22 MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



80 degrees by day, and from 65 to "0 degrees at night, to grow them well. 

 When the flower-buds are set, the temperature to be gradually decreased, until 

 placed out of doors in June, in some shady situation. If wanted to flower early 

 in the autumn or winter, they should be set growing early in the spring. He 

 was opposed to the system of in-arching with bottles of water in which to insert 

 the end of the scion, as it requires too much nicety for general practice. 



Mr. Gilfoyle agreed with Mr. Fish in the advantage of bottom heat for the 

 orange trees, but did not think there was such an analogy between them and 

 camellias as to warrant a gardener to adopt the same practice for both. He 

 believed that the camellia, by the nature of the plant, could transpire from the 

 leaves but very little water ; while, on the contrary, the foliage and the wood of 

 the orange were naturally more permeable, and could receive a greater quantity 

 of water at the roots without fear of cankering them, or of souring the soil. 



Mr. Caie observed that the constitution of the plants should be closely studied, 

 to direct us in removing the buds and in the application of water, which may be 

 freely given to healthy plants in the flowering season. In his opinion, the 

 success of grafting does not depend upon the clay, buttle, or any other practice, 

 but is mainly to be attributed to the beneficial influence of a close atmosphere. 



Mr. T. Keane was sure that the idea of Mr. Fish was borne out by the fact 

 that the rays of the sun were concentrated on the drops of water which remained 

 on the plants, by which the blotched appearance was given to the leaves. He 

 approved of keeping them near the glass, and of shading them on hot sunny 

 da}'S. 



Mr. Shearer agreed with Mr. Caie, that camellias could be grown nearly all 

 the year round, and also in the advantage of keeping them near the glass to 

 receive the benefit of light and air. 



Mr. Croucher read an essay on the cultivation of the order Opuntiacea?. He 

 divided them into two classes; the first ranged under Cactus epiphyllum, the 

 second under Cactus melocactus. To raise new varieties of the Cactus epiphyl- 

 lum, he sows seeds raised from impregnating cross varieties in pots or pans, 

 filled with equal proportions of leaf-mould, light loam, and peat-earth, and 

 placing them in a temperature from 00 to 70 degrees. When propagated from 

 cuttings, the shoots are laid in the sun for a few days, and then potted and 

 placed in the above temperature. These should be grown from March to August, 

 when they should he removed to a dry airy situation in the greenhouse, and a 

 little water given them. Those to be flowered in March should be placed in the 

 forcin" house in January. When done flowering, the old shoots should b,i 

 thinned out, leaving the plants regularly furnished with flowering shoots for 

 another year. They may flower in autumn again, by keeping them in a growing- 

 state, shortly after done flowering. From such treatment he had seen plants, 

 two years old, producing fifty expanded blossoms. They may be potted at all 

 times, and grafted on the strong growing sorts. The compost he recommends is 

 equal portions of light turfy loam, pigeons' dung, brick rubbish, and a third of 

 sheep's dung. For the cultivation of Mamillaria, Melocactus, &c, he recom- 

 mends a house for the purpose, where the plants coidd be set near the glass, 

 o-rowino' them in a high temperature, with plenty of water in summer, potting 

 them high in the pot to prevent damping in dull weather, and keeping them 

 rather dry in winter, in a temperature, by fire-heat, from 45 to 50 degrees. The 

 soil he considers most suitable, to be equal portions of peat-eaith, rough sand, 

 maiden loam, and soft brick taken from any old wall; the rough pieces of the 

 latter to be used as drainage. 



Mr. R. Fish spoke in high terms of the Essay, but stated he had never been 

 very successful in the cultivation of the tribe. 



Mr. Caie made a series of remarks upon the different parts of the Essay. He 

 also noticed that, in specimens of the Melocactus, &c. ; imported, they had often 

 parts decaying, which it was necessary to cut out, and to fill the parts with 

 slaked lime. When appearing too damp, it was advisable to turn them out of 

 their pots, and allow the fresh roots to be issuing before potting them. All this 

 tribe he invariably potted high in the pot, as, when the base was resting on the 

 damp mould, it was very apt to rot ; but when potted sufficiently high, they 

 might have plenty of water in the growing season, without injuring them. 



