West London Gardeners* Association. 611 



extensive, and its merits subjected to general scrutiny : its rind is used in 

 Bokhara as hemp. — Archibald Gorrie. Annat Cottage, JErrol, Perth, Sept. 25. 

 1840. 



Art. III. The West London Gardeners' Association Jbr mutual 

 Instruction, 



Monday Evening, Feb. 17. 1840. — Mr. Shearer read his paper " On the 

 Culture of the Camellia." He began by observing that camellias, like heaths 

 and geraniums, require a separate house to give them that attention and 

 treatment which are proper for each genus. The splendid and beautiful 

 colours in the flowers of the camellia form a fine contrast with the glossy 

 green foliage which is so conspicuous at that early season of the year when 

 they are most easily produced. His practice, when done flowering, was to 

 raise the temperature of the house to 30° or 53°, in which heat they are 

 more certain to mature the wood and to set the buds. Water should then 

 be given liberally to the root, and syringings every morning and evening. 

 Bunting to be used to shade them, from May until September, during sunshine. 

 If any were observed to grow too much to wood, by discontinuing the water- 

 ing it would give a gentle check, which would materially assist to set the buds. 

 He would recommend inarching as the most certain and expeditious way of 

 propagating camellias ; tongue-grafting he also practised, covering the part with 

 moss, which he found preferable to clay ; then putting them under hand- 

 glasses, giving but little air until they were united. The compost to be light 

 and rich ; two parts turfy loam, one part leaf mould, and one part sandy peat, 

 with a little decomposed cow-dung ; when desirable to grow them large, to be 

 potted as soon as done flowering. If low shrubby plants are preferred, he. 

 would pot them in the autumn, giving a top dressing with rich loam and cow- 

 dung. A good drainage for the camellia is indispensable, that no stagnant 

 water may sour the soil. When required to flower them early, plants with the 

 most prominent buds should be selected ; the temperature to commence at 

 50°, rising gradually to 60° as the buds expand. He would select the double- 

 striped variegata, Colvillw, p2&or\iceJlbra, Chandlerw, and coralhna as the best 

 for forcing. He attributed the falling oiF of the buds to the want of water, 

 and recommended gardeners to allow no more than one or two buds to 

 remain on each branch, as he was confident that the practice would insure 

 a more certain supply, and very much increase the size of the flowers. 



Mr. W. Keane returned thanks to Mr. Shearer for bringing forward, on 

 such a short notice, his excellent paper on the culture of the camellia. It was 

 a subject in which he felt particularly interested, as at Castle Martyr, the seat 

 of the Earl of Shannon, where he lived, the camellia was the topic of con- 

 versation with all persons who visited the place. There were fourteen large 

 specimens planted out in the open air about sixteen years ago, and they were 

 all, in 1834, when he last saw them, from 12 ft. to 13 ft. high. The largest, a 

 double white, was 13 ft. 6 in. high, and 22 ft. in circumference, and every season 

 feathered with flowers from the bottom to the top. They were planted out 

 in three quarters peat, and one quarter good rich loam, 3 ft. deep, with drainage 

 of old bricks, lime rubbish, and rough gravel at the top. They were planted 

 beside a wall with an east aspect ; if the winter was severe, a few poles were 

 placed in front, and mats were stretched from the poles to the wall, which 

 was always found sufficient to protect them from the inclemency of the wea- 

 ther. They generally flowered beautifully in April and May. The system of 

 propagation he recommended was, to take the cuttings in July, or any other 

 time when the wood was perfectly ripe, and insert about ten or twelve in a 

 large 60-sized pot, well drained, and filled with sandy peat and loam, but very 

 little loam to be used, as the tender roots are found to grow better in sandy 

 peat ; when struck, to be potted singly into 60-sized pots ; the cuttings to be 

 any of the common sorts, which serve as good stocks for the better kinds to be 



