CAMELLIA-HOUSE. 



683 



tagne, Emilia Gavazzi, Emperor, Grand-duchess 

 d'Etruria, Eastii, Guillaume Tell, Lady Hill, 

 Landrethii, Madonna, Perigrina, Chalmers' per- 

 fecta, Cunningham's perfection, Princess Ade- 

 laide de Carigana, Teutonia, Princess Baciocchi, 

 Spectabilis, Alexina, Dunlop's Americana, Aristo 

 d'ltalie, Low's caryophylloides, Countess of 

 Orkney, Henri Favre, Imbricata tricolor, Juliana, 

 Maculata perfecta, Madonna, Marie Teresa, 

 Negri, Parini, Pirzio (Gruneberg's), Teutonia, 

 Tricolor, Tommasini, Variegata (Casoretti's), Vis- 

 conti nova (Castoretti's). 



Diseases and insects. — The plant appears 

 exempt from any natural disease ; young plants 

 no doubt frequently die off suddenly, but if the 

 roots be examined, the cause will in general be 

 found in their diseased state, caused by stag- 

 nant water being allowed to accumulate in the 

 soil from imperfect drainage. The black and 

 green aphides sometimes attack the young 

 leaves and shoots ; these are subdued by tobacco 

 fumigation ; and the white and brown scale 

 which attack the mature leaves, and often the 

 bark also, are to be removed by washing them off 

 with soap and water. 



Camellias are often much injured when taken 

 into the drawing-room while in bloom. This 

 chiefly arises from the plants being kept too 

 dry at the root, and decidedly so for the leaves; 

 for the atmosphere of any sitting-room is much 

 too dry for any plant to exist long in, more 

 especially a plant like this, that requires to 

 breathe in a moist rather than a dry air. — (See 

 what we have said on this subject, vol. i. p. 424.) 

 They suffer much also from over-heat, which 

 should not, in rooms, exceed 40°; and, again, 

 when placed near the windows, they suffer from 

 the cold draughts of air let in upon them when 

 the windows are partially opened in the morn- 

 ings. Heaths and camellias suffer more from 

 these causes than almost any other plants. 

 Although camellias suffer from want of humi- 

 dity in the sitting-room, the other extreme of 

 over - watering must be equally avoided ; and 

 setting the pots in pans of water must not be 

 looked to as a remedy, but the very reverse. 



The Chinese or Indian Azaleas require the 

 same temperature under glass as the camel- 

 lia ; they are, however, scarcely so hardy when 

 planted in the open air. The soil for them dif- 

 fers also, and should be sandy peat, such as 

 Ericas are grown in. They are propagated by 

 seed freely, both for stock and new varieties, 

 and many beautiful ones have by this means 

 been produced. As in all other cases when 

 improved varieties are desired, impregnating the 

 best-shaped flowers of one variety with high- 

 coloured varieties of another is the most likely 

 process. The seed should be sown in February, 

 in shallow pans filled with peat soil, rendered 

 very smooth on the surface and slightly covered 

 with fine white sand, over which a little light 

 moss (Hypnum) should be placed, to retain mois- 

 ture, and obviate the necessity of much watering, 

 which might disturb the seed. The pans should 

 be set on a gentle bottom-heat in a close pit or 

 frame. When the young plants have attained 

 two or three leaves, transplant them into store 

 pots thickly in fresh sandy peat; for if left longer 



in the seed-pans, like seedling rhododendrons, 

 they are apt to damp off. By the spring fol- 

 lowing, they will be fit for transplanting singly 

 into pots 2 4 inches in diameter ; shift as 

 they proceed in growth until they flower, when 

 the good varieties should be selected and the 

 worthless ones thrown away. They propa- 

 gate readily by side -grafting, the scions being 

 from 1 inch to 1| inches long, and secured 

 to the stock with a soft worsted thread, 

 placing them in a close pit or frame in a mild 

 temperature, or, if in a hothouse, under bell or 

 hand, glasses until a union takes place. Grafted 

 plants are propagated largely in nurseries, but 

 they never make such permanent plants as those 

 propagated by cuttings. Cuttings are prepared 

 by taking the tops of the young shoots when 

 about 3 inches long, cutting off the lower leaves, 

 leaving the upper ones entire. They should 

 be set thickly in a pot filled about three parts 

 up with peat earth well drained below, having 

 about 14 inches of fine silvery sand on top 

 for the reception of the cuttings. Water gently 

 at planting, and cover closely with a bell-glass, 

 and plunge the pots in a temperature of from 

 55° to 60°, wiping the condensed steam out of the 

 glasses daily, and shading till roots are formed. 

 Afterwards keep them in the pit with the 

 glasses removed, at first only during the night, 

 but afterwards both during day and night, to 

 harden them off for potting singly into pots 

 24 inches in diameter, keeping them in a close 

 place till tbey have fairly taken root ; after 

 which they may be gradually exposed to the 

 air and light, and treated like other hard-wooded 

 plants. Much of what we have said regarding 

 the camellia is equally applicable to the Chinese 

 azaleas, the chief difference being that of soil. 



As to the best time for potting Chinese 

 azaleas, opinions are greatly at variance, some 

 advocating spring, and others autumn : for our- 

 selves, we consider that no precise rule can be 

 laid down in this case, further than to be guided 

 by circumstances — such as the state of the 

 plants, and the time they have produced their 

 flowers. We prefer to have the operation per- 

 formed immediately before the root action com- 

 mences, for reasons given under the camellia. 

 It therefore follows, presuming those views to 

 be correct, that shifting or re-potting should im- 

 mediately follow the season of flowering, be 

 that when it may. Where, however, the soil is 

 either exhausted or sodden from imperfect 

 drainage, and more especially where the roots 

 are diseased or defective, then a reduction of 

 the ball becomes absolutely necessary, and the 

 roots require singling out and pruning, which 

 cannot be done with safety, if root action, how- 

 ever feeble, has once taken place. As the 

 flowering season, however, extends from the 

 beginning of January to the beginning of June 

 — for during that long period both camellias and 

 azaleas are now to be found in flower — so should 

 the season of re-potting be extended also. 



Camellias and azaleas, which are forced into 

 bloom during November, December, and Janu- 

 ary, although re-potted when their flowers have 

 passed away, should not be excited into too 

 early growth : the process of root- making and 



