of Rural Art and Taste. 



159 



appear soon after the leaves, and are delicately 

 fragrant, not quite so strong as the honey- 

 suckle. The flowers are very striking, from 

 there being two sets in each bunch. The fe- 

 males are the showiest, sweetest and most 

 beautiful. The flowers are about one-half of 

 an inch wide, and of rich plum color. Does 

 well anywhere." 



We have wondered considerably where 

 Johnson Cottage Gardener's Dictionary ob- 

 tained the information to class it as a "green- 

 house climber," when, from experience in 

 American gardening, it is as hardy as any 

 native vine. 



It originated in Japan, and was introduced 

 into America twenty years ago by John Feast, 

 of Baltimore. 



Jiffect.s of Gas on I'latits, 



At a meeting of the Imperial Academy of 

 Sciences at Vienna, Professor Bohm described 

 experiments proving the injurious action of 

 gas on plants. The plants of fuchsias and 

 salvias, as examples, were put in pots, gas 

 was constantly conducted to the roots, and 

 seven died in four months. It was shown that 

 the gas does not, in the first instance, kill the 

 plants, but that it poisons the ground. 



A I'rofitahle i}l4ii-hftt Gurflen. 



As a rule, governmental agriculture is pro- 

 verbially unprofitable, but it is a pleasure to 

 record any instance of remarkably good man- 

 agement. 



The finest kitchen garden in Europe is that 

 at Versailles, France. It belongs to the 

 State, and brings in a yearly revenue of about 

 20,000 francs from the produce of the sale of 

 fruits and vegetables. It was originally laid 

 out by La Quintinge, gardener to Louis XIV. 



The Legislative Assembly have now deter- 

 mined to make it a model market garden and 

 school of horticulture and general garden in- 

 struction. 



TiOui.s J'fiii Ifoiittc's Niii'fiert/. 



To our importing nursery men and florists the 

 name of Van Houtte, the great Belgian horti- 

 culturist, is as well known as a standard book. 

 Everything done by him is on the highest pos- 

 sible scale. For instance, reading lately in 

 the Journal of Horticulture., respecting his 



operations, we are quite surprised to hear of 

 the magnitude of his Camellia trade. 



In one house there was on one side a batch 

 of 150,000 cuttings, striking, apparently, with 

 the greatest freedom ; on the other, recently 

 worked, were 100,000 more. In another 

 part were 80,000 in bud, for sending ofi" in 

 the autumn, and in the summer time the 

 entire collection of Camellias was transported 

 out of doors and the pots plunged in the earth. 

 They were placed between tall upright poplars, 

 which were planted in line from the east to 

 west, and at distances so that the shadow of 

 one row reached the other. Here were 

 500,000 Camellias, a perfect forest. 



Aut.s. 



Best remedy for ants among pots, green- 

 houses or vicinity, is very hot boiling water. 



5f'/»p Kiitioiitil Hofticiittii ml Society. 



In The Horticulturist for February, 

 and in other late horticultural journals, have 

 been calls for the formation of a national hor- 

 ticultural society. I beg leave to differ with 

 Mr. Taplin, and say the time has come to 

 form it, or at least to take some definite steps 

 in that direction. It is true that money is 

 scarce, but we have waited long enough for 

 the "convenient season," and now is as good 

 a time as ever, so let us get at work as soon 

 as possible. The increasing need of such a 

 society is felt by every one in the profession, 

 and a national organization would be of untold 

 benefit in bringing together the thoughts and 

 experience of difierent parts of the country. 

 To make the society beneficial, it must be 

 truly national in character, and must gather 

 its material from both the east and the west. 

 With such men as Sargent, Ellwanger, Hoopes, 

 and Parsons from the East, Douglass, Bryant, 

 Miller and Elliott from the prairie States, and 

 others who may come from the Pacific coast, 

 a society might be organized which would be 

 of incalculable benefit to all. Why not hold 

 the first meeting as early as August ? Nur- 

 serymen ai"e less pushed with work then than 

 at almost any other time, and we shall all be 

 glad of a few days' visit during the dog days. 

 I would suggest St. Louis as a central point 



