CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - Pole Shift Survival Information

246 THE NURSERY-MANUAL
Auricula ( P~z’nwkc ~iurk~la). Prim 2dcm(17.
(‘hoice or named varieties are propagated by natural offsets, or
by dividing the plants. Seeds grow readily but may not be
expect.ed to reproduce the horticultural forms. They should be
sown in pans or pots in early spring (as March), pressed lightly
into the soil and t.hinly covered ; provide temperature of about
w ; germination takes place in three or four weeks; as soon as
large enough, prick off into pans or flats and grow carefully.
Averrhoa. Oxn&dcrccae.
Handled in spring by half-ripened cuttings, under glass, with
Ijottom heat ; by seeds when obtainable.
Avocado ( Pcrwa cl mrricana). Laurncm.
l3utld~l stock is to be preferred to seedlings. Shield-budding is
11sm~1lv emplo~~cd, in late autumn or winter in Florida, and May or
,I unc iu (.‘wlifornia. Inarching and grafting under glass are also
practiced, a~nl. cuttings struck over bottom heat. The seedling
stocks arc‘ raised in the open, the seeds being planted in pots or
ciircact.ly in grorrncl as soon as ripe. Germination. should take
piacc in two or three weeks ; plants should stand a foot or so apart
in the rows. The fruit is sometimes called alligator pear, but
this name should be discouraged. Sttc I’ws~v, page X39.
Azalea. li:ricflrrcr.
Although azaleas and rhododendrons a.re united generically bv
many botanists, hort.iculturists usually think of them separat.ely.
The azaleas are of two cultural groups, - the Indian or greenhouse
evergreen kinds, and the hardy deciduous kinds.
The Indian azaleas (Axalcrr indica or Rhododrwdrou ir~dicam)
arc usually propapat.ed by cuttings and grafting. The cuttings
are preferably made of half-ripened wood in August, being struck
in a frame with light bottom heat. The choicer varieties may be
tongue-grafted or veneer-grafted either in summer or winter on
cutting-grown stocks, handling them in a frame or propagatinghouse.
New varieties originate from seeds, which are sown in
frames or pots in spring ; the soil should be sandy peat, or seeds
may be sown in chopped sphagnum and plants pricked out as
soon as possible. The young plants are handled in boxes or frames ;
they should bloom in two or three years.
The deciduous outdoor azaleas are of many kinds. The Ghent
azaleas are hybrids of A. &~~~sis, A. jayonica or mollis, and others.
.