The Azalea and its Varieties. 457 



azalea without cutting at all, but the slitting of the stem, 

 that is, cutting a slice nearly half way through, and an inch 

 or two long, promotes the rooting ; whether this is by pre- 

 venting the return of the sap, or by any of the other means 

 that the writers on the subject pretend, is quite immaterial. 

 It is one way of half cutting off the supplies from the root, 

 and therefore inducing the half-separated branch to make an 

 effort to supply the deficiency. The effect is the growing of 

 roots at the place where the interruption is created. 



PROPAGATION BY EARTHING UP THE PLANT. 



If a plant of azalea be put in the groimd so deep as to 

 earth up the branches two or three inches, it is found in the 

 course of a season or two that all the branches that have 

 been sunk, have freely rooted the whole distance they have 

 been under ground. This has been found the case in old 

 plantations, where, in the course of time, the earth has been 

 raised ; and an old plant of azalea is frequently found so 

 much sunk in the ground, and so fully rooted where the base 

 of the branches have been below, that every branch formed 

 a plant, on pulling the old stool to pieces. It is quite certain 

 that deep planting is injurious to all those subjects which do 

 not strike root freely ; but it is equally certain, that if others 

 are buried to all but the tips of their branches, all the parts 

 within a given distance of the surface will strike out fresh 

 roots, and maintain themselves independent of the old root. 

 The willow is of this description, as is the common laurel ; 

 so also are cabbages and cauliflowers, and all the cabbage 

 tribe ; hence that practice of earthing up so generally and 

 beneficially practiced. The same principle no doubt governs, 

 that operates in half cutting away the supply by notching ; 

 that is, by sinking the old root deep enongh to lose the influ- 

 ence of the air, which is necessary to all roots, the means of 

 supplying the branches are lessened, and the branches make 

 the effort to make up the deficiency by forming roots of their 

 own. It is therefore certain, that if the old plant of azalea 

 be sunk so that the base of the branches shall be a few 

 inches under the soil, they will emit roots, and may be 



▼OL. XVIII. NO. X. 58 



