304 NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 



liquid manure ; for it is wrong to wait till the leaves begin to flag 

 for want of water, because leaves from a tuberous root show a vigour 

 which does not entirely arise from the state of the soil, therefore the 

 soil should be examined and treated accordingly. As the flowers 

 expand, they must be shaded both from sun and rain. Shade them 

 with a covering raised two feet from the ground, so that air can pass 

 freely underneath, to prevent the stems being weakened, and unable 

 to support the weight of the flowers. After the bloom is over, water- 

 ing is no longer necessary, but the bed should be shaded in the 

 middle of hot days, and from wet, or the tubers will be kept in a 

 state of excitement, and be thereby materially weakened and injured. 

 By these means the foliage will soon begin to change its colour, and 

 become brown and dry, which will point out the time to take up the 

 roots, which should be done a month after the bloom is over. In 

 clearing away the fibres and soil that adheres to them, handle the 

 roots very gently as they are exceedingly brittle. The pieces that 

 happen to break off do not throw away, for in a few years they will 

 become fine blooming roots. Finally, clean the tubers and put in a 

 drawer, which place in an airy part of a room secure from frost, 

 where they remain till the planting season. If any of the roots are 

 large divide them, taking care to have two or three eyes to each piece; 

 such usually blow the first year. In selecting roots for a flower-bed, 

 choose such as are fresh and plump, of a medium size, for large over- 

 grown roots are hollow, and decayed in the centre ; these take care to 

 avoid, as they never bloom strong, the flowers being very small. If 

 the flower was originally very full and double, with age it loses that 

 property ; the petals become small, irregular, and diminish in 

 number, and finally, the sort perishes. 



PART II. 

 LIST OF NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 



Azalea Ludovicia. Garden Hybrid. (Bot. Reg.) The Hon. and Rev. 

 William Herbert raised this very pretty variety from seed which had been ob- 

 tained from Rhododendron ponticum, impregnated with the pollen of Azalea 

 pontics. The flowers are numerously produced in fine heads. Each blossom 

 has a short tube, and the expanded division of the flower is nearly two inches 

 across, pale yellow, handsomely tinged with rose, and the upper segment having 

 several distinct darker spots. The specific name Ludovicia was so given by 

 Mr. HerDert, in compliment to his eldest daughter Louisa. 



