356 THE GREEN-HOUSE, [chap. xi. 
the plants are repotted not to bruise the 
roots, or to cut off all that are at all injured. 
If on turning out the plants previous to 
repotting, the ball of earth has no white roots 
appearing on the outside, the earth and 
decayed roots should be shaken or cleared 
away, till good roots are seen; and these 
should be carefully examined, and all the bad 
parts cut away. The plants should then be 
repotted in a pot not more than an inch in 
diameter more than the diameter of the ball 
of earth left round the sound roots; and it 
should be well drained at the bottom with 
very small potshreds, or clean gravel. Small 
Camellias should not be shifted oftener than 
once in two years; and large ones, that is, 
those above five feet high, not oftener than 
once in three or four years; but if the earth 
in the pot appears to have sunk, a little vege¬ 
table mould may be laid on the surface. The 
usual time for shifting Camellias is just when 
they have done flowering, before they are 
beginning to send out their young shoots. 
When planted in the free ground in a con¬ 
servatory, they will require no other care 
than regular watering, and syringing the 
