grow best in peat soil, or very sandy loam, or vege- 
table mould: they are either increased by layers or 
by seeds. When raised in the latter way, the seeds 
must be sown early in the spring, in flat pans or 
pots filled with peat earth, and covered very 
slightly ; the pots or pans should then be set in a 
close frame, or at the front of a hot-house, till the 
plants come up, watering them very slightly when 
dry; and as soon as the seedlings have grown high 
enough to be laid hold of, they should be planted 
out into other pans or pots, filled with the same 
kind of mould; after which they may stand in a 
close frame for a few days, until they have struck 
fresh roots, and afterwards hardened to the air by 
degrees. The smaller kinds of Rhododendron may 
be propagated freely by cuttings, taken off from 
young wood, and planted in sand, placing a bell- 
glass over them. There are now in the gardens a 
great many hybrid kinds of Rhododendron, and 
are still increasing in number; some of which out- 
vie the species in splendour. The species, natives 
of Nipaul, China, and Japan, in mild winters, would 
probably succeed in the open air, but they will not 
survive a severe winter without protection; they 
are therefore best kept in pots, and placed among 
other greenhouse or frame plants. Rhododendron 
arboreum and Rhododendron album are among the 
most, showy of the species, and are well adapted 
for conservatories, or to be placed in large tubs in 
the greenhouse. Young cuttings of the tender kinds, 
if torn off close to the stem, and planted in a pot 
of sand, will strike root readily; the pot should be 
plunged in heat under a hand-glass. 
Don’s Syst. Bot. 3, 848. 
