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12 to 15 feet high, with glossy evergreen leaves.
The flowers are small, but have the odor of ripe
Bananas, and when in full bloom, the air is per
fumed by them, for a hundred yards around. —
The flowers give out its odor only when the sun
shines warm upon the bush, beginning about 11
o’clock in the morning, and continuing until
late in the afternoon.
Tke Magnolia Pumilla grows about < feet
high—flowers are larger than the Fuscata, and
have the smell of ripe pine apples. These begin
to give out their fragrance about 4 o’clock .in the
afternoon, and continue till late in the night
The Beds can be bordered with box to advan
tage this month. Place wooden sticks a foot
long, securely in the ground, around the edge of
the bed, and tie a strong twine string all around.
Dig out a narrow trench and place the ‘cuttings
in it, right up against the string, so that they
may beset in a perfectly straight line, and have
their tops all at the same height. Press the
earth firmly against them, and water whenever
the weather is dry. A well kept box bordering
to beds, gives the flower garden a neat and fin
ished appearance, at a very trifling cost.
Hyacinth and Tulip beds should be kept clean,
and the spring annuals transplanted, if they are
to be removed, and thinned out if they are to re
main on the beds where bulbs are planted. *
- an ♦ ■»
For the Southern Cultivator.
THE MISTAXG GBAPE OF TEXAS.
In the July number of the Southern Cultiva
tor, a writer on the Scuppernong grape asserts
that the Mustang grape of Texas is a distinct
species of the genus vitus rotundifolia, and also
that the Scuppernong is another distinct species
of the same genus. On the contrary, the facts
are, that the Scuppernong is only a form or va
riety of the species vitis rotundifolia. The Mus
hing grape is another species of the genus vitis,
viz: it is the Vitis mustangensis, having first
been described botanically, and named by me, in
1861, in the Proceedings of the Academy of Nat
ural Sciences of Philadelphia. Its specific name
is in allusion to its common name here, and also
it is particularly abundant on a small stream
called Mustang creek.
Some years previous to my description of this
grape, Lindheimer, a German botanist, now re
siding at New Braunfels in Texas, sent specimens
of this grape to Dr. Engelmen, of St. Louis,
who thinking it new, gave it the specific name of
Candicans, and sent it thus to Gray, of Cam
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR.
bridge, Mass. Gray, in a note on p. J 2, of Plan
tae Wrightiana, states: “ Vitis Qandicans En
gelm. (which is also the V. Coriacea of Slmt
tleworth PI. Rozel. exsic. from Southern Florida,)
is not the same as Vitis Californiea, Bent., to
which I was disposed to refer it. Perhaps it may
beV. Caroboca, 1). C.” In Plantac Lindhei
mianae, Gray refers it to the V. Californiea, but
gives no description, nor did Engleman ever pub
lish any description of it, nor any other person,
previous to my description of it in 1861. 1 men
tion this, because Gray now says that the name
of Engel man was prior to that of mine; where
as, according to the rules of scientific nomencla
ture, anew species must be described, and that
distinctly, and also the description must be pub
lished, to entitle any one to give it a permanent
name.
The Mustang grape makes a very good wine,
but like all other species of grapes, it varies
greatly. Some forms of it are very good to cat,
while others are perfectly unpalatable. I think
it must have been one of the latter forms, which
Mr. Van Buren had in cultivation ; lienee, he
pronounced the Mustang grape worthless. A
gentleman living near me, is cultivating it quite
extensively for wine-making purposes. He has
a white variety of it, which he prefers to any
other grape ho has, and he has many kinds.—
The Mustang grape is a rampant grower—more
so than any other American grape. On this ac
count it is often used in Texaa as a stock or
which to engraft other species, which are then
said to do remarkably w 11. The Mustang
thrives in all soils, from the poor uplands to the
rich river bottoms. It is both dioecious am 1 po
lygamous ; lienee, we sometimes find male plants
of it which never bear fruit.
It is very common throughout a large portion
of Texas, often over-spreading the largest trees,
and bearing enormous crops of fruit. The late
Thomas Affleck told me that he once made a
barrel of wine (42 gallons) from a single Vine of
it, which overspread a large live oak in his
grounds, in Washington county in this State.
S. B. BUCKLEY.
Austin, Texas, Sept. 27,1870.
ty “ I suppose,” said a quack, while feeling
the pulse of a patient who had reluctantly sub
mitted to solicit his advice, “I suppose you
think me a hit of a humbug V” “ Sir,” gravely
replied the sick man, “ I was not aware until
now that you could so readily discover a man’s
thoughts by feeling his pulse.”
437