NEW  YORK,  AND  ROCHESTER,  N.  Y,  FEB.  12,  1876 
(PRICE  SXJC  CENTH. 
(  82.65  PER  YEAR. 
VOI..  XXXIII.  No.  7. 
WlKlIiK  No.  1359. 
[Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congrese,  In  the  year  ISW.  by  the  Rural  Publishing  Oompiiny,  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. j 
one  of  the  best.  Medium  -  aizcd  llower,  vivid  •  The  leaves,  oftencst  in  throes,  are  very  variabio 
purplisli-blno.  in  size  and  form.  The  flowers,  except  when  the 
There  are  other  varieties  of  an  intermediate  outer  atamens  become  petaolid,  consist  of  a 
character,  such  as  Lady  Stratford  de  lied<‘life,  calyx  only,  and  the  sepals,  as  we  have  seen,  pre- 
mauve  color,  large  flower,  eight-sepaled :  Vebo  sent  a  rare  and  lovely  range  of  colors.  The 
tina  pitryurea,  >017  dark  mulberry;  llenryi  (ah  tichcnia,  or  fruit,  sometimoa  bears  a  naked  tail, 
as  in  the  Viticella  section ;  sometimes,  as  in  the 
W  FlamrnuJa  section,  a  feathery  tail,  as  we  have 
\  endeavored  to  show  in  the  smaller  cut.  C. 
^^11/  Fln7n7nula,  Viltcellxt,  lamtrjinosa,  Ftorida,  Mon- 
/a/jfl,  etc.,  natives  of  Africa,  Japan  and  Europe, 
original  species  from  which  the  cross- 
'A  brcffils  of  Jackman  and  others  have  sprung.  €. 
In  m'tMllnriit,  purple  flowers  ‘J  inches  in  diame- 
ci//in(iWc(f,  nodding,  bell -shaped,  bluish- 
''5i)lkv  (Miles  purple  flowers;  17o7‘«a,  daik-purple,  leathery 
flowers,  with  very  feathery  fruit  tails ;  PitcheiH, 
small,  hell-shapi'd  flowers,  of  a  dull  pmple,  and 
Viryinianu,  an*  all  native  speoio.s.  'J’he  last  is, 
howev.u’,  uiiuccouiitably,  the.  uiily  one  offered  by 
our  nurserymen.  It  grows  with  coarse,  rank 
rapidity,  and  is  covered  about  the  first  of  August 
with  a  mass  of  white,  star-shaped,  short-lived 
flowers,  and  is  killed  to  tho  ground  by  severe 
colli.  Its  cliief  merit  (if  it  has  any)  is  the 
brownish,  haiiy,  spirally-tuftisl  fruit-heads  (or 
achcnia-tails,  /es  r.rtrrrni'n  xr  lourfi^id).  that 
finally,  fiwiu  the  fertile  bud.s,  cover  the  rtne  al¬ 
most  as  st  [ikingly  as  did  the  snowy  flowers. 
Cultural  details  lu-ed  not  be  given.  The  Cle¬ 
matis  will  grow  where  the  grapevine  will  grow, 
and  like  it  will  be  benefited  by  good  treatment 
and  rich  .loU.  from  oiu-  own  experience,  we 
closely  ui>on  him,  have  effected  in  this  plant 
changes  similar  to  those  which,  within  a  very  few 
years,  have  been  wrought  in  the  Gladiolus, 
Amaryllis, — ^the  Pelargonium,  Bonvardia.  Bego¬ 
nia,  Fuchsia,  Rose,  etc. — constituting  altogether 
a  glorious  leap  of  progress  that  will  long  incite 
to  ardent  and  endless  inquiries  in  a  most  delicate 
and  ennobling  sphere a  leap  that  elevates  the 
science  of  Horticulture  and  gladdens  nuiuland. 
The  several  heads  mider  which  the  Clematis 
has  been  classified  may  be  abbreviated  under 
(1)  those  which  flower  from  tlie  old.  or  last 
year’s,  wood,  and  (i)  those  which  bloom  from 
the  new,  or  current,  shoots.  Among  the  former 
wo  select  the  followhig  as  best  adiqited  to  display 
the  most  pleasing  characteristics  of  the  section : 
Fair  Jiofiamond. — Rosy  white ;  reddish  bar  in 
the  middle  of  each  sepal ;  fragrant ;  six  inches 
in  diameter. 
SupkUx. — Medium-sized  flower  (5  inches),  of  a 
lilac  color  and  ycllowish-grccn  bar. 
John  Oould  1W/.7A,— Double  flower ;  lavender 
blue. 
Among  the  latter,  or  those  that  bloom  from 
Hununer  shoots,  we  select  the  following : 
This  bloomed  with  us  in  a  northern 
exposure  in  August,  maturing  buds  after  severe 
fi’OBts.  It  measured  7  inches  across  when  fuUF; 
expiinded.  The  sepals  are  a  grayish,  glistening 
white. 
Ixi7PS07iiana. — Rosy  piuqfle ;  8  inches  in  diam¬ 
eter  when  fully  expanded. 
Jackmanni, — Though  one  of  the  first,  is  still 
^(orifultuntl 
THE  CLEMATIS 
We  have  no  motive  to  praise  a  plant  beyond 
what  those  glaring  merits  that  are  apparent  to  a 
majority  of  disinterested  and  capable  judges 
would  warrant.  But  it  is  tho  easiest  thing  to 
become  unwittingly  prejudiced  In  favor  of  a  par¬ 
ticular  plafit  or  class  of  plants.  One  taste  de¬ 
tects  marks  of  superiority  quite  invisible  to  an¬ 
other.  Accidental  conditions  may  chance  to  pro¬ 
vide  them  witlj  every  requirement  that  the  most 
discriminating  care  could  select ;  wliile  the  ful¬ 
fillment  of  special  needs  which  renders  the  mall 
but  invaluable  in  one  place,  may  prove  in  other 
soils  and  sltnatlouB  wholly  iuopiTative. 
With  these  rantionary  remarks  before  nur  eyes 
to  guard  us  against  inveterate  praise — with  the 
pos.sibility  of  incurring  the  disrespect  of  her  or 
of  liiin  who  is  iufliioncud  and  disaiiisiiuted  there¬ 
by, — we  yet  assert  that  the  Clematis  is  the  finest 
h  irdy  plant  in  cultivatiuu. 
The  incipient  ixipularity  of  this  plant  in  En¬ 
gland  dates  from  the  production  of  C.  Jack- 
'/nanni  (thirteen  years  ago) — a  velvety,  purplish - 
blue  flower,  naineil  after  its  piY>;lncer,  Mr.  Gr.o. 
Jackman,  who  was  among  the  first  -if  not  the 
first— to  start  experimente  in  crossing  the  several 
species  of  this  teibe.  His  Hi>lendid  results,  as 
well  as  the  results  of  those  who  liavo  followed 
CLEMATIS  SEED. 
ready  refeired  to),  that  serve  to  keep  up  the 
bloom  imiiiteiruptedly  throughout  the  rmtire 
season. 
Most  of  the  Clematises  are  perfectly  hardy  with 
u«,  and  the  rest  so  nearly  so  that  with  a  slight 
covering  they  will  endure  our  severest  cold. 
'I'hey  are  rapid  growers  and  cling  by  tbe  t  wlsting 
|M!tiole.  and  not  by  tendrils.  It  is,  therefore, 
quite  easy  to  loosen  them  from  tho  arl/or  or 
trellis  to  which  they  have  l>een  trained  and  coil 
them  upon  ttie  ground  for  winter  protection. 
C’T.KMATr'T)^.-l>llA  WX’  T^ltOAf  >*'A"I  T  FIT 
