ERICA, AZALEA, AND RHODODENDRON. 



173 



ART. 2 On the Culture of the Azalea. 



The Azalea, like the Erica, is a favorite plant in the green- 

 house, and requires nearly the same treatment. It seeds 

 freely, and is readily cultivated from the seed ; and many 

 very splendid new varieties have of late years been raised in 

 this manner, by hybridizing one variety with another. It is 

 certainly one of the best families of flowers we are at present 

 acquainted with ; for, besides all the splendid Chinese varie- 

 ties cultivated in the green-house, there are several beautiful 

 hardy kinds, natives of Turkey, and over seventy varieties 

 indigenous to North America, that inhabit swamps and dry 

 places, which are found growing in all the eastern States, and 

 are known by the name of the American Honeysuckle. 



The Azalea thrives well in a dry, sandy, peat earth, and, 

 when this is not to be found, a compost made of about two- 

 thirds sandy loam, taken from a dry spot, beside of a wood, witli 

 a portion of well decomposed leaf mould, and a little charcoal 

 dust, will answer well enough. A very great error is often 

 made by those unacquainted with the culture of this plant, by 

 collecting black, boggy earth from low places, which often 

 contains a quantity of the oxide of iron, and other mineral 

 qualities, highly detrimental to this class of plants ; besides, 

 such earth is often sour, owing to its being saturated with 

 water, than which nothing can be more detrimental to the 

 P2 



