PERENNIAL FLOWERS. 325 



It is a vigorous, healthy grower, nice fohage, which keeps green un- 

 til the ground freezes, and in September and October is literally 

 smothered with dainty, white, star-shaped, fragrant flowers, grow- 

 ing in sprays. There will be hundreds of these sprays so that the 

 vine is one sheet of white, just a green leaf peeping through now 

 and then. It does not seem to be fussy in the least, and I should 

 say from my own experience it would grow anywhere excepting 

 perhaps in the shade. I prefer it to the Large Flowered Clematis, 

 and it is certainly much easier managed and less liable to disease. 

 One plant will grow to cover quite a large space in one year. It 

 must have something to support it ; wire netting is what I use. It is 

 just the thing for a porch. Try it. 



HOW I GROW GRAPES. 



J. W. MURRAY,, EXCELSIOR. 



"Good evening, neighbor. I just dropped in this evening to have 

 a little talk with you about growing grapes. I know you have had 

 some experience. I want to plant out a small number of vines en- 

 tirely, or mainly, for my own family use. I want to plant such as 

 are best adapted to that purpose, and I shall not begrudge them a 

 little extra ground, labor or expense to secure success." 



"Well, neighbor, if you proposed to grow grapes by the acre, for 

 commercial purposes, I should want you to consult some one else, 

 who is more experienced and more competent to advise you ; but if 

 you only propose to grow a limited number, as you say, perhaps 

 I can best aid you by telling you how I grow grapes on a small 

 scale, and as a house is best built by commencing at the ground and 

 building upward, so perhaps we had better commence at the ground 

 and work upward." 



"That will just suit me. Nbw what about the location?" 



"Well, my own location was a very favorable one. I was half 

 a mile from the south shore of Lake Minnetonka, and about 100 

 feet above it, thus getting well above low frost lines." 



"A good location, I should think. And now what about the 

 slope of the land?" 



"In this I was also favored, for I had a gentle south slope, which 

 is doubtless the best. I should call a southeast or east slope next 

 best, a southwest or west slope next, and, lastly, rather than have 

 no grapes, I would try a gentle north slope." 



"And suppose your land was level." 



"It would answer if well drained." 



"How would you prepare the ground ?" 



"First, have your land in good condition for raising a good crop 

 of corn or potatoes ; then plow deeply and cultivate thoroughly, as 

 you would for corn." 



"How far would you place your rows and your vines apart?" 



"The standard distance is eight feet apart each way, but for a 

 small vineyard, such as you propose, I should much prefer to have 

 the rows ten feet apart and the vines eight feet apart in the rows." 



