ORCHID-HOUSE. 



685 



year. And to effect this, Mr Beaton, who, we 

 believe, was the first to promulgate this mode 

 of flowering dwarf oleanders, directs to cut 

 down " the plants every year about the end of 

 March ; but when there is room, some may be 

 cut down as early as February and forced, 

 others in March, and a third lot at the end of 

 April, and they will come in next year in suc- 

 cession for bloom." Under this system the cut 

 plants are potted annually about the end of May, 

 or as soon as the young shoots are about two or 

 three joints long; and the flowering ones are 

 potted in April, when they have made a little 

 growth. When the pots are too large for the 

 size of the plants, as they will be about every 

 three years, the roots are reduced " by cutting 

 off the outside and part of the bottom of the 

 ball with a sharp knife, so as to enable them to 

 be put into a 5 or 6-inch pot. The best time 

 for this operation is just after flowering After 

 re-potting, keep the plants in a close pit, and in 

 four or five weeks the new roots will be formed. 

 In following out this system, never top a growing 

 shoot, unless it be those that arise around the 

 flowers, as already adverted to ; and never omit 

 cutting down the plants every spring after 

 flowering. 



Insects. — The white and brown scale are the 

 only enemies the oleander is subject to : their 

 removal is best effected by washing them off 

 with soap and water. 



SELECT LIST OF INDIAN AZALEAS. 



Agertonii, alba, alba striata, alba magna, 

 arborea purpurea, ardens, Apollo, Aurora, 

 amcena, ascendens, carnosa elegans, Chelsonii, 

 Californica, candidissima, cruenta elegans, Due 

 de Brabant, Duke of Devonshire, exquisite, 

 Extranii, Edmondsii, Fielder's white, Frostii, 

 fulgens, Gledstanesii candidissima, Hebe, in- 

 comparable, Iveryana, lateritia, lateritia alba, 

 lateritia grandiflora, magnifica, magnifica alba, 

 magniflora, modesta, Mrs Fry, Marie, Murryana, 

 optima, obtiesa, optabilis, pallida, prsestantis- 

 sima, purpurea pleno, Perryana, refulgens, 

 ramentacea, rubra pleno, rosa punctata, ru- 

 bens, sanguinea, splendens, speciosessima, tri- 

 umphans, variegata, Vesta, violacea superba, 

 vittata, vittata punctata, vittata Fortunii, vit- 

 tata rosea. 



The other plants we have named as associates 

 to the camellia require almost the same treat- 

 ment, soil, and temperature with it, except the 

 Indian rhododendrons, which prefer a turfy, 

 sandy, peat soil. They are all propagated by 

 cuttings, and the rhododendrons by grafting, 

 laying, and budding. They are also readily 

 propagated by seed, treated as recommended for 

 the azalea; but they require a greater supply 

 of water during the formation of their young 

 wood and flower buds than the others. The 

 rhododendrons are impatient of heat, and re- 

 quire a partial degree of heat and abundance of 

 water during the period they are making their 

 growth. The Daphnes are increased freely by 

 cuttings, or by grafting on the common stocks 

 of their own genera, the Magnolias by layers, 

 the Olive, Luculia, and Enkianthus, by cuttings 

 VOL II. 



of the half-ripened wood, planted in sand in a 

 mild temperature, and covered with a bell-glass. 



The varieties and even species of rhododen- 

 dron have been greatly increased of late, both 

 by the introduction of that section of Indian 

 species known as the Sikkim rhododendrons, 

 chiefly discovered by Dr Joseph Hooker, and 

 by numerous hybrids, originated in Europe. 

 Some of the former, being found at an altitude 

 of 14,000 feet, are no doubt hardy ; the majority 

 of them, however, cannot be so regarded, and, 

 like Arboreum and its varieties, should have the 

 protection of a glass structure, to which the 

 splendour of their flowers and singularity of 

 their foliage justly entitle them. Many of the 

 finer varieties of the latter flowering too early, 

 even when planted in the open borders, to escape 

 the late spring-frosts, deserve a similar protec- 

 tion, at least during the period of their flowering. 

 These may be grown during the summer months 

 in a sheltered border in the garden, and re- 

 potted during winter, and kept in the camellia- 

 house during spring, and afterwards turned out 

 to perfect their growth, which they do in our 

 climate, if not too early excited and afterwards 

 exposed to late spring- frosts. 



SELECT LIST OF RATHER TENDER HYBRID 

 RHODODENDRONS. 



Yellow. — *Aureum punctatum, *aureum su- 

 perbum, *Bakerianum, *Burlingtonii, *carneum 

 elegantissimum, *carneum versicolor, *con- 

 jestum aureum, *crystallinum, *cuperum, *ma- 

 cranthum flavum, *ornatum, *primulum for- 

 mosum (*Smith's), flavum. 



Amongst Scarlets and Crimsons the following 

 merit attention : Adele, atro coccinium, atro 

 rubens, Blandyanum, boquet de fiore, Bryanum, 

 Broughtonii, Charles de Loose, Comte de Bob- 

 rinsky, Comte de Bambuteau, eximium gigan- 

 teum, Gontran, Hendersonii, illuminator, in- 

 victum, Jacksonii, Lady Warrender, magnificum 

 novum, Mars, Prince Albert, prseclarum, prin- 

 ceps tigrinum, Reine d'Angleterre, Rembrandt, 

 rubrum spectabile, triumphans. 



White or White-spotted, with other colours. 

 — Abelianum, album elegans, album flavum, 

 Alexandria, Bianca, campanulatum superbum 

 (Jackson's), coriaceum, delectum (Chandler's), 

 delicatissimum (Waterer's), eburneum, luci- 

 ferum, superbissimum album. 



Indian Rhododendrons (species). — Alpinum, 

 argenteum, barbatum, Boothii, calycatum, 

 Campbellise, campanulatum, campylocarpum, 

 ciliatum (lilacinum), cinnabarinum, Dalhousise, 

 Edgeworthii, Falconerii, formosum (Gibsonii), 

 fulgens, glaucum, Griffithii (Aucklandii), Hodg- 

 sonii, Javanicum, jasminiflorum, lanatum, le- 

 pidotum, Maddeni, Nilagereanum, niveum, no- 

 bile, Paleii, pubescens, robustum, roseum, se- 

 tosum, Thomsonii, Wallichii, Wightii. 



§ 2. — ORCHID-HOUSE. 



In vol. i. we have given seven examples of 

 orchid-houses, figs. 556 to 565, any one of which 

 is well adapted for the purpose. It only re- 

 mains for us now to speak of the cultivation and 



4 S 



