92 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Oct. 8, 1830. 



Frvm the Nevr York Fanner. 



A Description of Trees and Shkubs, produ- 

 cing A Succession of Flowers from Spring 

 TO Autumn. 



By Michael Floy, Vico Preaiclenl of Ihe N. Y. Horticultural f ocietj. 

 Concluded from pago 85. 



Viburnum opulus, or Guelder rose, otherwise 

 called Sm>w-ball, is a very showy shrub, with 

 large balls of snow white flowers in the greatest 

 profusion ; and is indispensably necessary to eve- 

 ry shrubbery. 



Vitex agnus castas, or Chaste tree, a pretty and 

 singular shrub, flowering the most part of the sum- 

 mer. 



In enumerating the above list, I have omitted 

 all such kinds of shrubs as were dear and scarce. 

 There are some more kinds of an inferior nature 

 not mentioned : the above list arc all to he obtain- 

 ed at the prices mentioned, and the cultivation of 

 them is in the power of any jicrson though but 

 little acquainted with gardening. 1 shall now 

 subjoin a list of a few Vines and Creepers, either 

 to train on fences or trellisses, or to run up the 

 trees. These have an eflect beautiful and natural. 

 Bignonia radicans, or Trumpet creeper, with 

 bunches of red truiripet flowers, large an<! showy. 

 Bignonia grandiflora, much like the former in 

 habit and appearance, but the flowers are much 

 larger — It is said to be a native of China, and the 

 former a native of this country. They are both 

 perfectly hardy, and will climb up brick work or 

 wooden fences without any assistance. 



Clematis, or Virgin's bower. There are several 

 species, some of them tender, or not sufiicienlly 

 hardy for our severe winters without protection. 

 The Clematis virginica, Viorna, Vitiecllii, and Vi- 

 talba, are perfectly hardy. Glijcine sinensis or 

 Wistaria sinensis, is a handsome China creeper 

 of recent introduction from China, and is not yet 

 common in our nurseries. It is a beautiful vine, 

 running to a great height, and loaded with long 

 racemes of purple flowers, and is highly spoken 

 of in tlu! Gardener's Magazine. 



Glycine friitesccns, or Wistaria frutesccns. This 

 beautiful brother of tiic Chinese kind, is a native 

 of our Southern States, grows much in the s.imc 

 way as the other, and perhaps not inferior. Al- 

 though this fine creeper had been long known in 

 England, wc have not heard much about it by 

 English writers; the conclusion seems to be tliat 

 it does not flower well in England. In fact, none 

 of our Southern plants do well in England, while 

 those from China do very well — here, however, it 

 is quite the reverse. I have the Chinese Wistana 

 from 15 to 20 feet li>ng, and the American Wista- 

 ria about the same height. The Chinese docs 

 not look so vigorous and green as his American 

 brother — The American Wistaria should be plant- 

 ed in every garden with other creepers, or run up 

 the trees in shrubberies, according to its natural 

 disposition. 



Loniccra, comprehending all the fine sweet 

 scented honeysuckles; of the Italian kinds, the 

 monthly honeysuckle is decidedly superior, con- 

 tinuing to flower nil through the summer, until 

 late in the fall, and very fragrant. Some of the 

 other European kinds may be occasionally intro- 

 duced in large shrubberies — two or three American 

 kinds deserve particular notice. 



Lonicera sempervirens, or Coral trumpet month- 

 ly honeysuckle, is extremely beautiful, flowering 

 during the whole of the summer, with its thou- 

 sands of scarlet bunches. It is, however, desti- 



tute of scent. Lonicera frascri, also an Ameri- 

 can ; the flowers are like the other kind in almost 

 every other particular, e.\cept color, this being a 

 bright yellow. 



Lonicera pubesccns, or Caprifolium pubescens, a 

 large and beautiful honeysuckle from the North- 

 west coast ; the flowers are larger and of a bright 

 copper color, inclining to orange, they are all per- 

 fectly hardy. 



Lonicera Jlexiiosa ; Chinese honeysuckle of late 

 introduction, it is jierfectly hardy, withstanding 

 our most severe frosts without the least injury ; it 

 is a very sweet scented honeysuckle, grows rapid, 

 and to an itmnense lieight. It flowers in pairs 

 and threes all up the brancjies, covering the whole 

 plant completely with flowers. It blossoms spring 

 anil fall, and is a very valuable acquisition to our 

 gardens and shrubberies. 



Lonicera japonica, or Japan honeysuckle. This 

 bears flowers in great profusion, which are white, 

 afterwards becoming of a light yellow. This is 

 not so hardy as the former, and requires a little 

 protection in winter. 



I shall only add to the above the running kinds 

 of roses, although there are many other things 

 which might be mentioned. 



Rosa mvUiJlora, from China is pretty well known, 

 producing thousands of small double red roses in 

 bunches. It requirs a sheltered situation from 

 some of our keen North-westers. It. muUiJlora 

 alba, from tlie same country, is of late importation, 

 but as it increases readily, may be obtained at 

 about the same price as the former ; the bunches 

 of flowers arc white. Rosa Grevitlii, a running 

 rose also from China, the flowers of various co- 

 lors. Rosa ruhifolia. Raspberry leaved rose, from 

 our northern .frontiers, and extending over the 

 western coimtry ; although a single flowering rose, 

 it produces large bunches of flowers, which are 

 difierent colored, on the same hunch, exactly like 

 the former China kind, and is another instance of 

 the similarity of plants, natives of China ant! our 

 country. 



Rosa canina, Jl. plena. English double Dog 

 rose, is a very pretty little double rose, and will 

 rim to a great height. Rosa Danlcsii, Lady Banks' 

 doiilile white China running rose. It runs up, 

 and spreadB much — it may be easily known fioin 

 others of the running roses, by its being entirely 

 destitute of prickles. Rosa noisette, and Cliamp- 

 nrifs, are said to have been raised from China 

 seeds in Carolina — they ore not strictly running 

 roses, but as they grow up tall, are fine ornaments 

 for the shrubbery, flowering during the whole of 

 the summer and fall in large clusters. The Ma- 

 deira rose, or double while Cluster Musk — It also 

 flowers all through the summer and fall months, 

 anil is therefore well adajited for the shrubbery. 

 Rosa Cherokensis, called the non-descripl, or 

 Georgi;; rose — the flowers are very large and 

 white, the centre yellow. This is a running rose, 

 growing very high aroimd trees, &c. 



Rosa rubiginosa, or sweet briar, is too well known 

 to need description. 



I did not intend to have extended my rcmnrks 

 so far, but as your correspondent observes that he 

 docs not know where to select from, I v.'as led into 

 greater lengths from a desire to comply with his 

 wishes. 



You mijiht ns well direct him to pick needles 

 from a hay stack as to send him to Iioudon's En- 

 cyclopedia of Plants. It might by some he 

 thought a superfluous labor to descril»e common 



shruh.s, but if any description at all were given, 

 we might as well commence with common kinds, 

 as they may not be common with every body, but 

 the shrubs and trees described, are altogether a 

 pretty good collection to begin with, and they all 

 may be obtained (good flowering plants) at moder- 

 ate prices. In the list of trees I have omitted all 

 the oaks, hic)vOries, and walnuts. Our evcr-greeu 

 tree.^. Firs, Spruces, and Pines, ought now and 

 then to show themselves in every collection, where 

 there is room. The Balm of Gilead Fir is ex- 

 tremely beautiful, but they will not thrive well un- 

 les.s raised two or three years in a nursery. Wheu 

 brought from the mountains, and planted out at 

 once, they seldom succeed. 



I am, Sir, respecfully, 



Your obedient servant, 



Michael Flot. 

 JVew York, August Uth, 1830. 



P. S. At another opportunity, (if it would be 

 acceptable,) I may give you a list of hardy peren- 

 nial jilants, and a further description of shrubs. 



DESCRIPTION AND MORBID EFFECTS OP 

 SPURRED RYE. 



Causes of the Spur in Rye. — One of the most 

 poisonous substances which has ever been unde- 

 signedly mixed up with aliment, and eaten, is spur- 

 red rye, or ergot, (secale cornutum,) the vtutterkorn 

 or rogenmutter of the Germans. It is the grain, 

 of rye altered by disease, which occurs most fre- 

 quently in damp seasons, and in moist clay soils, 

 particularly those recently redeemed from waste 

 lands in the neighborhood of forests. Of all the 

 places where the spur has been hitherto obsei-ved, 

 none combines these conditions so perfectly, and 

 none has been so much infected with the disease 

 as the district of Sologne, situated between the 

 rivers Loire and Cher in France. It has been 

 ascertained that the rv« of this district, after be- 

 ingthreshed, contained on an average, about a forty, 

 eighth, part of ergot, even in good seasons; but 

 in bad seasons, and taking into account a consid- 

 erable proportion which is shaken out of the ears 

 and sheaves before they reach the barn, the pro- 

 portion of ergot in the whole crop has been csli- 

 matcd so high as a fourth, or even a thiril. — Ac 

 cording to Willdenow, It may be produced at any 

 time, by sowing the rye in a rich damp soil, and 

 watpring the plants exuberantly in warm weather. 

 The spur does not extend itself by contagion. 

 The immediate causes of the disease are not 

 clearly known. — Some believe that the spur i« 

 formed by a dis«ns«il process from the juices 

 of the plant : others, that it is a fungus vegetating 

 at the expense of the germcn ; and others, anil 

 the most numerous, assert, that it is the work ofan 

 insect, n species of butterfly ; and, in support of 

 that doctrine, Fontana, Read, Tillet, and others, 

 aver, that they have found the ova and larvae of 

 the insect on the spur. Confirmatory of this 

 statement are the observations of General Martin 

 Field in our own country. 



Description of the Spur. — The spur varies in 

 length from a few lines lo two inches, and is from 

 two to four lines in thickness. The substance of 

 tlie S|)ur is of a dull whitish or grayish tint: and 

 it is covered with a bluish, black, or violet husk, 

 having two, sometimes three streaks of dotted 

 gray. It swims in water, while the rye sinks in 

 it, so that they are easily separated from each oth- 

 er. The powdered spiiris disposed to attract moist- 

 ure, and has a disagreeable heavy smell, and a nau- 



