ITEMS OF INTEREST 525 



edge and the turfs hitched back to a rope line on the other. The lines 

 could also be marked with a little whiting and water with a tennis- 

 court marker. If the whole turf is not raised the spade should make 

 two cuts, then a V of turf and earth lifted would make a space to take 

 two or three or more bulbs, according to size. It is always a little 

 difficult to plant bulbs otherwise than too formally, and also somewhat 

 difficult to explain. One way is to throw the bulbs on to the ground 

 and to plant them exactly where they fall. An attempt should be 

 made to plant the middle regions of the groups thickest, giving the 

 effect of an established nucleus from which seed has spread. The inner 

 dots on one drift in the diagram will show what is meant. Daffodils 

 have a poisonous quality, and are generally avoided by cattle in pastures, 

 but the dried leaves in hay are quite harmless. 



Camellias for Planting Outdoors. As considerable interest has 

 been taken of late in the Camellia as an outdoor shrub the following 

 few facts may be useful. They are the outcome of Mr. Scrase-Dickens' 

 experience, an amateur gardener who writes with authority. The best 

 Camellias for planting out of doors in the open air are those which 

 bloom late and start late in growth, such, for instance, as Chandkri 

 elcgans or Anemonczflora ; the varieties with broad roundish leaves 

 appear to grow in more robust fashion than those having narrow pointed 

 ones with a serrated edge, though the latter will make sometimes very 

 compact bushes. It is possible that those with dark red flowers 

 are hardier than those with pink. The old double white seems to 

 stand the cold well enough, but it hides its flowers rather too much 

 among the foliage to make any effective display of them, though in 

 this way they are often secured from frost or bad weather and made 

 serviceable for cutting. To train against trestles or a wall Doncke 

 Laari is very good, and next to reticulata, one of the most beautiful 

 when well grown, blooming so freely. Camellias appear to grow in 

 almost any aspect, but are naturally sun lovers, and though preferring 

 peat they will grow in most other soils, provided that there is no lime 

 present. The points of the young roots are very sensitive to drought, 

 so should be protected until well established, by light mulching or a 

 surrounding growth, from the risk of being withered up by a fierce sun 

 striking the ground in which they are starting. Unlike many other 

 shrubs, they seem to have the advantage of being exempt from the 

 destructive attention of rabbits ; perhaps when snow is on the ground 

 they might be barked, but Mr. Scrase-Dickens says he has not noticed 

 it. Apart from the question of varieties it may be well to draw atten- 

 tion to the fact that only strong healthy plants should be bought, for 

 sickly specimens from a conservatory or greenhouse are very slow 

 indeed to make a start, and will remain sometimes for an astonishing 

 number of years in almost the same pitiable state. Grafted plants 

 should be avoided ; if seedlings are not obtainable, cuttings generally 

 can be struck without much difficulty. 



Heather and Bracken Planting. In planting these, it is always 

 best to get the heather from the moors, choosing places where it grows 



