THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



Australia), height 5 to 10 feet, flowers scarlet, March to July. They all have myrtle- 

 like leaves, and develop their flowers from the firm or matured wood in masses, bottle- 

 brush fashion. Propagation is effected by cuttings of ripened wood inserted in sand 

 and covered with a bell glass. The small plants, made bushy by topping, are duly 

 shifted into larger pots as they require them, using a mixture of loam, peat, and sand, 

 potting firmly. Callistemons flower freely, and when they attain something like their 

 full size are decidedly ornamental. 



CAMELLIA. 



Without actually having outlived its popularity the Camellia may yet be said to have 

 lost the great hold it once had in the affections of plant growers as a body. Originally 

 introduced from Japan in 1739, C. japonica became extremely popular — thanks to the 

 number of excellent double varieties that were raised from it. There are few or no 

 more noble conservatory and greenhouse plants than well-grown camellias, and they can 

 be had in bloom during the dullest months in the year. 



Propagation. — It is possible to raise plants from seed, as well as from cuttings, 

 and to further increase the stock of good varieties by either inarching or grafting 

 them on stocks prepared for the purpose. Seed should be sown in March in pans of 

 fine sandy peat, and given the benefit of brisk moist heat, keeping the soil moist and 

 shading heavily till the seedlings appear. Keep them growing in gentle heat and a 

 humid atmosphere. Seedlings make excellent stocks for grafting named varieties on ; 

 but if they are raised with a view to obtaining novelties the flowering would be 

 considerably forwarded by grafting the tops on to well-established bushes. 



Choice camellias do not thrive satisfactorily on their own roots, and are usually 

 grafted on a free-growing single or semi-double variety. Cuttings of these latter are 

 not difficult to strike. Select firm healthy young growths about the end of June, 

 and make the cuttings 5 inches long, severing the ends transversely. Cut just below 

 a joint and trim off two -thirds of the leaves. Fill well-drained 6-inch pots with sandy 

 loam and peat, making this firm and covering heavily with silver sand. In this insert 

 the cuttings up to the leaves thickly and firmly. Plunge in a frame over a nearly- 

 spent hotbed, shade heavily, and keep the soil and atmosphere moist. They ought to 

 form roots in about two months. Place singly in 2 1 -inch pots, using peaty soil, and 

 return the plants to the frame in which they were rooted, keeping them close and 

 shaded till well established, after which they should be more exposed. Winter them 



