THE CAMELLIA HOUSE. 101 



and bear abundantly : then the pipes for heating must 

 be in the pathway in front of the plants. If the middle 

 of the house is permanently planted out, considerable 

 preparation must be made ; which must consist of a 

 deep bed of coarse peat at the bottom, to form a stratum 

 of good soil and drainage. Then, on the top of this, 

 put two feet of maiden loam and pure sandy peat, two 

 parts of the latter to one of the former; these should make 

 up the bed to what is wanted, which should be fully 

 one foot above the original level or the pathway in the 

 house. The bed should be made as firm as possible as 

 the compost is put in, by chopping it to pieces with the 

 spade, mixing turf and soil together and treading it 

 in well, and then it will sink considerably. 



The planting of the Camellias should be done as soon 

 as the plants have done flowering, when they should be 

 kept close for a few weeks and a little heat put on to 

 excite them a little, so as to induce some growth, and as 

 soon as a few inches are made, discontinue the fire heat, 

 but keep the house closed till the terminal bud is as 

 large as a white pea, when it should be opened night 

 and day throughout the summer until the end of 

 November, frequently syringing the whole of the plants 

 overhead through the summer to keep them clean. 

 When Camellias are planted in the beds instead of being 

 grown in pots, they naturally grow faster for some years 

 to come, and ultimately become too large for the house, 

 and then it must be made higher : this is both expensive 

 and troublesome. Now there is no real occasion for this 

 extra expense. The Camellia will bear the knife well, 

 but I admit that some small loss is incurred by cutting 

 back too severely, but if the cutting back of overgrown 

 plants is judiciously done, no great loss will be sustained. 



