126 



THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



thrive if potted loosely, or if the stuff they 

 ai'e potted in is in a very fine condition. 

 If the new soil does not take water kindly, 

 stand every one, as soon as potted, in a 

 pail of water full enough to run over the 

 brim of the pot ; after soaking in this 

 way for an hour, the ball will be moistened 

 quite through, and will afterwards take 

 the water whenever it is given. Twice a 

 year we treat all our potted Camellias to 

 such a soaking as this : first when they are 

 housed for the winter, when, having been 

 kept rather dry to harden the wood, the 

 water does not readily pass througli the 

 ball; and again as soon as the buds begin 

 to colour for blooming ; and having found 

 the practice beneficial, we recommend its 

 adoption as a regular feature in seasonal 

 management. It is not at all necessary, 

 however, to defer the repotting until 

 the summer-growtli is completed. If 

 shifted immediately the bloom is over, 

 the warmth given to encourage growth 

 above will also help to fill the pots witli 

 new roots, and the stvengtli of the next 

 bloom will be increased. I certainly pre- 

 fer, as the result of experience, spring 

 to summer shifts ; there is a better balance 

 of action induced between the foliage and 

 the root-fibres, and the buds get swelled 

 without exhaustion of the wood, which 

 must take place when the whole of the 

 growth has to be completed iu the old soil. 

 Soil. — The Camellia will grow in good 

 hazelly loam, in peat, and in leaf-mould, 

 with no other ingi'edient in eitlier case than 

 plenty of silver-sand ; but none of these 

 are sufficient of themselves. The best 

 staple material is old turf from a fat loam, 

 well chopped up and stacked for some 

 mouths to rot. If iueliuiiig to clay all the 



better, and for lai-ge plants the lumps 

 ought to be not smaller than walnuts. A. 

 mixture of turfy peat and silver-sand, 

 made rather fine, will run in between 

 these lumps, and make a firm material for 

 the roots to work into. Some growers 

 use peat alone, but it is too poor, and 

 needs a little old cow-dung mixed with it. 

 If such fat turf as is advised above cannot 

 be got in the district, I always leave half 

 an incli of spare space on the surface for a 

 mulch of old powdery dung, and when the 

 plants are swelling for bloom, or are put 

 into heat for forcing, I always rake some 

 of this off, and top-dress again with 

 similar powdery stuff of rather a stronger 

 texture, whicli is pressed firm on the sur- 

 face. Thoroughly rotten wood is also a 

 good material to mix with turf and peat, 

 as you will find upon turning a plant out 

 some time after that the new roots liave 

 run into the wood, before they have fairly 

 taken hold of the turf, and as it is a material 

 retentive of moisture, it suits the Camellia 

 admirably ; but if not thoroughly rotten, 

 so as to crumble between the finger and 

 thumb, it will not do. For seedlings and 

 young stocks, good bog-mould freshly 

 dug, and broken rough with the turf 

 adhering, is best, but it should be well 

 mixed with silver-sand, and drainage se- 

 cured by filling the pot one-third full of 

 the most turfy portions. One hollow 

 crock is plenty to use in potting young 

 plants if the lowest layer of soil is of this 

 open and turfy nature. At the next shift, 

 bog should be again llio chief of the staple, 

 with a little fat lumpy turf added ; and at 

 the next shift, the mixture recommended 

 above for old plants. 



An Oxb Gaedenee. 



THE CHEMISTEY OP HORTICULTUEE. 



BY MR. GEEMAN GEEEN. 



{Mead at a Meeting of the Hast London CJ/i'i/santhemnm Societi/.) 



Gentlemen, — Iu complying with a re- 

 quest to contribute a paper on the Che- 

 mistry of Horticulture, I feel I have 

 imdertaken a task of some difficulty, 

 considering the extensive nature of the 

 subject, and the limited means in a com- 

 munication of this character at our com- 

 mand. What is the object of Horticulture ? 

 It is to produce iu the most advantageous 

 manner certain qualities, such as size, 

 shape, or colour, in the different varieties 

 of plants we cultivate. This object can 



only be attained by the application of 

 those substances we know to be indis- 

 pensable to the development of each part 

 of the plant. This knowledge can only be 

 attained by the assistance of Chemistry. 

 What is Chemistry ? Chemistry is that 

 science the object of which is to examine 

 into the composition of the numer'ous 

 modifications of matter, and to investigate 

 the laws which govern them. The ancients 

 supposed that all objects were composed 

 of modifications of four elements, air, 



