424r 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
ous season at “ Ogden Farm,” at Newport, R. I., 
and while I felt that Mr. Waring’s description 
was by no means exaggerated, I declined to give 
him my opinion until it had been tested in oth¬ 
er localities, where soil and climate were differ¬ 
ent. The past season I planted out a couple of 
THE ENTIRE-LEAVED CLEMATIS. 
dozen plants which had been started in the 
usual way, and tied them to stakes. Under the 
same conditions I planted the “ New-York 
Market,” and “ Rising Sun,” the varieties we 
considered the best and earliest of last year’s ex¬ 
periment. In earliness, the “Trophy” had no 
perceptible advantage over the other two; (and 
by the way I think we have reached the farthest 
point we are likely to attain in this particular,) 
but in size, smoothness, and beauty of color¬ 
ing, as well as in solidity and flavor, it cer¬ 
tainly exceeded them. So that taking it all and 
all, I believe it to be thus far unexcelled, wheth¬ 
er grown for private use or for market pur¬ 
poses. This opinion I find very generally con¬ 
curred in, in all sections of the country wher¬ 
ever it has been submitted to a trial test with 
others. The seeds will this year be disseminated 
everywhere at reasonable rates, but only yet in 
small quantities, as the stock is yet too limited 
to be sold except by the paper. 
A Herbaceous Clematis. 
(Clematis integrifolia.) 
The woody climbing species of Clematis are 
among our choicest and most showy, garden or¬ 
naments, and are in some of their many varie¬ 
ties now v T ell known and justly popular. There 
are a few low growing species which show no 
disposition to climb, and which are killed down 
to the ground every winter like other herbaceous 
plants. A specimen of the Entire-leaved Clem¬ 
atis ((7. integrifolia ), in our herbaceous border, 
has pleased us much this summer by the length 
of time it continued in bloom, it having had 
flowers upon it 
from Juneto Sep¬ 
tember, seeming 
to pay no heed 
to the unusu¬ 
ally hot weath¬ 
er. The stems, 
which are sever¬ 
al from the same 
root, are about 
eighteen inches 
high, and bear 
opposite, simple 
and entire leaves. 
The flowers are 
solitary, and 
borne upon the 
summit of the 
stem, and the 
branches which 
spring from the 
axiisoftlieleaves 
after the appear¬ 
ance of a bud 
upon the end of 
the stem has 
stopped its pro¬ 
longation. The 
Solvers are about 
an inch across, 
and of a deep 
purplish - blue, 
which is darker 
within the flow¬ 
er than upon the 
outer surface. 
The engraving 
gives the sum¬ 
mit of a stem 
reduced in size. 
As there shown, 
the terminal 
flower has dropped away, and the fruit is 
well developed by the time the flowers upon 
the branches have opened. Tiie head of fruit, 
on account of the hairy tail with which each little 
akene is furnished, presents a pleasing appear¬ 
ance, and a clump of the plant with its dark 
purple flowers interspersed with these hairy 
clusters, if not as showy as some others, is an 
interesting object. The plant is perfectly hardy, 
and is readily increased by division of the root, 
or by seeds which should be sown as soon as 
ripe. The Entire-leaved Clematis is a native of 
Austria. We have a native species of the same 
habit of growth, but its flowers are neither so 
large nor so showy. It is the Clematis oclirolcuca, 
one of our rare native plants. It used to be 
found on Long Island until the growth of 
Brooklyn exterminated it; but fortunately it was 
found by Dr. Allen, a few years ago, growing- 
in considerable abundance upon Staten Island. 
--- 
The Abundance of Grapes. —Never within 
our knowledge have grapes been so plentiful as 
this year. They have been so cheap that all but 
the very poorest in the cities could have an 
abundance. How many farmers, well to do 
farmers too, have had all the grapes they could 
cat ? Plant one vine at least, and as many more 
as you please. They will produce some fruit 
with but little care, but will repay all the atten¬ 
tion you choose to bestow. Plant a vine this fall. 
The Feathered Hyacinth. 
The plant represented in the engraving was 
sent to us last spring for a name, not only by 
amateur cultivators, but by persons well versed 
in botany. We do not wonder that it should 
u 
THE FEATHERED HYACINTH. 
puzzle a botanist, for that which passes for a 
flower has so completely changed from the 
natural condition of things that all traces of 
flower structure are lost. It is a monstrous va¬ 
riety of Muscari comosum, a plant closely related 
to the well-known Grape Hyacinth. The va¬ 
riety known as Feathered Hyacinth is not a 
garden monstrosity, but is known in the wild 
state. It is perfectly hardy, and may be planted 
with other hardy bulbs. Strong bulbs throw up 
stems a foot or more high, bearing a broad, pur¬ 
plish cluster of curiously confused and malform¬ 
ed flowers ; these are branched, twisted, crisped, 
and fringed, in such a way as can happen only 
to a flower gone thoroughly crazy. Some have 
likened the appearance it presents to that of 
coral. The French call it Lilas de terre, Ground 
Lilac, and the cluster at a distance has some re¬ 
semblance to a lilac cluster both in form and 
color. It bloom's in May and June, and makes 
an excellent flower for bouquets. The bulbs are 
sold by the seedsmen at 5 and 10 cents each ; 
and are usually catalogued under the anti¬ 
quated name of hyacintlms plumosus. It be¬ 
longs to the genus Muscari, which is quite dis¬ 
tinct from Hyacintlms. Others of the genus 
have a tendency to run into unsual forms; we 
have seen the common Grape Hyacinth with 
the upper part of the flower cluster bearing 
malformed flowers, but not of sufficient beauty 
to warrant its propagation as a distinct variety. 
