THE GARDENING WORLD . 
377 
June 6, 1908. 
Two Creepers. 
piaea scandens and Eccremocarpus 
scaber. 
:obaea scandens, an exceedingly beau- 
tal creeper, with its large white or purple 
fivers, has long been known as decora¬ 
te for the greenhouse or conservatory, 
b: few people know how easily, it can 
fc grown as an outdoor climber. The 
s ds should be sown in moderate heat at 
t beginning of March. A sunny win¬ 
dy in a warm sitting-room is quite suffi- 
cnt warmth. The seeds should be plan- 
t upright in a pot of light soil mixed 
vh silver sand. The seed germinates 
s wlv, and should be kept well watered, 
iteii the seedling has grown to a height 
c three or four inches it should be put 
i o a cooler room and planted out in 
t; middle of May. When it once begins 
t take root it gTOws from five to six 
i:hes a day during the summer. It 
jts out small tendrils which cling to 
1; wall or other place up which it is 
j owing. The flower comes into full 
iiom in October and continues so until 
arlv the end of November. It can be 
own on arches or fancy trellis work, but 
more satisfactory on the house in a 
Id aspect. This creeper is a g.h.p. 
t can be treated as an annual in a 
Id climate. 
Another showy and equally easily 
own creeper is Eccremocarpus scaber. 
,wn in boxes or pots in March, in light, 
ndy soil,, in moderate heat, it can be 
anted out in May. It grows quickly, 
.d in August is covered with sma'l 
arlet or orange flowers. This plant 
ould be left to die down in the winter, 
id the long sprays cut off. In March 
begins to sprout again from the bottom. 
. very severe winters it is well to pro- 
ct it a little, but otherwise it is quite 
irdy. M. A. C. 
-- 
te Personality of Plants. 
The second March number of the “Nou- 
lle Revue” published an interesting ar- 
:le by J. Owsinsky, on the Personality 
Plants. The writer, who is the owner of 
:tensive territory in Podolsk, is de- 
ribed as the inventor of a new system 
culture which has had surprising re- 
dts. He believes in the existence of the 
vegetable animal,” and in the principle 
at plants, like animals, live a natural 
Je, and have needs, desires, and a con- 
ience. As a starting point, he treats 
ants as we treat animals — that is to say, 
; realises that we must take account of 
.eir will if we wish them to yield to our 
tsires. In regard to the action of tem- 
erature and light on plants, he finds 
ants as sensitive as animals, and the 
cret of his new system consists simply 
. sowing the grains of cereals very close 
gether in such a way that each grain 
11s singly^ or separately and leaves 
tough clear space for the admission of 
;e sun and the light. The advantages 
the system are the saving of half the 
>st of cultivation and the doubling of the 
■ops. By regulating the moisture in the 
>il the seeds germinate in dry' weather, 
id during wet seasons the plants suffer 
■ss from humidity'. Bacteria multiply' 
ith great rapidity, and it is chiefly to 
acteria that the enormous crops are due. 
he plants mature quicker and so suffer 
:ss from parasites. 
Amarantus speciosus. Maclaren and Sons. 
A Tall Growing Annual 
The above annual is closely related to 
the Prince’s Feather (A. hvpochondria- 
cus). The last-named plant comes from 
North America, but the subject under 
note comes to us from India, possibly' 
from high ground, seeing that it succeeds 
so well in this country. Several plants 
of this class, however, seem capable of 
thriving in quite a variety of climates, as 
they ripen their seeds early, and some 
even lie on the ground through the winter 
and come up again. They' also seem cap¬ 
able of travelling by some unknown 
means or other, seeing that some of them 
come up in unexpected places. 
In small gardens A. speciosus would 
not be so suitable as Prince’s Feather, be¬ 
cause it grows 5 ft. to 6 ft. in height. 
The stems are perfectly eiect, and the 
upper portions of the plant, including 
bracts and flowers, are of a brownish crim¬ 
son, and therefore produce a fine effect by' 
contrast with the surrounding green vege¬ 
tation. In fairly large gardens, however, 
there are places where this subject would 
(Amarantus speciosus). 
suitably find a place. It should be fully' 
exposed to sunshine to get strong plants 
capable of supporting themselves and 
highly coloured bracts and flowers. 
Those who have a wild garden would 
find this a very uncommon subject for 
such a situation, and the method of rear¬ 
ing it would not be to throw the seeds 
amongst the grass, but to dig a piece of 
ground, not necessarily' of any particular 
shape, the more irregular the better. The 
ground should be raked to a fine tilth on 
the surface'and the small seeds either 
put in lines and covered in the ordinary- 
way' or scattered broadcast and then 
worked into the ground by means of an 
iron rake. To get the sturdiest plants 
the" should be thinned out to 15 in. apart, 
so as to give the foliage the best chance 
of acquiring vigour. If a large clump 
were grown together, so that one could 
shelter the other, supports would be un¬ 
necessary, though if the situation is at all 
windy one stake"to each plant would make 
it secure. 
