350 Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



There are two forms of climbers which I will recommend. One is 

 am-pe-lop-sis and the other is the trumpet vine. There are two 

 kinds of am-pe-lop-sis. One is the Virginia creeper, sometimes 

 called five-finger ivy. It is called "five-finger" because the leaf has 

 five parts. There is another kind that appears much like it but whose 

 leaf has three parts. Let that kind alone, for it is poison ivy. Another 

 kind of am-pe-lop-sis is known as Boston Ivy or Japan Ivy. This 

 last will cling to stone and brick walls much closer than the Virginia 

 creeper. 



The other plant, the trumpet vine, will fasten itself to stone and 

 brick walls and also to wood. At my farm home I have a trumpet 

 vine planted beside a long-distance telephone pole that stands near the 

 front of the house. It makes the ugly pole appear very attractive. 

 I have another trumpet vine at the corner of the house where the 

 wind at times blows very hard and for that reason it does not cling to 

 the siding. For the last five years I have let it have its own way 

 and it has become very handsome. It has a stem or trunk about 

 eight feet high. Instead of climbing up, the branches fall down so 

 that the ends touch the ground, making a sort of wigwam. Beneath 

 those drooping branches and thick leaves is a fine place for children to 

 have a playhouse and hold receptions and parties and serve refresh- 

 ments. Its only use now is for humming birds and the neighbor's 

 hens. When the trumpet-shaped blossoms are out, "the hummers," 

 with fast-vibrating wings, seem to be sitting on air as they thrust 

 their bills into the heart of the blossoms. The hens are never invited 

 nor welcome; that does not prevent them from coming, however. 

 It is usually a hot day when they cross the road, squat beneath the 

 dense, leafy shade and take naps. For a covering for an arbor, I 

 prefer a trumpet vine to a grape vine. 



When planting, remember two things which are important for 

 success. (1) The soil next to a building is usually very poor. Be- 

 fore planting, dig a large hole and place in it a bushel or two of fertile 

 earth. Put your vine in this rich earth and press the soil close to all 

 the fine rootlets. (2) The other important point to remember is to 

 water frequently during the first summer after planting. Do not 

 put the water on in small quantities, but with a generous hand. I 

 have seen boys fiatten themselves against the side of a building for 

 shelter during a hard rain. The same eaves that shelter a boy from 

 the rain will shelter a vine also. After the first summer, the roots 

 will reach far enough from a building to find moist soil. 



Uncle John. 



