278 



THE CAMELLIA JAPONICA. 



better to trust entirely to the covering 

 against frost rather than risk fire heat of any 

 kind ; but the covering must be effectual, 

 that is to say, thick enough to prevent the 

 frost penetrating. As the buds begin to 

 burst and show colour, they should be re- 

 moved to where they are to bloom, whether 

 it be in the drawing-room, the conservato- 

 ry, greenhouse, or other place ; and this in 

 a mixed collection, will be from November 

 till April, according to the temperature in 

 which they are kept from the time of first 

 housing them. Nothing can be easier than 

 to keep up a respectable bloom through 

 these months. In general, it will be found 

 that at the end of the autumn, when they 

 have to be housed, there are some much 

 forwarder than others, without any pains 

 having been taken to make them so ; in this 

 case, you may make up your mind either to 

 bring them in bloom all together, by placing 

 the forwardest in cold pits, where they will 

 be retarded, and the backward ones into the 

 wanner houses, to bring them forward ; or 

 they may all be served alike, and so keep 

 up the long succession of bloom ; or they 

 may be still widened in the period of their 

 bloom by putting some of the forwardest 

 where they will be still hastened, and so 

 obtain bloom much earlier than they would 

 come in the ordinary way, although set and 

 swelled earlier. 



The varieties of Camellia amount to se- 

 veral hundreds, but very few have attained 

 anything like perfection. The Altheafloras 

 are confused in the centre ; the Anemone- 

 floras are little or no better. The only sorts 

 that are worthy at all of cultivation are 

 those which are improvements upon the dou- 

 ble white and double red, those of which 

 the petals are symmetrical, whole upon the 

 edge, high in the middle, and approaching 

 to a circular outline. Nevertheless, the 

 plant is in itself handsome, that even a bad 

 flower is passable and will always find its 

 admirers. Colour is a grand object. Stripes 

 and blotches are run after ; and these cha- 

 racteristics carry some through a large cir- 

 cle of buyers when they have no other qua- 

 lity but that to save them. Tricolor, a se- 

 mi-double ; Doncklaari, a semi-double ; and 

 many others, which have neither form nor 

 substance to recommend them, have never- 

 theless been purchased at a large price and 



in great numbers. They look rich as the 

 flower first bursts through its green cover- 

 ing, but are nothing as soon as their flow- 

 ers are fully developed. The list of the va- 

 rieties annexed comprises the best and most 

 varied ; but it is no use to pretend they are 

 one-half of them good enough to please us. 



January. — The plants in pits are to have 

 all the air that can be given on mild days. 

 It is as well to keep them somewhat close 

 in cold winds, but when the weather is 

 pretty calm, the glasses may be wholly re- 

 moved ; but however warm the evening, it 

 should not prevent the necessary precaution 

 of covering up. In the greenhouse, you 

 are necessarily guided by other plants as 

 well as the Camellia ; but the more air they 

 can have the better. A little more care 

 must be used when they are being forced, 

 or are put into houses with higher tempera- 

 ture, such as graperies, conservatories, and 

 forcing-houses. Some plants may be pro- 

 perly taken to houses of this description to 

 hasten the flowering. Attend to watering, 

 but do not give them too much ; they ought 

 not to be watered until the moisture is 

 greatly lessened ; then see that the drainage 

 is good, and water the soil all through, for 

 nothing is so deceptive and so dangerous 

 to plants as to wet the upper part of the soil 

 without soaking it all through. The les- 

 sening of the quantity of water in winter 

 time for these and all sorts of plants, is to 

 be by less frequent applications, not by giv- 

 ing a less quantity when they are watered. 

 Grafting may be done this month with 

 plants required to be rapidly propagated, 

 and especially the grafting with a single 

 bud and its wood ; and any that indicate a 

 disposition to grow may be done before they 

 get too forward. This applies particularly 

 to sorts with no bloom buds ; for having 

 no flowers to take the remaining sap, 

 branches will begin to grow the sooner. 



February. — Those plants which are 

 blooming may be placed where they are 

 wanted to flower. If in the drawing-room, 

 or any of the rooms in a dwelling-house, 

 remember that they are to have no fire in 

 the room to alter the temperature, as they 

 will throw off their buds at any sudden 

 check or any rapid excitement. Give air 

 to them in greenhouses and pits as far as 

 you can do it, and be careful that they are 



