JULY. 147 



name of Alta-Clerense, from the place of their origin; and every 

 year since that time has added to the number, till it promises to rival 

 that of the allied genus of Azalea. I have a good many of these Alta- 

 Clerense varieties, differing somewhat in habit and foliage, but all 

 bearing nearly the same flower, viz. a bright crimson, finely marked. 

 They have been in flower with me for the last month, having had no 

 protection during the last winter, which, it will be remembered, passed 

 without frost till February. But in general I take the precaution 

 to mulch the roots at the first appearance of severe weather, and to 

 protect the plants by movable woollen screens thatched with straw. 



Messrs. Waterer, Standish, and Noble, and others, having suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining, by further crossings with the hardy species, 

 varieties of less tenderness of habit and of later bloom, with much 

 greater variety of colour, these first results of the High Clere ex- 

 periments will probably be henceforth cultivated chiefly for conserva- 

 tory ornament. For descriptions of the newly-raised hardy varieties, 

 I must refer your readers to the Catalogues published by the respec- 

 table and intelligent nurserymen before named, and also by Mr. 

 Baker of the same neighbourhood, who has in addition given a de- 

 scriptive list of hardy Azaleas — a beautiful tribe, whose nomencla- 

 ture requires revision and classification moie than any other. 



Of the white Rhododendrons that have flowered with me, the earliest 

 is Campanulatum, which bloomed beautifully in April, about the same 

 time with Caucasicum superbum, mentioned at p. 99 of your present 

 volume. These were followed in May by Caucasicum album and 

 Caucasicum pictum, raised by Mr. Ord of Manchester, perfectly 

 hardy and most beautiful varieties, the bright laurel-like foliage of 

 which sets off the pure white profusion of their delicately marked 

 flowers to the greatest advantage. Gloriosum, a very fine variety, 

 with the leaf and habit of Arboreum album ; Varium, with a slight 

 rose-tint, and some others ; while the following have delayed coming 

 out till the second week of the present month, June. Nivaticum, 

 in foliage and habit somewhat resembling Caucasicum album, but 

 more dense, especially in the truss of flower, delicately marked with 

 yellow, and very pretty. Multimaculatum and Guttatum beauti- 

 fully marked, but surpassed by Pictum, which is superior in size 

 and shape of the flower and the magnitude of the truss, while the 

 rich dark-brown marking of the upper petal is a conspicuous distinction 

 that at once attracts notice and admiration; it appears to be per- 

 fectly hardy, as are also Album grandiflorum and elegans, raised 

 by Mr. H. Waterer, first-rate varieties, having the leaf and habit of 

 Catawbiense, from which they are sprung. Venus is a beautiful pure 

 white, with fine dark-veined foliage, but flowers earlier, and is pro- 

 bably less hardy than the three last named ; as is no doubt the case 

 with Abiellanum, Albertus, and Alexandrina, beautiful varieties, with 

 the glossy dark foliage of Campanulatum, from which they are de- 

 scended. I have now named the principal of the white hybrids that 

 have flowered with me ; and proceed to the coloured ones. 



The earliest of these is Nobleanum, which has stood the winters 

 of several years well, flowering in April or earlier. Next come the 



