and the blossoms fade sooner than in half-shade. 
The hotter the spot, the more need for HUMUS in 
the soil. 
6. WINDBREAK. Azaleas dislike wind—par- 
ticularly a cold, hot or dry wind—and therefore 
they should have some protection on one side from 
prevailing winds, such as a wall, a hedge, ever. 
greens, or anything to break the force of the wind. 
This is more essential in colder climates. 
7. NO CULTIVATION. Since their fine root 
system is near the surface of the soil (usually be- 
tween the soil and the mulch), azaleas cannot be 
cultivated. Cultivation tears the roots and the 
plants die. Some nurseries cultivate the mulch oc- 
casionally, but take care not to cultivate the roots. 
This is necessary with a sawdust mulch which packs. 
Do not cultivate the soil at all, but hand-pull the 
weeds after a rain or watering, when they slip out 
easily. Do not pack the soil by trampling on your 
beds. 
DISEASES. Azalea Flower-spot is not to be 
feared in zones where winter freezes occur, The 
freezes kill it out the first year. It plays havoc 
however in southern coastal regions, Azalea Gall 
is a fungus disease easily recognized in the early 
“spring when new growth begins by the appearance 
of green, whitish, or brown protuberances of a pe- 
culiar fleshy growth. It is not serious, but the galls 
should be plucked off and burned and the plants 
sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, or dusted with fine 
sulphur, or any good fungicide. In the Southern 
mountains these galls were mistaken for fruit, and 
were regarded as “‘Shoneysuckles”, and when pickled 
were eaten as a delicacy. Hence, arose the name 
“‘honeysuckles” for native azaleas. When leaf-spot 
-or leaf-scorch, Or anything suspicious, appears, 
spray with Bordeaux. 
CAMELLIAS, HOLLIES, and RHODODEN- 
DRONS thrive under similar care. 
_ LITERATURE. “AZALEAS Kinds and Culture” 
by H. Harold Hume is an excellent book ($3.75)— 
available from The Macmillan Company, N. Y. 
FRIERSON’S FLOWERS 
DENMARK, SOUTH CAROLINA. 
[4] 
