AUGUST. 171 



of such crossings are the production of varieties which have a ten- 

 dency to bloom in a very young and dwarf state, and sufficiently late 

 in the season to escape spring frosts, producing their flowers from 

 the middle of May till the latter part of June. 



As so little is known in connexion with the nature and effect 

 of hybridising amongst plants, we shall take this opportunity of en- 

 deavouring to describe, with reference to the Rhododendron, some 

 of the peculiarities which a very extensive practice has presented to 

 us. We find that, analogous to what is observed in the animal 

 kingdom, the greater the cross the more healthy the progeny, and 

 that breeding ' in and in' produces weak and deteriorated constitu- 

 tions. We have a remarkable instance of this in a batch of hybrids, 

 raised from Caucasicum album (that being a hybrid), fertilised by its 

 own pollen. I'he plants are extremely dwarf, with variegated foli- 

 age. So dwarf are they that many of them had eight or ten flower- 

 buds on, when only from four to six inches high, and four years old. 

 They, however, bloomed quite freely when only three years old, and 

 about as many inches high. Flowers produced by these dwarfs were 

 again fertilised by their own farina, and although seeds were pro- 

 duced and vegetated, the plants could not be kept alive ; but after 

 various durations of existence, from two to eighteen months, they 

 finally disappeared. One of the dwarfs above named, which we 

 have called Bride, fertilised with the pollen from another distinct 

 hybrid, has, however, produced some very healthy seedlings. A re- 

 markable example of the varied nature which hybridising effects in 

 the Rhododendron is afforded in a hybrid raised from R. Cataw- 

 biense by a large yellow Ghent Azalea. The ol)ject was to raise 

 a hardy yellow hybrid ; but in this we have been disappointed, as it 

 has proved to be pink, and we have named it Deception. It is an 

 extraordinary cross ; we never recollect meeting with so decided a 

 * sport.' It resembles neither of its parents, being one of our best 

 growers, with foliage large and thick, of a bright green, and when 

 in a young state it has the appearance of being coated with varnish. 

 Another remarkable sport is a hybrid, which we have called Towardii, 

 raised from Catawbiense by Altaclarense, being a perfect giant in 

 every respect. The foliage is very fine, and the flowers, both indi- 

 vidually and in the truss, remarkably large, each forming a perfect cup. 

 We know no Rhododendron equal to it in size and perfection of flowers. 



Having shewn some of the effects of hybridising upon the Rho- 

 dodendron, and the various breeds produced, we would beg to recom- 

 mend all who intend practising this very interesting branch of horti- 

 culture, no matter what class of plants they propose to operate on, 

 to choose the parents, whether species or hybrids, as far removed from 

 each other as is consistent with the constitution of the plants and 

 the result aimed at. We have in a tabular form appended a descrip- 

 tion of eight distinct sections of hybrid Rhododendrons ; and it will 

 be seen that all our third crosses, although all hybrids, have been 

 selected as distinct from each other as possible. The plants raised 

 from these crosses are all as healthy as we could wish, and they pre- 

 sent a very great diversity in the characters of their foliage. We 



