THE WISTARIA SINENSIS. 



63 



remember that what the rose delights to 

 grow in is loam and rotten manure. En- 

 rich your soil, therefore, every year with 

 well-decomposed stable manure ; and if it 

 is too sandy, mix fresh loam from an old 

 pasture field ; if it is too clayej', mix river 

 or pit sand with it. The most perfect spe- 

 cific sti?nulus that we have ever tried in 

 the culture of the rose, is what Mr. Rivers 

 calls roasted turf, which is easily made by 

 paring sods from the lane sides, and ha'f 

 charring them. It acts like magic upon 



the little spongioles of the rose ; making 

 new buds and fine fresh foliage start out 

 very speedily, and then a succession of 

 superb and richly coloured flowers. We 

 commend it, especially, to all those who 

 cultivate roses in old gardens, where the 

 soil is more or less worn out. 



And now, like the Persians, with the 

 hope that our fair readers " may sleep upon 

 roses, and the dew that falls may turn into 

 rose water," we must end this rather prolix 

 chapter upon roses. 



THE "WISTARIA SINENSIS. 



BY DR. W. W. VALK, FLUSHING. 



In several of the back numbers of the Hor- j 

 ticulturist, quite a number of hardy plants j 

 and shrubs have been referred to as worthy 

 cultivation, both for their vigor of growth 

 and great beauty when in flower. Among 

 the many which might be named as emi- 

 nently deserving a somewhat extended no- 

 tice, we ask the reader's attention to the 

 Wistaria sinensis, or Chiiiese Glycine, as it 

 is called by some persons. It is really one 

 of the handsomest things of the kind that 

 we know of, and we wish to make others 

 of the same opinion, by saying something 

 yexy favorable with regard to it. Ama- 

 teurs will not find that we have misled 

 them by speaking of the Wistaria as it de- 

 serves. 



The most magnificent specimen that we 

 ever saw, is trained upon one of the walls 

 in the Garden of the London Horticultural 

 Society, and occupies a space in length of 

 375 feet. Seen in full flower it was exqui- 

 sitely beautiful, and few could look at it 

 without wishing to have in their possession 

 an ornament so exceedingly graceful. Next 

 to this very extraordinary specimen, the 



prettiest we have seen in this country is at 

 Thorbuen's ^sforza Garden; and a third, 

 of very considerable size, is in the nurse- 

 ry of Messrs. Winter & Co., of this vil- 

 lage. 



Judging from the comparative infrequen- 

 cy of its occurrence in small gardens, it 

 would appear not to be known that it is 

 increased so readily as to be purchasable 

 in most nurseries for a small sum, that it is 

 perfectly hardy, and that it may be cultiva- 

 ted with the greatest ease, as well as in a 

 considerable variety of ways. In stating 

 these plain facts, therefore, and referring to 

 the plant itself as an evidence of its desira- 

 bleness, we shall just glance at the several 

 modes in which it may be advantageously 

 treated. 



As a green-house or conservatory climber, 

 its attractions are sufiiciently familiar and 

 recognized, although, considering its ex- 

 treme beauty and fragrance, and capacity 

 of blooming several times in a season, be- 

 sides flourishing in almost any aspect, and 

 being by no means particular as to where 

 it is planted, we should expect to find 



