STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 427 



worth. The late lamented Mr. Vick said: " This vine has done 

 more to beautify rural villages than any fifty plants in exist- 

 ence." It is highly prized in Europe, where it is largely used 

 in preference to English Ivy. The latter often becomes rusty 

 and bare, while the Amei'ican Ivy has immense foliage, and 

 needs no special care, unless it should be necessary to cut back 

 its rampant growth. We often see this beautiful vine adorning 

 city homes, but many of the people of the country have not yet 

 learned how attractive their dwellings could be made by the Ivy, 

 which grows wild on their own farms. 



The climbing Bitter Sweet, Celastrus Scandens, is a hardy vine, 

 and in many places can be found in the forest, but it is not so 

 often used for the porch and piazza as the Ivy. We know one 

 city home where the Bitter Sweet was saved when the forest was 

 cleared for the dwelling; it has become an immense vine, of 

 great beauty. Its foliage is handsome, and its berries of scarlet 

 and orange are very showy, and much prized for winter decora- 

 tion. 



Another hardy vine is the Moonseed, so called from its cres- 

 cent-shaped seed. This, too, grows wild in many places in our 

 State. It is a slow grower, but in time becomes large and hand- 

 some, and in autumn has clusters of purple berries. 



The wild Clematis, which is very abundant in the woods, seems 

 quite at home when transplanted to our gardens. It is not so 

 hardy as either of the other vines mentioned, and will sometimes 

 winter-kill nearly to the ground, but its growth is so rapid, it 

 soon covers any support with foliage, and in summer is a mass 

 of sweet, white flowers that are very lovely. There are many 

 varieties of Clematis, both wild and cultivated, that are very 

 desirable. That known as " Travelers Joy" we have had sev- 

 eral years in the garden, and in the most exposed situations the 

 roots survived our severest winters. No objection can be made 

 to this vine on account of injury to buildings. If better known 

 it would be greatly prized. 



The Matrimony vine, with its willow-like streamers, is a pretty 

 thing in appropriate places, and in some localities is very abund- 

 ant. We have always admired it, at a distance, for it has per- 

 sistently resisted all our efforts to make it grow in the garden. 



All these can be easily obtained, are very ornamental, and 

 best of all, when once planted, you will always have them. They 

 can be trained upon the buildings, on a rustic arbor or cross in 

 the dooryards, and, in any of these jjlaces, give pleasure when- 



