LtJBLAM. — Cultivation and Acclimatization of Trees, Sfc. 299 



Camellia japonica China hardy. 



About fifty varieties. 



TMs plant, so tigUy esteemed for its beautiful flowers and foliage, is one 

 about whicb there seems a great difference of opinion, as to wbetber it is 

 possible to grow it generally in tbe open air in this country to any state of 

 perfection. Eor some time I was of opinion, after trying a plant for two 

 years, that our climate was too cold either to grow it or mature their 

 flower buds, even supposing it remained alive ; but while on a visit to ISTew 

 South "Wales I saw it growing as large shrubs in a district visited by 

 severe frosts in winter, which determined me on making another trial, the 

 result of which has been, that I have now two beds containing about fifty 

 varieties growing and blooming luxuriantly every season ; they commence 

 blooming in April and last till November, making the garden during the 

 winter months quite gay. I will describe the mode in v^^hich I formed the 

 beds and cultivate them, should any reader of this like to try the experi- 

 ment. In the first place I dug a drain under the beds four feet deep, and 

 slabbed it in ; I then raised my beds with soil about ten inches above the 

 ordinary level with sandy loam, — ^the ground was dug over very deep and 

 allowed to remain until it settled ; second, I made holes in which I put 

 prepared soil, formed by mixing half alluvial loam, quarter old peat earth, 

 quarter old cow dung, which had been mixed for some time and left in a 

 heap, being turned over from time to time ; the prepared soil should be trodden 

 well in, and the Camellias planted, taking care that the roots of the plant 

 are extended in all directions. For the first season they made very little 

 progress ; the third year they grew very rapidly and commenced blooming, 

 and have continued to do so ever since ; in fact this last season, to prevent 

 their being injured from over-blooming, I picked off between two and three 

 thousand buds. The success of this experiment I attribute to the fact of 

 the plants having free drainage, and from being in beds by themselves 

 having plenty of root room. I find some old manure laid on the surface of 

 the bed every season after the bloom is over of great service to them. 

 Below I give the names of some of the best I have. 



White. Eed. 



Camellia alba plena Camellia coccinea. 



„ leila „ clio. 



„ imhricata alba ,, marina. 



„ fimhriata alba „ splendens. 



„ calliope „ iantJie. 



Variegated. Pink. 



Camellia presii Camellia ivellbanlcii. 



„ rosa mundi „ picta. 



„ variegata plena. 



„ lysanthe 



,, donklerii. 



