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W. F. ALLEN, Strawberry Specialist SALISBURY, MARYLAND 



it is not hardy much north of Maryland, and the Ampelop- 

 sis, having been found hardy in the North, has gotten 

 the name of Boston Ivy from its common use there. It 

 has become common to plant this climber on the walls 

 of factories, and, in many places, the otherwise unsightly 

 mills and factories have been made beautiful with its 

 foliage. In planting, the soil at the base of the wall to be 

 covered should be manured well and deeply prepared, 

 for a rapid growth depends on the fertility of the soil, and 

 the soil at the base of walls is generally poor and full of 

 rubbish from the building. Hence the preparation of the \ 

 bed should be thorough. After that the plant needs no 

 attention, for it will soon take to the wall. Some people j 

 have a notion that vines of this character make a wall 

 damp, but it is the very reverse, for the little suckers on | 

 the vine that enable it to cling to the bricks are always ! 

 sucking moisture from the wall, and the cover of leaves 

 prevents the rain from striking the wall. 



CLEMATIS 



This is another climbing plant of which there are nu- 

 merous species native to various parts of the world. One 

 of our most common native varieties is Cle?naHs Vir- 

 giniana, which climbs over the bushes by the roadside and 

 is covered with its little white flowers and later with its 

 curious seed-vessels. Clematis flammula, or Virgin's 

 Bower, is very sweet-scented. But the most showy of the 

 family have been introduced from Japan. These have 



flowers of various colors and are very large and showy. 

 One of the best known of the Japanese Clematis is the 

 Jackmani, which covers itself with its big, dark bluish 

 purple flowers, and lasts a long time in bloom. 



Recently a white variety with flowers more nearly 

 like our native Virginiana has become popular. This is 

 Clematis paniculata. It is far more rapid in growth than 

 the large-flowered Japanese sorts, and when in bloom 

 makes a wonderful show of white bloom. Then, too, it is 

 one of the hardiest of the family. It is very useful for 

 training on porches or to make a wire fence attractive. 

 An ordinary wire fence covered with this Clematis makes 

 a remarkably fine show. In planting by a porch it is well 

 to stretch a width of the woven chicken-wire for it to 

 climb on. In the fall it is best to cut the growth back 

 strongly, as the growth of the following year will then be 

 much stronger. The curious seed-vessels make the vine 

 attractive after the bloom is over. Like all plants that 

 are valued for their strong growth, the Clematis demands 

 a rich soil. The Paniculata will grow in poorer soil than 

 the large-flowered sorts Hke Jackmani, but any of the 

 family are better and more attractive if the soil is made 

 rich and the plants well mulched with rotted manure dur- 

 ing the severe northern winters. The richest color in the 

 varieties and largest flowers are found only when the plants 

 have received partial shade and a liberal supply of moisture 

 at the roots. Among all the hardy perennials none respond 

 more quickly to care and cultivation than the clematis,and 

 none exceed in beauty and effectiveness the finer varieties. 



