412 General Notices. 



diminished, according to the apparent inclemency of the weather. — {GarJ. 

 Jour., 1848, p. 339.) 



Culture of the Camellia. — [In our last two numbers we have given our 

 articles on the cultivation of the camellia, and it will be continued in our 

 next. In order that amateurs may get all the information on the growth of 

 so fine a plant, we copy the following from our English papers. — Ed.\ 



This beautiful tribe of plants has not received much attention from your 

 correspondents. 1 will, therefore, describe a mode of cultivation which I 

 have seen practised with success. 



As soon as the usual flowering season is over, which is about the end of 

 March or beginning of April, repot such of the plants, as require it, in 

 well-prepared compost of good loam, dung, peat, and sand ; the quantity of 

 each must be arranged according to the state of the plants, for if the plants 

 have been growing very vigorously, and have not flowered freely, it will be 

 desirable to use about equal parts of loam, dung, and peat soil, and about a 

 fourth part of sand ; but, if otherwise, make the compost a little richer, 

 that is, not to use quite so much peat. After the plants are potted, place 

 them in a shady house, fronting the north. If you have not got a house on 

 the north aspect, place them in any other bouse where you can shade them 

 when required, and where they will be subject to a heat of from sixty-five 

 to seventy-five degrees by day, and from fifty-five to sixty degrees by night. 

 This heat, I think, is far better than greater, during their time of growing, 

 as too much heat at this time has a tendency to render the growing shoots 

 both weakly and short. Always make it a rule to syringe them every 

 morning and evening when in a growing state, and, if the sun shines pow- 

 erfully, shade them slightly. I have seen them, under these circumstances, 

 to flourish and look far better, both at this time and the time of flowering, 

 than when exposed to the sun's rays during any period of the season. 

 Water them freely, and give as much air as the weather will permit. As 

 soon as the young shoots have done growing, which is easily perceived, 

 raise the heat to eighty degrees by day, and from sixty-five to seventy de- 

 grees by night. This increase of heat enables them to form their flower- 

 buds with greater facility and strength, and in far greater quantities. You 

 must particularly observe this increase of heat ; it ought to be applied im- 

 mediately they have perfected their shoots, before they come to a woody 

 texture, for, if delayed until the wood becomes hard, it has not the desired 

 effect of producing abundance of flower-buds. When they have completely 

 set their buds, which will be in about three weeks or a month after they 

 are subject to this increase of heat, gradually decrease the heat until about 

 the end of Jane, when they will be sufficiently hardy to stand out of doors. 

 Be careful to place them in rather shady situations, for, if placed where 

 they are exposed to the sun's rays, the leaves are not only liable to be 

 blotched and unsightly, but the plants are apt to push their flower-buds 

 prematurely. This is the great reason why the flower-buds fall off" without 

 properly coming into flower ; too sudden heat causes them to fall and push 

 forward too rapidly, and, on the contrary, a decrease of warmth at that 

 time checks their growth, and in that case causes them to fall. It is aston- 



