THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



27 



most valuable. The growers of conti 

 nental Europe have made such a spe 

 cialty of growing azaleas that it is not 

 likely that we shall for some time look 

 to any other source for our supply. They 

 may have neither soil, climate nor labor 

 more suitable than we have in many 

 parts of this continent, but certain it 

 is that with our present facilities or 

 methods we cannot begin to raise an 

 azalea at anything like the same cost 

 and quality as those imported. New 

 varieties are, of course, raised from seed, 

 and at the third season you will be able 

 to see whether you have any improve 

 ments on existing varieties. 



They can also be propagated from cut 

 tings by inserting the cutting in sand 

 in March. A cutting of two and one- 

 half or three inches of what is known 

 as half -ripened wood is best; that is, 

 the young growth of spring, not in too 

 green or succulent a state, as you would 

 a verbena, nor too much ripened and 

 hard. A closely shaded frame with some 

 heat under the sand, either from pipes 

 or manure, would be the most favorable 

 condition. They are slow to root, and 

 in our climate the little plants or cut 

 tings are so liable to the attacks of 

 thrips and red spider during the summer 

 months, and so difficult to remove, that 

 propagation by cuttings is not worthy 

 of consideration, either to produce a fine 

 plant or for profitable operation. All 

 the plants we handle in our business are 

 grafted. Desirable and popular varieties 

 are grafted on stocks raised from the seed 

 of some strong growing varieties. Our 

 chief interest in the azalea is how to 

 handle them when they arrive here, and 

 how to care for those unsold, which 

 should make, by good care, fine plants 

 for the second or third year. 



Soil. 



It is generally acknowledged that a 

 soil containing lime is very unsuitable 

 for azaleas or any of the order erica- 

 ceae, which includes the heaths, rhodo 

 dendrons, etc. It will be noticed that 

 in some soils the plants imported and 

 potted in October have made scarcely 

 any young roots into the soil we give 

 them. The Belgians grow them in what 

 may have originally been a peaty soil 

 but it is saturated with manure, and 

 as their azaleas are always planted out 

 it is further enriched by constant doses 

 of liquid manure. They plant them out 

 after danger of frost, lift them if un 

 sold, and plant them on benches during 

 winter, and out again the next summer; 

 with all this disturbance of roots the 

 greatest vigor of health is maintained. 

 But peat is not entirely essential. Two- 

 thirds of turfy loam, not sifted, but 

 just broken up, and one-third of leaf- 

 mold, will make a good compost in 

 which azaleas will thrive. If to the 

 above is added one-tenth of finely sifted 

 decomposed cow manure, so much the 

 better. 



When unpacked, the roots are often 

 found dry. They have also rooted so 

 freely that to pot them just as received 

 would require an unwieldy pot. The 

 ball of earth can be reduced one-third 

 by shaking off the soil and this appears 



Indian Azalea Dr. Metzger, Grown in Pyramidal Form. 



to do the plant little or no harm. Con 

 siderable of the ball can be reduced by 

 slicing off an inch or so with a sharp 

 knife or hatchet. When the ball is re 

 duced to the required size and it should 

 only be aone when the roots would re 

 quire a pot out of proportion to the 

 plant soak the ball of roots in a tub 

 of water for a few seconds. Pot firmly. 

 If the soil is left loose, it will only be 

 a channel for the water to run down and 

 escape the roots that need it. 



For the first two or three weeks after 

 potting, the plants are best in a cool, 



shady and rather close house or frame; 

 after that, a cool, light house for those 

 you wish to flower the following faster. 

 By cool I mean 40 degrees at night is 

 ample, and to retard them still more, 

 anything above the freezing point will 

 do. Some varieties cannot be kept for 

 spring, and it is well to bring early va 

 rieties along, so that at all times during 

 winter you have some plants in flower. 

 At no time should the roots of the 

 azalea be allowed to get extremely dry. 

 They will not bear it; and it may be 

 well to state right here tuat the many 



