1883.J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
241 
the great beauty of these flowers, they seem 
to be slow in acquiring popularity in this 
country. If one has room for but a single 
climber, he can select nothing more satisfac¬ 
tory than a clematis. If he wishes to take up 
a floral hobby, and make a collection of 
choice varieties, he can find no class of plants 
that possesses greater interest than these. The 
varieties are hardy. They climb from four to 
twelve or more feet. Some bloom in early 
spring, some in summer, and others continu¬ 
ously. In size, the flowers range from 2 to 
10 inches in diameter. They are single and 
double, and vary greatly in shape of parts. 
The colors are from white, through delicate 
tints of blue, lavender, and wine colors, up to 
the most gorgeous of purples, with a great 
variety of shadings and blendings. The en¬ 
graving on page 240 only shows the compara¬ 
tive size of some of the leading kinds and 
their different forms. The vines, if given a 
low support of some kind, will soon cover it 
with a sheet of flowers, or they may be laid 
flat upon the ground and pegged down to 
form the most effective of bedding plants. 
We have not seen them tried in window or 
balcony gardening, but have no doubt that 
they will be found among the most sat¬ 
isfactory climbing plants for this use. 
Protection against Late Frosts. 
The fruit-grower can never feel certain of 
a crop until the time in which there is danger 
of late frosts has passed; and the general gar¬ 
dener has reference to the same period in set¬ 
ting his tender plants in the open ground. 
A frost at the blossoming time is quite sure to 
decide the fate of the peach crop, if excessive 
cold prior to that period has not injured the 
buds. A frost after the grape-vines have 
started is most disastrous, and in localities in 
Europe, where whole communities depend 
upon the vine, the air is filled with smoke, to 
prevent an apprehended frost. It is well 
known that frosts do not occur on cloudy 
nights. A slight cloud will prevent the cool¬ 
ing of the surface of the earth, and smoke 
has the same protecting effect. Those who 
have peach orchards will do well to take a 
hint from this European custom, and when 
frost is apprehended, raise a cloud of smoke. 
The time of greatest danger is one or two 
hours before sun-rise. Wet straw thrown 
upon a fire makes the most effective smoke. 
In some parts of France, where the grape¬ 
vines are trained, “ au gobelet,” that is, to a 
single stump with a few short branches, they 
are usually protected from frosts by straw 
mats. A grape-grower in Algiers, where late 
frosts are common, has devised a method of 
shielding his vines, which we give, not as 
something to be copied, but for the sugges¬ 
tions it offers in protecting plants generally. 
In the autumn pinning, instead of cutting 
back the canes all alike, two of the outer ones 
are left about 18 inches higher than the others. 
All the buds on 
that part of these 
canes which pro¬ 
jects above the 
others are remov¬ 
ed. These canes 
are to support a 
screen of tarred 
roofing p a p e r, 
which has a slot 
cut in each end to 
admit thecane.and 
is provided with 
strings by which 
to tie it. The arrangement is shown in fig. 1. 
When the screen is removed, the supporting 
canes are cut off at the higlit of the others. 
A screen of this kind protects by reflecting 
back the heat given off by the earth and the 
plant, thus preventing injurious cooling. A 
single sheet of thin paper will ans%ver this 
purpose as well as a thick straw mat. On a 
small scale, tomato and other tender plants 
may be saved by the method shown in fig. 2. 
A stake is set in the ground near the plant, 
and a piece of paper, newspaper will answer, 
is laid over and tied at the middle, just be¬ 
low the top of the stake. This will allow the 
paper to spread parasol-fashion, and answer 
as a complete protection from severe frosts. 
Fig. 2. —“umbrella” for 
PLANT. 
“Arabian Millet Grass.’’ 
A Utah journal has a long paper setting 
forth the virtues of the Arabian Millet Grass. 
The style of the article reminds us of that cele¬ 
brated Bessarabian corn document, though in 
the present case it appears to be quite disin¬ 
terested. One rarely finds so many erroneous 
statements concerning a plant. We are told 
that it grows in winter as well as summer, 
and in New Jersey it gave 80 
tons to the acre. It is said to 
be far more valuable than 
Lucerne. After producing 
much herbage, it yields two 
thousand bushels of roots to 
the acre, which animals are 
crazy after; in this respect 
it reminds us of the “ Green 
Valley West India Grass,” 
another of the names under 
which the grass was at one 
time offered. It is a great 
pity that a plant which has 
some real value, and in some 
cases may be profitably raised, 
should be so over-praised that 
whoever makes a trial of it 
will be sure to be disappoint¬ 
ed, if he expects that this, 
or any other plant, will justify 
such an absurdly extravagant description. 
The grass is Sorghum lialepense; we figured 
and described it a few years as ‘ ‘Guinea-grass,” 
a name that it bears more generally than any 
other. It is known in some of the Southern 
States as “ Johnson-grass” and as “Means- 
grass,” under which names it has been culti¬ 
vated with profit. We have no doubt that it 
is better suited to some localities than any 
other grass, and as it is well worthy of a 
trial where better grasses do not succeed, we 
regret the appearance of this ill-considered 
article, which brings it into discredit. That 
the “ Johnson-grass ” will be of great value 
in the Northern States, is yet to be shown, 
but there is no doubt of its utility in 
some of the southernmost States. 
Aquatic and Bog Plants. 
A moist or springy place in one’s grounds, 
instead of being regarded as a misfortune, a 
trouble to be remedied 
by draining, may often 
be turned to good ac¬ 
count. There are many 
pleasing and showy 
plants that will grow 
in such places, and 
will flourish nowhere 
else. If by excavation 
a permanent pool or 
lakelet can be secured, 
then a large number 
of beautiful aquatics 
may be grown, such 
as a collection of the 
various water lilies 
and others, while mois¬ 
ture-loving plants can 
occupy the margin. 
The various species of 
Sarracenia, with the 
California Darling- 
tonia, would make an 
attractive group in 
such a locality. The 
Golden-club ( Oronti- 
um), the Arrowheads 
(Sagittar ia), the 
Swamp - Loosestrife 
(Nescea), the Pickerel- 
weed! Pontederia), the Lizard’s-tail(Na irntrws), 
and many other inhabitants of our marshes, 
would form an interesting and showy col¬ 
lection. Such plants would be quite new to 
most persons, as few, save botanists and 
anglers, ever see them in their native haunts. 
PICREKEL-WEED. 
A SAGITTARTA OR ARROWHEAD. 
Of the Arrowheads, a curious collection of 
forms could be made, as few plants present 
such a variety of shapes iu their leaves. 
Those who have never seen a clump of our 
native Lizard’s-tail,would be surprised at the 
graceful beauty of its flower clusters, and 
there are few more charming shades of blue 
than that presented by our Pickerel-weed. 
