286 



NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FARM 



the dinibiiiK roses and honeysuckles, 

 of the searlet tnimpet-vine, of the 

 virij:in's-bo\ver, of the moming-^lory 

 and the sweet pea. Most of these 

 are fra^ant as well as beautiful. 

 Fragrant also are the less conspicu- 

 ous flowers of the wild grape, the 

 clinibing hemp (Mikania scandens) 

 of the marshes, and the apios. 



Vines arc plants that cannot stand 

 alone. They must have some sup- 

 port to hang or lean upon. They 

 vary in size from the wild grape that 

 revels in the tops of the great trees 

 of the forest, to the little cranberry 

 that trails over the surface of the 

 bog. They vary in strength from 

 the wiry rattans to the succulent cucurbits. Some of them 

 are possessed of special climbing apparatus; more of them 

 sustain themselves by twining about their supports; some 

 of the lesser herbaceous sorts maintain their position merely 

 by leaning — resting their elbows, so to speak — upon their 

 neighbors. All of thcni arc long of reach and rapid of 



Fn;. 120. A spray of wild grape. 



Fin. 121. \'irRinia creeper or " woodbine' 



