January 12, 1907. 
Of the more iccent climbers notable for 
their flowers, few have proved so useful, 
handsome, and popular as the subject of 
thu note. It was found some years ago 
on the mountains of 1 urkestan, and intro¬ 
duced to this country by way of the St. 
Petersburg Botanic Gardens. It was first 
described by Kegel in -The Transactions" 
of that garden for 1884, where it is stated 
that the original locality where it was dis¬ 
covered was Bokhara. 'After being intro¬ 
duced to this country, it took some time 
to get established, but since then every 
cultivator into whose hands it has fallen 
has recognised the free flowering charac¬ 
ter and beauty of the plant, whether 
planted in the pleasure grounds or in gar¬ 
dens. 
The leaves are heart-shaped, not unlike 
those of the Convolvulus, and the plant is 
otherwise similar in habit, seeing that the 
long slender stems twine upon any sup¬ 
port with which they come in contact. 
After reaching the end of the supports, the 
slender branches then fall down grace¬ 
fully. and in a sunny position each little 
shoot terminates in a large cluster of white 
flowers, which may become slightly tinted 
with pink later on, but the general effect 
is white. Those who have not yet made 
its acquaintance will find it a very useful 
subject for planting against rustic work of 
any kind, such as pillars formed of the 
top of a tree and -furnished with side 
branches ; also for the pergola and high 
fences, which' it may be desirable to hide. 
In some cases cultivators plant it against 
a tree of no great value because, under 
these conditions, it seems most at home 
and most natural climbing over the living 
subject much in the same way as our own 
native Traveller’s Joy. 
The flowers are produced in succession 
from June or July to September, and are 
durable because the sepals themselves are 
white and never fall off, but keep fresh 
over a long time while the fruit is forming 
and ripening. Indeed, they constitute 
wings by which the seeds may be carried 
away by the winds,- and thus place the 
plants in new positions- 
it can thus he propagated by seeds, but 
well-established clumps may also be in¬ 
creased -by division in spring if pieces 
can be obtained with a few roots. Cut¬ 
tings taken from near the base of the plant 
and inserted in sandy soil during the 
summer months may be rooted in a cold 
frame, or by means of handlights or’bell- 
glasses. The accompanying illustration 
shows a plant which had almost entirely 
covered the top of a living Conifer at Kew. 
The stems, being herbaceous, die down 
annually and come up afresh in spring, 
so that there is no intricate labour of 
pruning, tying, and rigging up the plant 
afresh every year. When established it 
takes care of itself if furnished with a 
support. 
- - 
Potato Com.mersoni Violet, or the 
variety known under that name, is being 
sold in Ireland as a disease resisting one. 
[.1 Laclaren <£-= Sons. 
A Splendid Cliir.ber Polygonum baldschuanicunv. 
Birds and Fruit Buds. 
Of late years gardens, large and small, 
more or less, have suffered by the depre¬ 
dations of birds destroying the fruit buds 
of Plums, Pears. Apricots, Cherries, and 
sometimes Peaches and Nectarines, in 
many instances cjuife ruinously, which is 
a most serious thing for those who depend 
largely upon their fruit crop for working 
expenses. Some of our gardening friends 
contend that these mischievous birds are 
not blossom hud destroyers, that they are 
real friends to the fruit grower, and are 
in search of the maggot, which would 
eventually destroy the bud had not the 
bird forestalled it. For the sake of argu¬ 
ment, let us say such is gospel, vet is it 
not very strange that the buds left, open 
all right, and on inspection the organs 
are perfect: and what about those trees 
that are closely netted and the birds can¬ 
not sample them, and these trees are full 
of blossom. Yes, indeed, it is strange the 
gardener or fruit grower should net a tree 
haphazard, and practically every blossom 
bud maggotless. Again, see what havoc 
they play with Gooseberry bushes if left 
unprotected. Surely every' bud cannot 
contain a maggot ? No, it is not the 
maggot they' are in search of. there must 
be something in the buds that suits their 
palate. Therefore, it behoves all con¬ 
nected with hardy fruit culture, to take 
immediate steps to prevent their depreda¬ 
tions, and although it is usually early 
spring before much harm is noticeable, it 
is wisest to he ‘on the safe side, and either 
net the tflees as. soon as pruning and 
training is complete, or syringe them with 
an insecticide between now and when the 
sap forces the. buds either into leaf or 
blossom. Many of our sundriesmen now 
catalogue a liquid or powder for preserv¬ 
ing fruit buds from attack by r birds. 
' J. Mayne, Bicton. 
