CHAP. LXIX. ERlC\^CEsE. RHODODENDRON. 1133 



ornamental shrub, not only in open situations, but, on a large scale, in woods, 

 to serve as undergrowth, and as a shelter for game. Professor Henslow, in a 

 communication to the jMtt^azinc of Xutural History, vol. ix. [). 4-TG., mentions 

 that he had seen some crystals of a substance resembling sugarcandy, which 

 were found in the decaying flowers of the It. ponticum. The syrup, which 

 afterwards hardened into these crystals, always exuded " from the upper sur- 

 face of the thickened base upon which the ovary is seated, and apparently 

 from a minute glandular spot placed between the sinus formed by the two 

 upper teeth of the calyx." The plant was in a morbid state, and the crystals 

 were found more particularly within some of the flowers that had withered 

 without fully expanding. In the Bulletin Universal, R. ponticum is stated to 

 contain some grains of common sugar, of a pure white colour, on the surface 

 of the upper division of the corolla. 



Soily Situation, fyc. It will grow in almost any soil; but, in England, it seems 

 to thrive best in sandy peat, or deep sandy loam. In the common manured 

 earth of gardens it succeeds worse than in unman ured loams of a close tex- 

 ture, even strong clays, particularly if the latter be kept moist. The want of 

 tenacity of the manured garden soil alluded to, more especially in a dry 

 season, seems not to allow it to cohere sufficiently to the small hair-like roots 

 of this order of plants, to enable their very minute spongioles to imbibe nou- 

 rishment from it. 



Propagation. All the rhododendrons may be propagated by cuttings of the 

 young shoots, taken off in a growing state, when their lower ends have begun 

 to ripen, and planted in pure sand, and covered with a bell-glass ; but, in 

 general, this mode is only worth adopting in the case of new and rare sorts. 

 By layers, also, is a common mode with sorts which do not seed freely, or 

 with particular varieties : but by far the most general method practised in 

 gardens is by seeds. These are produced in abundance in this country ; and 

 they are also received from America. They are ripe in August and Sep- 

 tember; and, though they will retain their vegetative properties for upwards of 

 a year, and some of them for several years, it is considered safest to sow 

 them soon after they are gathered. The seeds should be sown in peat soil, or 

 very fine sandy loam, in a shady border, or in pots ; and treated as re- 

 commended at the head of this section. 



Culture. After seedling plants have been a year in pots, or in the seed-bed, 

 they are transplanted into nursery lines, and removed every year, or every 

 second year, and placed at greater distances, till they have attained the size 

 at which it is considered desirable to sell them, or to plant them where they 

 are finally to remain. At whatever age or size they are removed from the 

 nursery, they require, in common with all hair-rooted plants, to have a small 

 ball of soil attached to their roots, and to have these carefully protected 

 from drought by mats. In consequence of almost all the rhododendrons 

 and azaleas being removable with balls, they may be transplanted at any 

 season of the year, though the autumn and spring are the periods generally 

 made choice of. In consequence, also, of peat soil readily adhering to the 

 fibrils of this genus, and, indeed, of all the .Ericaceae, it becomes less necessary 

 to grow them in pots for the convenience of removal, than is the case with 

 most other rare and valuable trees and shrubs : for example, the Bitgnolicfcoe*. 

 In some of the English nurseries, plants of Rhododendron ponticum are trained 

 w ith single steins, to the height of 4 ft. or 5 ft., before they are suffered to 

 branch off; and, so treated, they make very handsome small trees. 



Statistics. In the environs of London, some of the largest rhododendrons are in the arboretum 

 at Kew, where they are nearly 12 ft. high. In the woods at Kenwood, there are also several of this 

 height. At Wimbledon House, there is a bush, which, in 1834, was 33ft. in diameter. In Hamp- 

 shire, at Cuffhells, there is one which, in 1834, was 15 ft high, and the branches covered a space 

 39 ft. in diameter. In Bedfordshire, at Woburn Abbey, in dry sand, without any bog or other ar- 

 tificial soil, a plant, 20 years planted, in 1835 formed a bush i!8ft. in diameter. In Derbyshire, at 

 Shipley Hall, there is a /Rhododendron ponticum, which, in 1835, was 16 ft. high, the branches of 

 which cover a space 56ft. in diameter. In Scotland, at Minard, in Argyllshire, there is a plant 8 ft. 

 high, which covers a space '.u ft. in circumference. In Ireland, at Oriel Temple, near Dublin, one, 

 0) yean planted, was, in 1S.;4, 16ft. high, and covered a space 38ft. in diameter. At Morn Park, 

 near Cork, there is a plant which, in 10 years, is 9} ft. high, and the space covered by the branches 

 is 22 ft. (1 in. in diameter. At Castle Freke, in the same county, there is one about the same size. 



