14 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ January, 
delicate bulb, and travels badly, scarcely one in ten having reached us in good 
condition. All our bulbs have had narrow elongate foliage like L. auratum.” 
Our figure is necessarily much foreshortened, but gives a fair notion of the 
beauty of the flowers, and of the character of the leaves. Its erect stems grow 
from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high, and as yet have borne only solitary flowers.— T. Mooee. 
AKEBIA QUINATA. 
'HIS is a plant which I am surprised is not more generally planted in 
England. No hardy climber I am acquainted with looks so well at all 
seasons of the year, and yet it is seldom met with, even in catalogues. 
The plant is nearly evergreen, and easily kept within bounds, and if a few 
wires are placed for it to run on, it will train itself. No insects trouble it; the 
plants flower abundantly from an early age ; they are very easily propagated, and 
grow fast when young. A plant turned out against my dwelling-house in a 
south-east corner, about seven years ago, is now a dense mass from ground to 
roof, although it is a lofty building ; and it is completely covered with its 
curious dark purple flowers in the early spring, the leaves remaining on until 
after Christmas. I have never seen a shoot injured by frost, even when quite 
exposed in open ground. The plant is, of course, the admiration of all visitors. 
The seed-pods are very curious and ornamental, being like large blue bean- 
pods ; but I have only seen it in seed once/ and that was on a small plant in a 
pot, which had probably been fertilised artificially. As the plant blooms so 
early in the season, and is dioecious, it may require artificial impregnation if 
seed is expected. As an instance of its free-blooming quality, I have a number 
of plants not more than one inch high, flowering in 2-in. pots.— James Taplin, 
South Amhoy, New Jersey. 
THE MUSCAT ESCHOLATA GKAPE. 
^BOM what I hear from growers who have seen the above grape growing 
here this autumn, I conclude it is but little known. Some who saw it 
said it was the Golden Champion, and in appearance it certainly very much 
resembles the Champion, as figured in the Florist and Pomologist in 
1868, but I am not aware that there is any resemblance in flavour ; indeed there 
cannot be, as the Escholata has a good Muscat flavour, whereas the Champion is 
not a Muscat at all. One of the good qualities of the Escholata is that it does 
not spot—it has not done so with us during the three years we have fruited it; and 
it ripens quite a fortnight earlier than the Muscat of Alexandria in the same 
house, the berries being considerably larger, and of a beautiful amber tint when 
ripe. Some of the berries on the last bunch, cut on November 26, were four 
inches in circumference. 
I have read with great interest the notes on the new Grapes recently 
published in the Florist, but I hope some of your readers will give us their 
experience with the Grape named at the head of this article, as I fear it has got 
