CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - ZetaTalk

246 THE NURSERY-MANUALAuricula ( P~z’nwkc ~iurk~la). Prim 2dcm(17.(‘hoice or named varieties are propagated by natural offsets, orby dividing the plants. Seeds grow readily but may not beexpect.ed to reproduce the horticultural forms. They should besown in pans or pots in early spring (as March), pressed lightlyinto the soil and t.hinly covered ; provide temperature of aboutw ; germination takes place in three or four weeks; as soon aslarge enough, prick off into pans or flats and grow carefully.Averrhoa. Oxn&dcrccae.Handled in spring by half-ripened cuttings, under glass, withIjottom heat ; by seeds when obtainable.Avocado ( Pcrwa cl mrricana). Laurncm.l3utld~l stock is to be preferred to seedlings. Shield-budding is11sm~1lv emplo~~cd, in late autumn or winter in Florida, and May or,I unc iu (.‘wlifornia. Inarching and grafting under glass are alsopracticed, a~nl. cuttings struck over bottom heat. The seedlingstocks arc‘ raised in the open, the seeds being planted in pots orciircact.ly in grorrncl as soon as ripe. Germination. should takepiacc in two or three weeks ; plants should stand a foot or so apartin the rows. The fruit is sometimes called alligator pear, butthis name should be discouraged. Sttc I’ws~v, page X39.Azalea. li:ricflrrcr.Although azaleas and rhododendrons a.re united generically bvmany botanists, hort.iculturists usually think of them separat.ely.The azaleas are of two cultural groups, - the Indian or greenhouseevergreen kinds, and the hardy deciduous kinds.The Indian azaleas (Axalcrr indica or Rhododrwdrou ir~dicam)arc usually propapat.ed by cuttings and grafting. The cuttingsare preferably made of half-ripened wood in August, being struckin a frame with light bottom heat. The choicer varieties may betongue-grafted or veneer-grafted either in summer or winter oncutting-grown stocks, handling them in a frame or propagatinghouse.New varieties originate from seeds, which are sown inframes or pots in spring ; the soil should be sandy peat, or seedsmay be sown in chopped sphagnum and plants pricked out assoon 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 Ghentazaleas are hybrids of A. &~~~sis, A. jayonica or mollis, and others..