258 
AMEEIOAE' AGKIOULTXJEIST. 
[June. 
florists have double forms in all colors from white 
to dark blue. Anything more beautiful than these 
double varieties is difficult to imagine. The com- 
Fig. 1.— HOUSE COVERED WITH CREEPER. 
men single Liver-leaf is worthy of cultivation, on 
account of the earliness of its bright flowers, whiie 
the double ones are most exquisite, and well 
worthy of the trouble required in selecting for 
them a partly shaded place. Still more beautiful 
than our native species is the Great Hepatica, as it 
is called in English gardens. This {H. angulosa), is 
a native of Central Europe. The plant, its aspect 
at flowering being shown in the engraving, is much 
more robust and larger than our common species. 
Its flowers on strong stems, are twice the size of 
the other, and of the most “heavenly” blue. 
Some plants that had been kept in a cold frame 
during the winter, bloomed most satisfactorily 
with us this spring. It does not appear difficult to 
manage, and we hope it may prove to he a plant 
that we can commend for general cultivation. 
The Use of Vines and Climbers. 
No other woody piants can be made to produce 
ornamental effects so quickly as the various climb¬ 
ers. Their use upon porches and verandas as well 
as upon the house itself, has been frequently advo¬ 
cated in these columns, and we now would illus¬ 
trate their employment in the grounds and in sev¬ 
eral ways as suggested by Mr. Elias A. Long. Very 
full lists from which to select are given in the 
Fig. 3.— BITTERSWEET ON VERANDA. 
catalogues, while two of the very best, so far 
as foliage is concerned, may be had without any 
expense beyond that of digging, as they are com¬ 
mon over a large portion of the country. The two 
vines referred to are the Virginia Creeper (Ampe- 
Fig. 3.— VINES ON GATE POSTS.’ 
lopsis quinqwfolia), already planted to some extent, 
and the Climbing Bittersweet or Wax-work (Celas- 
irus scandens), a vigorous grower with rich, dark- 
green foliage, and showy berries. This is a valuable 
climber, but is rarely seen in cultivation. Figure 
1 shows how a very plain looking house may be 
improved by planting a Virginia creeper ; figure 3 
represents a veranda, along the edge of the roof of 
which a climbing Bittersweet has been trained. It 
maybe well to give a caution here against allowing 
this vine to run upon trees. It winds itself around 
the branches with such force as to constrict them 
and clieck their growth, and if not removed will 
ultimately kill them. The manner in which vines 
can be used to cover gate posts is shown in figure 
3, where, by the aid of the shears, the caps to the 
posts are kept in a rounded shape. A very pleas¬ 
ing fence to separate the ornamental portion of 
the grounds from the vegetable gardens and for 
other uses, is suggested in figure 4; posts are set 
at the desired distances apart, and connected by 
strong galvanized wire, and a Virginia cr'eper 
planted at each post. A little care given occasion¬ 
ally to training the vines along the wires will soon 
result in beautiful garlands of verdure. Figure 5 
shows an archway leading to another part of the 
grounds. The frame-work of the arch may be 
made of saplings or other materials, which the 
vines will soon cover and conceal. The manner of 
draping a rustic archway of rough stones is Ulus- 
Make three careful thinnings of the fruit. The 
first thinning is done about a week after the blos¬ 
soms have fallen, removing about one-fourth of the 
fruit, the smallest being taken. Two to lour weeks 
later, the trees are again gone over, and one-fourth 
of the remaining fruit removed, as before, selecting 
Fig. 5.— AN ARCHWAY OF VINES. 
the poorest and smallest. Three or four weeks 
later, about the same per cent of the poorest spec¬ 
imens are removed. Leave enough fruit on the 
trees to make a good, heavy crop. Those who 
have never tried thinning out fruit in the orchard, 
will be much surprised at the good results. 
Fig. 4.— A VIRGINIA CREEPER FENCE. 
trated in figure 6. A very effective ai bor may be 
made by constructing a frame or skeleton, as in 
figure 7, supported by posts at the corners. A 
vine at each post will convert the structure into a 
picturesque and pleasing embellishment. Such a 
frame-work for an arbor needs to be made 
strong, as it will have to support a great weight 
of foliage in summer, especially during rains. 
Pruning and Thinning in the Pear 
Orchard. 
BT A PRACTICAL GROWER. 
It requires more common sense than art to prune 
properly. It is foolish to endeavor to make trees 
of many different varieties, conform to one style of 
growth. A tree, which is spreading in its nature, 
can not be made to adopt a pyramidal form. Re¬ 
move interferiug and dead branches, and shorten 
in wherever necessary. A little practice will soon 
enable a careful, intelligent man to do the work 
properly, and it is seldom that much wood need be 
cut away, especially if the pruning has been regu¬ 
larly done every year. To make the head more 
shapely or better balanced, it may be necessary to 
remove one or more limbs. This should be done with 
afine, sharp, saw, after which cut the wound 
smooth and clean with a sharp knife, and 
cover it with a thick coat of good paint, to 
prevent bleeding, and to protect it from the 
influences of the atmosphere. Always use 
sharp instruments, and make clean cuts. As 
a rule, pruning shears are preferable to a 
knife. Carry a small stone in the pocket, 
for sharpening the knife or shears when the 
edge becomes dull. Thinning the fruit is 
most important. It costs no more to market 
a basket or crate of choice fruit, than that 
of inferior qualitj', while the price of the 
former is very much higher, and the sale 
quickly made. Nearly evei-y fruit tree, 
when growing vigorously, sets more fruit 
each bearing year, than it can possibly 
perfect, and if the trees are permitted to 
carry it all, not only will the fruit be in¬ 
ferior in size and quality, but the trees may be 
injured. By thinning out the fruit properly, nearly 
or quite as mucli fruit in weight or measure, is se¬ 
cured, while the size and quality is of the best. 
Edgings in the Flower Garden. 
The oid-fashioned box-edging, with which the 
outlines of beds were formerly marked is now 
rarely seen. In northern localities 
it dies out in a severe winter, and 
unless taken up, divided and re¬ 
set, it soon has an overgrown, 
shabby look. An excellent edging 
for a bed in the lawn, is ivy—the 
true European ivy. It may be 
kept pegged down closely and 
neatly trimmed, and forms, with 
its dark-green, a fine contrast 
with the grass on one side, and 
the flowers in the bed on the other. Another 
climber was used with very good effect on 
the grounds at the Centennial Exhibition—the 
Gold-netted Japanese Honeysuckle. This holds its 
Fig. 6.—A RUSTIC ARCHWAY. 
variegation admirably, and if trained on a low wire 
frame, makes a very showy edging. Another ex¬ 
cellent edging plant is the Japanese Belinispora 
plumosa aurea of the catalogues. It grows readily 
from cuttings, and bears any amount of clipping. 
There are also some other forms of Arbor-vitai, to 
Fig. 7.— A CHEAP SUBSTANTIAL ARBOR. 
which the Retinispora really belongs, that may 
make serviceable edgings. The main point is to 
have a pleasing shrub, that will not be injured 
by the necessary pruning. 
