30 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[.January, 
mixed with sand, and placed tliem in tlie shade.' 
When -well established, I planted them in beds, 
and nearly every cntting lived and formed a vine." 
Notes on the Exochorda Grandiflora 
This plant was sent fiom Chma 
to England, abont ten j eais \^o, 
by Mr. Fortune, the ti i\cllei,to 
whom we are indebted for so 
many floral contributions The 
Weigdas, Dicentra, and others 
of his introductions, aio now 
amou" cm' most common and 
deservedly popular plants, but for some reason 
the Exochwda, which is in its way equally beau- 
tiful, seems to liave been very sparingly distrib- 
uted. Jlr, F. at llrst supposed it to be a species 
of Amdunclner, and sent it as a A. racemosa. Sir 
AVm. Hooker, considered it as a remarkable 
SiJircea, and described and figured it as S. grandi- 
flora, but this was before the fruit was known. 
Later, the name Exocliorda was given it (by Dr. 
Lindley, we think), as its fruit is very different 
from that of Spiraa, and has, when ripe, a pe- 
culiar cord-like attachment, which suggested 
the new generic name. Though related to the 
Spiraas, which furnish us so many ornamental 
shrubb}' and herbaceous species, this plant has 
not only a different habit, but presents botani- 
cal characters which separate it from them. 
While this plant was formerly called Sjunea 
grandiflora, it must not be confounded with one 
commonly bearing that name in the catalogues, 
which is only a large flowered variety of the 
common <S. saUcifotia. The Exoclim-da seems 
disposed to rrow tree-like, and does not, like the 
shrubby Sp irreas, throw up suckers from the 
base. The engraving was made by our artist 
from a specimen in the grounds of A. S. Fuller, of 
Biooklyn. It shows a small branch in flower 
with the parts of the natural size. The leaves 
arc of a very tender green, and the flowers of a 
pure white. When in flower the bush appears 
as if covered with snow flakes. When first in- 
troduced, it was culti- 
vated as a green-house 
plant, but it has been 
found to be perfectly 
hardy around New- 
York and Boston. Thus 
far the plant has been 
found rather difficult to 
propagate, but we be- 
lieve that it may be had 
of almost all of the 
principal nurserymen. 
o 
Cannas in Groups, 
The common Indian 
Shot, Canna Iiulico, has 
long been grown in gar- 
dens, and of late years 
man}' others have been 
introduced, until our 
seed catalogues enum- 
erate some two dozen 
varieties and species. 
These vary in height 
fi'om two to six feet, and 
have diftorent shaped 
leaves, which in some 
are tinged and striped 
■with red and other col- 
ors. A slightly elevated 
mound in a lawn plant- 
ed with cannas, the tall 
kinds in the centre, and 
the lower growing ones 
near the circumference, 
produces a fine effect. 
The foliage has a de- 
cidedly tropical charac- 
ter, and the flowers, 
ranging in color from 
yellow to bright scarlet, 
are very showy. In 
order to get the plants 
well advanced, the seed 
should be started in a 
hot-bed, after soaking 
in warm water for 13 hours. Transplant in 
!May, or -when the soil is well warmed. The 
roots nia)' be preserved overwinter in a dry cel- 
lar, if lifted and stored before they are injured 
by frost, and again planted the following spring. 
Ornaments for the Garden and Lawn. 
It is rare that we see in gardens vases, stat- 
ues, seats, etc., in good taste, and unless they 
are introduced in keeiiing with the surround- 
ings, they are better omitted altogether. Stat- 
ues and artistic vases are only tolerable where 
the house is a fine specimen of architecture, and 
the grounds highly kept. On the other hand 
rustic vases and seats may be judiciously intro- 
duced into the most unpretending grounds with 
good effect. As the leisure and stormy days of 
winter afford abundant opportunities for those 
who are handy with tools to contrive such arti- 
cles for use next spring, we give a few sugges- 
tions regarding them. If the grounds are small, 
we must be very sparing with ornaments, or 
they will look over-enibcllishcd, like a parlor we 
once saw in Mexico, which contained half a 
dozen Connecticut clocks and more than twice 
that number of cheap looking glasses. The 
more rustic such ornaments are, the better ; we 
have seen an old and rough hollow stump 
made to serve as a vase and clothed with vines, 
which was a much more pleasing object than 
many that are very costly. In the present 
article we notice vases only, as these seem to be 
just now very popular. One general fault with 
the attempt at building rustic vases is, that 
the workiuan does not consider the great weight 
Fig. 1. — liUSTIC VASE. 
lliey must sustain when filled with earth 
and plants, and in a short time they become 
ricketj', out of the perpendicular, and unsightly. 
Strong workmanship should be a pi-ime consid- 
eration. A rustic vase should be either circular 
or octagonal ; a square one looks too angular and 
box-like. Two feet in diameter, with the sides 
six inches high, is a good size ; or if wanted 
larger, three feet across and eight inches deep.' 
To make a circular vase, cut out a circular bot- 
tom board, and as it 'U'ill be in at least two 
pieces, batten it firmly together, and make the' 
sides of narrow stuff, with the edges bevelled 
inward to make a better joint. The top is to 
be strengthened by nailing on a split sapling, 
and one of the same kind at the bottom to make 
a finish. The sides are then covered with long- 
itudinal strips of rough bark neatly nailed on. 
For an fetagonal vase, an eight-sided bottom is 
made, and the sides with the contiguous edges 
planed to fit neatly. This maybe covered with 
bark as before mentioned, or be made rather 
more elaborate by covering the sides with split! 
twigs so as to make a sort of inlaid work. Fig-' 
ures Z, 3 and 4, will suggest -some styles fqr 
