ON. THE NERIUM OLEANDER. 111 
friend, which had been packed at least seventeen days before they came 
to hand, and had travelled upwards of 160 miles. When I opened the 
parcel, the Pinks were very much withered ; indeed, the grass had nearly 
become hay, and the earth and moss round the roots were perfectly dry : 
but the Carnations, though in a very bad state, were looking a little 
greener than the Pinks. I immediately placed them, as they were, 
with the moss around them, in a pan of spring water, into which I had 
dissolved some nitre—about a small teaspoonful to a quart. Jere they 
remained for twenty-four hours, at the end of which time the Carna- 
tions had entirely recovered their fresh green appearance, and in forty- 
eight hours the Pinks looked nearly as well. I planted them imme- 
diately on taking them out of the water, and they are now looking as 
wellas any others I possess. A quicker method is stated to be effectual, 
but this I never tried; it is as follows :—‘‘ Camphor is dissolved in 
alcohol until the latter is saturated; the alcohol is then put into soft 
water, in the proportion of two drops to half an ounce. Withered or 
apparently dead plants jut into this liqnid, and allowed to remain there 
from two to four hours, will revive if they had not been completely 
dead before being put in.” 
ON THE NERIUM OLEANDER, &e. 
In the two last volumes of this Magazine there have been inserted 
some queries, remarks, and instructions on the culture of this lovely 
tribe of plants. It cannot be too strongly recommended, and any 
information tending to its improved cultivation we are glad to obtain, 
The general complaints have been that the plant did not bloom freely ; 
the flower-buds dropped off, the plant becomes a naked, straggling, 
unsightly object. 
In its native climate and situations, the Oleander is found growing 
on the margins of or near to lakes, rivers, brooks, &¢., where the soil 
generally consists of the sediment deposit left by the muddy waters 
which have overflowed the banks. The summers are hot and dry, and 
winters comparatively cool. It generally commences blooming at the 
time of the overflowing of the waters, and this excess of water con- 
tributes to promote the vigour and constancy of bloom. When the 
blooming season is over, the several months of drought follow, and 
the ground becomes parched, during which the Oleander has its period 
of growth at first, and that of rest follows. It begins to move afresh 
‘when the autumnal rains descend, and in owr winter months the flower- 
buds are formed in those milder climates. A rich strong loam is 
what the plant requires, plenty of pot-room ; and when the flower-buds 
become exposed, the pots should be placed in pans, and a fresh supply 
of water be daily given, and occasional syringing over head. Mr. 
Beaton observes in the Cottage Gardener,— 
“The reason why the Oleander refuses to blossom, is either the 
want of sufficient heat, light, and air, while it is making its annual 
growth with us in summer, or for want of the necessary supply of water 
at the same time; and it must be the want of abundance of water at 
the roots that causes the flower-buds to drop off without expanding. 
