iS 97 . 



• GARDENING. 



^33 



FATSIA OF ARALIA PAPYRIFERA. 



the readers might gtt weary and not find 

 it interesting enough to read it all 

 through, but there are so many different 

 deserving plants which I found to endure 

 our driest summers under adverse cir- 

 cumstances, and so perhaps I may find an 

 excuse in the eyes of some of the readers 

 for enumerating a few of them at random. 

 Rochester, N. Y. J. B. Keller. 



CONFEDERATE JASMINE. 



( Rhyncospermum Jasminoides. ) 

 I send a view which may be of some 

 interest to the readers of Gardening. It 

 is a specimen plant of Rhyncospermum 

 jasminoides, but is commonly known 

 throughout South Louisiana as "Confed- 

 erate jasmine." Although it is not what 

 might be called a rapid grower, it propa- 

 gates quite readily from cuttings. The 

 view shows a vine, three years old, which 

 trom April until July is covered with a 



mass of very fragrant white sta -like 

 blossoms. It also holds its ioliage 

 throughout the year, and its rich dark 

 green color is very pleasing. 



Being such a desirable climber, it de- 

 serves a prominent place around the home 

 galleries. This particular view was taken 

 at the home of Gen. Jno. McGrath, Baton 

 Riuge, La. [This plant is grown exten- 

 sively in northern greenhouses, where it 

 comes into bloom about the same time as 

 do azaleas and rhododendrons. It re- 

 quires cool treatment. — Ed.] 



F. H. Burnette, 

 State Expt. Station of the L. S. U. & A. 



& M. Col. 



FATSIA OR ARAtIA PAPYRIFERA. 



Mr. W. R. Smith, of the Botanic Gar- 

 den, Washington, has kindly furnished us 

 with the following information regarding 

 the subject of our illustration: 



This plant produce;, the beautiful sub- 

 stance known as rice paper; it has soft, 

 downy palmate leaves; it grows ten feet 

 high, with a stem four inches in diameter, 

 full of white pith like the elder; in a full 

 grown specimen the pith is about one 

 inch in diameter. It is divided into pieces 

 three inches long, and by the aid of a sharp 

 instrument is unrolled, forming the thin 

 narrow sheets known as rice paper, 

 greatly used by the Chinese for drawing 

 figures of plants and animals, and also 

 for making artificial flowers. Until about 

 1850 the source of this substance was un- 

 known to scientists. The Chinese on in- 

 quiry, gave very fanciful figures and 

 descriptions of it, illustrating the fact that 

 then, as now "for waysthat are dark and 

 for tricks that are vain, the heathen 

 Chinee is peculiar." 



It was first introduced from the island 

 of Formosa to Europe, at Kew gardens, 

 in 1853; from there it has been widely 



