ON THE CULTURE 01-' CAMELLIAS. 227 



stock begins to grow, the top is pinched off, to cause the sap to (low 

 to the bud. When the bud has pushed an inch or two, the top of 

 the slock is cut oil' about an inch above where it was inserted, 

 cutting the stock in a sloping manner from the bud. 



Grafting.— This is done by taking a scion and cutting a short 

 tongue about three inches from the bottom, a similar tongue is 

 made in the stock, after being fixed and tied, and clayed, or mossed 

 where tongued together, in the usual mode of grafting ; the bottom 

 portion of the scion is placed in a suspended phial filled with 

 water, this is supplied regularly afterwards, and it affords a consi- 

 derable support to the scion, and assists its union. The plant is 

 placed in a gentle hotbed frame, or moist plant stove. When the 

 graft has pushed two inches, the head of the stock is cut away 

 similar to those budded. 



Inarching. — This is the best and generally adopted method. Just 

 before the plants begin to grow in April or May, this operation is 

 performed. Young stocks about a epiarter of an inch in diameter 

 are placed around a plant, and after cutting a small portion from 

 the branch and from the stock, in order to place them firmly toge- 

 ther, a very short tongue is made in each, and after fitting they 

 are tied tightly together, and a little moss is bound over each part, 

 and afterwards kept moist. When the scion has pushed a little, 

 it is cut about half way through, and in a fortnight afterwards cut 

 clean away from the parent plant, and soon after the head of the 

 stock is cut away near the place of union. 



Increase by Seed. — This is obtained from the single and semi- 

 double flowers, the former for stocks to work upon, and the latter 

 for to obtain new and desirable varieties ; or, in case nothing new 

 is raised, still the plants do for stocks. The seeds usually require 

 to remain two years before they vegetate, occasionally they will 

 strike the first season. I place the seed in a cool frame the firal 

 year, and a hotbed frame the second. When the young plants 

 are two inches high I pot them off singly into small pots, place 

 them in moist heat for a week or two, and then take them into a 

 gn en-hoi 



When the plants raised by any of the above methods have grown 



a foot high, I pinch oil' the top bud of each" of the leading shout-, 



:i leader is afterwards retained t" eai b, and the plan! i i permitted 



i' high ;ts required, but attention is constantly paid rtJ 



