ON THE CULTURE OP THE CAMELLIA. 131 



kept in a gentle hotbed, or kept in a cool part of the hothouse, 

 they will soon become fine plants ; but if any are still inclined 

 to be of a straggling growth, their side-shoots should be shorten- 

 ed. No plant bears the knife better than the Camellia ; and here I 

 would recommend to those of your readers who have large 

 and ugly grown plants, to prune them freely, repot them, and 

 then place them in a little heat of some kind ; and however old 

 the wood may be which is left, it will soon be covered with young 

 shoots. 



The general management of the Camellia, is simple and easy ; 

 the chief points are to protect it from the scorching sun, and to 

 prevent its roots from matting round the sides of the pot. 

 -Should it be exposed during the spring and summer, to the in- 

 fluence of the sun, the deep dark green of its foliage soon fades, 

 and is followed by a sickly yellow hue, therefore I would recom- 

 mend, that from the beginning of April to the middle of Sep- 

 tember, the plants should be wholly shaded from the sun, or at 

 least, exposed only to the early morning sun ; — if this recommen- 

 dation be once followed, it will never afterwards be neglected. 

 However, hi recommending that the Camellia should be pro- 

 tected from the sun, I do not advise that it should be deprived of 

 light; yet it is worthy of remark, that even during the winter 

 months, this plant will thrive in the darkest parts of the green* 

 house and conservatory, where most others would soon be de- 

 stroyed. Except, during the growing season, when a liberal 

 supply of water should be given, the Camellia requires to be 

 kept rather dry; but if the roots are allowed to become matted,, 

 the water will run down the sides of the pot, and escape at the- 

 hole at the bottom, without penetrating the ball of the earth, the 

 roots will be impoverished, and will not imbibe a sufficiency of 

 moisture for the support of the plant, and the first symptoms of 

 this will be the sudden dropping of the leaves and buds, al- 

 though they appear green and healthy; the death of the patient 

 soon follows, unless the remedy be instantly applied by pruning, 

 repotting, and the application of artificial heat. 



" Some cultivators grow the Camellia chiefly in peat. Messrs, 

 Loddiges who have the most numerous collection of the genus, 

 formerly used loam with a little sand and peat, and they are 

 grown in similar soil, in the Hammersmith nursery. Of late 

 Messrs. Loddiges, find light loam alone, to answer as well, if not 

 better. In some establishments, rotten dung is mixed with loam 



