THE PLOEAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



71 



was inarclied was about an incli and a-lialf 

 in diameter, and the branch laid on not 

 more tlian four inches in len2;tli. 



The best compost for camellias is a por- 

 tion of good loam, peat, rotten cow-dung, 

 and decayed oak leaves. 



The composition ouijht to be as follows : 

 — half loam mixed with a small quantity 

 of cow-dunjr, a quarter of peat, and a 

 quarter of decayed leaves: these ought to 

 be laid in a heap together and frequently 

 turned and mixed together, and exposed to 

 winr], frost, hail, rain, and sunshine for two 

 years previous to its being vised. The pro- 

 per time for shifting the camellia is about 

 the beginning of August, or when the 

 shoots are ripened. Great care ought to be 

 taken not to put plants which are not well 

 rooted into too large pots ; this being one 

 of the greatest evils among woody green- 

 house plants. The great aim among gar- 

 deners ought to be to have the different 

 varieties in bloom in the months of January 

 and February, that being tlie time of the 

 year when a flower of any sort most glad- 

 dens the eye. To effect this the plants in 

 the summer time ought never to be placed 

 in the open air until tiieir buds are about 

 the size of peas. Some gardeners place 

 them in a gentle heat early in the summer, 

 which greatly assists their early flowering. 



When camellias are placed in the open 

 air too early in the summer, they generally 

 do not bloom until April and May, when 

 the heat of the sun is sometimes so power- 

 ful as to cause the buds to drop, unless they 

 are kept shaded. Camellias, under the 

 care of many gardener,?, drop their buds 

 just about the time they ought to be in 

 bloom. When this occurs among plants 

 which are well rooted, the cause is, in nine 

 cases out of ten, for want of a proper supply 

 of water. They require to be most boun- 

 tifully supplied with this element when they 



are coming into bloom. It often occurs 

 that the surface of the mould appears con- 

 tinually wet, while the mould underneath 

 is as dry as snuff, and probably has not 

 tasted a drop of water for years. When 

 such is the case the surface of the mould 

 ought to be frequently stirred up, and a 

 pointed instrument introduced in order to 

 let the water circulate freely, and prevent 

 it from running down the side of the pot ; 

 at other times the mould becomes com- 

 pletely saturated with water and seems as 

 heavy as a lump of lead : this will also 

 cause the buds to drop. This is the bane- 

 ful effect of putting them into dirty pots 

 and of worms getting into the pots among 

 the mould. When this occurs you may bid 

 good-day to the welfare of this or any other 

 plant, unless they be speedily shifted and 

 the old mould shook away ; then they 

 ought to be placed in a clean pot only 

 large enough to contain the roots. 



Although the camellia requires a plen- 

 tiful supjDiy of water at certain times, the 

 pots ought never to be placed in pans for 

 holding the water, as the water soon be- 

 comes stagnant and is sure to injure the 

 plant : the pots in all cases ouglit to be 

 well di-ained. The best situation for camel- 

 lias in the summer season is in a shady 

 part of a grass lawn : the grass may be 

 suffered to grow up among the pots, it being 

 of great use iu order to keep the roots cool 

 in the hot months of summer. The pots 

 ought always to be placed on boards in 

 order to prevent the worms from getting 

 into the pots. The situation where they 

 are to remain in the summer ought to be 

 overshadowed with lofty trees, iu order to 

 keep the sun from scorching the leaves ; 

 this not only prevents their being scorched 

 by the sun, but gives the leaves a healthy, 

 dark greeu appearance. 



.^«ft?rfW»i^«»«WS5«: 



THE GLOEY OF THE COTJIsTEY. 



Ox the summit of Clent Hill, in Worcester- 

 shire, adjoining the classic shades of Hagley, 

 the domain of Lord Lyttelton, there was 

 formerly a double seat on which was in- 

 scribed— Divina Gloria RuRAr.i.s. (To 

 the Divine Glory of the Country.') A more 

 appropriate inscription could not have 

 been chosen for so sublime a scene, com- 

 manding as it does a complete panoramic 

 view of the Midland Districts of England, 

 circumscribed by the distant mountams of 

 Wales. The poet Thomson has left us a 

 memento of its magnificence in his " Sea- 

 sons;" — 



"Meantime you gain the height, from whose fair 



brovy 

 The biirstingprospect spreads immense around; 

 And snatch'd o'er hill and dale, and wood, and 



Liwn, 

 And vei'dant field, and darkening heath between. 

 And villages erabosom'd solt in trees, 

 And spiry towns by surging columns mark'd 

 Of liousehold smoke, your eye excursive roams— 

 To where the broken lundsoape, by degrees 

 Ascending, rougbeus into rigid hills ; 

 O'er whioli the Cambrian mountiiins, hl;e far 



clouds 

 That skirt the blue horizon, dusky rise." 



The divine glory of the country has 

 engaged the attention of mankind from the 



