94 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1892. 



waving stems have a beauty of their own. For the purpose of 

 covering arbors or " forming wild entanglements," as one writer 

 has expressed it, from tree to tree it is certainly suited. Its 

 etJects upon the trees, however, I will not answer for ; its coils 

 I fancy will be found to hug " closer than a brother." Still it 

 is a beautiful climber though I believe Yesso can furnish several 

 more beautiful and far more manageable ; but I would caution 

 not to plant it against verandas or buildings. Unless looked 

 after far more closely than most will find time for, it will be 

 found to overgrow all desired bounds, to displace eave-spouts 

 and to make itself a nuisance generally by its omnipresence. 



It is for its fruit, however, that the plant is mostly prized in 

 Yesso, where in many localities it is abundant and very largely 

 collected. The fruit, which is a berry, runs in size a little 

 larger than the Greengage plum ; the skin is green ; the pulp 

 when ripe, soft; and the seeds, which are numerous, very fine. 

 The flavor I cannot liken to that of any other fruit ; it is very 

 agreeable to most ; but it is sui r/eneris. There is an astrin- 

 gent principle in the skin, which must not be sucked too much 

 or it will make the lips, tongue, and mouth sore. It is not 

 diflScult, however, to suck out the pulp without encountering 

 this trouble. The effect of the fruit is decidedly but pleasantly 

 laxative to most, — much more so than that of any of our 

 fruits, not excepting the imported fig. It must prove a valua- 

 ble acquisition even for this single quality, were it not moreover 

 suflSciently delicious to repay eating. One attempt only has 

 been made in Yesso to my knowledge to cultivate the fruit : 

 but the plants for this experiment, collected before suflicient 

 acquaintance with the botanical peculiarities of the species had 

 been acquired, all proved barren. The species is polygamo- 

 diopcious, and for fruit it must ])e propagated by cuttings from 

 fertile plants. A second obstacle to its culture is the fact that 

 a number of years must elapse ere the plant begins to be pro- 

 ductive. Just how many would, however, be required from 

 cuttings I am not prepared to say. Should the fruit under 

 cultivation prove as good as when wild, it would be well worth 

 a place in our gardens ; and of course there exists a possibility 

 that it may be improved. It flourishes best in moist soils. 



