66 
CAMELLIA JAP0NICA. 
will admit of, which will cause them to grow regu¬ 
larly, and they usually complete their growth in about 
a fortnight. When the young shoots have done grow¬ 
ing, which can be easily perceived by the terminal bud 
at the point of the shoot, the heat may be raised to 70 
deg., as the increased heat will cause the plants to form 
their flower buds with more facility and in greater 
quantities; but it should be observed that this 
increase of heat must be applied immediately on the 
plants perfecting their growth before the wood 
becomes hard, or it will not have the desired effect; 
for such plants as form their flower buds in the 
conservatory previous to placing them out for sum¬ 
mer, can be brought to flower much earlier in the 
winter or by the end of November, and any that have 
not formed their buds in the spring, will form them in 
summer and come on in succession. 
The soil for Camellias should be a mixture of loam 
and peat with some decayed manure and sand, so that 
it will be of a sufficient texture not to dry too rapidly, 
nor bake too hard in the pots, for when potted into 
too hard a soil or peat alone, it forms an impenetrable 
ball, and being impervious to water which when given 
them runs down the sides of the pot without watering 
their roots, the plant will be impoverished, and the 
leaves drop off although apparently green and healthy, 
and the death of the plant soon follows. The best 
soil is one-third of good peat and one-third of loam, 
and nearly one-third of decayed manure, and the 
remainder fine sand. In shifting them, let the pots be 
proportioned to the size of the plant and the quantity of 
roots. They may not always require a larger pot, but 
