Commercial Gardening 



supplies of water to the sandy and peaty compost in which they should 

 be grown and firmly potted. In this way long clean shoots are made 

 early in the year, and by the end of May or by the middle of June the 

 plants may be stood out in the open air till about September or until 

 there is a danger of frost. During the summer months the plants must 

 be watered thoroughly when necessary, and each day should also be 

 well syringed early in the morning and late in the afternoon to encourage 

 and ripen the growth, and to prevent attacks of Red Spider and thrips 

 pests that are likely to be very troublesome in hot dry seasons. 



Under glass the plants, if afflicted, should be fumigated or vaporized 

 two or three evenings in succession to free them from pests or to prevent 

 attack. Old plants may be grown in the same soil for many years in 

 succession, and if supplied with weak liquid manure water when the 

 buds are swelling they will yield enormous crops of bloom. 



Azaleas flourish in sandy loam or peat, but the latter is generally 

 preferred. M. Georges Truffaut, who has paid special attention to the 

 chemical composition of the Indian Azalea and the soil in which it 

 grows best in parts of France and Belgium, gives the following figures 

 for four kinds of Continental leaf mould: 



It will be noticed that the Ghent leaf mould, which is famous for Azalea 

 culture, is more abundant in nitrogen, lime, and organic matter than the 

 other samples, and this may give a clue to mixing up a suitable compost. 

 Analysis of the ash of the different parts of an Azalea give the following 

 figures : 



From these it may be inferred that the practice of adding sharp sand 



