222 



THE CAMELLIA JAPONICA. 



to touch the compost, but not to go into it, 

 filling the pot all but enough room round 

 the edge to admit of a bell glass being 

 covered over, and the edge being pressed 

 into the sand ; a little gentle watering with 

 a fine rose closes the sand all about the 

 stems ; and they are to be covered with 

 the glass and put into gentle bottom heat, 

 and a paper over them for shade. The 

 glass may be left a few days, say three or 

 four, without being touched ; but in the 

 event of there being the least signs of 

 dryness, water over the glass so that it 

 may run down inside the edge of the pot, — 

 the sand will soon be saturated. The 

 glasses may be removed about the fourth 

 day and wiped, the cuttings watered all 

 over with a fine rose, and be covered again, 

 the glasses being first wiped dry inside. 

 Attention to these matters must be given 

 every morning, but on no account omitted 

 more than one day. The lower compost, 

 absorbing and drawing together, keeps the 

 sand pretty dry, and every two or four 

 hours they ought, by rights, to be refreshed, 

 in case of the sand being too dry, and the 

 glasses be wiped perfectly dry inside. In 

 a few weeks these cuttings will begin to 

 grow and root, for they will grow before 

 they are actually rooted ; and when tho- 

 roughly rooted, they should be potted off 

 into large sixty-sized pots, one in each. 

 Put a lump of peat, or some moss, or some 

 crocks, in the bottom of each, an inch 

 thickness, then a little compost, highest in 

 the middle ; now take the pot of cuttings, 

 and water them thoroughly; then strike 

 the pot on the table, gently, on its side, 

 and the sand and compost will loosen on 

 the side that is upwards ; do this all round 

 by turning the pot, when by a jerk the 

 whole ball may be delivered on the table. 

 This enables you to remove them one by 

 one, with all their roots. Hold them up* 

 right, one in the middle of each pot, rest- 

 ing it on the soil already there, or pressing 

 it down a little, if necessary, and spreading 

 the roots out all round the centre, but 

 keeping the roots pretty nearly to the top 

 of the soil — for none of the stems ought to 

 be buried — filling up all round with com- 

 post, gently pressed down round the side. 

 Well water them, and keep them under 

 glass, shut up a day or two, all shaded. 



If quite convenient, they would be all the 

 better for returning to a little warmth a 

 few days, but they must be carefully shaded. 

 When once they have established their 

 roots and are growing again, you mu3t be 

 guided by your means as to how long you 

 will keep them in the gentle heat of a pro- 

 pagating-house, or pit, or declining hot- 

 bed — all of which are good for them ; or 

 whether you will pot them to make their 

 growth without heat. When they have 

 completed their growth, which, under any 

 circumstances, will be in a few weeks af- 

 ter they start, and their wood is thoroughly 

 ripened, or any time afterwards previous to 

 their growing, they must be repotted into 

 forty-eight-sized pots ; and while under 

 hand for this purpose, all the side and use- 

 less shoots may be trimmed off". The pot- 

 ting to be done as before, and all of the 

 plants to be put into a brick pit, without 

 heat, but under glass, for protection. Here 

 they may make a second year's growth, in 

 which, state, or any time after, they wili be 

 in fine order for grafting. Many prefer 

 very strong stocks; and although one year 

 potted are often used, for new and scarce 

 varieties two years old is as young as they 

 ought to be ; and so that they are repotted 

 every year, and never allowed to be pot- 

 bound, the older a stock is, the more rapidly 

 does a new variety grafted or inarched on 

 it become a considerable tree ; the growth 

 being not only more rapid, but also more 

 vigorous and more noble ; for the foliage is 

 larger, the bloom larger and more durable, 

 and the colours better. Stocks are hardy 

 and healthy enough to thrive in a pit or 

 wooden garden frame or light, after they 

 are once established ; so that it is not only 

 little trouble, but it is very desirable to 

 keep up a number of healthy stocks of all 

 ages, doing a few every year, and repot- 

 ting them from season to season, so as to 

 have always ready some of any size and 

 about every age that they can be required, 

 whereon to graft the prunings of the best 

 plants, and any new variety you may pro- 

 cure, that it may be desirable to propagate. 



MANAGEMENT OF LARGER PLANTS. 



The Camellia is one of the least difficult 

 to manage of any half-hardy evergreen 

 shrubs. They require attention of the 



