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XEGLEC TED BEA CTIES. 



Fieus repens, or Creeping Fig, originally introduced t'roni China, is now a very popular delicate 

 creeper, which holds itself tirmlj bv its rootlets to any uneven surface, and is much used in conservato- 

 ries, but not out of doors. In parlors it should be planted among other plants, as it requires shade and 

 moisture. The leaves are small and firm, resembling green parchment, and will endure much neglect 

 without being destroyed. 



TRA1LER.S. 



The epithet "traihng" is suliicieiitly iiKHcati\e of the habit of these plants, which 

 might be said to hug the ground, so low is tlieir growth. 



Epigaea Repens, or Trailing Arbutus — sometimes called Mayflower — has been put forward in some 

 i|uarters as suitable to be adopted as the national flower of the United States, and is described on page :;3. 



Tradescantia zebrilia, or Wandering Jew, is a low-spreading, trailing plant, differing from the more 

 erect Tradescantias in that respect, and striped in brown and green, zebra-like, whence its specific name. 

 There is another species — the T.- alba, or white-flowered. Both are much used for hanging-baskets and 

 for rock work, or to cover old stumps or other deformities. They demand copious moisture, but are 

 almost indifferent to soil conditions. They are of the same genus as the T. Virginica, page 2S1. 



Several Trailing Plants have been described elsewhere, as follows: Mentzelia Lindlevi. or Golden 

 Bartonia, p. 42. Stellaria media, or Chickweed, p. Si. Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, or Ice-plant, 

 p. 169. Portulaca grandiflora, or Great-flowered Portulaca, p. 249. Potentilla fbrmosa, or Handsome Five- 

 finger, p. 250. Trifolium repens, or Shamrock, p. 274. Fragaria vesca, or Wood Strawberry, p. 287. Ver- 

 bena Aubletia, p. 311. Nepeta Glechoma, or Ground Ivy, p. 14S. Vinca, or Periwinkle, p. 237. 



These are but a few of the many phints of the four chisses — CUmbers, Twiners, 

 Creepers, Trailers — that might be mentioned, and are chosen because they are all easily 

 cultivated, needing but little care when once established, and because they are, in foliage, 

 flower and fruit, the most beautiful of their respective kinds. Moreover, they all mav 

 be easily propagated from cuttings or slips, by layering, and from di\ isions of the roots, 

 as well as from seeds. 



The best general rule for cuttings would he perhaps to make them in the earlv spring 

 before the plants begin to sprout, burying them about two inches, oi' a third of their length, 

 in the ground. In the hands of a skilled workman these cuttings can also be taken in the 

 fall, the same method being followed. Green shoots two or three inches long, severed 

 from the parent stem, with a little of the old bark attached, will generallv make good 

 plants if placed to strike root in a box of moist sand, and jjiotected from drving winds as 

 well as excessive heat. 



A light, rich soil is congenial to most if not all the climbing plants of the foregoing 

 classes; and a good artificial .soil will comprise two parts leaf-mold, one cow-manure, one 

 loam and one sand. They are, however, not especially dependent on soil conditions, but 

 require, as essentials to a thrifty growth, abundance of water for leaf and root; and an 

 occasional application of liquid manure, if one wishes to take the trouble, will insure a 

 more vigorous growth and an incieased loveliness of foliage. Their chief enemies are 

 the red .spider, scales and caterpillais, wliich can easily be kept down by daily syringing 

 and other careful attentions. 



If it be desired to test the full capacity of the common climbing plants, the soil should 

 be dug to the depth of about a foot, and on each available side to a distance of three feet, 

 when the earth thus disturbed should be freely mi.xed with manure and leaf-mold in about 

 equal parts, and plenty of root-room allowed to each plant, especially tor the first season. 



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