MONSTROUS ROSES .- There is a small rose-bush in this village
which bears flowers called "very double." Every summer, some of
the blossoms send up a column or continuation of the receptacle from
the middle of the flower. This column, after running up straight for
half an inch, branches off and bears buds, which develop into small
roses later than the first rose below. These "rosettes," or little roses
if you like better, are as perfect as any flowers in the bush. In one
instance, I counted seven little roses growing from the centre of a
single flower. Another plant, in the same yard, this year produced a
monstrosity a little different from the one above mentioned. The cup
was very shallow and of thin texture. The points of the calyx were
more leaf-like than common, one of the sepals having five leaflets,
another four, another three, another two, and the other only one. Inside this calyx or whorl of leaves were plenty of petals, a few stamens, but the pistils were united into a column about half an inch long, nearly as large as the stem below the flower. This column had
small prickles on two sides, and towards the top were some petals,
colored on one edge, and green on the other, with fringes imitating
leaflets on the green edge. At the top of the column appear five
leaves, with stipules and leaflets in perfect condition. These are examples going to prove that "the blossom is a sort of branch, and its

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parts leaves," and "that the receptacle of a flower is of the nature of
the stem." See Gray's Botanical Text-Book, p. 230 .- W. J. BEAL,
Union Springs, N. Y.