anna Ollivier, and White Maman Cochot is also infinitely more reliable than the pink rose of the same name. ENGLISH RAISERS. Most of our new roses come from seed and are the result, not' of chance, but of tho careful fertilisation and hybridisation of roses, tbe pedigrees of which aro already known. There aro a number of men who devote themselves to the raising of new roses in England, France and Germany. In England tho principal raisers are Alex Dickson and Sons and W. Paul and Son. Tho former firm has met with great success, and tho list of really good roses that it has sent out is a very lengthy one, comprising many of our best roses. Mrs David M’Kee, Betty, Lady Ashtown, Mrs H. Brocklebank, Clara Watson, George 0. Waud, Duchess of Wellington, Mrs Peter Blair, Harry Kirk, Mrs W. J. Grant (Bello Siebreoht), Theresa and James Coeyare only a few of the roses raised by Dicksons, and yet no collection would be complete without them. Their latest great success is George Dickson. This is a magnificent blackish velvety scarlett crimson rose that seems likely to reign supreme for many years to oomo. Alex. Dickson and Sons’ principal successes have been in tbe Hybrid Tea class, but they are also tho raisers of Sour, of Stella Gray, one of our very best Tea roses. W. Paul and Son have not been so successful, but in Lady Battersea, Earl of Warwick, Warrior, Juliett and Florence Haswell Vcitch they have given us some magnificent roses.

TWO CELEBRATED IBISH FIRMS. In Ireland there aro two celebrated raisers, Hugh Dickson and S. MlGredy. Hugh Dickson’s greatest success is the rose that bears bis name, one of the most deservedly popular roses grown. His latest success to reach Now Zealand is King George V., a well-shaped splendid blackish crimson rose with a velvety violet flush and a particularly sweet scent.

It is barely ten years since the firm of S. M’Gredy and Son, of Portadown, Ireland, sent out the beautiful Countess of Gosford, but they have come rapidly to the front and can now bo numbered airiong the world’s leading raisers. In Mrs Herbert Stevens wo have the best white Tea roso and also probably the best decorative rose grown. _ British Queen is certainly the best white Hybrid Tea rose I have seen, and Mrs Amy Hammond, another Hybrid Tea, will come rapidly to the forefront when known. Edward Mawley, belonging to the same section, is a magnificent crimson rose when it comes good, but the percentage of really good blooSis is rather small, especially in the autumn. Last year M’Gredy’s had 65,000 seedling roses under test, but the percentage of roes worthy of propagation will be very small, probably less than one in a thousand. , ON THE CONTINENT. In France and Germany there are quite a number of prominent rose raisers but by far the most successful is M. Pefnet-Ducher, of Lyons. This noted raiser by the free use of the Briar in hybridisation has given us some of our most beautiful coloured roses; in fact, so many good roses; have resulted from this crossing that they have been divided into a new class called Pernetiana out of compliment to the celebrated raiser. The beautiful Lyon Rose, so universally admired, Rnvon d’Or, the most intense of all yellow roses, Beauty de Lvon, an exquisite rose with a. coral red shade, and Louise Catherine Breslau, which has a unique coral or prawn red colour, belong to this class. They all came from the master hand of PernetI>ucher. In Hybrid Teas the list of roses that claim M. Pernet-Lhrchor as their raiser is a very long one and includes many of our best yellows. Notable roses are Madame Abel Chatenay, Senatour Mascurand, Madame Ravary. Le Progress, Prince de Bulgarie, Renee Wilmart Urban, Jean Note, Marquis de Scnity, Lieutenant Cliaure, Mrs Aaron Ward, Madame Melonie Soupert (of which Lyon Rose is a seedling), Saurent Carlo and that remarkable velvety rose Chateau de Clos Vongeot, which lasts for a long time and is almost black when the netals fall. One of the latest of Pemet-Ducher’s roses to reach New Zealand is Sunburnt, claimed to be the best all-round yellow rose at present in commerce.

Manv of our best Tea roses come from France, but most of. the raisers there seem to devote their attention L> Hybrid Teas now. Indeed, it is this section that has made the rose the popular flower that !t is to-day. Many good Polyantha roses have also ■ome from France, but this class . is not popular in the dominion owing l o the blooms fading too quickly in the hot sunshine that we often experience. Nothing is more unsightly in a garden than a bush covered with faded blossoms.

CLASSES OF ROSES. To an ordinary person the various

sections of rosea are rather confusing. Just exactly how many sections are recognised I am not prepared to state. A loading French nursery firm catalogues no fewer than twenty-two sections and still finds it necessary to put “ var.” (meaning various sorts) against some varieties. Here in New Zealand, howevor, where there are no very largo gardens, wc confine ourselves to fewer sections. Of theso the three mostly grown are the Hybrid Perpetual,' tho Hybrid Tea, and the Tea. 'The days of the Hybrid Perpetual, however, with the exception of a fow varieties seem almost numbered. This section, for ordinary garden decoration, is practically out of date, having been superseded by tho Hybrid Tea. It is very prone to the attaoks of fungoidal diseases, the range of colours is limited, and, with a few exceptions, it has not the free blooming habits of tho Hybrid Tea and Tea sections. Another great fault is that the blooms of many varieties burn or fade in the. sun and blemish with a little rain. Many people prefer the Hybrid Perpetual, however, on account of tlio fine shades of red that are found in this section and tho sweet perfume that is attached to the flowers. Of late years a great many Hybrid Teas of various shades of red and crimson possessing great fragrance have been sent out. Some of these have tho same, velvety appearance that many varieties of the Hybrid Perpetual possess but they have the advantage of giving a far greater quantity of bloom.

Tho Hybrid Tea is a cross between the Hybrid Perpetual and tho Tea, and is now the most popular section of all. In this section we have colours that cannot bo obtained in the Hybrid Perpetual and blooms of a size that are not obtainable in tho Tea section. Tea roses are noted for tho freedom of the blooms, the refinement of the buds, and sweet eoent. Many Teas are practically ever-flowering, and are most desirable for garden decoration. The Noisette and China sections are closely related to the. Tea section, but, aro generally smaller in the bloom.