Foreign J\*otices. — England. 105 



they have produced roots; the soil light sandy loam, with good drain- 

 age, an abundance of water may be given with advantage, but it was 

 a great disadvantage to keep them at a great distance from the glass, 

 where they will not mature their buds. When the roots of camellias 

 were coiled, he found it beneficial to tie hay-bands around the stems 

 to retain the moisture, by w hich they were much invigorated. 



"Mr. Fish saw camellias flower pretty well fifteen and sixteen feet 

 from the glass, but about three or four feet from the glass he observ- 

 ed them to flower better and more abundantly. He would recom- 

 mend crown glass to be used for camellia houses, as defects in the 

 glass are likely to concentrate the rays of thesun on the leaves of the 

 plants, and to give the blotched aj)pearance often to be observed on 

 them; he has kept uj) a succession of flowering plants for seven 

 months in the year. The temperature, when flowering, to be 6C 

 in the day, 50^ to 55*^ at night; the soil one quarter leaf mould, one 

 quarter sand, one quarter peat, and one quarter loam. He consider- 

 ed good strong adhesive loam would be the best for growing lar^e 

 plants, but would not answer so well for flowering them. He agreed 

 with Mr. Shearer, in the advantage of disbudding to produce large 

 flowers; and also that water, by deficient drainage, stagnates and 

 sours in the soil, which is the principal cause of l)uds falling off. He 

 did not think the camellia a plant of easy culture, as it requires a 

 great deal of attention to produce good forced flowers. He disrooted 

 camellias which were in a bad state, then plunged them in dung heat, 

 with the temperature at 50^, increasing as vegetation proceeded, al- 

 lowing it to range as high as 80^, with sunshine. 



"Mr. Caie objected to bottom heat, as being injurious by exciting 

 too much the plant that had been disrooted. 



"Mr. Massey agreed with Mr. Caie in the disadvantage of bottom 

 heat. He saw fine camellias at Enfield kept in tubs, and put out in 

 the summer in a shady |)lace. He thinks too much water to be the 

 cause of the buds falling off". 



'^Mr. Caie believed that plants, at a great distance from the glass, 

 were easily affected by too much moisture, as the air of the house 

 would contain two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. The open 

 air is composed of twenty parts oxygen and eighty nitrogen, conse- 

 quently there can be no carbon fixed in the plant. 



"Mr. T. Keane saw camellia and orange trees much injured by 

 water, which were recovered by withholding it. He also considered 

 that too much water was the cause of the buds falling off. 



"Mr. O'Loughlin admitted that camellias may be kept flowering 

 nearly the whole year in large collections. He was ojjposed to close 

 cutting and to bottom heat. The soil he would recommend to be 

 three quarters peat and one quarter sand. To be potted when done 

 flowering; the temperature to be kept between 45^ and 50^ at night, 

 at 75° or 80° in the day, to be removed to a shady situation in the au- 

 tumn, which is of advitntage to mature the wood. He saw orange 

 trees grown well in 60° bottom heat, and then gradually inured to 

 the temperature of the orange house. 



"Mr. Fish agreed with Mr. O'Loughlin in the advantage of bottom 

 heat for orange trees. He cut out the decayed roots, headed the 

 branches at the same time, and plunged them in bottom heat, where 

 VOL. VIII. — NO. III. 14 



