SPRING-FLOWERING HARDY VINES 107 
not a rank grower and therefore does not require 
radical treatment; but it is not advisable to 
neglect pruning altogether, because the plant has 
a tendency to throw its strength to the top, and 
a specimen left to itself will surely become bare 
atthe bottom. The necessary attention, however, 
is merely the removal of all very weak shoots and 
a slight cutting back to induce a good break. 
This work must be done immediately after the 
plant has flowered. 
The vine delights in a rather light soil and a 
moderately light location, but hardly full sun- 
shine. My experience is that it does best in 
semi-shade, often attaining there a height of 
thirty feet. It is remarkably free from disease 
and insect attacks, and is quite at home on sea- 
shore fronts. It transplants easily in either 
spring or fall, and young plants can be raised in 
the same manner as jasmines, by layering. In 
Japan, the akebia serves many purposes. The 
shoots, because of their flexibility, are used in 
the manufacture of baskets and similar articles, 
while the fruit is eaten. In America the fruit 
is rarely produced. 
There are two spring-flowering members of 
the clematis family that somehow appear to be 
overlooked in the face of the greater popularity 
