3. 4. Not such thy spells o'er those that hail'd thee first Rose' for the banquet gathered, and the bier; Yet may we meet thee, Joy's own Flower, again!-MRS. HEMANS. 5. At the head of the exogenous, or outward growing plants, having covered seeds, and many petals or flower leaves, may be placed the Rose family, which is conspicuous for the beauty of some of its members, and the utility of others. It not only includes the rose proper, but the beautiful spireas of our lawns and gardens; the hawthorn, which is employed in hedges; the strawberry, the raspberry, and the blackberry; and also such fruits as the apple, pear, quince, almond, peach, plum, and cherry. 6. The leaves of all plants in the rose family are alternate,5 and the flowers, in their wild state, are regular, with five petals, as may still be seen in the wild brier, which is one of our wild roses. The hundred-leaf roses, cabbage roses, and all roses with more than five petals, have probably had their stamens changed to petals by cultivation. The artificial or cultivated roses-as likewise all plants which have been changed in the same manner-have to be propagated from cuttings, roots, or buds, as they do not produce perfect seeds. 7. In some parts of India roses are extensively cultivated for the manufacture of rose-water, and the ottar or oil of roses, the former being used chiefly by the natives at their festivals and weddings, when it is distributed largely to the guests as they arrive, and sprinkled with profusion in the apartments. On the banks of the Ganges roses are cultivated in fields of hundreds of acres; and it is said their delightful odor can be scented at a distance of seven miles. The pure ottar of roses, so delicious for its fragrance, is not unfrequently sold for twenty or thirty dollars an ounce. 8. "The rose looks fair', but fairer we it deem Hang on such thorns', and play as wantonly When summer's breath their masked buds discloses. Of their sweet deaths' are sweetest odors made." 9. Persia has been styled, pre-eminently, the "Land of Roses;" for not only are the gardens, even of the common people, full of these flowers, but, in the flowering season, their A rooms are constantly ornamented with them, and mattresses are made of their leaves for men of rank to recline upon. festival, also, is held, called the Feast of Roses, which lasts the whole time they are in blossom. 10. A happier smile illumes each brow, With quicker spread each heart uncloses, The valley holds its Feast of Roses; The floweret of a hundred leaves, 11. "Poetry is lavish of roses. It heaps them into beds, weaves them into crowns and garlands, twines them into arbors, forges them into chains, adorns with them the goblet used in the festivals of Bacchus, plants them in the bosom of beauty-nay, not only delights to bring in the rose itself upon every occasion, but seizes each particular beauty it possesses as an object of comparison with the loveliest works of nature." "As soft as a rose-leaf," as 66 sweet as a rose,' 99.66 rosy clouds," "rosy cheeks," "rosy lips," "rosy blushes," "rosy dawns," etc., are expressions so familiar that they have almost become the language of daily life. 12. The wild rose, one species of which is the wild brier, or eglantine, has been made the emblem of "Nature's sweet simplicity" in all ages. It forms one of the principal flowers in the rustic's bouquet. It is not loved for its fair, delicate blossoms only; but its fragrant leaves, which perfume the breeze of dewy morn, and the soft breath of eve, entitle it to its frequent association with the woodbine or honeysuckle. "The wild rose scents the summer air, 13. The standards of the houses of York and Lancaster had for emblems the wild rose; the white rose being used to distinguish the partisans of the former, and the red those of the latter. "Thou once wast doomed, Where civil discord braved the field, 14. It is said that the angels possess a more beautiful kind of rose than those we have on earth; and the poet Cowley, in. one of his poems, represents David as seeing, in a vision, a number of angels pass by, with gilded baskets in their hands, from which they scattered flowers: Some', as they went', the blue-eyed violets strew'; Which, at God's word, in beauteous Eden grew; The morning blushes of the spring's new day.-COWLEY. 15. The origin of the red color of the rose has been fancifully accounted for in various ways. By the Greeks, the rose was consecrated to Venus, the goddess of Beauty; and ancient fable attributes its red color to a drop of blood from the thornpierced foot of the goddess, "Which, o'er the white rose being shed, Made it forever after red." Its beautiful tint is poetically traced to another source by a modern poet: As erst in Eden's blissful bowers, Young Eve surveyed her countless flowers', An opening rose of purest white She mark'd with eye that beam'd delight'; Its leaves' she kissed', and straight it drew From beauty's lip the vermeils hue.-J. CAREY. 16. Perhaps no one of the roses is more prized for its beauty than the elegant moss rose. The flowers are deeply colored, and the rich mossiness which surrounds them gives them a luxuriant appearance not easily described. The origin of this mossy vest has been thus explained by a German writer. Moss Rose. 1 Ex-OG'-E-NOUS, outward growers. Fourth Reader, p. 176. The angel of the flowers one day Still fairest found where all is fair, A veil of moss the angel throws And, robed in Nature's simplest weed', See 5 AL-TERN'-ATE, rising higher on opposite 2 DI-CO-TYL-E-DON-OUS, having two cotyledons. See Fourth Reader, note, p. 193. AN'-GI-O-SPERMs, plants which have their seeds covered. 6 order. €XNK'-ER, a name given to the dog rose. Böu-QUET' (boo-ka), a bunch of flowers. [petals. 8 VER-MEIL (for vermilion), a red color. POL-Y-PET'-AL-Ous, plants having many า LESSON V.-OUR COMMON FRUITS. 6 1 1. Amygdalus inca'na, Woolly almond, xi. 1, r., 2 f., M.-A., Caucasus. 2. Amyg'dalus commu'nis, Sweet almond, xi. 1, r., 15 f., M.-A., Barbary. 3. Pru'nus cer'asus, Com. mon cherry, xi. 1, w., 20 f., A.-My., England. 5. Prunus Armeni'aca, Common apricot, xi. 1, w., 15 f., F.-M., Levant. 6. Crato'gus ni'gra, Black hawthorn, xi. 5, w., 20 f., A.-My., Hungary. 7. Crata'gus puncta'ta, Common thorn-tree, xi. 5, w., 15 f., My., N. Am. 8. Crataegus pyrifo'lia, Pearl-leafed thorn, xi. 3, w., 15 f., Jn., N. Am. 9. Cydo'nia vulgaris, Common quince, xi. 5, w., 12 f., My.-Jn., Austria. 1. ALL the most important fruits of the temperate regions of the world, such as the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry', and the apple, pear, quince, cherry, plum, apricot, peach, nectarine, and almond', have been classed by botanists in the rose family'; for all of them, in their natural or wild state, have similar characteristics by which they may be distinguished. They are not only exogenous', have covered seeds', and are polypetalous', but their leaves are arranged in alternate order around the stem, and never opposite'; their flowers are showy', have five petals', and are inserted on the calyx'. By these, and a few other more minute characteristics, these numerous plants are arranged in one large family. 2. Of the well-known apple, the most popular of all fruits, no description need be given; but it is well to remember, as an evidence of what cultivation has done, that its many hundred kinds are believed to be mere varieties of one original species, known as the common crab-apple. The apple was known to the ancient Greeks; the Romans had twenty two varieties of it; and poets, in all ages, have sung its praises. The fragrant stores, the wide projected heaps THOMSON. 3. The pear is a fruit-tree next in popularity and value to the apple, and its wood is almost as hard as box, for which it is even substituted by engravers. Its blossom, of which we give a drawing, exhibits the general character of the blossoms of all the rose family. 4. The quince, plum, and apricot we must pass cursorily by, merely remarking of the apricot that it is a fruit intermediate in character between the plum and the peach. The peach and nectarine were considered by the Greeks as merely different varieties of the almond-tree, and as having sprung from it by cultivation. The fruit of the peach has a downy covering, while that of the nectarine is smooth, and both have been known to grow on the same tree, and even on the same branch. The leaves and blossoms of these trees can scarcely be distinguished apart. The blossoms of all of them appear early in spring, before the leaves; and hence those of the almond especially, which are noted for their profusion and beauty, have been made the emblem of hope-so early do they hold out the promise of abundance. Thus Moore says: "The hope, in dreams of a happier hour, Springs forth like the silvery almond flower, 5. Nor is the emblem without its peculiar appropriateness; for so far back as we can trace the history of this tree, its early and fragrant blossoms, appearing before the leaves, were regarded as the promise of a fruitful season. Virgil gave expression to the popular belief in the following lines: "Mark well the flowering almond in the wood'; |