visited in the early part of March. 203 



houses exclusively for their cultivation; and we would here sug- 

 gest to those gentlemen who intend to build such, the propriety 

 of constructing them with a slope to the north. The camellia 

 will not flourish in a house exposed to the direct rays of the sun; 

 and it would be certainly preferable to grow them in a house 

 facing the north, where they do not fall but an hour or two in the 

 middle of the day, and then so obliquely as to destroy all their 

 power, than in ordinary ones, where the plants always require 

 to be shaded, to prevent them from being scorched. The flow- 

 ers also remain in perfection a greater length of time, and the 

 air of the house is not kept in such a continual state of aridity, 

 which is very injurious to tlie well doing of the plants. We no- 

 ticed that Mr. Buist has the camellias placed at a good distance 

 from the glass; this we much approve of: we know from our own 

 personal experience that camellias, placed upon a stage near the 

 glass, rarely make a healthy growth, and, when growing in small 

 pots, the continual variation of the state of the soil is extremely 

 prejudicial to their health. No plants will bear growing at a 

 greater distance from the glass than camellias. 



The interior of this house is constructed with a front shelf, 

 about four feet in width; between this and the back border is the 

 walk. In the border are planted out several camellias at various 

 distances, and the space between them is filled with plants in 

 pots. The front shelf was filled with azaleas and other plants, 

 which prefer a cool temperature and shady situation. Of camel- 

 lias Mr. Buist has a considerable number; but his stock is, just 

 at this time, very much reduced. We observed but very few 

 large plants ; these have been mostly purchased by amateurs 

 making collections of this splendid flow^er, who are zealous to 

 procure strong and well furnished plants. Mr. Buist has raised 

 one very fine seedling, which he is now" propagating as fast as 

 nature and art will allow, so as to possess a stock before he lets 

 it go out. It is a white flower, well formed, with a distinct red 

 stripe through the centre of each petal; another seedling was just 

 showing color, and promised to be a white one. [Since these 

 remarks were written we have learnt that it has expanded, and 

 that it is a double white of surpassing beauty, equal, if not su- 

 perior, in elegance, to the old double white, and only to be ap- 

 preciated from an actual inspection of the flower. This is say- 

 ing considerable in its favor; but we see no reason why a seed- 

 ling equally as good as the double white should not be obtained in 

 this country as well as by the Chinese: there can be no doubt 

 but that it was by mere accident that this fine old variety, as well 

 as all the double Chinese ones, was produced.] We shall give 

 a correct description of it when we shall have become acquainted 

 with its character. JNIr. Buist has three seedlings, raised by J. 

 B. Smith, Esq., of this city; the names are Philadelphia, Ne 



