210 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ March 15, 1883. 
Teas in order to increase tlieir fragrance. This plant 
yields a nut from which is expressed an esculent oil 
equal to the best which comes from Florence. It is 
cultivated on this account in vast abundance and in situ¬ 
ations fit for little else.” The double-flowered variety 
of C. Sasanqua was imported for the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society by Captain Drummond in 1823, and first 
flowered three years after. It is even prettier than the 
single form, the flowers being neatly semi-double, with, 
rounded substantial white petals. 
Passing several other species of little importance, 
C. reticulata is the next worthy of notice. This hand¬ 
some Camellia was introduced by the London Horti¬ 
cultural Society through Mr. J. Parks in 1824, but 
the first flowers were produced by plants in the conser¬ 
vatory of Mr. J. C. Palmer at Bromley. It is of similar 
habit to C. japonica, but is distinct from it in the more 
lanceolate and tapering neatly serrated dark green 
leaves and the large crimson flowers, the irregular 
petals of which are veined with a darker shade. A 
large specimen of this fine species is particularly hand¬ 
some, and such a one as that formerly at Bank Grove, 
Kingston, is seldom seen Mr. Donald describes this 
in the Cottage Gardener for 1853 as “ the Lion of Surrey,” 
and states that “it was purchased by Sir John Brough¬ 
ton about the year 1835 from Mr. Smith, the celebrated 
Rhododendron crosser of Norbiton, along with fimbriata 
and Woodsii. He had them planted in a house by 
themselves, this house being the middle one of the 
range; the width in the centre is 22 feet, and the length 
along the wall 20 feet. The Lion of Surrey now occu¬ 
pies the whole of this space, so that we cannot pass 
along the circular paved walk in front without being 
partially shaded by the upper branches.” Pie further 
states that the plant was 24 yards in circumference, 
and had nine hundred flowers open at one time, about 
three thousand having expanded during the season. 
Referring to the culture of Camellias, it is scarcely 
necessary to enter into details of propagation, as ninety- 
nine out of every hundred private growers purchase 
plants. We have both raised stocks from cuttings and 
attached to them, by grafting, the best varieties; but it 
is, as a rule, far better to let nurserymen who have 
special conveniences for the work establish the plants, 
especially as they can do this without any great outlay, 
and healthy examples of good varieties are consequently 
the reverse of costly. Briefly it may be said, for the 
information of those who desire a little knowledge on 
the subject, that cuttings of matured growths with a 
heel of the previous year’s wood emit roots the most 
freely. They are inserted as closely together as pos¬ 
sible in well-drained pots of sandy soil in September, 
placed on ashes in a cool pit or frost-proof frame, 
shaded as needed and kept moist. There they remain 
until the spring, and there they may remain until 
rooted, though they are often placed in a little heat 
after growth commences. Eventually they are potted 
singly, and when established and growing freely they 
are partially cut down. Scions are attached to them 
by taking a slice off the bark of both stock and scion, 
fitting the two together, securing them with matting, 
and covering with moss or grafting wax, and keeping 
them in a close propagating case until the union is 
complete. The growth of the stock is then gradually 
reduced and shortly removed down to the scion, which 
now and onwards appropriates the whole of the sup¬ 
plies of the roots. This is propagation in a nutshell; 
but, as before observed, it is better to purchase esta¬ 
blished plants. 
Are home-raised or imported plants the most desir¬ 
able to purchase? is a question often asked. The truth 
must be told on this matter. Healthy free-growing 
plants raised in English nurseries are far more likely 
to succeed in the hands of the majority of amateur cul¬ 
tivators than imported plants are. The latter plants 
are often luxuriant, yet almost as often deteriorate 
when placed in English greenhouses. The change of 
treatment and locality is too sudden and great for 
them. After these plants have been prepared for a 
year in our nurseries, acclimatised, they do very well 
afterwards; but cheap imported Camellias are often 
dear in the end. In purchasing Camellias, then, the 
safe course is to obtain established plants from home 
nurseries, giving preference to those raised there, pro¬ 
vided—and this is important—they are free and kind, 
a stunted home-raised plant being decidedly inferior 
to a free yet sturdy acclimatised foreigner. 
It has been said that Camellias are easy to grow, 
and they certainly are when the plants are healthy to 
begin with; but stunted, scraggy, half-starved plants 
with brown-blotched leaves, dry and harsh, are not 
easy to manage, and cannot quickly be restored to 
health and vigour. Many of such plants can be im¬ 
proved without doubt, and even some be transformed 
into handsome specimens; but time and skill are requi¬ 
site for effecting this desideratum. 
But what is the reason of so many Camellias being 
in the unsatisfactory state indicated ? The initial 
cause in not a few cases is commencing with immature 
strong-looking but really weak, because plethoric, 
plants, and then treating them wrongly. They have 
had generous treatment, specially prepared soil, pots 
packed with roots, so as to endure any amount of 
water, liquid manure periodically, and a very moist 
position, either in pits or shaded places in the open 
air, and too often have been so drenched and saturated 
in the autumn as to cause incipient decay of the roots. 
Place such plants on an open stage in a dry and 
draughty greenhouse, and note the results. The very 
life of the plants evaporates through their great broad 
leaves; pale brown blotches appear, which spread, the 
edges of the leaves curl back, and eventually the foliage 
withers and falls, and as there is no stamina in the 
plants they cannot put forth fresh strong growths. 
This is the treatment accorded to the majority of such 
plants by amateurs, and it is wrong. If they repot the 
plants as soon as they arrive, as many do, this makes 
matters no better, but rather worse; for they disturb 
the roots and have no compensating advantage, for the 
roots will not move under those conditions. Such soft 
pampered plants, which have been treated almost as 
semi-aquatics, must not at first be placed on lattice- 
work stages in dry houses, but have a sojourn on moist 
ashes in a pit or frame, and be very gradually inured 
to the differing conditions under which they are in¬ 
tended to be grown. It is not suggested that all foreign 
Camellias arrive in a half-succulent state, but vast 
numbers are in the condition described, and it is w T ell 
to know what to do and what to avoid under the 
circumstances. 
Now to another class of plants—those that were 
healthy once but are now unsightly. What is the 
cause of the change ? Overpotting, with over-watering 
immediately afterwards, have together formed the first 
