THE CAMELLIA HOUSE. 101 
and bear abundantly: then the pipes for heating must 
be inthe pathway in front of the plants. Ifthe middle 
of the house is permanently planted out, considerable 
preparation must be made; which must consist of a 
deep bed of coarse peat at the bottom, to forma stratum 
of good soil and drainage. Then, on the top of this, 
put two feet of maiden loam and pure sandy peat, two 
parts of thelatter to one of the former; these should make 
up the bed to what is wanted, which should be fully 
one foot above the original level or the pathway in the 
house. The bed should be made as firm as possible as 
the compost is put in, by chopping it to pieces with the 
spade, mixing turf and soil together and treading it 
in well, and then it will sink considerably. 
The planting of the Camellias should be done as soon 
as the plants have done flowering, when they shouldbe 
kept close for a few weeks and a little heat put on to 
excite them a little, so as to induce some growth, and as 
soon as afew inches are made, discontinue the fire heat, 
but keep the house closed till the terminal bud is as 
large as a white pea, when it should be opened night 
and day throughout the summer until the end of 
November, frequently syringing the whole of the plants 
overhead through the summer to keep them clean. 
When Camellias are planted in the beds instead of being 
grown in pots, they naturally grow faster for some years 
to come, and ultimately become too large for the house, 
and then it must be made higher: this is both expensive 
and troublesome. Now there is no real occasion for this 
extra expense. The Camellia will bear the knife well, 
but I admit that some small loss is incurred by cutting 
back too severely, but if the cutting back of overgrown 
plants is judiciously done, no great loss will be sustained. 
