rhododendron that appeared in England, and hardy ; it was raised at Ilighclere* 

 in llami»shirc, anil caiiscd (iiiite a sensation amoiiji; the admirers uf this (lower at the 

 time. >lany other good seedlings were snbse(|iiently raised, but the great fault of 

 these first seedlings, was their early season of blooming, lieing generally destroyed 

 by cold winds or frosts ; latterly, however, this has been overcome by repeated 

 crossing with the late blooming sj)ecies, until we have now varieties suflieieiitly 

 late, and of line shape and color. If any of our cultivators would like to experi- 

 ment in this way, take a plant of 11. Catawbiense, or R. ma.ximum, and in place 

 of crossing with a hybrid of the first generation, as altaclarense, cross with the 

 third or fourth generation (having one of these as parent in each cross); such would 

 be pulcheliuin, Towandii, elegans, Standishii, Mrs. Loudon, Sec, the offspring 

 will be a seedling nearly as hardy as its American i)areiit-, and, by following this 

 up, a race will be found as hardy as our native varieties, with Ijriiiiant, finely- 

 shaped flowers. There is another great advantage in this, whilst the first and 

 second generation of hybrids take many years to bloom, the third and fourth 

 bloou) at a very early age, and in the greatest profusion. !Many persons imagine 

 they can purchase rhododendrons in Europe at a very cheap rate ; so they can 

 such varieties as are usually planted in woods as shelter for game, and principally 

 composed of the poorest varieties of Pontica ; but a grower of such plants would 

 no more take these, than an orchardist would a lot of seedling crabs to plant his 

 orchard with ; when a good variety is produced, it is increased by grafting, and 

 as these require a little more care than common things, good varieties of rhodo 

 dendron command a good price. Varieties which are increased in this, way will 

 command two-and-sixpence to three-and-sixpence each, whilst rarer varieties run a 

 great deal higher. f Not their best seedlings can you get; breeders of rhododen- 

 drons, like raisers of other things, know from the [)arentage what to expect, and ijy 

 examining the foliage they can pick out all the finest and best varieties with vScarcely 

 a mistake. True, raisers are sometimes deceived in this way, but it is not often ; 

 the cullings of the beds are then sold cheaply to some of our bargain-hunting gen- 

 tlemen, when they doubtless think they have succeeded admirably. From })ar('nt- 

 age they cannot judge unless acquainted with rhododendrons and their breeding. 

 To illustrate this, take Catawbiense and cross it with altaclarense, and the result 

 will be a good scarlet hybrid ; but cross the latter with a similar hybrid, as pul- 

 cherriraa, and the result will be a race of the most miserable and worthless hyl>rids. 

 I know of no class of shrubs where more care or judgment is necessary than in 

 this very one, that good varieties alone may be selected. 



llhododendrons are more readily raised from seeds than persons unacquainted 

 with the operation may imagine ; the seed ripens aljout February ; it is very 

 minute, and should be sown immediately in pans or pots of very sandy peat or 

 leaf mould ; the seed had better not be covered, merely shaken over the surface 

 of the soil, and the latter kept covered with a little damp moss, until the seeds 

 are up and in their seed leaf, when it should be removed ; the seedlings must, 



* Mr. H. Burn, of Tottinghain Park, England, began to hydridize about tlie same time. 

 Fifteen years ago, on visiting Tottingbam Park, Mr. B. pointed out a large plant of R. 

 Catawbiense, from whicb he raised the bulk of his seedlings. It was at the time growing 

 with his other rhododendrons out-doors, but he remarked he was in the habit of putting it 

 in a tub early in spring, and force it that he might have it in bloom the same time as 

 arborea. 



f 1 am aware it has been said these may be purchased much lower ; but these are mixed 

 seedlings. A few years since a large lot came to this city from one of the most noted firms 

 in England ; they should have been Catawbiense and maxima, chiefly the former, but one 

 tenth did not belong to these varieties ; the consequence is, that sun and frost have nearly 

 destroyed the whole. 



