352 The Camellia; Pruning. 



that severe pruning will quite spoil them, they are, in most 

 instances, left to assume the form most natural to each variety- 

 Some make short-jointed, stout wood, and, if not pruned, in 

 a short time become one mass of short branches ; others have 

 a straggling and irregular growth, and these, if left un- 

 pruned, become ugly-looking specimens; a third kind form 

 very long, upright shoots, and, if left to themselves, would 

 attain the height of ten feet, with scarcely any side branches. 

 Thus it will be noticed, that varieties, varying so much in 

 habit, need pruning, in order to give them symmetry of 

 shape, and at the same time induce them to produce a good 

 supply of flower-buds. 



In very extensive collections of camellias, where the stock 

 is large, and where they are crowded together during the 

 winter, many of the plants become what is termed lean; that 

 is, they lose most of the leaves on all the lower branches, 

 which, after a while, decay, and, in the place of bushy 

 specimens, they have one main stem with a little tuft of 

 branches at the top. In this state, unless they are needed as 

 standards, to tower up among dwarf plants, they have but 

 little beauty, and, in order to recover them, they need head- 

 ing nearly down to the soil. If well rooted, they soon throw 

 up vigorous shoots, and, selecting out a sufficient number of 

 these to make a good head, the others are rubbed off; with 

 good management, a finely formed compact bush may be 

 obtained in a very short time. 



The seasons of pruning are in spring immediately after 

 blooming, before the plants commence growing, or in Au- 

 gust, after they have ripened their wood. When pruned in 

 the spring, the plants should be placed in a warm and moist 

 atmosphere, which will cause them to break equally and 

 vigorously ; they should be kept well shaded and watered, 

 making free use of the syringe, until the new shoots are well 

 grown. They may then have the same treatment as the 

 other plants. 



If the pruning is done in August, the plants will require 

 no particular treatment ; they should remain with the other 

 plants in the open air, until the period of removal to the house, 

 as the object is not to start a new growth, which would not 

 mature before winter. They should, however, be repotted. In 



