ffiE CANADIAN aORTICUXTURIST. 



263 



harm's way, under the snow, during 

 the winter. Last year we hoped for 

 something from them but they pro- 

 duced " nothing bat leaves." — T. T. 

 Lyon in Michigan Farmer. 



THE CLIMBING SOLANUM. 



(Solanum Jasminoides.) 



The climbing Solanum is a slender 

 growing vine having pretty foliage. It 

 supports itself by curling the stems, to 

 which its leaves are attached, about 

 whatever it comes in contact with. 

 During summer my plant made a growth 

 of over six feet. It did not bloom until 

 fall, but since then it has had flowers 

 nearly all the time. These flowers are 

 about as large as those of the Catalonian 

 Jasmine, star-s.haped, and of a pearly 

 white. Sometimes they have a slight 

 lavender tinge, and in a few I have seen 

 a faint rosy tint. These flowers, which 

 are borne in clusters of about half-a- 

 dozen each, have a delicate grace that I 

 have never seen in any other climbing 

 flower. The petals have a look like 

 that of the flncst cra[)e, being creased 

 or wrinkled like crape along the center. 

 I find that by cutting it back often a 

 great many brandies can be made to 

 grow, and all of these produce flowers. 



It has been one of my most satisfac- 

 tory plants during tlie winter. I have 

 it trained up a large Oleander, and it 

 has wound itself all through the top, 

 and as both plants are in bloom at pre- 

 sent, the etTect is charming, as the 

 contra.st between the ro.sy flowers of 

 the Oleander and the white ones of the 

 Solanum is so decided. A good many 

 of the new branches hang from the 

 branches of the Oleander in festoons of 

 graceful foliage. The buds aie charm- 

 ing before tliey open, being pearly 

 white, and having .so close a resemblance 

 to berries that they are often mistaken 

 for them. The plant is a most satisfac- 



tory one at all stages and seasons. It 

 would be very efiective when trained 

 along conservatory rafters, or about a 

 window, I think. Mine is potted in 

 ordinary garden soil made light with 

 sand. It requires considerable water. 

 The red spider would trouble it some- 

 what if I did not make it too wet for 

 him. — E. E. Rexfobd, in the American 

 Garden. 



THE PLTTM ORCHARD IX MAINE. 

 I send you a description of Mr. 

 Sharp's plum oi'chard. The orchard 

 comprises fifteen hundred trees, cover- 

 ing one and one-quarter acres. Two- 

 thirds of the trees ai"e tender varieties 

 (for here), Bradshaw, Columbia, Green 

 Gage, Imperial Gage, Lombard, Mag 

 num Bonum and McLaughlin, which 

 will not live one winter here without 

 bending down. They were planted out 

 in 1877 before the Mooer's Arctic had 

 been thorouglily tested, the remaining 

 five hundred are Mooer's Arctic, most 

 of vvhich have been set out since, and 

 yet these five hundred bore more last 

 year than the other thousand by con- 

 siderable. There was picked from this 

 orchard last sea.son three thousand five 

 hundred pecks, which were sold hei'e at 

 one dollar per peck, besi'les what were 

 given away, and quite a number that 

 walked off" in the night. He has an- 

 other orchard just coming into bearing 

 which yielded six hundred pecks, and 

 one huudi'ed more out of the nursery of 

 trees that will be sold this spring, mak- 

 ing in all four thousand two hundred 

 pecks — a net profit of over four thou- 

 sand dollars in one year. Although the 

 Mooer's Arctic plum will live here and 

 bear a good crop without bending down, 

 if kept in grass ground and grown 

 slowly, yet we find it far more profita- 

 ble to put them on rich ground, and 

 bend down. — Home Farm. 



