The Book of Roses

"The Book of Roses" by Francis Parkman is a horticultural guide written in the late 19th century. This work serves as a comprehensive manual dedicated to the cultivation, propagation, and care of roses, reflecting Parkman's deep interest in and experience with gardening. The text likely explores various rose types, their cultivation methods, and innovations in hybridization during its period. The opening of the book begins with an introduction praising the rose's beauty and historical significance, recounting its evolution from a few types to the thousands available today due to cultivation efforts primarily in France. Parkman outlines the book's intent to provide practical information on growing roses, including soil preparation, pruning techniques, and an overview of the different varieties. He stresses the importance of high-quality care and appropriate conditions for successful rose cultivation, making clear that the amateur gardener can achieve excellence with diligence and attention to detail. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Francis Parkman Jr. was an American historian, best known as author of The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life and his monumental seven-volume France and England in North America. These works are still valued as historical sources and as literature. He was also a leading horticulturist, briefly a professor of horticulture at Harvard University and author of several books on the topic. Parkman wrote essays opposed to legal voting for women that continued to circulate long after his death. Parkman was a trustee of the Boston Athenæum from 1858 until his death in 1893.