THE HEATH AND RHODODENDRON FAMILY. 287 



and hope to see some of them flower next year. All the 

 difference I see in them at the present time is that they are 

 stronger in growth and with larger foliage than other young 

 seedling Azaleas sown at the same time. I selected ' Stella ' for 

 experiment in this case, as it is a very strong-growing variety 

 and of fine habit, and also for the colour of its flowers." 



Mr Tillery has also succeeded in crossing Azalea mollis and 

 A. sinensis, and the seedlings are healthy, but have not yet 

 flowered. In writing to the ' Florist,' 1875, P- 2 ^ 2 > tne 

 same hybridist remarks : "I have fertilised some flowers of 

 Azalea indica ' Stella ' with the pollen of A. mollis, and the 

 seed seems swelling well, so that there is a chance of a new 

 strain in Azaleas." Although most of our improved varieties 

 of Indian Azaleas have been imported from the Continent, and 

 especially from Belgian gardens, it is interesting to find that 

 Mr Phillips Frost (now of Dropmore) raised some fine seed- 

 lings, which were sent out by Knight and Perry of Chelsea 

 many years ago (1830-40). Mr Frost sowed seed from a white 

 variety, and this, without any artificial cross-fertilisation on his 

 part, produced offspring of various colours. Among this batch 

 of seedlings at least four were named and distributed, these 

 being A. Frostii, A. Grenvillei, A. Chelsonii, and A. Duke of 

 Devonshire. These varieties must have been among the ear- 

 liest seedlings raised in this country. 



The hardy varieties known as American or Ghent Azaleas 

 are hybrids or selected seedlings which were originated at 

 Ghent, whence the popular name, and they are all varieties 

 or hybrids of A. calendulacea, A. speciosa, A. viscosa, and A. 

 nudiflora. Seed should be sown in pans of light sandy soil 

 in the spring, and placed in a gentle bottom-heat. When the 

 young plants make their appearance admit air after watering, 

 as they are apt to damp off; indeed it is a tendency to rot off 

 or decay at the collar which renders grafting on A. phcenida 

 as a stock necessary, in multiplying and perpetuating all" the 

 finer and more tender varieties. Artificial fertilisation is the 

 surest way of obtaining any particular improvement in shape, 

 habit, or colour of the flower ; but seed taken promiscuously 

 from selected varieties gives a fair percentage of good flowers. 

 Azaleas seed so freely that the seed-vessels are carefully re- 

 moved from specimen plants after flowering in order to hus- 

 band their strength for future bloom. A. hybrida enneandra 

 (see * Bot. Mag.,' t. 2308) is supposed to be a natural hybrid 

 between a white-flowered Azalea accidentally fertilised by the 

 pollen of Rhododendron ponticum, which stood near it. Raised 

 from seeds of the Azalea, the habit of the plant is that of a 



