REMARKS ON HYBRIDISING. 



117 



cies, for reasons that will be explained 

 hereafter. Can anything be more worthy 

 of attention than this charming genus, 

 \\ hich nobody seems to have thought 

 about ? To those whose leisure enables 

 them to prosecute such an inquiry, we may 

 state that in all probability the species of 

 Clematis will cross most readily in the fol- 

 lowing order, viz. — 1. C.JlamviuIa, vitalba, 

 and cyliiidrica ; 2. C.Jlorida, azurea, viti- 

 cella, balearica and montana ; but there is 

 no apparent reason why they should not all 

 also intermix, in skilful and patient hands. 



Another important race of climbers are 

 the Honeysuckles. The flowers of our com- 

 mon Honeysuckle are little more than an 

 inch long ; but those of the beautiful Tus- 

 can species ( Ca'prifolium etruscum) are twice 

 as large, and in the Caprifolium longiflorum 

 of China the blossoms are full three inches 

 in length. Here are the best opportunities 

 for an improvement of one of our most fa- 

 vorite plants. 



Nor do we regard the case of the common 

 Jasmine as hopeless. It is true that it does 

 not produce its berries with us ; but if it 

 were kept under glass, and artificially fer- 

 tilized, it probably would do so. Why not 

 intermix it with the beautiful species from 

 the Azores. It would, in all probability, 

 give its hardiness to that plant, and receive 

 in return a finer foliage and more abundant 

 bloom ; or, at least, it would hardly refuse 

 to mingle with the Catalonian Jasmine, 

 which is so like it, and then our cottages 

 might be covered with plants as beautiful 

 as those of Barcelona and Italy. 



The Laurustinus is another plant entirely 

 neglected by the growers of new plants, 

 and yet there is no reason why its flowers 

 should not become as large as those of the 

 Guelders Rose — itself an artificial produc- 

 tion. What would be the efl^ect of inocu- 

 lating the finest of the varieties of the Vi- 

 burnum opulus, the parent of the Guelders 



Rose, with the Laurustinus ? Either we 

 should expect an evergreen Snowball tree, 

 or a Snowball Laurustinus ; or, at least, a 

 considerable enlargement of the floAvers of 

 the latter ; or may be the issue would be a 

 hardier Laurustinus than we had before. 

 But that is beside the present question, 

 which we confine to an enlargement of the 

 blossom. 



The double Japan and Chinese Cherries 

 {Cerasvs japoiiica and siitensis,) among the 

 finest of our spring shrubs, would be infi- 

 nitely improved if the size of the common 

 Cherry could be communicated to them ; 

 and there is no apparent reason against it. 

 And in like manner, the little Dwarf Al- 

 mond [Amygdalus nana,) not now much 

 grown, though a very pretty bush, might, 

 and most likely would, be readily improved 

 by a mixture with the common Almond, 

 or still better with that magnificent variety 

 called in the gardens Amygdalus macro- 

 carpa. 



If we turn from shrubs to herbaceous 

 plants, there is the same abundance of ma- 

 terials on which to work. Why not at- 

 tempt to mix Tropceohim brachyceras or 

 canariense with the common Nasturtium ? 

 or the beautiful Hypericum coris with H. 

 androssemum, or H. erectum with calyci- 

 num ? or the annual Larkspurs with Del- 

 phinium grandiflorum ? or the whole race 

 of Dianthus, including the Indian Pinks 

 and Sweet Williams, with the Cloves and 

 Carnations ? or the gay Sea Lavenders with 

 such plants as Statice arborea and Dickin- 

 sonii? or finally our wild Buttercups with 

 the gaudy Ranunculus of the florists ? 



In all these suggestions there is nothing 

 in the least contrary to probability ; the 

 plants that are adverted to are all of com- 

 mon occurrence, and easy for any one to 

 operate upon — indeed they have been se- 

 lected for that reason ; and they ofTer an 

 abundant reward to skill and patience. 



American Elm. — This tree, Ulmus ameri- 

 cana, is much admired for its combination 

 of the graceful and magnificent. Trees 

 taken from the woods are difficult to trans- 

 plant successfully ; the best are raised from 



seed. Such will usually outgrow those 

 from the woods. A gentleman near Alba- 

 ny, who plants many from seed, has had 

 them twenty-one inches in circumference, 

 when only eleven years old. 



