142 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Sir John Llewelyn, in reply, stated that he had never 

 personally tried manuring Rhododendrons, and should not like to 

 say that this treatment was not a good thing for the plants. 

 Rhododendrons, like other plants, prefer to grow in a certain 

 kind of soil, and it is possible that in certain situations they might 

 require manure. If there is a long dry summer, followed by a 

 damp autumn, the wood will not ripen sufficiently to resist the 

 effects of the early frosts. Under such conditions the buds of 

 Rhododendrons, although apparently healthy, will, if examined, 

 be found to contain a black speck, the first sign of decay. For 

 this reason B. cataiubiensc has been more largely used than B. 

 pontlcum, owing to the fact that the latter suffers much sooner 

 from winter frosts. In a hard winter, preceded by a damp autumn, 

 it will be found that B. catawbiense has produced more pips than 

 B. pontic um. The woolly kinds of Himalayan Rhododendrons 

 suffer also a great deal from frost, because their leaves absorb 

 and retain more moisture than the smooth-leaved varieties, and 

 if a severe frost occurs they will suffer to a very great extent. 



Prof. Cheshire, referring to the statement that cow-manure 

 was beneficial to Rhododendrons, explained that the reason of 

 this was probably because cow-manure contained only per cent, 

 of tricalcic phosphate, the animals retaining almost all the lime. 

 The manure, therefore, being almost deficient in this commodity,, 

 was more acceptable to Rhododendrons than manure from the 

 stable. 



Mr. W« Roupell mentioned that it would be found advisable, 

 instead of using manure for Rhododendrons, to use cocoa-nut 

 fibre, as it was very valuable for mixing with the soil as a 

 manure, and at the same time to retain sufficient moisture for the 

 needs of the plant. Manure, he said, was not suitable for soil 

 that was liable to crack ; and cocoa-nut fibre, on account of 

 retaining moisture and preventing cracking, was therefore more 

 valuable in every way. 



Sir Alexander Arbuthnot, in regard to Himalayan Rhodo- 

 dendrons, said there were many instances of absolute failure. He 

 had received many years ago from Dr. Geo. King, of the Rotanic 

 Gardens, Calcutta, a large quantity of seeds from Darjeeling, all 

 of which were sown or distributed among friends in Hampshire 

 and elsewhere ; and he believed that with hardly a single ex- 

 ception no one succeeded in raising plants from them which 



