380 THE CAMELLIA. 



larger. It is an oriental, described by Kaempfer in his 

 Japan, 850." 



In the Garden Vade Mecum, by John Abercrombie, 

 published in 1789, " Camellia japonica or Japan Rose," is 

 included in his list of both greenhouse and hothouse plants. 

 In the Practical Gardener, published in 1817, and in the 

 2 ist edition of Every Man his 0^vn Gardener > by the same 

 author (1818), one species (C. japonica) and seven varieties 

 only are enumerated. Loudon in the Encyclopedia of 

 Gardening (1822) enumerates twenty-five varieties. In 

 the Greenhouse Companion (1824) are coloured plates of 

 two varieties, Waratah and Lady Hume's Blush, the 

 former of which is now superseded, but the latter is still 

 much sought after. It is there remarked, " New varieties 

 are continually originating by the nurserymen and other 

 growers from seeds. A number of hybrids are in an 

 advanced state but have not yet flowered." 



The Camellia is frequently adverted to and figured in 

 the botanical and horticultural publications of this time, 

 and in the Transactions of the Horticultural Society ', in a 

 paper read before the meeting December 5, 1809 (vol. i., 

 p. 175), we find the following "In October 1795, a 

 Camellia japonica was planted here (the South Hams of 

 Devonshire) among other shrubs in the open ground ; it 

 has stood every winter since without the smallest shelter, 

 thrives well, and has never had a branch or leaf injured by 

 the weather. It is now about 4 feet high, the size of a 

 Gooseberry bush, but has not flowered." Similar experi- 

 ments, which have been repeated frequently and in vari- 

 ous soils and situations, seem to prove that the plant is 

 nearly hardy in the climate of England, and may be 

 safely planted out-of-doors among other evergreens in 

 warm sheltered situations. But in thus treating it one 

 loses the beauty of the flowers, as owing to their being 

 produced in March and April, they are nearly always 

 spoiled by the spring frosts. We remember planting 

 out two varieties against a west wall in 1836, and these 



