l 51 



mum. It grows as a compact bush of 

 about 3 feet, sub-evergreen, but losing 

 its leaves in severe winters. The deep, 

 funnel-shaped flowers are carried in 

 large rounded clusters, and vary in co- 

 lour from pale rose or lilac to lilac- 

 purple, with often an outer edging of a 

 deeper shade. It blooms during June, 

 its blossoms very fragrant when fully 

 open on a warm day. A fine group of 

 it is grown at Kew, immediately in the 

 rear of the great Palm House. (Syns. 

 R. hybridum^ fragrans, odoratum, and 

 ponticum deciduum . ) 



Other scarce crosses are R. gemmi- 

 ferum ; Ca rtoni, between Azalea nudi- 

 flora and Rhodode?idro?i catawbiense ; 

 and R. gowenianum, a plant of mixed 

 descent, coming hom. Azalea nudiflora 

 or viscosa and a Rhododendron itself a 

 cross between pont icu7n and catawbiense. 

 This plant has downy stems and sub- 

 evergreen leaves downy when young, 

 but smooth when mature. The flowers 

 are of a delicate light purple. Yet 

 another of these pretty crosses is roseum 

 odor -a turn , a charming little shrub with 

 small, richly fragrant flowers of rosy- 

 red, which may be finely flowered in 

 pots for the conservatory ; of this plant 

 there is a variety, elega7itissitnum, even 

 prettier in its wealth of flowers, flushed 

 and shaded like apple blossom. Many 

 crosses of like nature have died out al- 

 together before the rich choice of hybrid 

 Rhododendrons now cultivated. 



The above are old plants which have 

 become rare, but of late years a series of 

 similar crosses between these evergreen 

 and deciduous shrubs have been raised 

 by Belgian growers, and sent out under 



| the name of Azaleodendron, recalling 



! their mixed descent from various hybrid 

 Rhododendrons, such as PrmceCamille 

 de Rohan, Leopard, and yohn JV iterer, 



j and the hardy Ghent Azaleas. The va- 

 rieties sent out included Victoria, with 

 flowers of rosy- white; DocteurMasters, 

 small flowers of rosy-lilac with horse- 

 shoe markings ofrosy-crimson ; ZW/^r 

 JVittmack, large white flowers, flushed 

 at the base of the tube ; Directeur Rodi- 



\gas, pale rose shaded crimson; Edouard 

 Andre, with narrow leaves and small 



1 flowers of creamy white ; and jf tiles 

 Closon, with large finely-formed flowers 

 of rose and white. These semi-ever- 

 greens, though hardy and of fair vigour, 

 have not become popular,and seem like- 

 ly to disappear as others of like origin 

 have already done. 



The Floating Gardens of Kashmir. — One 

 I would not notice these unless one's attention 

 I were attracted to them, for they look like well- 

 cultivated banks of earth. But the term float- 

 1 ing-garden is no misnomer. They are not of 

 natural growth, but are constructed by the 

 peasants, who produce upon them cucumbers 

 and other vegetables for market. The roots of 

 aquatic plants growing in shallow places are 

 divided about 2 feet under water, so that they 

 lose all connection with the bottom of thelake, 

 but retain their former situation in respect of 

 each other. When thus detached from the soil 

 they are pressed into somewhat closer contact, 

 and formed into beds of about two yards in 

 breadth and of an indefinite length. The heads 

 of the Sedges, Reeds, and other plants of the 

 float are now cut off and laid upon its surface, 

 and covered with a thin coat of mud, which, 

 at first intercepted in its descent, gradually 

 sinks into the mass of matted roots. The bed 

 floats, but is kept in its place by a stake of Wil- 

 low driven through it at each end, which ad- 

 mits of its rising or falling with the rise or 

 fall of the water. — Knight, " Where Three 

 } Empires Meet." 



