308 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
CAMELLIA DRIKELLARII, 
Beautiful Flowering Plants and Shrubs. 
CAMELLIAS. 
In a stroll through the extensive glass-houses 
of Parsons & Co., some time since, we noticed 
many fine plants in bloom, which we thought 
most of our distant subscribers would be glad to 
see. But as this was not practicable, we dis¬ 
patched our artist to prepare drawings of several 
of them, that they might be engraved and pub¬ 
lished in the Agriculturist , from time to time. 
Here we present the first specimens, with sundry 
useful practical suggestions upon their culture : 
Camellia Drikellarii. This is a representative 
of the large and noble family of Camellia. And a 
noble family, indeed, it is 1 Seldom do you see a 
dozen house-plants without several of these being 
found among them ; and in a green-house they al¬ 
ways occupy a large and important place. Their 
elegance of form, the deep verdure of their glossy 
foliage, and the pure and brilliant colors, combine 
to raise them to a very high rank in the floral 
kingdom. Of camellias proper, there are some 
eight distinct species, and of the varieties C. ja- 
ponica, there are probably about one thousand. 
It would be hard to find a more attiactive sight 
than a large collection when in bloom. We have 
seen several hundred different varieties open at 
one time in extensive houses devoted to these 
alone. Though the general form of the flowers 
was quite similar, and but a few distinct colors 
■were displayed, these were so interwoven, and 
passed from one tint to another by such delicate 
shading, one could but feel it was the work 
of a Master hand, bringing out the highest results 
of beauty with the simplest materials. Can we 
chide an enthusiast for his love of flowers, when 
their perfection has employed the mind, and 
exhibited the matchless skill of the Creator 1 
While the green-house is the proper home of the 
camellia, yet it may be cultivated in the parlor or 
living-room. The great evils which it has to 
contend with in ordinary dwellings are: too 
sudden changes from heat to cold (or vice ver¬ 
sa,) and a dry and dusty atmosphere. The ca¬ 
mellia will bear a good degree of cold, but a sud¬ 
den change harms it. Therefore, it should be 
kept where the temperature is nearly uniform. 
Far to the north, it is an excellent plan to have 
double windows before the plants, the inner sash 
being hung casement-like, so as to be opened by 
day and shut by night, or to be kept closed con¬ 
tinually, when necessary, in very cold weather. 
This uniformity of^temperature is specially 
PRUNUS SINENSIS. 
important on the approach of the blooming sea¬ 
son. Then, the mercury should never be allowed 
to fall below 50° Fahrenheit. Give the plants a 
regular daily watering, not a deluge, nor a mere 
sprinkling, but just so much as the roots will 
easily absorb. By a little experience, one can as¬ 
certain the condition of the soil, as to wetness, 
by simply rapping the pot with his knuckles. If 
dry, the sound will be hollow. The weight of 
the pot helps also to the same result. When 
blooming has fairly commenced, we may improve 
the size and richness of the flowers by giving the 
plants a dose of guano-water once a week,—using 
a pound of guano to ten gallons of water. When 
the flowering season is over, and the wood growth 
commences, guano-water should be used twice 
or three times a week. Does any one ask why ? 
it is to secure a strong growth of wood and 
of blossom-buds for the next year. Every 
thing depends on the healthy growth of the 
plants during the present three or four weeks. 
Give them, therefore, an abundance of light, air, 
and plant-food during this important period. 
Let no one forget that the Camellia lives by 
breathing as truly as by eating. Its breathing 
places are small, and are apt to get choked up by 
dust. The leaves, therefore, should be washed 
with a soft sponge, or be syringed once in ten 
days, the water being just blood-warm 
The best soil for this plant is a mixture of one- 
half turfy loam, one-third old manure, and the 
rest leaf mold from the woods. A little sand will 
serve to keep the soil free and light. These in¬ 
gredients should be well incorporated together, 
forming a light porous mass, in every part of 
which the roots can easily make their way and 
find appropriate nourishment. It is the practice 
of successful florists to prepare a quantity of this 
soil several months before it is wanted for use, 
and to frequently turn and mix it, cutting the turf 
fine, but not sifting it. 
The safest and best time to re-pot Camellias is 
soon after the new growth is made, when the 
young leaves are fully out, the end 
of the new wood, at the point of 
union with the wood of the previous 
year begins to turn brown,-and the 
flower buds can just be seen. Place 
in the bottom of the pot an inch of 
broken bits of pottery or brick, and 
a little coarse charcoal over these, 
to give free drainage, and place a 
layer of moss above the charcoal. 
The ball of earth around the roots of 
the plant to be changed should be 
rather moist; and if very pot-bound, 
the roots having crowded to the 
outside of the ball, immerse it in 
water about an hour and let it drain 
a day before potting. Let the pot¬ 
ting soil be moderately dry, and fill 
in around the ball with regular lay¬ 
ers, pressing it rather firm, leaving 
no vacant space. After potting, the 
plants should be placed under cover, 
and protected from the sun and 
drying winds for a few weeks. 
rrunus Sinensis albo plcno. — 
All of this Latin covers up a very 
pretty plant, and means simply this : 
A shrub from China, belonging to 
the Plum family, and having double 
and pure white flowers. It was 
first brought into notice, we believe, 
by Henderson & Co., florists in Lon¬ 
don, in 1854, and introduced here in 
1857, and is rapidly becoming a 
favorite. All propagated up to this time by 
Messrs. Parsons have had a ready sale. In form • 
and habit it resembles the well known Flowering 
Almond. The foliage is similar to that of the 
Deutzia gracilis. The exquisite, pure white 
