Pr a 
Among the very best flowering vines for trellis or porch are the Jackman clematis (C. Jackmant), with violet flowers, and its varieties. But unfortunately the 
plants often die mysteriously. 
By cutting off the entire top when planting in May, a strong new resistant growth results 
Record-breaking Experiences in Gardening 
THE SECOND ANNUAL COLLECTION OF LITTLE NARRATIVES BY THE READERS OF THE GARDEN MAGAZINE, IN 
WHICH THEY TELL OF UNUSUAL PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN GETTING BIGGER, BETTER, OR EARLIER RESULTS 
[Eprror’s Note;—The December number of Tur Garpen Macazine has a_ peculiar significance. 
feature of “rounding up” the experiences of its own family of readers during the year. 
authenticated set of horticultural records and we repeat our challenge of last year. 
We hereby offer Five-dollar bills in unlimited number for any accounts of personal experience that beat any of the present records, or for accounts of original experiences 
similarly told. We want more little stories of home successes, and especially under unusual conditions. 
It differs from the Christmas numbers of other periodicals in this 
Particularly we want the assistance of our readers to help us establish an 
To be eligible under the offer the article must be short, concise, stating 
all the essential facts as to conditions and results, and must be accompanied by a photograph. And we look for the home feeling—mere size of a single specimen, for in- 
stance, does not necessarily entitle the subject to an award; we would rather have earliness combined with quality. 
We reserve the right to be the sole judges of what constitutes a record-breaking achievement under these conditions.| 
Healthy Clematis at Last 
i IS no use planting varieties of the Jack- 
man clematis,” is the opinion of nine- 
tenths of the people who have tried them 
once, “because,” as they urge, ‘‘you no 
sooner have the plant than you lose it.” 
The ‘‘disease’””—nobody seems to have 
any very definite ideas as to what it is— 
attacks the plant, killing the growth when it: 
is just about at its best, and when the gorg- 
eous flowers should be opening in all their 
glory. That it is an eel worm, which chokes 
the woody tissue of the plant, and prevents 
the circulation of the sap, is most likely the 
true explanation of this bothersome disease. 
A Holland nurseryman, Mr. B. M. Koster, 
after studying some acres of clematis, came 
to the conclusion that this eel worm traveled 
on the surface of the wet ground, and entered 
the plant through the ruptured bark, just at 
the point of emergence from the earth. He 
gives these reasons for the belief: 1. The 
trouble is most noticed after a fairly wet 
season; 2. Hilling around the plant with 
sand seems to lessen the liability to attack. 
Here is an interesting fact. The plants 
as offered for sale as they come from the 
nurseries have an abundance of roots and 
usually a slender growth, with the bark 
badly torn an inch or so above the crown. 
The clematis bark, as is well known, splits 
very easily; merely giving the stem a slight 
twist will rupture it. Now, as planted in the 
nursery, these whip-like growths are driven 
about by the winds, with the result shown in 
the illustration at the top of the next page. 
Suppose they are grown to stakes, the danger 
of damage still exists, because in shipping 
and handling before they are planted, they 
226 
are exposed to a good deal of rough usage, 
and more or less tearing of the bark is bound 
to follow. If these plants are set out in this 
condition, the entry of the disease is invited. 
Mr. Koster’s remedy therefore, is this: 
Cut an inch or two below the crown, 
completely severing the upper portion of 
the plant. The clematis makes buds and 
roots in alternate tiers, and, by thus cutting, 
a pair of underground buds will be started 
into vigorous growth. If the ground is 
slightly hilled now, these new shoots will 
come up unscathed, with entire bark, offering 
no entry for the troublesome worm. This 
cutting is done immediately on planting, 
sacrificing the entire top of the plant. It 
seems like too. radical a treatment. 
Here is the evidence of one of the 
leading nurserymen of this country. Can 
any better testimony be had? He writes that 
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