Why do not more gardeners grow Thunbergia Harrisii? I think everyone will agree with me when I say it is the best stove climber there is. It always looks nice, even when not in flower; and at this time of the year, when the stove is looking dull, its large clusters of pale blue Gloxinia-like flowers attract the attention of everyone that comes in the house. The plant we have in our stove, was planted out last February. It was then about 2 feet high. It was planted close by the hot-water pipes, in some good soil consisting of two parts loam, one of peat and one of sand, with a good sprinkling of bone dust. The plant soon began to grow, and by August it had nine good stems 25 feet long. We then stopped them, and kept all lateral wood pinched off. About the middle of November the flower spikes began to make their appearance, and now we have a fine show of over one hundred and twenty spikes in flower. Last July a spike came out from the main stem, and has kept on blooming ever since.

There have been about seven hundred blooms on that one spike, and it is still blooming. The spike is now 2 feet 10 inches, with a branch spike of 2 feet. No doubt some people will think that is a large spike, but when it is done blooming, I will send it to the Editor of the Gardeners' Monthly. I do not know how many more months that will be, for I see that there are more spikes coming out of that one. I think any one trying this old favorite, will not be sorry for doing so. It does best planted out, and trained on the roof of a hot-house giving each stem a different wire or string, and keeping all lateral wood pinched out. I prefer string, as it is more easily taken down, should it at any time want cleaning; but if the syringe is kept at work when not in flower, I do not think it is much bother to keep it clean. Lee, Mass.

[We asked a good gardener once, why he did not grow Thunbergia Harrisii? "Too much bother," he replied, " to keep it clean of red spider." But with the free use of the syringe, as Mr. Norman uses it, there will be but little trouble from this pest. - Ed. G. M].