4io 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



weather outside is suitable, and be kept moist 

 and in a growing state, as the least check lays 

 them open to an attack of green-fly, to which 

 the Calceolaria is so liable. Before the end of 

 September they should be moved into larger 

 pots, and kept under glass with moderate heat; 

 the temperature should not be allowed to rise 

 much over 40° or 45°. They should be again 

 shifted into larger pots in which they are to 

 flower in December or January. This must 

 be done before any signs of buds appear. A 

 good compost for the Calceolaria is 1 bushel 

 good coarse yellow loam, J bushel leaf-soil, 1 

 gallon silver sand, \ pint Sutton's A 1 Garden 

 Manure, \ pint soot — well mixed a few days 

 before use. The flowers should still be kept 

 in a moist cool atmosphere until the flowering 

 has thoroughly commenced, when they should 

 be brought into the house in which they are 

 to flower. 



Though there is great variety of form and 

 colour in the Calceolaria, the pure-yellow (Cloth 

 of Gold) is the only one that reproduces itself 

 true from seed. All the other varieties can be 

 obtained from a packet of mixed seed if pro- 

 cured from those growers who make a spe- 

 ciality of the Calceolaria, for instance, Messrs. 

 Sutton and Sons, whose exhibits are usually a 

 feature at the June Exhibition of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society. 



Camellia. — This genus comprises about a 

 dozen species of evergreen trees or shrubs. 

 They are nearly all natives of China and Japan, 

 these two countries being the source of the 

 popular Garden Camellia (C. japonica) in its 

 many forms, the first of which was introduced 

 into England over 150 years ago. There 

 is no record of its having ever been crossed 

 with any other species, so that probably all the 

 forms in gardens are the result of cultivation 

 and selection from C. japonica, not only in 

 Europe, but also by the Chinese and Japanese. 

 According to Curtis, in a paper on Camellias 

 printed in 1819, there were twenty-nine varieties 

 in cultivation in England at that time, all of 

 them introduced from Japan. Since then many 

 varieties have been raised in France, Belgium, 

 and Italy. The Camellia rarely seeds in Eng- 

 land, although it sometimes produces its Apple- 

 like fruits freely in the open air in Cornwall. 



Other species worth growing in the greenhouse 

 are C. reticulata, with large rose-red Paeony-like 

 flowers; C. Sasanqua (fig. 523), like C. japonica, 

 but smaller in leaf and flower; and C. rosceflora, 

 a small-leaved shrub, with semi-double pink or 



white flowers. Camellias are sufficiently hardy 

 to withstand our winters out-of-doors in the 

 warmer parts of this country; but as they 

 bloom in the spring, the flowers are apt to be 

 injured by cold and wet. Generally they are 

 most satisfactory under greenhouse treatment, 



Fig. 523.— Camellia Sasanqua. 



A select collection will furnish a supply of 

 flowers for four or five months. 



Cultivation. — Camellias are best grown in cold 

 houses protected from frost, where they can make 

 their growth under the influence of sun-heat 

 alone as the season advances. From 60° to 70° 

 in the daytime will be sufficient when they 

 commence to grow, with sufficient air to pre- 

 vent weakly growth, allowing the temperature 

 to fall again during the night. When the 

 wood is matured and the buds formed, the 

 temperature should be lowered and more air 

 given. Whenever fire -heat is applied to ac- 

 celerate the opening of the flowers it should not 

 exceed 55°, sprinkling the stages and floor with 

 water now and then to keep the atmosphere 

 slightly humid. Large specimens should be 

 grown in a span-roofed house, shading them 

 during very bright weather. The practice of 

 placing Camellias in the open air in summer is 

 not always advisable; but if the position is not 

 exposed, and the plants have partial shade, no 

 harm is done. They should not be allowed to 

 remain outside after October. 



