192 GREEN-HOUSE — OF ■ SHIFTING, ETC [February. 
OF SHIFTING, ETC. 
The best time to re-pot Camellias is in September or 
October. The most general time in shifting Camellias is in 
August, indiscriminately with other plants ; and, if then 
not very gently handled, bad roots eventually are produced. 
Frequently very fine plants have been killed by probing, 
and breaking the young fibrous roots, thus causing mortifica- 
tion. 
In the process, do not, by any means, break or bruise any 
of the roots ; and do not give large pots, with the idea of 
making them grow fast ; it acts on most plants diametrically 
opposite to what is intended. A pot one or two inches 
wider and deeper than the one they have been in previously, 
is sufficient. Healthy plants, under five feet, will not re- 
quire shifting oftener than once in two years ; from five feet 
upward, in three or four years, according to the health of 
the plants. This treatment, in the opinion of some, will 
appear insufficient for their support : it will be found enough 
with a top-dressing every year to keep them in a healthy 
flowering condition, the soil being according to our de- 
scription. 
On turning the plant out of the pot, it may easily be ob- 
served if the soil has, in any degree, been congenial to it ; 
for, if so, the roots will be growing all round the ball ; if 
otherwise, no roots will appear. 
Therefore, with a blunt-pointed stick, probe away all the 
bad earth until you come to the roots ; then put the plant 
in a pot about one inch in diameter larger than the com- 
bined roots, previously putting a few small pieces of broken 
pots, or clean gravel, to drain off the superabundant moist- 
ure, and give light waterings, as the roots in this case will 
grow but slowly. 
Top-dress all that do not require shifting, probe out the 
soil down to the roots, and by the side of the pot, taking 
care not to break the fibres ; then fill up with fresh earth, 
watering gently with a rose on the watering-pot to settle it. 
