658 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 27 
< Ruralisms 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Do Clinging Vines Injure Build¬ 
ings? —Many house owners have a 
strong prejudice against the use of 
shrubby climbers for draping walls and 
porches. They may tolerate a screen of 
morning-glories, nasturtiums, or some¬ 
thing that will die out at the first hard 
frost, but do not want anything cling¬ 
ing to woodwork or wall during Winter, 
under the claim that dampness and de¬ 
cay will be much encouraged. Others 
contend that the permanent shrubby 
climbers, particularly those with aerial 
roots or disk-like tendrils, such as Teco- 
mas and the Japan ivy, Ampelopsis tri- 
cuspidata, formerly Veitchii, are rather 
beneficial than otherwise, as they not 
only shield from baking sun and driving 
rains, but during Summer at least, ex¬ 
tract moisture rapidly from dampened 
walls after showers. This last is a very 
doubtful supposition, as there is little 
evidence to show that these roots or 
disks absorb an appreciable amount of 
moisture, or are used for any other pur¬ 
pose than attaching the plant to its sup¬ 
port. On the Rural Grounds we prefer 
to believe these close-clinging vines do 
little harm, and have allowed the Vir¬ 
ginia creeper and Japanese Ampelopsis 
to overrun the dwellings, while Altebias 
and honeysuckles are supported by wire 
netting. The Japan Ampelopsis ran 
over a section of sloping roof covered 
with cedar shingles. After two years’ 
contact it was removed, and the shin¬ 
gles appeared brighter and firmer on 
the surface than those fully exposed to 
the weather. This does not constitute 
very strong evidence, as good cedar 
shingles should last nearly half a cen¬ 
tury anyway, and show but little wear 
for many years after being laid. We 
find painted surfaces less weathered af¬ 
ter being covered several years with 
these vines, though there is often more 
discoloration of paint than when fully 
exposed. In a seven years’ test we can¬ 
not find the vines have caused any no¬ 
ticeable harm, and feel much inclined to 
let them have their way, only keeping 
them off the roof and clear of the win¬ 
dows. Given a good start Ampelopsis 
tricuspidata will make its way over 
painted clapboards and cling tenacious¬ 
ly, but A. quinquefolia, the Virginia 
creeper, and most of its varieties, needs 
support unless there are many cracks 
into which it may insert its tendrils. 
There are one or two varieties, how¬ 
ever, bearing disks, that climb a brick 
or stone wall almost as well as the 
Japan species, and have the advantage 
of being perfectly hardy even in ex¬ 
treme climates. The claim is now made 
that the disk-bearing form is the true 
species and the others are mere varia¬ 
tions with larger or smaller foliage, 
sometimes downy on the under side, 
slightly varying habit of growth, and 
diskless tendrils. It makes little dif¬ 
ference to the ordinary purchaser which 
variety is sent out by the dealer unless 
a self climber is wanted. It appears the 
form without disks is the one generally 
in stock in most nurseries, ar.d if want¬ 
ed for walls without support it is best 
to ask for the variety Muralis, though 
some plants sent out as Englemanii are 
well provided with disks. It is prob¬ 
able this tangle will soon be cleared up 
by enterprising nurserymen now that 
the lack of hardiness in the Japan ivy is 
so generally recognized, and the best 
forms of self-climbing Virginian creeper 
will be largely propagated. There are sc 
many splendid examples of vine-covered 
walls in the Eastern States where the 
Japan or Boston ivy has been largely 
planted for many years that a good de¬ 
mand for self-climbing forms of our re¬ 
liable native species is quite certain 
when it is known they may be pro¬ 
cured. 
While there is reasonable doubt con¬ 
cerning the possible injury to wooden 
structures by the above plants there is 
certainly danger in allowing great 
masses of honeysuckles. Wistarias or 
Akebias to twine about woodwork and 
rest on porch floors and roofs, as they 
will certainly hasten decay. They are 
admirable subjects if rightly used, but 
should, as far as possible, be trained on 
independent supports and closely 
trimmed as soon as the leaves have 
fallen. This is rapidly done with ordi¬ 
nary hedge shears, and the removal of 
the twiggy masses not only allows the 
woodwork to dry out, but puts the 
plants in the best possible shape for vig¬ 
orous growth and dense bloom the fol¬ 
lowing Spring. The Trumpet vines also 
should be kept away from shingled or 
clapboarded structures, as they have a 
habit of growing into small cracks and 
wrenching off shingles and boards by 
the expansion of their strong woody 
stems. The rural dweller may well look 
forward to the days of cheap concrete 
so long promised, when a “vine-embow¬ 
ered cottage” may become reality with¬ 
out danger of deterioration. 
“Gooseberry Currants.” —The cata¬ 
logue men have about given up listing 
the “Gooseberry currant.” We have 
fruited plants from several sources, and 
they all turned out to be, as anticipated, 
profuse-fruiting forms of a wild native 
gooseberry, Kibes rotundiioliuin. They 
are strong-growing plants with stout, 
slightly curving branches, almost free 
from thorns, and bear with great regu¬ 
larity immense crops of dark red berries 
as shown in natural size in Fig. 264, 
first page. They are too small for many, 
practical uses, but have thin skins, 
small seeds and highly colored pulp of 
pleasant acid flavor. The plant blooms 
and ripens its fruits later than culti¬ 
vated gooseberries. The fruit hangs on 
well, many branches being covered in 
early September with berries still in 
good condition. These late-ripening 
fruits are covered with a thick purple 
bloom and look more like large huckle¬ 
berries than gooseberries. Though quite 
agreeable they do not amount to much 
for eating out of hand, but make a fine¬ 
ly colored and well-flavored jelly or jam 
if one cares to remove the withered hulls 
or corollas, always considerable trouble 
with small gooseberries. The foliage is 
healthy, free from fungous troubles and 
stands hot sun better than any other 
variety we have. It may possibly be 
grown in localities where larger fruited 
kinds do not succeed. Ribes rotunuifoli- 
um is a variable species, widely distrib¬ 
uted about the foothills of the Catskill, 
Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. 
A typical plant, kindly furnished by 
Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, N. C., has 
roundish leaves, very small flowers and 
pleasant-tasting, smooth green berries, 
about the size of a marrowfat pea. It is 
drooping in habit, always well furnished 
with foliage in Summer, and makes 
quite an ornamental little shrub. There 
is no trace of currant in the Gooseberry 
currant, the name being manufactured 
for trade purposes in view of the small 
size and great profusion of the fruit 
clusters. 
It is no longer a question whether cur¬ 
rants and gooseberries will hybridize, 
as Prof. William Saunders, of the Otta¬ 
wa Experiment Station (Canada), has 
announced a cross between the black 
currant and a gooseberry, but the out¬ 
come of such combination; like the 
blackberry-raspberry and cherry-plum 
hybrids, is not likely to be of much hor¬ 
ticultural value. We have under way in 
the Rural Grounds hybrids between the 
yellow Flowering currant, Ribes aur- 
eum, and a large-fruited gooseberry, but 
no sanguine anticipations as to their 
prospective value are harbored. Some¬ 
thing useful may, however, be expected 
from the infusion of our best fruited 
native species into selected garden 
gooseberries, llougbton and Downing 
are considered as chance hybrids be¬ 
tween the common wild eastern goose¬ 
berry, Ribes oxycantlioides, and certain 
large-fruited European varieties long 
grown in the vicinity of origin. The 
Iowa and Ottawa (Canadian) experi¬ 
ment stations have produced promising 
hybrids, now under trial from Ribes 
Cynosbati and R. gracile, species known 
to bear good-sized and fine-flavored 
fruits. Luther Burbank is also at work 
on a Pacific coast species with promise 
of much success. The Rural workers 
have fruited for several years hybrids 
between R. oxycanthoides, Triumph, 
Chautauqua and Industry. Seedlings of 
Triumph pollenized with the wild spe¬ 
cies are most promising in size and 
flavor, appearing at this stage of devel¬ 
opment superior in most respects to 
Houghton. A number of crosses with 
other species have been effected in the 
hope that a desirable and practical va¬ 
riety may result. 
The gooseberry is of minor import¬ 
ance with us, though considered in 
northern Europe as a principal dessert 
fruit. The development of American va¬ 
rieties of good size and finer flavor would 
raise this agreeable bush fruit in public 
estimation. The European kinds, when 
grown here, are not of high quality, In¬ 
dustry and Warrington probably being 
the best, but none of the present horti¬ 
cultural varieties can compare in honey¬ 
ed sweetness to the fruits of many wild 
plants growing among the rocks of their 
native hillsides. There is an enormous 
variation of quality, however, among 
wild plants of the same species found in 
the same locality and only the best spe¬ 
cimens should be selected for breeding. 
Tiie Waugh Plum. —This is a new 
combination of the Japan and American 
types of plums, produced by J. W. Kerr, 
Denton, Md., by hybridizing Chabot 
with Wayland. Chabot is in many re¬ 
spects, notaoly comparative freedom 
from rot, one of the best tested Japans, 
and Wayland is a distinct and excellent 
southern plum of the Hortulana group. 
Fig. 268 effectively represents the new 
hybrid in natural size, and was taken 
from one of several specimens forward- 
THE WAUGH PLUM. Fie. 268. 
ed by the originator in early August. 
They were in fine eating condition four 
days after mailing, and the flavor was 
sweet and excellent. The color is a dark 
reddish-purple, flesh firm and meaty, 
deep yellow, clinging slightly to a small 
pit. Our young trial tree is a rapid and 
shapely grower. Mr. Kerr claims many 
excellent qualities for this new plum, 
and has named it in honor of Prof. F. A. 
Waugh, the author of “Plums and Plum 
Culture.” w. v. f. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee Slh page. 
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Increased 
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93 Nassau St., New York 
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The man who has had experience 
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