CAMELLIA-HOUSE. 



681 



flower-buds are thus far perfected, care must 

 be taken that the same degree of excitement by- 

 solar heat be not continued further, else the 

 consequence may be that the flower-buds will 

 become transformed into wood-buds, and elon- 

 gate into branches instead of bloom. More air 

 and less water should thus be given to bring 

 about their season of repose, which will take 

 place in about a month after the above change 

 of treatment. Potting such as require it should 

 then be attended to, which, with plants done 

 flowering about the end of April or beginning of 

 May, will begin their season of rest during July 

 and part of August, provided they have hitherto 

 been in a healthy state. Those plants that have 

 flowered from November to Christmas in the 

 preceding year, will have, it is presumed, under- 

 gone the above treatment ; these will be fit to 

 re-pot much earlier, and the others in succession, 

 thus giving a long continuance of flowering. No 

 plant, however, should be re-potted unless it 

 absolutely requires it, but such should be turned 

 out, to see the state of the roots, drainage, &c, and 

 be replaced and surface-dressed instead. In regard 

 to the application of liquid manure, our best 

 cultivators say that not a drop should be given 

 while they are forming their young wood and 

 flower-buds ; but after the latter are all set, 

 they should have it once a-week until their 

 blooming season is again past. 



The camellia, like most other plants, is some- 

 times liable to become unhealthy ; and this arises 

 from a variety of causes — derangement at the 

 roots, too many flowers being allowed to be 

 produced, and excessive heat. The former of 

 these is the most frequent, and must be deter- 

 mined by careful examination ; the two latter 

 point out their own remedy. When the roots 

 are at fault, reduce the ball even to the extent of 

 removing the soil altogether; prune away all the 

 black and diseased ones, re-pot in fresh compost, 

 using pots or tubs much smaller than those they 

 had been growing in, setting the plants, after 

 the operation, in a close cool pit with a moist 

 atmosphere, keeping the soil at the roots, how- 

 ever, rather dry until the new ones are formed, 

 thinning the flower-buds, which often set in 

 clusters as thick as hazel-nuts, with a pair of 

 fine-pointed scissors, leaving, in healthy plants, 

 not more than two close together. In the case 

 of sickly plants making little or no wood, the 

 whole of the flower-buds should be removed, 

 that the energies of the plant may be thrown 

 into the system for the production of wood, 

 instead of being directed to the production of 

 bloom. Plants so circumstanced often shed their 

 flower-buds; and where even a slight disposition 

 is shown to this, it is quite time the thinning 

 process, or complete disbudding, take place. In- 

 deed, thinning the flower-buds, even in healthy 

 trees, should be attended to ; and if neglected, 

 the flowers will never arrive at that perfec- 

 tion they would do if a proper proportion, ac- 

 cording to the strength of the tree, only be 

 left on. 



Potting. — Much difference of opinion exists as 

 to the proper season for this operation, some 

 recommending the spring, just after the plants 

 have ceased flowering, while others prefer the 



month of August. Our own practice is to exa- 

 mine the state of the roots, and to perform the 

 operation before the growing action has com- 

 menced. To do so afterwards would be highly 

 injurious, as, however carefully the work is exe- 

 cuted, the young tender spongiolets would be 

 not only greatly injured, but many of them 

 entirely destroyed. Where a large collection is 

 grown, or even a number of plants of the same 

 sort, all will not be alike fit to pot at the same 

 time, and this can only be determined by root 

 examination. It is also the best time to supply 

 new food, as, when the young roots are pro- 

 duced, they have it to feed upon ; whereas, if 

 potted long before root-action commences, much 

 of the value of the soil is lost. The state of the 

 roots can be readily ascertained, in the case of 

 small plants grown in pots, by simply turning 

 them out ; and in the case of large ones growing 

 in boxes, by adopting our orange-box, fig. 260, 

 the sides of which are made to open, so that the 

 state of both the roots and soil can be easily 

 determined. Although the camellia requires an 

 abundant supply of water during its growing 

 period, few plants of so robust a character suffer 

 more from saturation at the roots, and hence 

 great care must be taken to provide abundant 

 drainage in the pots or tubs. Many large camel- 

 lias require re-potting only once in two or 

 three years, and some remain in excellent health 

 for even a longer period. This greatly depends 

 on the quality of the soil they are planted in, 

 the efficiency of the drainage, and the proper 

 attention to watering. Indeed, it is not desirable 

 to cause large camellias to make much wood, 

 which would be the consequence if annually 

 encouraged at their roots. When camellias have 

 arrived at the contemplated size, they should be 

 treated much in the same way as fruit trees — 

 namely, made to produce abundance of flower- 

 buds on short well-formed shoots, rather than 

 making yearly wood, like willows ; and when 

 once they get into a state of flowering, if not 

 allowed to produce too many flower-buds, and at 

 the same time fed by a judicious application of 

 liquid manure, they will remain for years without 

 much additional soil being applied to their roots. 

 A yearly growth of 3 or 4 inches is quite suffi- 

 cient, and in this state they may be maintained 

 for years. 



Small plants, of course, are to be considered 

 as best grown in pots; and when these require 

 root-room exceeding 15 or 18 inches in diameter, 

 it is much better to transfer them to slate tubs 

 or boxes at once. Wooden boxes and tubs are 

 by far the most expensive in the end. Our 

 attention has been long directed to this subject; 

 and, so long ago as 1826, we contributed an 

 article to " The Gardeners' Mag.," vol. i. p. 140, 

 with a sketch of a plant-tub or box suitable to 

 the orange, camellia, and similar large specimens 

 of exotic plants, which, for convenience and 

 practical utility, has not been yet superseded. 

 These boxes are of wood, pitched within for du- 

 rability; but their utility lay in their formation. 

 Two of the sides are kept in their proper place 

 by two iron studs, which are let into the bottom 

 framework, and their upper part is secured 

 to the other two sides by the iron bands, which 



