14 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Bodin, for the propagation of camellias, azaleas, and other hard 

 wooded plants. The Azalea Phoenicea has been found to be one 

 of the ver}"^ best for stocks. 



Cuttings are made of half ripened wood, cut smoothly, just 

 below a leaf bud. They may be planted in pans or pots, very 

 thoroughly drained with broken pots, on which should be a cover- 

 ing of moss, cut hay, or spent hops from the brewery, which I 

 have found to be most excellent for drainage. For soil we use 

 two-thirds peat and one-third fine white sand, but they will do 

 equally well in sand alone. As regards temperature, cuttings of 

 the azalea will root in a shady, cool place in the greenhouse. 

 This is, however, a slow process, and the better way is to cover the 

 pots with bell glasses, or, which is still better, to place them in a 

 bed with a mild heat. In this way cuttings root very freely, and 

 in two 3'^ears, with good care, will make pretty blooming plants. 



In the production of new varieties, if you desire white varieties, 

 use white sorts to cross with ; if red, then use red ; if variegated 

 sorts are desired then impregnate with the pollen of striped or 

 spotted sorts. For this purpose I use a small camel's hair pencil, 

 which I have always in my pocket, taking the pollen from one 

 flower and transferring it to another. The proper time to im- 

 pregnate the azalea is about three days after the flower is open. 

 At this time the stigma will be well developed, and in such a state 

 as to receive the pollen readily and before the stigma becomes 

 too glutinous. 



But we desire to go farther than merely obtaining beautiful 

 varieties, and to make the azalea hard}', so as to stand the open 

 air like the deciduous species, and this I deem quite probable by 

 the varieties which we shall obtain from the crosses of the Japan 

 species. The Azalea Indica alba is nearly hardy in England, and 

 has stood in some places for many years without protection. A 

 cross with this and the Japan species would give hopes of success. 



Although 1 have spoken of hybridization as the means of pro- 

 ducing new varieties no plant is more given to what is called 

 sporting than the azalea. §ome of the very best varieties we 

 have, owe their origin to a freak of nature ; that is, to flowers which 

 have departed from the natural type and given flowers of other 

 colors. To tliese we have given the name of sports. The}- are 

 perpetuated by grafting from the sporting branch, as I have de- 

 scribed in my lecture on hybridization, published in the Transac- 

 tions of the Society, for 1872. 



