54 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



leaves or stable manure. What is known as barren, un- 

 reclaimed heath land in some parts of Surrey, has a soil 

 which consists almost entirely of very fine sand from which 

 chalk is entirely absent, but it is comparatively rich in 

 humus. Such is the soil of Haslemere and the surround- 

 ing district, where heather and pine flourish. The Rhodo- 

 dendron gardens that have been formed on this soil are 

 a proof that it suits them. 



Rhododendrons have a close, finely fibrous root-system. 

 They are surface rooters ; the roots never extending far, nor 

 descending lower than a foot. A soil to suit them must 

 be one that is sweet as opposed to sour, must retain 

 moisture for a reasonable time, and resist drought. Such 

 a soil is generally rich in humus. It is not the chemical 

 composition of the soil so much as its mechanical texture 

 which decides whether it is suited to any particular plant. 

 Fertility is not a question of chemistry so much ^as one 

 of physical properties. A soil that is quickly responsive to 

 freshly applied manure is often the best from the cultivator's 

 point of view ; and it is certainly most easily controlled. 



In their native homes many Rhododendrons are 

 epiphytes. They therefore obtain nourishment entirely 

 from water plus the little humus that is contained in the 

 debris which accumulates about their rodts. It is quite 

 certain that water in which there is no lime supplies nearly 

 everything that a Rhododendron requires. In this respect 

 the plants resemble Orchids, and the experience of cultivators 

 supports the belief that Rhododendrons, like Orchids, obtain 

 pretty well all they require from water. It is difficult to 

 say why the presence of lime, either in the water or the 

 soil, should have such ill effects on the health of Rhodo- 

 dendrons and Orchids. 



