4 88 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1884. 



coast bear a strotig resemblance to the yellow of honey- 

 suckle flowers. But equally in the dry climate of the 

 east of the islam! and at high altitudes on the mountains, 

 the blossoms are of a rich ruby red colour. 

 The article on Climbing Plants we quote as follows: — 



In the extreme beauty and immense variety of their 

 climbing plants, either indigenous or acclimatised, our Iu- 

 dian Gardens undoubtedly compare favourably with those 

 of almost auy other part of the world, and when these 

 are properly cared for, and utilised to the best advantage, 

 certainly form one of its chief attractions. "We must, 

 however, reluctantly admit that we have bad to give up 

 the unrivalled L"pagerias in despair, and also that we 

 cannot induce the Dipladenias to bloom so freely or grow 

 as vigorously as we could desire ; still these failures are 

 more than compensated for by our gain in other direc- 

 tions. Take for instance the whole Antigouon family ; 

 all of these bloom most profusely with us nearly all the 

 year round, and yet during the many years they have been 

 cultivated in England have never been known to flower 

 except on one occasion, this being, if we remember rightly, 

 on a plant in the possession of Mr. W. Bull, the cele- 

 brated plant merchant; 



The majority of creepers require but very little atten- 

 tion to induce them to thrive satisfactorily. Give them 

 a good rich, open soil, in a well raised situation, and with 

 plenty of space to ramble at will, and they never fail to 

 succeed. Stiff screens, wire trellises, and such like arrange- 

 ments, are all very well for certain positions or occasions, 

 but they are certainly not the means we should employ to 

 show most of our climbers to advantage. The nearer we 

 assimilate the treatment of plants to what they are ac- 

 customed to in their natural habitats, the more sure we 

 shall be of success. The natural support of all climbing 

 plants are trees of larger growth, let us therefore endeavour 

 to give them the same. As an experiment plant Bougain- 

 villea Spectabilis or splendens at the root of a mango tree. 

 In the course of a year or two its shoots will protrude 

 through the branches in every direction laden with its bright 

 coloured bracts, forming one of the most brilliant sights 

 imaginable, without doing the least injury to its supporter, 

 for although a very rampant climber, it is not of dense 

 habit, Antiaonnn leplotits makes a splendid object when 

 trained on the bare stem of a coconut tree. All the sup- 

 port it requires being about half a dozen strands of gal- 

 vanised wire stretched tightly from the top to the bottom 

 of the tree, with circular bands of the same about six Leet 

 apart, to keep them in proper position, leaving two or three 

 inches of clear space between the perpendicular wires and 

 the stem to admit of the young shoots passing freelv 

 around them. A plant grown in this way, when in full 

 bloom, is worth going a long journey to see. We must 

 not omit to mention a well-known, though Badly-neglected 

 indigenous climber, namely Batatas paniliculata, a plant 

 that grows well in almost any situation. We have plants 

 of this that have been growing for years on the edge of 

 a clump of bamboos, and others, at the roots of some 

 dwarf date palms. These never fail to grow vigorously 

 each rainy season, almost entirely covering the bamboos or 

 palms with their handsome digitate foliage, and for three 

 or four months producing their glorious panicles of bl 16m 

 in the greatest profusion. Appended is a brief description 

 of some of our most popular and beautiful climbing plants : — 



Allamanda nobilis. — Thi» is undoubtedly the finest mem- 

 ber of this genus; it is of very vigorous growth, with large 

 handsome foliage borne in successive whorls on the stem. 

 The flowers are from si:: to seven inches in diameter, of a 

 very bright clear yellow, shading to deep orange in the throat. 



Allamanda Scliotti.— This differs but very slightly in form 

 or habit from the preceding ; the flowers, however, are 

 not so large, and are of rather a deeper shade of yellow. 



Antigouon leptotus. — This is almost too well known to 

 need any description, being found in almost every garden. 

 When in full bloom, with its enormous panicles of bright 

 rose-pink flowers, forms one of the most brilliant objects 

 in the whole vegetable kingdom. 



Bignonia Magnifica. — A new variety of great merit; the 

 flowers, which are of a bright purplish crimson, ar° pro- 

 duced in large, branching panicles, the individual blooms 

 being about three inches in diameter. 



Bignonia Venustit. — This is one of the most gorgeous 

 climbers in cultivation, and requires a large space for its 



proper development. The leaflets are oblong-ovate and 

 acuminate, the leaves formed of two leaflets being in pairs 

 along the stem. The flowers are produced from the axils 

 of each leaf in dense drooping spikes or corymbs; each 

 bloom is about two inches in length, trumpet-shaped, 

 deep vermilion in colour. Flowers in January and Febru- 

 ary, and lasts a long time in perfection, entirely covering 

 the whole surface on which it is trained with a complete 

 sheet of colour. 



Bougdinmillea Spectabilis. — A very vigorous growing plant, 

 requiring a strong trellis for its support, or a large tree 

 as previously described, it bears immense panicles of large • 

 cordate bracts of a bright rosy-crimson, enveloping the 

 whole plant in a mass of lovely colouring. 



Botigainvillea SpleHdens. — A comparatively new variety, 

 and certainly the most beautiful of the genus, in form and 

 habit resembling the preceding, the bracts, however, are 

 of a more brilliant shade of crimson. 



Cissus discolor. — The most beautiful of all ornamental 

 foliage climbers. When in a healthy condition, the exquisite 

 tints and delicate, blending of colours in the leaves almost 

 defy description. Requires to be grown in a position en- 

 tirely excluded from the sun. 



Ipomea rubro casrulea. — One of the most beautiful of the 

 Convolvulus family, though of a perennial habit can only 

 be successfully grown here as an annual. It is of very* 

 vigorous growth — producing its flowers in immense pro- 

 fusion ; these on opening in the early morning are of a 

 bright azure blue gradually fading during the day to a dull 

 reddish tint. The seed should be sown at the commence- 

 ment of the rainy season, the plants will then be suffici* 

 ently advanced to bloom freely as soon as the cold weather 

 sets in in November. 



Ipomea Horsfa/t.iw. — A new perennial species of great 

 beauty, flowers large and produced in panicles, of a rich 

 deep shining rose colour. 



Ipomea Leari. — A very beautiful species of robust habit, 

 producing its intensely bright blue flowers in great pro- 

 fusion throughout the whole year. 



Poivrea ebecinea. — A very vigorous-growing scandent shrub 

 covering a large space with its slender stems and bright 

 green foliage, almost always in bloom: its minute deep 

 crimson flowers being borne in large compact panicles. 

 "When well grown this is a very beautiful ornament to a 

 garden. 



Stepharwtis floribunda. — One of the most highly-prized of 

 all climbing plants; the leaves are ovate; leathery in 

 texture, and of a rich shining dark green colour ; the large 

 pure white waxy-looking flowers are produced in clusters 

 and are highly fragrant. 



Tecoma jusminoidks. — A very free blooming species of 

 great beauty, with deep green pinnate foliage ; the flowers 

 are borne in corymbs, white, slightly tinted with pink, with 

 deep purple centre. 



Tecoma rosea. — A remarkably handsome new variety. It 

 has opposite pinnate leaves with ovate leaflets, and bears 

 magnificent racemes, upwards of two feet in length, of 

 large, showy, trumpet-shaped flowers which are of a rosy 

 lilac colour. 

 "We add a couple of extracts: — 



An excellent plan for preserving tie 1 beauty and vitality 

 of cut flowers for a long period, is to add a very small 

 quantity of salts of ammonia to the water in which they 

 are placed, or a small piece of camphor, dissolved in spirit 

 of wine, will answer the same purpose. Those of our 

 readers who have hitherto been disappointed in their en- 

 deavours at arranging flowers, will, by carefully following 

 the above suggestion, probably be agreeably surprised at 

 the greater degree of success that will attend their efforts. 

 Liquid Manure. — Probably nothing conduces more to 

 the success of the majority of vegetables than being liber- 

 ally supplied with liquid manure. It is far more stimul- 

 ating and quicker in its effect than heavy dressings of 

 dry manure. The reason for this is obvious, as it is sup- 

 plied in such a way that -the plants are able to absorb it 

 at once. It may be made from fresh droppings of the 

 cow, horse, sheep, goat — in fact of neatly any animal. All 

 that is required is to allow the water to remain on it for 

 four or six days, so that, when it is used, it may be per- 

 fectly clear. Its strength, of course, must be regulated 

 according to the requirements of the crops for whichit is 

 intended. 



