14 THE FLORIST. 
for some are always prepared to propagate afresh by grafting on a strong 
vigorous stock any plant which they may receive in an unpromising 
state, and others merely want plants for decorative purposes, and hardly 
care whether a plant grows vigorously or otherwise, provided it blooms 
freely. But I have no hesitation in saying that the great majority of 
buyers would greatly prefer plants propagated in the best manner known 
to the trade. In the case of new sorts, there can be no question that 
experienced growers would choose, even in instances where the variety 
may be of a free vigorous habit, worked plants in preference to those 
upon their own roots ; and, as parties sending out new sorts seldom if 
ever have had a variety long enough in their possession to know whether 
it is safe to last upon its own roots or to grow freely in this state, it 
seems to me that all new sorts should be supplied in worked plants only. 
The expense of getting up a stock of worked plants would certainly be — 
something more than the same number upon their own roots would cost, 
but those who prefer a good article are generally willing to pay a fair price 
for it, and I think this could hardly merit notice; and, with the 
assistance of your work, I hope that we shall, in a year or two, find that 
all new Azaleas will be sent us in nice, free, promising little plants, 
worked upon Pheenicea, and this young and well, but not over-rooted 
for its pot room. 
But while I would esteem being able to procure all the new varieties 
in such plants as I have indicated as a great step in the right direction, 
I would still desire to see a further change in the present method of 
propagating the general stock of Azaleas; for experienced growers 
know that many of the best varieties in cultivation are liable to die 
through a decay of the bark about the collar, and I believe it would be 
more difficult to prove that any of our favourite varieties are safe not 
to drop off in this manner than that a great proportion of them are liable 
to do so. My experience has, as compared with that of many, been 
comparatively limited, but I have seen and known of a goodly number 
of valuable plants go off in this way, and some of them such as did not 
require working to make them grow freely ; and, so far as I can judge, 
some of those which are of the freest and strongest habit of growth are 
just as subject to die prematurely as weaker growers. But I have 
never yet seen a Pheenicea, nora specimen of any variety worked upon 
a Pheenicea die in this way, and I believe I have used plants of this 
variety so as to make them furnish tolerable proof that it is not subject 
to this malady, and I have also been unable to meet with anyone among 
my friends who has ever known a Pheenicea go off in the way which 
other varieties do. Now, if this ensuring the plant to live, with ordinary 
care, as long as ever it may be worth: keeping, was all the advantage 
gained by having worked plants, it ought, I think, to induce the trade 
to make the practice more general than they have yet done, for it is 
anything but pleasant to lose a good sized specimen, and have to reflect 
that if 1t had been worked upon a proper stock, the misfortune would 
n0t have happened. 
But it is also well known that many of the finest varieties in culti- 
vation are greatly impreved in habit by being grafted. Some growers 
assert that training the plants with clear stems for some height above 
