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POPULAR GARDENING. 



March, 



Clematises: •About Some Fine Ones 

 in Niagara Co. 



Our American botanists Gray and Wood, 

 in their popular floras, ascribe no less than 

 eleven distinct species of Clematis to the 

 United States. Undoubtedly this is below 

 the actual number of these climbing shrubs 

 native to every part of our soil. 



For the many large-ttowered varieties of 

 the genus, and which are such deserved 

 favorites, we are indebted to Sieboldt and 

 Fortune, who discovered them in Japan. 

 The offspring from the many species intro- 

 duced by these explorers, run up into a large 

 number of hybrids and varieties. Among 

 these Clematises not one is a greater favorite 

 than the unequalled bloomer Jackmanii a 

 variety now well known, and which bears 

 large purple flowers in extreme profusion 

 throughout the summer and autumn. 



The beautiful engraving presented here- 

 with is that of two of the finest vines of 

 Clematis Jackmanii it 

 has been our pleasure 

 to meet. The engraving 

 was made directly from 

 a photograph hence is 

 absolutely correct. The 

 vines are growing at 

 the home of our neigh- 

 bor Mr. Hiram D. Jlun- 

 son at La Salle, N. Y. 

 They are so much larg- 

 er and handsomer than 

 the specimens one usu- 

 ally meets in towns 

 where the hydrant hose 

 is allowed to play on 

 the plants with free- 

 dom in the summer, 

 that we take especial 

 pleasure in showing 

 this spirited engraving 

 of vines, submitted to 

 no such kindly-intended 

 but harmful treatment. 



Mr. Munson informs 

 us that the plants were 

 set out about six years 

 ago. Of this period we have watched them 

 for about three years, and can testify that 

 they have been growing larger and stronger 

 and handsomer, in a remakable degree, with 

 each year. When in bloom they present a 

 magnificent appearance indeed. And yet 

 they are seldom watered, except at the 

 height of bloom in dry weather and then the 

 supply is moderate. The secret of their 

 grandeur is rather this that the soil is rich 

 deep loam, perfectly dry so far as holding 

 excessive wetness is concerned, yet disposed 

 to hold a good degree of moisture to surtain 

 plant life during drouth. 



Different growers of Clematises vary 

 mach in their manner of treating them. 

 Some resort to the severe process of cutting 

 the whole top away annually so as to force 

 the plants to break agam at the crown. 

 Others simply thin out some of the shoots 

 and shorten back the remainder, during 

 winter. Mr. Munson so far in treating his 

 fine Clematises, has adopted neither of 

 these courses, but has allowed them to 

 grow as freely and unencumbered as one 

 would a Virginia Creeper. The only treat- 

 ment he gives the plants is to set some 

 spreading branches cut trom his Norway 

 Spruce screen against the vines just before 

 winter, and to give a top dressing of old 

 rotten manure over the roots at the same 

 time. This simple course treatment should 

 suit all others of the large-flowered Clema- 

 tises as well. 



The obvious lesson from Mr. Munson's 

 success wiih the Clematis is: prepare a good 

 soil and then do not over treat the plants with 

 water and pruaing. A single specimen 

 such as here illustrated is worth a dozen 

 of the puny short-lived vines often met. 



Observations of a Flower Lover. 



"ELDEB*S WIFK." 



Flowering Begonias. Never until this 

 year have I half appreciated the many good 

 qualities of the Flowering Begonias. While 

 lack of attention was killing some of my 

 floral treasures, too much rain or drouth 

 injuring others, and insects of all descrip- 

 tions were devouring the remainder, the 

 Begonias flourished seemingly undisturbed 

 by the discomforts that were distressing 

 their floral associates. Dust affects them 

 less than most plants, for the glossy smooth- 

 ness of the foliage allows the dust to be 

 readily washed oft' by showering. Then 

 they do not demand the sunniest, warmest 

 place in the house as their especial right, 

 but are modest in their nature, and take are- 

 tired position without grumbling While you 

 are frantically endeavoring to coax a blos- 

 som from some exasperating plant bearing 

 a high-sounding name and still higher price, 



plena. They bloom when there is so little 

 else, that they are doubly charming. I have 

 never seen any other plant of this kind, but 

 am told that there are both pink, purple 

 and white ones of the same species. Can 

 some one tell me if this be true, and give 

 botanical name of the species? 



FINE SPECIMENS OF CLEMATIS JACKMANII. Taken from a phoi 



these Begonias will [attend strictly to busi- 

 ness, making your windows bright with 

 beautiful foliage, even when they are not in 

 bloom, though if one has half a dozen plants 

 in as many sorts, it will be a rare occurrence 

 to find them all out of bloom at once. 



A Serviceable Plant Pit. If my plant 

 pit were of no use farther than to winter my 

 Fuchsias, Roses and Farfugium, it would 

 still be worth all the small outlay required 

 to build it; but it is an excellent place for 

 keeping Geraniums, potted;Lilies, Jasmines, 

 Orange and I^emon trees, Abutilons, etc. 

 and though rather cool for forcing into early 

 bloom Violets, Hepaticas, and Holland 

 bulbs, it is wonderfully effective in keeping 

 them in perfection for a long time. 



A Wild Flower. Three years ago last 

 fall I spied a swaying tuft of violet purple 

 bloom in the field at some little distance 

 from me, and on closer iuvestigation took 

 it to be from its general appearance one 

 of the Wild Asters, though I had never 

 seen any of such size or brilliant color. 

 The plant was perhaps two feet high, and 

 had three or four stalks, each bearing sev- 

 eral heavily fringed blossoms an inch or 

 more in diameter. I took a fancy to it at 

 once, and after my usual impulsive fashion, 

 got I he spade at once, lifted a huge section 

 of tOiigh sod, and succeeded in transferring 

 it to a corner of my garden, and it grew. 

 The next autumn it had more than a dozen 

 stalks, and hundreds of flowers, finer in 

 every way than at first. This fall it was 

 gorgeous. It had become a fine clump, 

 standing six feet or more high, and bearing 

 thousands of the silky-fringed fiowers of 

 double the original size. It made a lovely 

 companion to my Helianthus multiflora 



Diseases Which Trouble My Chrys- 

 anthemums. 



U. W. SMITH, BATON KOUGE, LA. 



The most serious Chrysanthemum disease 

 is mildew. The causes of thisdise ase are not 

 rightly understood, but doubtless they are 

 much the same that give rise to the disease 

 in other cultivated plants. It does not 

 matter how carefully the plants have been 

 tended during the spring and early summer, 

 this disease will be sure to put in an appear- 

 ance in late summer or early autumn. The 

 constitution of plants grown only for cut 

 blooms does not seem to be seriously affected 



by the disease, unless 



allowed to go too far. 

 But with specimen 

 plants, where it is essen- 

 tial that the leaves be 

 retained as long as 

 pos.sible the disease may 

 give serious trouble. 



The most useful rem- 

 edy is flowers of sul- 

 phur. Painting the 

 heating pipes with a 

 mixture of oil and sul- 

 phur, and keeping up 

 a gentle heat, will do 

 much to check the dis- 

 ease in the greenhouse, 

 and will keep the plants 

 presentable for a con 

 siderable time. Plants 

 standmg outside should 

 be laid on their sides, 

 and be well dusted with 

 the sulphur. 

 The application of the 

 tograph. remedy to the upper 



sides of the leaves only 

 gave indifferent results in many instances. 

 The plan I have found most successful is to 

 lay the plants down and syringe them with 

 clear water, and while wet to dust the under 

 side of the leaves with the sulphur, and not 

 to stand them up until dry. I seldom waited 

 until the disease showed itself, but gave the 

 plants a dressing early in the season, and 

 repeated it about every three weeks, and by 

 this method I was enabled to grow plants 

 well supplied with leaves. 



Another mildew disease of the flowers, is 

 usually called damping-off. It generally 

 shows itself just as the flowers are begin- 

 ning to expand. This disease is largely due 

 to errors of cultivation, such as too stimu- 

 lating food and an atmosphere saturated 

 with moisture. Chrysanthemums after be- 

 ing housed, as a rule, need but very limited 

 supplies of water at the roots, and what 

 little is given should be early in the morn- 

 ing, so as to allow the house to become dry 

 before night. This disease is highly infec- 

 tious, and as long as the conditions are suited 

 to it, will spread very rapidly. I could 

 manage to keep this disease off by allowing 

 some of the ventilators to remain open, even 

 in the coldest weather, lighting a fire so as 

 to keep the temperature near 45°. All affec- 

 ted blooms should be removed at once. 



There is a disease of a hide-bound nature 

 that sometimes affects the Chrysanthemum, 

 probably brought about through a check in 

 the growth of the plant. The stem for an 

 inch or so near the surface of the pots 

 fails to increase in size, while above 

 this spot it may be half as large again. My 

 way of treating plants thus affected is to 

 cut the plant off above the deformity, and 

 to use the shoot as a cutting. 



