130 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[May, 



legist. But this is now found not to be the case. 

 The progeny is sometimes barren, but this is 

 rather the exception than the rule. 



This is not the period of the year to thin out 

 trees when they have become too thiclc on the 

 grounds ; but the autumn will soon be here, and 

 in view of the importance of the question, it seems 

 a seasonable hint to be given now. It is surprising, 

 in view of how much has been written about it, so 

 little thinning is done. In our own city of Phila- 

 delphia, where, if anywhere, one would think the 

 influence of the Gardeners' Monthl? would be 

 felt, thousands of trees are annually destroyed by 

 the struggle with one another, simply because of a 

 sentiment that it is not wise to destroy in an hour 

 what it has taken a quarter of a century to grow. 

 Let any one note a tree standing by itself— note it 

 at this season, when covered with foliage, and 

 note the branches extending, perhaps, fifty feet 

 from the trunk, and admitting a glorious current 

 of cool air under it ; and then note the score or 

 two of trees crowded together in a hundred feet 

 lot, the branches struggling upwards to get a 

 glimpse of the sky — forming an impenetrable mass 

 through which not a breath of air can stir, and he 

 will see the difference. The owner often sees it; 

 and instead of thinning the trees, calls in the aid 

 of the tree-butcher who lops off the heads. The 

 result is, these large scars never heal, the wood 

 rots, and in a few years the trees have to be taken 

 out at any rate — the whole tree is gone. And 

 then, what do lopped trees look like ? They are 

 outrageous in the sight of every person with 

 even the germ of taste. Street trees especially 

 suffer from this unseemly crowding. It is very 

 well to put trees about 20 feet apart at first, be- 

 cause we get some shade and some ornament 

 sooner than we should do. It looks naked for too 

 long a time, to have small trees so set with the 

 view to what they will be in a quarter of a century 

 hence. It is best to set double the number of trees 

 finally required, with the firm determination to 

 take out the half ten or twelve years after; or that 

 some one else may do it, if we should ourselves 

 be in another land. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



CANNA EHEMANNI. 



BY THEO. NISSEN. 



When a boy, in about 1844 or '45, my father re- 

 ceived from the well-known firm, Booth & Sons 

 of Hamburg, this Canna, under the name of 



Iridiflora, and if I recollect right, it was exactly 

 the same thing sent out now as Ehemanni. 



This Canna was first found by Ruiz & Pavon in 

 Peru, and named by them Iridiflora. Curtis, in 

 his Botanical Magazine (No. 1968), I believe in 

 1823, gives the first illustration of it; also Lod- 

 diges in Botanical Cabinet (905), and Edwards in 

 Botanical Register {609). 



Prof. Reichenbach in 1826, in one of his works 

 calls it a rare and beautiful plant, then in flower 

 in the Botanical Gardens at Dresden (Saxony), 

 and often confounded in European gardens with 

 other species, but very easy to distinguish by its 

 drooping flowers. 



Mr. HefTron will see that Iridiflora is the 

 original name given by Ruiz & Pavon, and that 

 Ehemanni is put to it to pass an old plant for a 

 new one. Davenport, Iowa. 



THE CLEMATIS. 

 BY JOSIAH SALTER. 



The complaints of a nurseryman, in the Gar- 

 deners' Monthly for January, of having many 

 unprofitable questions put to him, and which he 

 can ill afford time to answer, reminds me that I 

 frequently find myself sailing in the same kind of 

 ship, by having numerous questions asked and 

 inquiries made, both verbally and written, about 

 the Clematis. It has occurred to me that it might 

 be advisable, if acceptable to you, to offer a few 

 remarks, concerning the Clematis, through the 

 columns of your very excellent Gardeners' 

 Monthly. In so doing, I trust it may be re- 

 membered that the following remarks are not 

 intended for the edification of gardeners or 

 nurserymen, or any of the profession, who, in all 

 probability, know the subject much better than I 

 do. 



But, inasmuch, as the Clematis is becoming 

 very popular and deservedly gaining favor every 

 day, and, as the professionals say or write very 

 little upon the subject in the periodicals of the 

 day so far as I have seen, I will endeavor to 

 answer the querist as best I can, and he must 

 take the reply for what it is worth. There appears 

 to be quite a lack of general information upon the 

 subject, and the queries are as numerous about the 

 old as the new varieties. 



According to the books, the word Clematis is 

 derived from the Greek word kUma, meaning a 

 vine branch, because most of the species climb 

 hke a vine. 



The Clematis belongs to a very extensive genus 



