FOREIGN NOTICES. 



Zoi^eigo Botiee,s. 



CtTLTTVATioN OF CAMELLIAS. — Some cxtracts from an article on this subject by the Comte 

 de Nancy, in the ^^ Flore des Serres" may prove useful, more especially to beginners, in the 

 cultivation of these plants. The choice of soil, the Comte observes, is of the first importance. 

 Good peat, and peat only, should be used. The best is of a chestnut-brown colour, moderately 

 sandy, and soft to the touch ; that which is of a black muddy color, without sand, or containin"- 

 but very little, is bad. 



The Camellia generally likes moisture, but the degree of humidity varies according to the sea- 

 son. At the time of flowering, the waterings ought to be m-ore abundant than in winter • and 

 still more abundant when the plants begin to push, and during the whole period of their 

 growth. Water should be supplied towards night rather than the morning, and never in the 

 middle of the day. In hot weather it is advisable to throw water on the floor and footpaths, in 

 order to cool and moisten the atmosphere of the house ; but when the shoots have made their 

 growth, when their elongation naturally stops, in order that the wood may become matui-e and 

 firm towards the end of June, syringing must be sparingly performed ; for too much moisture, 

 together with the heat at that time, would overexcite the flow of sap, and induce a second 

 push, thereby preventing the formation of flower-buds. During winter the waterings should take 

 place at considerable intervals ; but at all times, even when the Camellia is most at rest, it is 

 necessary to keep the soil moist, for dryness is injurious to the health of the plant, and occasions 

 the flower-buds to drop. The water should be as nearly as possible of the same temperatm-e as 

 that of the house. Rain or river water is to be preferred to spring water. 



The Camellia requires plenty of air, and in order that it may circulate freely, the plants should 

 not be too near each other, otherwise the lower leaves are apt to drop off. 



It also requires abundance of light, and therefore low houses or pits are more suitable for it 

 than those old constructions commonly called Orangeriea ; but it cannot bear the ardent rays of 

 the sun, and must be protected from them by nets or other screens, or the glass may be thinly 

 painted over with white paint (Spanish white,) or with lime and milk, or with a thin solution of 

 glue. 



Repotting or shifting is not absolutely necessary until the roots completely fill the pot. The 

 operation is usually performed immediately after the flowering ; but in my opinion it is best 

 done after the plants have made their first shoots, that is to say, about the end of June or begin- 

 ning of July. I prefer this period, because the shifting affords the plant a more abundant supply 

 of nourishment, and consequently disposes it to push vigorous shoots rather than to form flower- 

 buds. Varieties not naturally iuclined to flower readily must have less jwt-room than those that 

 flower profusely. 



No shrub bears the operation of j^i'uning better than the Camellia does ; none submits with 

 more docility to all the forms of training which the fancy of the amateur may impose upon it; 

 espalier, bush, pyramid, all are suitable to it ; but of all forms the most graceful, the most ele- 

 gant, and at the same time th-e most advantageous, considering the small place to which green- 

 house plants are necessarily limited, and the facility of regular arrangement according to height, 

 is, in my opinion, the pyramidal form. I have myself adopted it. 



Certain varieties, generally those of moderate vigor, naturally take this form. Strong-grow- 

 ing sorts can only be brought to it by pruning. In order to do this, we must commence with 

 st year's shoots. The Camellia usually pushes twice in the first year of its growth ; first 

 spring, and again in the end of July or the beginning of August. It should be allowed to 



