The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-10-14

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A flower-lover in one Of the suburbs
of a Western city, last spring, planted
a moon-vine at the north end of a
porch whose front extended across the
building, a distance of forty-five feet.
The situation was not favorable to the
vine, which needs more sun than it
could get at that place, but the south
ern end was occupied by a favorite
honeysuckle and as the owner had no
by the moon-vine, he separated the
twain as widely as possible.
so the moon-vine went into the shade
and, the summer being warm, it pros
pered better than had been expected.
Toward autumn, the owner was pass
ing one day by the southern end of his
gallery. among the groundshoots of
the honeysuckle, when he noticed the
tip of a strange plant, apparently a
vine, peeping from the dark green fol-
iage. Closer inspection disclosed an
other; finally, three or four more.
'"They are moon-yines," he said to
himself II wonder where they came
from?''
There was only one moon-vine on the
premises, so process of reasoning de-
duced the conclusion that the invaders
must have started from the north end
of the porch. Going thither, the owner
made an examination of the vine. This
disclosed several shoots running be-
meath the porch through lattice under
its timbers. Taking hold, he began to
pull, and out came a long rope of a
vine, bleached as white as ivory and
apparently without end. He rolled it
up on his left hand and elbow, like a
washerwoman rolling her clothesline.
and still it came until nearly fifty feet
of waxy vine were on his left arm.
Other shoots had done as well as the
first and altogether he pulled out and
wound about two hundred and fifty
feet of vine which had started under
the porch and kept on growing,
quantity more than double the length
and weight of the vine which had re-
manned outdoors and developed in the
open air.
The owner said to himself that the
mOon-vine must be a vegetable idiot.
No sensible plant would start into a
black cavern like the basement of g.
porch, and if a common-sense branch
holes in the latticework, all the energy
at the command of the parent plant
could not force it into the darkness.
Even if pushed in and tied by unsym-
pathetic experimental hands, it would
simply turn it's head around and grow
out again at the same hole Or the
nearest to it, for most plants are as
much afraid of the darkness as chill
dren
MOON-VINE DEVOID OF SENSE.
But the moon-vine has no sense at
ALL After it's shoots started under the
porch they did not know enough to
turn round and come back, but kept on
growing, and like Oliver Twist, want
ing more nourishment. The plant, like
an indu1gent parent, continued feeding
them While they grew on through the
entire season, unmindful of the fact
that they were devouring the substance
OF the rest of the branches.
But to do it justice, the moOn-vine
has no more sense in the light than it
has in the darkness. 1t knows enough
to grow and to rob it's neighbors of
their victuals, but it does not know
enough to take care of what it grows,
so its long rubbery runners fall on the
ground to wander ameng the gerani-
ums and often remain undetected, until
they attempt to sneak across the walk
to the verbena bed on the other side.
Then they are promptly identified, ar
rested dragged back to their quarters
and placed under bond for future good
behavior
But the effort at restraint is usually
in vain. The shoots will straggle off,
and. in an idiotic attempt to excuse
their wanderings. they send down long
I<tc far ~
make believe they are not runaWays
but belong where you find them. Like
other idiots, they must be safeguarded
at every pointed up here, their run
ners tucked in there, and drawn out
yonder-otherwise they sprawl as help
less as babies
Plants are generally quick-witted.
Wordsworth says that he believes that
every flower enjoys the air it breathes.
There must be truth in the idea, for,
after coming into being, the struggle
for life among plants is just as arduous
as that among animals.
Even the moon-vine knows enough
to Keep alive, though not enough to
take care of itself. in which respect it
differs from a host of others and in
particular from the morning-glo
which is the typical hustler among
vines. No matter how carefully re-
pressed in one season. it reappears the
next.
You may scratch round the geranium
and hibiscus roots all summer on the
lookout for your old enemy, pull out
every morning-glory you see, but to-
ward autumn your vigilance relaxes
belated seeds terminate, flower and
,oosproduce other seeds in time to SOW
=, az, garden for the next season, and
lshe morning glories reappear in
s. forge.
sHtorni7ag-glories the climbing cucum-
ser, the aove-vine. the Wild grapevine
.~he common passion-vine and the cy-
press-vine know well how to take care
OF themselves. AS soon as they appear
above ground they begin to hustle