THE CLIMBING STAFF OR BITTER SWEET. 



The name, Bitter Sweet, is likely to mislead those 

 somewhat benighted people who know the very dif- 

 ferent Solananuin dulconuiii by the same word-label. 

 The picture of my Bitter Sweet or Climbing Staff 

 {Celash-us scandeiis), on page 31, is of a vine trained 

 upon a cedar pole about eighteen feet in height, and 

 the photograph was taken after all the leaves were 

 fallen. The vine is four or five years old, one and 

 a half inches in diameter and had upon it about 600 

 bunches of berries. With its abundance of orange 

 berries it presented a remarkable appearance, espe- 

 cially to those who are accustomed to see it growing 

 wild and know it as a shy bearer. 



The reason for my writing is to call attention to 

 the Celastrus scandens as a beautiful vine for home 



An upright of pipe on either side of the gate has a 

 cross-bar of pipe two feet long at its top, and from 

 the ends of the cross-bar spring arches of small 

 pipe upon which is laid a roof of wire netting. The 

 vigorous vines climbed the uprights of the arch like 

 wildfire, and when I bent them down and fastened 



decoration, behaving well un- 

 der domestication, and bearing 

 the free use of the knife. The 

 specimen I have described is 

 one of several on my grounds, 

 all of them crowded with ber- 

 ries as much as this one is. 



In summer, the clean, fresh 

 green foliage and the wonder- 

 ful luxuriance of growth are remarkable. Indeed, 

 its rapid growth seemed at first a drawback to its 

 value, for it is difficult to keep the vine within bounds. 

 Its desire for upward growth is such that one branch, 

 growing two or three feet in a few days, stands up 

 from a mass of vines trained horizontallj' ; then an- 

 other springs up, twining around the first, and then 

 a third, and perhaps a fourth, rapidly mounting. 

 Supporting each other, they stretch up and grasp 

 the branches of a tree or anything else that prom- 

 ises support skyward. 



Several years' trial have shown me that this as- 

 piring vine can be trained. I have a gateway arch 

 covered with bitter sweet, and admired by all who 

 see it. The arch is formed of ordinarj- water-pipe, 

 with couplings and wire netting, two feet in width. 



them to the netting, they soon bristled everywhere 

 with upreaching branches, but under a free use of 

 the pruning shears, cutting back to two or three 

 buds, they behave charmingly. 



All summer the clean, thrifty leaves, waxy branches 

 and bunches of plump green berries are a delight to 

 the eye. But when autumn comes and the leaves 

 turn yellow and the berry capsules are orange, I al- 

 most think my arch is more beautiful than in sum- 

 mer. Still, again, as winter approaches and the 

 snow begins to fall and the yellow capsules turn 

 back and show coral red berries hanging out from 

 the snowy arch, I am in delight, and at Christmas- 

 time when I am asked for bunches of berries for 



