JANUARY. 13 
points. But the majority of the new sorts which I have purchased 
during the last half-a-dozen years have come to hand in anything but 
a satisfactory state, many of them looked as if they had been propagated 
from overworked plants, and had neither health nor vigour in them; 
and from such plants no real progress can be expected for one season at 
least; and some for which I have paid a long price have been so weakly, 
that I could not for months obtain from them a graft which I dared 
venture to work upon a free stock ; and then some have come to hand 
upon their own roots which are unfit in this state for those who desire 
to grow them into good sized specimens; and I should like to ascertain, 
six years hence, the proportions that will exist between the fine seven 
years old specimens of Queen of the Whites, and the number of plants 
of it sold last year; this, judged by the appearance of such of the 
original plants as I have seen, is a very weakly growing variety, and 
would, to say the least, be greatly improved in habit by being worked 
upon a free vigorous stock ; and this is but one instance out of many 
which I have met with of sorts being sent out in plants rooted from 
cuttings, and these evidently from overworked ill-conditioned plants, 
which ought to have been: grafted. But I have also received grafted 
plants which did their propagator very little credit, and gave me as 
little satisfaction. One received this season, a new variety, and at a 
long price, was small and very weakly when it came to hand, but was 
worked upon a stock which appeared strong, and I concluded that kind 
treatment would soon effect a very marked change. Months passed 
over, however, and the plant remained much as when I took it in hand. 
I turned it out of its pot—not a root to be seen—broke up the ball almost 
entirely, but did not meet with anything like a live or active root. I 
learnt, however, that the stock had been kept in a thumb pot until its 
roots had perished—then had been shifted, in the hope doubtless that 
it would some day take to the fresh soil thus kindly offered it, and 
this I received from one of our leading nurseries, where, I have no 
doubt, they know much more about the propagation of Azaleas than I 
do; and this is not the only grafted Azalea which I have received from 
the same great manufactory which has proved unsatisfactory. I have 
one plant, received some years since, about the progress of which I have 
always heen particularly anxious, but which I have never been able to 
get to make more than a very moderate growth, and this season it has 
thrown out a shoot below the graft, and I fear this will prove the stock to 
be what an honest intelligent propagator would not have used. And I 
have in my small collection several plants besides this grafted upon 
stocks which do not improve their growth, and which are not likely 
to last longer than the plants would have done upon their own roots, 
and these are what have been sent when I ordered worked plants, and 
are from various parties. 
But I think I have said enough to prove that Azaleas are often sent 
out in plants propagated apparently without any regard to the future of 
the plant, some being sent out in plants rooted from cuttings, which 
ought, in common fairness to the grower, to be worked, and others 
worked upon varieties which ought not to be used for this purpose. 
That this may be of very little consequence to many growers I allow, 
