218 



THE CAMELLIA JAPONICA. 



to follow either reticulata or sasanqua, so 

 that it is possible they are distinct. Among 

 the species and varieties earliest introduced 

 mav be mentioned Sasanqua and Semi- 

 double Red in 1811; Double Red, 1818; 

 oleifera, 1819 ; Kissi, 1823 ; euryoides and 

 reticulata, 1824. Many have been re- 

 ceived from the continent, and among them 

 a number of rejected seedlings, bought in 

 England, propagated and named abroad, 

 and sent back with high sounding names 

 and descriptions, to be bought here, and 

 by good judges thrown away as worthless. 

 Florists who raise seedlings, save for their 

 own novelties some that they consider best, 

 and dispose of the others among persons 

 who use them for no other purpose than 

 sending out as novelties ; therefore in such 

 cases the public suffer as badly as if the 

 original raiser had sent them out, and in 

 many cases he buys back, under some 

 tempting description and name, some of 

 the very plants he thought not good enough 

 to name, and sometimes at a larger price 

 than he obtained for the whole batch. It 

 is not our purpose to inquire into the many 

 hundreds of sorts that are now to be found 

 in the various catalogues, nor to go into 

 the merits of many which are so like each 

 other, and so imperfect, as to be scarcely 

 worth culture ; but we shall give a few 

 names of varieties that may be grown with 

 credit, and describe our method of culti- 

 vation, which differs little perhaps from 

 that of other people who have succeeded. 



FIKST TREATMENT OF YOUNG PLANTS. 



These generally come to us in a very 

 small state. The imported plants frequent- 

 ly being the completion of their first growth 

 from a bud, and not more than two or 

 three leaves of the worked part, and often 

 upon a stock of small size, in pots filled 

 and matted with roots almost to solidity. 

 These are the most difficult to manage of 

 any, and if they were simply repotted in 

 vessels a size larger, would be as likely to 

 pine and die as to live. Many English 

 plants purchased in from some nurseries 

 will be found matted in the same way, 

 though larger, and they are in as great 

 danger, if merely shifted, as the smaller 

 ones, but from there being more to cut at 

 they would be headed in a little, to give 



vigor to new growth, while the smaller 

 ones have not a leaf to spare. The first 

 thing, therefore, to do with a new young 

 plant, is to turn out the ball and examine 

 the state of the roots ; if they do not fill 

 the pot, the conclusion is that the stock is 

 young as well as the plant, but it may be 

 that the stock has been matted in a smaller 

 one, and that the shift it has had has not 

 been properly conducted ; but if you see 

 healthy roots making their way round the 

 outside of the ball, there is no danger to be 

 apprehended ; they may be be shifted, if 

 the growth has been completed, into a pot 

 a size larger, without disturbing the ball. 

 If the roots are matted, take the ball out of 

 its confinement, and soak it an hour to wet 

 it quite through. If any part of the roots 

 appear rotted, carefully remove them, and 

 where they are in such a solid mat as to 

 prevent free growth, remove enough to 

 give the rest room to grow, and shake or 

 wash all the mould out ; better is it to cut 

 the roots almost to the stump, than to 

 leave on any that will not or cannot grow. 

 Now take loam that has been formed of 

 rotted turves; if they were cut thin, and 

 the vegetation rotted in them, they will be 

 found rich in vegetable mould, and would 

 grow plants almost without any mixture ; 

 but equal quantities of peat earth and rot- 

 ted cow dung, to the extent of one portion 

 to three of the loam, will render it lighter 

 and more porous. If the loam is of the top 

 spit, and the turves rotted in, or the turves 

 were originally cut very thick, the propor- 

 tion of vegetable mould will be much less, 

 and there must be vegetable mould or 

 more peat and cow dung to compensate. 

 If the loam be pretty nearly clean, but of 

 good friable quality — and it ought to be 

 the latter to answer at all — one-half loam 

 and one-fourth vegetable mould, and an 

 eighth each of cow dung and peat earth, 

 will do ; upon the mixing of these all ought 

 to be rubbed through a very coarse sieve, 

 such as would let a hazel nut through, and 

 when mixed, if it should appear too adhe- 

 sive, which is not very likely, a little silver 

 sand may be added until it is of right tex- 

 ture. Now take a pot of the proper size, 

 fill one-fourth with potsherds or crocks, 

 then some compost, highest in the middle, 

 enough to bring the collar of the plant 



