May 17, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
379 
the direction of under-thinning, leaving a few berries to be 
taken out “at the last minute” is almost certain to lead to the 
rubbing and disfigurement of those retained.—W. Iggulden. 
HARDY AZALEAS. 
Among the hosts of flowering plants and shrubs which adorn 
the gardens of this and many other lands, how noticeable it is that 
the various varieties of each species usually produce flowers, which 
however distinct they may be to a casual observer, are in reality 
only different shades of the same colour. Take, for instance, the 
Rose. Among Hybrid Perpetuals we have crimson, carmine, and 
pink shades of colour, and among them may be found a series of 
gradually deepening tints, which, if arranged in succession, would 
carry the eye almost imperceptibly from the palest to the deepest. 
Then among the Teas we have yellows, creams, bronzes, and creamy 
pinks, a similarity of colouring seems to be present in them all. 
Hardy Rhododendrons, too, though wonderfully varied in their 
markings do not yet supply us with a bright yellow, a blue, or a 
vivid scarlet. Whether or no we are likely to have them I cannot 
pretend to say. I am not learned in the science of the colour 
evolution, but simply state the facts as they appear to me. 
After this somewhat wide diversion I come to the plants whose 
beauties I sat down to write about, for undoubtedly they form a 
great feature at the present time in gardens where they are largely 
grown. Hardy Azaleas are indeed showy shrubs which hold an 
unique position among the inmates of our gardens, on account of 
the great variety of novel and beautiful shades of colour which 
their flowers possess. Orange, cream, yellow, salmon, terra-cotta, 
and buff may each be found among them in a distinct form. Then 
there is a great variety of intermediate shades of colour, which 
supply abundant material with which to display ingenuity and 
skill in the art of colour blending. 
In planting large beds a charming effect is obtained by arranging 
each shade of colour in a mass, beginning with the darkest in the 
centre, and so graduating them as to have the lightest and softest 
shades in groups around the edges. Now, while the majority are in 
flower, there is a good opportunity for taking notes as to which varie 
ties harmonise when planted near each other, for from the peculiar 
tints of many of them no written description will convey an adequate 
idea of the effect produced by planting particular varieties in juxta¬ 
position ; there is also a considerable difference among them in 
regard to time of flowering ; it is therefore a good plan to mark in 
separate lists those kinds which flower simultaneously, as well as 
to denote which should be planted next each other. 
Many persons seem to confound the various varieties of Azalea 
mollis with those of Ghent Azaleas. The former have much larger 
anl better shaped flowers than the latter, and the plants assume a 
more bushy habit, and do not grow so tall as the true Ghent 
Azaleas. For these reasons I prefer to keep each species in separate 
beds, so that the growth of the stronger does not overcrowd the 
weaker. Although the flowers of Ghent Azaleas do not possess the 
rounded outline of many other species their beautiful Honeysuckle¬ 
shaped trusses easily hold their own in point of attractiveness, and 
are much prized for use in the house ; though, unfortunately, if 
cut with long stems the flowers quickly fade, but if used with only 
2 or 3 inches of stem but little fault can be found with them on 
that score. The bushes are apt to become straggling if special 
attention is not given to them. A frequent cause of their doing 
so is pure starvation. In the first instance they are planted on beds 
which are raised too much, the consequence being the bushes suffer 
through drought in summer time, and the soil gradually crumbles 
away, leaving the surface roots bare, stunted growth inevitably 
follows, and what little is made by ihe natural laws which govern 
the circulation of sap is produced at the extremities of the shoots 
only. 
To remedy this state of affairs the beds ought to be only slightly 
raised, and should the situation be a low damp one, effectually 
drained. Given strong healthy plants to start with, good health may 
be maintained by annual top-dressings, which keep the surface 
roo'^3 active and induce shoots to spring from the base of the 
bushes. When they are thus maintained in a healthy condition 
Azaleas will bear pruning to keep them in shape. This may be 
performed directly the flowers have faded ; all that is necessary is 
to cut back straggling shoots to a point where there is a young 
growth. A little annual attention, and this kind will keep all 
within due bounds without sacrificing much of the next year’s 
flowering wood. 
When Azaleas are in an unhealthy condition it is not a good 
policy to prune them, as they seldom break well under such con¬ 
dition. They should first be improved in health by giving a 
top-dressing of sweet leaf soil, having regular attention in the 
matter of watering during bright weather, and then if the growth 
made shows signs of improvement be shortened the following 
season. Bushes that fail to show improvement when top-dressed 
ought to be lifted during the following autumn or spring, then if 
planted in compost of turfy loam and leaf soil in equal parts, 
a marked improvement in their condition will assuredly follow. 
Few shrubs will bear lifting and replanting so well as these 
Azaleas. We have a large bed which was so treated about the 
middle of March. The plants now in full flower, and do not show 
the slightest signs of having been disturbed, and the growth being 
made is as strong and healthy as anyone could desire. There is 
no valid reason why these delightful flowering shrubs should not 
adorn the shrubbery of British gardens, but where the natural soil 
is unsuitable for them, if planted in peat success in their culture 
may be assured.— H. Dunkin. 
TRUE AND FALSE WIREWORMS. 
Gardeners occasionally ask me questions about “ wireworm 
in some perplexity, evidently doubtful whether they know this- 
insect so as to identify it, though they may experience the mischief 
it does. It is a name of terror certainly, and no wonder. Of all 
FIG. 61.—DENDROBIUM DELLENSE. (See pape S86.) 
the destroyers of roots and underground stems none can be said^to' 
rival it, not even the most ravenous of underground caterpillars, 
as what this insect consumes represents but a small part of the 
damage caused by its subterranean operations amongst plants. 
Again, though small in size it feeds a long time before it reaches 
maturity. From three to four years is its period of growth, vary¬ 
ing with the seasons and the nature of the food. Some gardeners 
who are aware of this fact wonder how it is the beetle into which 
it develops appears every year—that is, some species or other of 
the Elater, Skipjack, or Clickbeetle ; but this is easily explained. 
The beetles we shall see in 1894 are the progeny of those that were 
abroad in 1890, and they will deposit eggs which will, unless the 
grubs are killed, produce beetles in 1898 or 1899. Next year there- 
will be out the descendants of the brood of 1891, and thus the; 
succession is kept up, there being grubs every year of all sizes. 
Wiry and tough the wireworm is indeed, especially after it has 
passed the juvenile period. A roller may pass over its body yet do 
no harm, and a digging implement fails to cut it through. 
It is advisable to know the difference between the true and 
the false or supposed wireworms. The name has been given by 
mistake to various species, even to some caterpillars, but chiefly to 
the cranefly grub or Tipu’a, and to some of the centipedes. In 
cylindrical form and toughness of skin all these have a certain 
resemblance to each other, and their mode of life is similar, but we 
can at once separate them by inspecting their legs. Centipedes 
have numerous legs, if not a hundred in all instances, at least a 
score or two. Larvaa of craneflies or Tipuloe have no legs ; being 
maggots, their movements are performed by the aid of minute 
hooks along the body. 
True wireworms, which are the larv® or grubs of some species 
of Elater or Clickbeetle, possess six short legs attached to the front 
segments. All of these insects, though not akin, are alike in their 
preference fora moist soil, but wireworms and millipedes are most 
generally distributed ; the cranefly grubs are less usual in gardens, 
