DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



and armour, assembled within its walls, with 

 their liigli ht-ad-drcsscd dames, in hoops and 

 furbelows, or, with a little more stretch of 

 fancy, see the bare headed and shoeless sons 

 of the cloister assembled to distribute their 

 morning alms in the old front portico. What 

 substitute can replace this? We must first 

 change the whole face of history, before we can 

 answer that. But laying aside its historical, 

 poetical and domestic associations, and taking 

 it up only as a decorative plant, what have 

 we? To place the five leaved or Virginia creep- 

 ing ivy {Ampelopsis hederacca, or quinquefolia) 

 in competition with it, is to set off " hoddin 

 gray, and a' that" against "purple and fine 

 linen." The Virginia creeper may do — just do, 

 to cover the bare walls of a building, — but as 

 a substitute for ivy, no, never ! Its bald, cheer- 

 less, wintry aspect at a season when the ever- 

 green, rich, warm-looking ivy has its sweetest 

 charms, will ever make the comparison an un- 

 favorable one. I would prefer the Golden 

 Trumpet fiower — {Bignonia capreolata,) to 

 the Ampelopsis. Being a native of the south- 

 ern part of Pennsylvania, and of Virginia, it 

 would probably be hardy a considerable degree 

 farther north. It is indeed a beautiful ever- 

 green creeper. Its pendant secondary branch- 

 es are so graceful, that I know of nothing to 

 compete with it in its sphere. Those who are 

 unacquainted with this plant cannot conceive 

 how much it deserves to be loved and admired. 

 The characteri.stic expression of gratitude and 

 affection for which i)oets have made the ivy so 

 emblematical — clinging as it does with a femi- 

 nine fondness to some fatherly oak which sup- 

 ported it in infancy, — and encircling in its arm- 

 like folds the perhaps now decaying form of its 

 early protector — is more appropriate to this 

 plant. Indeed, if I were a poet, I would con- 

 jure up in my imagination a grove expressly to 

 introduce it. I would see it running wildly 

 over a rustic bower, now clinging to some 

 rugged grapevine, now sipping with the ends 

 of its drooping branches, tlie crystal waters of 

 a winding streamlet which should run at its 

 feet. And then its beautiful flowers, like golden 

 cups, which would admit a gaze at them long 

 enough to lead the imagination to the belief 

 they were the drinliing vessels of the fair- 

 mphs — the dryads of the woods, and the 



naiads of the stream. If you visit our fair city 

 soon, and have time to make us a visit, I 

 will introduce a specimen of this vine to your 

 notice which shall warrant all that I have said 

 of it. It is not a neglected plant — it is an un- 

 known one. Although described in the oldest 

 books, it is seldom seen. I believe the only plant 

 that ever I saw of it in England was at Col. 

 Vernon IIarcourt's in the Isle of Wight, 

 where it was received direct from Montreal 

 with other hardy things in 1838 — but I feel as- 

 sured that I will yet see the day when the 

 Golden Trumpet flower {Bignonia capreolata) 

 will be as popular and as common both in this 

 country and in England as the ivy now is — not 

 as a substitute or competitor — for that can 

 never be — but as a comrade and welcome com- 

 panion. Yours very sincerely, Thomas Mee- 

 HAN. Bartram Botanic Garden, Philadel- 

 phia; Jan. 10, 1851. 



[We saw the very plant of the Golden Trum- 

 pet flower which our correspondent describes, 

 5 or 6 years ago, at the Bartram Garden when 

 it was in full bloom. It was then one of the 

 finest climbers we ever beheld, and we imme- 

 diately ordered a plant of it for our own garden 

 where it is now growing well. The foliage is 

 evergreen and handsome, but the flowers are 

 not so fine here as in Philadelphia. It is, cer- 

 tainly, a climber worthy of being more general- 

 ly known. En.] 



Random Notes of a Winter's Evening. — 

 With the comparative leisure of winter, is it 

 not well to take a retrospective glance at what 

 has been accomplished ; to be pleased with what 

 has been well done, and to compare notes of 

 what is in progress — Horticultural ly, of course 

 — your Journal being the vude mecum for tliat 

 subject. 



The season has been one of great fruitful- 

 ness; the granaries of the industrious farmer 

 are richly stored with all the cereal and other 

 crops, both in quantity and quality, and the 

 horticulturist's heart has gladdened at the pro- 

 fusion and richness of the bounties set before 

 him. Kevor, within the recollection o:' the 

 oldest inhabitant, has there been such an uni- 

 versal crop, and so universally well ripened. 

 Strawberries, cherries, peaches, plums, apples 

 and pears, with all the minor fruits and escu- 



