RH 



502 



RHO 



until the middle of May, if hardy, for pots requires much care ; the best and 

 those flowering before the frosts have easiest way is to plunge the pots to the 

 ceased, have the hioorns spoiled." — rim in coal ashes, and siill have frames 

 Gai'd. and Prac. Flor. over them for the purpose of preserving 



Propagaiion. — By Seed. — The same 1 them trom excessive wet, heat, and 

 good tloricultural authority gives these cold. When they have perfected a 

 excellent directions: — " The seed ves- second growth, and are resting, shil\ 

 sels must be gathered as soon as ripe, ' them into forty-eight sized pots, and 



treat them as before, and so continue 

 shifting from size to size until they 

 flower." — Gard. and Prac. Flor. — 

 Gard. Chron. 



Raising Varieties is best done in 

 April from forced plants, the two in- 

 tended to be bred from being brought 

 into bloom at the same time. They 

 should be widely different in colour, 

 or form, or habit, or some peculiarity 

 which may be desirable to combine in 

 one. Hybrids may be obtained by im- 

 ' pregnating the Rhododendron with pol- 

 len from the Azalea. 



Grafting. — Mr. Glenny gives these 



and before they burst; let them lie in 



a drawer in the stove or green-house, 



or a sunny window, to burst and give 



out their seed : sow immediately ; and, 



to sow thin enough, mix it with twenty 



times its quantity of the smallest sand. 



Sow in pots with good drainage, and the 



following compost. One lialf rich loam, 



such as the top spit of an old meadow, 



sifted through a coarse sieve ; the other 



half the best peat or bog earth, such as 



is formed of the half-decayed fibres 



broken into pieces and rubbed through 



the same sieve ; by knocking the bottom 



of the pan or pot on the potting table or 



bench, the compost will be solid enough directions : — " Young plants of the R. 



without pressing ; level it and sow very Ponticum must be potted and well es- 



thinly ; then with a fine sieve, sift a lit- tablished before you want to use them. 



tie of the compost on the seeds very Cut them down within three inches of 



evenly, and only just enough to cover ; the pot, and adopt the mode of saddle 



tliem ; over this put a little tine sand, 

 not more than one sixteenth of an inch 



grafting. See Grafting. 



" Let the bark of the stock and scion 



deep. Take a brush about the texture , touch, if possible, all over ; but as the 

 and strength of a clothes brush, dip it stock may be, and often is, the largest, 

 in water, turn its hairs upwards, point- i let the bark fit perfectly on one side, 

 ing at the seeds, draw your hand along ' and fall short on the other. The plants 

 the hairs towards you, and they will i should be placed after the operation in 

 throw off" an almost imperceptible show- a garden frame kept from the air for a 

 er of moisture, by means of which the j day or two, and shaded altogether from 



whole surface can be fairly wetted with 

 out disturbing a seed or a grain of the \ 

 compost. When the seedlings have i 

 four good leaves, prick out into other 

 pans of the same kind of compost, three j 

 inches apart, carefully raising them ! 

 without disturbing the surface to hurt 

 the more backward seedlings, and the 



the sun. Side-grafting and inarching 

 are better modes of increase for the 

 Rhododendron than saddle-grafting. In 

 order to insure success, August or Sep- 

 tember is the best time for budding or 

 grafting Rhododendrons in the open 

 air. This plant being thin-rinded does 

 best by side-grafting, and buds of it had 



pan may be put back to its place, for j also better be inserted after the manner 

 the seeds will continue coming up for a of side-grafting, with a portion of the 

 considerable time. When pricked out, soft wood retained behind the bud." — 

 they should be watered, and afterwards Gard. Chron. — Gard. and Prac. Flor. 

 regularly. Though in the green-house [ Grafting may be done at almost any 

 keep them under hand-glasses for a few ' season of the year, and even the Chinese 

 days until re-established, after which ; Azalea may be inarched upon them. In 



summer, if a low stock be employed, it 

 is sufficient to turn over it a hand-glass; 

 but if the grafting be in the spring or 

 autumn, to obtain success a little bot- 

 tom heat is necessary. 



Other Modes of Propagation. — Lay- 

 ering and inarching may both be suc- 

 cessfully practised with the Rhododeu- 



they may be removed to a cold frame, 

 or put out of doors. Shade from the 

 mid-day sun, weed regularly, and care- ; 

 fully tend until they have grown to 

 touch each other. They should then 

 be potted in sixties in the same kind of j 

 soil. They have now only to be keptj 

 from getting dry, which in such small , 



