62 
ON THE CULTURE OF THE CHINESE AND INDIAN AZALEA. 
equally together, taking care not to make them too fine, and pot the plants. Afte; 
the plants are all shifted, remove them to a pit or vinery, where a moist temperaturf 
of from 60° to 75° is kept, and water and syringe them freely. By the end a 
August these pots will be stocked with roots, and therefore they must be shifter 
again, giving the strongest plants eight, and the weaker ones twelve-sized pok 
After this return them to the forcing-house ; and as flower is not the object of th 
first season’s growth, at least where specimens are required, persevere in you 
former method of treatment, and keep the plants growing until the middle c 
November. During the season of growth due attention must be paid to the stoppin 
of luxuriant branches, so as to make them produce abundance of side shoots, an 
the branches must be so disposed as to form a uniform and compact plant. 
We have got to the end of the first season; and as the enthusiastic cultivator, Iff 
the rest of mankind, now only consents to travel at railway speed, we will, havin 
given the plants two months’ rest, begin to start them again in January. At thi 
time they should be introduced into an early vinery, just set to work on a house i 
which a corresponding and gradual increase of temperature is to be observed ; an 
if any of the shoots have set flower buds, rub them all off, leaving one or two t 
prove the kind. During this season you must also persevere in the same metho 
of treatment, stopping the straggling shoots when necessary, and encouraging diffus 
and compact growth as much as possible. Do not however stop any of the shool 
after the middle of August, but from that time endeavour to bring the plants int 
moderate growth so as to ripen the wood, and set the bloom. Those plants whic 
are intended for early blooming, must be kept in heat until the flower-buds are <j 
considerable size — until in fact on breaking the bud the faint colour of the flower ca 
be discovered. By very gentle forcing these will bloom in the depth of wintei 
but when intended for late blooming the plants must be removed from the forcing 
house so soon as the flower -buds are perceived, kept in a cool dry pit, merelj 
excluding the frost throughout the winter and spring, and they will bloom in Juni 
and July. 
Thus we have traced the cutting or graft from its infancy into a large bloomin 
specimen plant, which with ordinary treatment will continue to delight you with it 
bloom for a number of years. The treatment in future will be simply to give theiji 
a season of growth in heat after they have done blooming, and until their bloom fcj 
the following season is set, potting them wherever it is considered necessary, an! 
supplying them liberally during the growing season with liquid manure. 
The only insects which Azaleas are subject to are thrips and green-fly, both ( 
which may be destroyed by frequent but slight fumigations of tobacco. They als 
suffer occasionally from attacks of mildew, which is best removed or checked by 1 
liberal dusting of sulphur directly it is perceived. 
Subjoined is a list of thirty of the best and most distinct Azaleas which hav 
come under our notice, and which have the further advantage of not being ver 
expensive. 
