HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



VIB 



MW of Mertensia Virginica, sometimes called 

 Pulmonaria rmjinica, a rather pretty herbaceous 

 plant, occasionally grown in the ornamental 

 border. See Mertentia and Pulmonaria. 



Virginia Creeper. See Ampelopsis hederacea. 



Virginian Snakeroot. See Aristolochia serpen- 



Virgin's Bower. See Clematis Virginiana. 



Virginian Stock. See Malcomia. 



Viscaria. Rock Lychnis. From viscus, bird- 

 lime; in allusion to the glutinous stems of the 

 species. Linn. Decandria-Decagynia. Nat. Ord. 

 (Mruophyllacecp,. 



These are handsome hardy annuals, particular- 

 ly V. ocidata, whose pretty pink and purple flow- 

 ers are very pleasing. They make the best ap- 

 pearance when sown in masses, which may be 

 done in April and May, to afford a display 

 through the whole of the summer months. 

 Many of the plants of this genus are now in- 

 cluded in Lychnis, which see. 



Viscum. Mistletoe. From viscus, bird-lime; on 

 account of the sticky nature of the berries. 

 Linn. Viwcia-Pentandria. Nat. Ord. Loranthacece. 

 We copy from Mrs. Loudon's " Gardening for 

 Ladies "a description of V. album: "This curi- 

 ous parasite can hardly be called ornamental, 

 though it may be sometimes introduced with 

 effect' to give an air of antiquity to newly- 

 planted pleasure-grounds. It grows best on old 

 cankered Apple Trees, but it may be made to 

 take root on even a young tree, by pressing a 

 berry on a crack in the bark, and then tying 

 oiled paper over it. As, however, the male and 

 female flowers of the Mistletoe are on separate 

 plants, the berries are not always fertile. It is 

 a vulgar error to suppose that the Mistletoe 

 grows generally on the Oak, as it is extremely 

 rare on that tree in England. It is found most 

 commonly on the Apple, and next on the Haw- 

 thorn ; it is also found on the Lime, the Syca- 

 more, the Willow, the -Poplar, and the Ash, 

 occasionally on the Cherry and sometimes, 

 though rarely, on Pines and Firs. When the 

 seeds begin to grow, they send out first one or 

 two roots, which ascend for a short time, and 

 then turn back to the bark, on which they fix 

 themselves, like the sucker of an insect. The 

 other end afterward detaches itself from the 

 tree, and becomes leaves and shoots. The roots 

 of the Mistletoe descend between the bark and 

 the young wood, and no intimate union takes 

 place between the old wood of the parasite and 

 its supporter. The wood of the Mistletoe is of 

 a very fine pale yellowish tinge, and it is as hard 

 and of as fine a grain as box, which it greatly re- 

 sembles, while that of the thorn is dark brown." 

 The never-lessening demand for the Mistletoe 

 for use at the Christmas Holidays in England 

 has of late years induced nurserymen to begin 

 its cultivation on the Apple, which is now done 

 to an extent that keeps the " boughs " at a rea- 

 sonable rate. The English steamers often bring 

 over a supply for Christmas in New York, but we 

 have never seen it arrive in perfection, the ber- 

 ries, the chief attraction of the plant, having most- 

 ly dropped off. The American Mistletoe, or False 

 Mitlletoe, is Pluoradendron fl'ivescens, common in 

 New Jersey, southward and westward, where it 

 has in many instances proved destructive to the 

 forest trees upon which it fastens itself. In the 

 more northern sections where it- grows, it is oc- 

 casionally killed out by severe cold weather, but 

 soon reappears. It is the most destructive to 

 the Elms, Hickories, and Wild Cherries. It is 



VTT 



not so ornamental as the English Mistletoe, and 

 cannot be used as a substitute. 



! Vitex. From vieo, to bind; in allusion to the 

 flexible branches. Linn. Didynamia-Digynia. 

 Nat. Ord. Verbenacece. 



A genus of interesting plants. They are 

 mostly tender evergreen shrubs, natives of the 

 tropical regions of both hemispheres. They are 

 aromatic plants. V. Agnus Gastus, with whitish- 

 blue flowers, is perhaps the best-known species. 

 Propagated from cuttings. 



| Vitis. The Vine. From the Celtic gwid, pro- 

 nounced vid, signifying the best of trees. Wine 

 is derived from the Celtic word gwin. Linn. Pen- 

 tandna-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Vitacecv. 



Although the hardy varieties of Grapes do 

 well in nearly all parts of the country, there are 

 few sections, with the exception of California, 

 where the European or foreign Vine does well 

 in the open air. For this reason, the only cer- 

 tain method of obtaining these fine varieties in 

 Perfection is by the use of the Cold Grapery. 

 here is no addition to a country home from 

 which such a large amount of satisfaction cnn be 

 obtained at so small an outlay as from a Grapery 

 for growing the different varieties of foreign 

 Grapes. Besides the luxury of the European 

 Grape as a table fruit, the Vines, when loaded 

 with the ripe fruit of the various rich colors 

 found in the foreign Grape, are ornaments more 

 pleasing to most people than the gaudy flowers 

 of the conservatory. And as this fruit can be 

 obtained at a trifling original outlay, and with 

 but little attention in the cultivation afterward, 

 we will briefly describe the methods in use 

 here, which are much simpler than those in Eu- 

 rope, from our having brighter sunshine during 

 the summer months. Our climate being so well 

 adapted to the cultivation of vines under glass 

 without fire heat, the wonder is that Cold Grap- 

 eries are not in more general use even by people 

 of moderate means. A Cold Grapery 75 feet long 

 by 20 wide, finished in very good style, would 

 cost but little more than $1,000. If planted in 

 June, the third year from planting upward of 

 400 pounds of fruit can be taken from it; the 

 next season it will yield nearly double that 

 weight. The building is begun by setting locust 

 posts four feet apart; on these the sill is framed, 

 on the front of which are placed upright sashes 

 two and a half feet in height, and on these the 

 gutter. From the gutter is sprung the bars, ten 

 inches apart each way, running on the east side 

 clear to the ridge pole; on the west, framed to 

 within two feet of it, so as to give room for lift- 

 ing sashes. These are two feet wide by six long. 

 To these sashes, twelve in number, is attached 

 the ventilating apparatus, which, by turning a 

 crank, opens these sashes from one to twenty- 

 four inches, as desired. The front sashes may 

 be made so that every alternate one can open 

 outward. The glass used is known as second 

 quality American, 8 by 10 inches, and put in 

 without the use of any putty on the top of the 

 glass, the manner of glazing being to bed the 

 pane in soft putty, pressing it down tightly, 

 and then tacking in the glass with large glazing 

 points. We find it an excellent plan in glazing 

 to turn the edge of- these points, so that they 

 can catch on the edge of the overlapping pane, to 

 keep it in place, otherwise it would slip down, 

 and give a great deal of trouble. Glass should 

 never be lapped more than one-eighth of an 

 inch; if much more, the water gew between the 

 laps, and when it freezes the glass is cracked. 



