CULTURE OF WINTER FLOWERING PLANTS. 133 



pots are laid on their sides, to prevent the soil from getting 

 excessively wet. 



The stocks on which the Camellia is inarched or graft- 

 ed are raised from cuttings of the single or strong-grow- 

 ing double varieties. Many of the double sorts make as 

 good plants raised from cuttings as by being grafted. 

 This is not the case with the double white, which is the 

 most valuable of all for winter flowers. The cuttings are 

 made from the ripened young wood, and are treated in 

 the usual way, (See chapter on Propagation.) 



The Camellia is not at all particular as regards soil, and 

 may be seen luxuriating in thoso of very different charac? 

 ters. The great points are a humid atmosphere^ a temper- 

 ature in winter not exceeding 50, in summer weather 

 keeping them out of doors or in the green-house, and partial 

 protection from the full rays of the sun. 



Large numbers are now being planted out in green- 

 houses specially erected for the purpose ; in this way they 

 grow with great luxuriance, and the flowers are usually 

 finer than when grown in pots. Caution must be used 

 to not stimulate a second growth in summer by undue 

 watering, else they may make another growth to the des- 

 truction of the flower buds. The Camellia cannot safely 

 be " forced " to produce early flowers by applying heat in 

 fall or winter, but to have flowers early the forcing must 

 be done in spring, while the plants are making their growth ; 

 at this time they will stand a temperature of 60 or 65 de- 

 grees at night with safety. Kept warm at this season, 

 the buds set early, and produce early flowers in fall and 

 winter. By thus forcing in spring for two seasons, the 

 greater part of the crop of Camellia flowers will be ob- 

 tained by the holidays, at which season they are most 

 valued. 



Of the varieties used for cut flowery the whites are those 

 prized most ; of these we have Double White and Fim- 

 briata as the early sorts, and Candidissima as the late. 



