220 



THE CAMELLIA JAPONICA. 



than a green-house, either by means of a 

 hot-water tank, or a bark bed, but the spe- 

 cimen grower will look more to the strength 

 anil beauty of the growth than its quantity. 

 The joints are shorter, the leaves closer, 

 and the habit therefore more compact when 

 the plant is not hastened. These plants 

 will have made their growth much sooner 

 than those which are allowed to bloom; 

 and while the propagator will carefully re- 

 move the bloom buds again, the amateur 

 will probably allow his to perfect its flow- 

 ers for the next blooming time. 



PROPAGATION BY INARCHING. 



Grafting by approach or inarching is a 

 favorite mode of propagating the Camellia; 

 for this purpose, healthy stocks of the single, 

 or vigorously growing kinds are raised by 

 cuttings, of which we shall speak hereafter, 

 and are for this purpose procured two years 

 old. A shoot of the plant which is to be 

 propagated is bent towards the stock, the 

 wood is cut quite square on the face, and 

 nearly half way through. The stock is 

 cut in a similar way, so that they fit to- 

 gether well ; with a sharp knife a notch or 

 slit is made, which forms a kind of tongue 

 downwards in one, and upwards in the 

 other, and these are tucked in a little way, 

 so as to make the join more steady and 

 complete than when the two are merely 

 bound together without the tongue, al- 

 though they would unite even so. These 

 are then placed so as to make the barks of 

 both join on one side at least, which is all 

 that can be done if one is larger than the 

 other, but if both stock and shoot are the 

 same size the bark meets on both sides; the 

 stock must be fixed so that the join may 

 not be disturbed, and the plant, and that be 

 kept growing. The time of the year for 

 this operation is when the plants begin to 

 push their growth, and the stocks are grow- 

 ing, and if the stocks are not growing so 

 fast as the plant, it should be put in mode- 

 rate heat and be forced, but when they are 

 inarched they should both be put in heat, 

 something more than the ordinary green- 

 house, but not so warm as a stove. All 

 the shoots that are to be inarched should 

 be done at once, and the pots with the 

 stocks in them so fixed, by props or other- 

 wise, as that they cannot be shaken or 



disturbed. After a few weeks, say six at 

 the least, or two months is safer, the ties 

 may be undone, and the plants examined , 

 to see if the union have taken place, which, 

 if the join has been neat and the stocks in 

 good growing order, is pretty certain ; the 

 shoot that is on the main plant may then 

 be cut just below the join, the piece will 

 be then fairly in the stock ; when these are 

 all cut off they may be put near the light, 

 well watered, and the top of the stock that 

 is above the join be taken off, and thus the 

 whole nourishment of the stock thrown into 

 the graft ; when the growth is perfected, 

 they may be removed into a cool pit where 

 they can be shaded, and they will require 

 but little water. The greatest exactness 

 must be observed as to the state of the 

 plants when inarched ; the buds of the 

 plant ought to begin swelling, and the stock 

 begin to grow. If the stock be at all 

 bushy at the top, all but one shoot must be 

 removed, and the graft ought to be per- 

 formed below, on the thickest part of the 

 stock, that is to say, as low as the work 

 can be well done. With regard to the 

 shoot of the plant, be guided by circum- 

 stances; if there be two eyes above the 

 join it is enough, but as inarching, which 

 is troublesome compared with other graft- 

 ing, is resorted to for the sake of making 

 good strong plants at starting, they are 

 used much larger than would suffice ; many 

 who have favorite plants with a shoot that 

 can be spared will procure a good stock to 

 inarch it on, and be guided by the length 

 they wish to get rid of as to how much 

 they will join on the stock. 



PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 



This is the best way of propagating for 

 amateurs,bBcause it neither keeps the plants 

 out of their places, nor makes a litter in the 

 house ; they have only to take care that the 

 joins are made very neatly, fit very close^ 

 and are bound firmly, but not too tight. 

 Of the many ways of grafting none need 

 fail ; from a small piece of wood with only 

 a single bud on it, to a good long scion, all! 

 may be made to unite j but much depends 

 on circumstances, as to the mode employed. 

 The stocks must be in a growing state* and 

 the buds of the scion have begun to swelh 

 The stocks are in general headed dowa» 



