103 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
THE CAMELLIA. 
WHICH TO SELECT AND HOW TO CULTIVATE. 
There are peculiarities about this noble 
plant which give it a place preeminent among 
all flowering plants. Whether we consider 
the beauty of its glossy dark green foliage, 
the splendor of its rich-colored rose-like 
flowers, or the length of time it is the chief 
ornament of our greenhouses during the 
winter months, it is admired by all, and de¬ 
servedly so. 
The Camellia is a native of China and 
Japan, from whence it was introduced into 
British gardens in the year 1739. In 1780 
there were in cultivation, the single red, the 
old double white, and the old red striped. 
Since that time there has been introduced 
from China the species and varieties—Ca¬ 
mellia curyoides, white ; C. Kissii, white ; 
C. oleifera, white; C. reticulata, red; C. 
sasanqua, rose; C. single white, and double 
red. From these have been raised, by hy¬ 
bridization and cultivation, in this country 
and Europe, the many fine varieties which 
are now the glory of our greenhouse ; and 
very recently there has been added, by Mr. 
Robert Fortune, a collector sent to China by 
the London Horticultural Society, a yellow 
Camellia. Although a great acquisition, it 
is not a double imbricated flower, but proves 
to be one of the anemone flora tribe, the ex¬ 
terior petals being French white and the 
central ones rich primrose yellow. 
In order to cultivate the Camellia with 
success, a suitable soil is of the first conse¬ 
quence. The one best suited to this plant 
we have found to be a fibrous, mellow loam, 
rather inclined to adhesiveness, to which 
may be added a small portion of sand. The 
soil should be procured, if possible, twelve 
months or more before required for use, 
during which time it should be Lvquently 
turned over and the turf chopped small with 
the spade, but not sifted. In potting, give a 
free drainage, adding a little coarse char¬ 
coal, over which place a thin layer of moss. 
Have the soil moderately dry, and in filling 
it round the ball, take care to do it in regu¬ 
lar layers, pressing it rather firm, so that no 
space be left. The safest and best time to 
re-pot Camellias, is soon after they have 
made their young growth, as soon as the 
young leaves are perfectly developed, and 
the end of the young wood at the point of 
junction with the wood of the former year 
begins to turn brown, and the flower-buds 
can be just seen. The ball of the plant 
should be rather moist at the time of re¬ 
potting, and if in a very pot-bound state, 
should be immersed in water for an hour or 
so— allowing a day for the superfluous water 
to drain off before potting. After potting, 
the plants should be placed under cover, and 
protected from drying winds and sun for a 
few weeks. 
As the flower buds advance, the plants 
must be well watered at the root whenever 
they require it, using twice a week liquid 
manure made from old rotten dung, in the 
proportion of one part liquid manure to four 
of clear water. The plants will now pos¬ 
sess abundance of new fibers, and their pow¬ 
erful action, assisted by liquid manure occa¬ 
sionally, will produce both a fine plump bud 
and dark leaf, and enable the plant to store 
up abundance of necessary food for the ex¬ 
panding blossoms. A free use of the sy¬ 
ringe over head will be highly beneficial 
when not in bloom. 
At the respective periods of growth and 
flowering the plants will require carefully 
watering. During flowering, if not regular¬ 
ly supplied, the bloom buds will be very 
liable to fall off, instead of expanding into 
flower. At other times, a regular moderate 
supply is essential. The effect of constant 
watering may be presumed to diminish, or 
destroy the fertility of the small portion of 
earth allotted to each plant; therefore, at 
each repotting, carefully take away as much 
of the old soil as can be done without injur¬ 
ing the roots. 
The Camellia may be considered strictly 
a hardy greenhouse plant, similar to the 
Myrtle, only requiring protection in severe 
weather ; and if it is kept just above the 
freezing point, it will succeed much better 
than if kept in a high temperature. At the 
period of making their growth, an additional 
degree of heat will be found advantageous. 
The insects that infest the Camellia are, 
the scaly insect, the thripps, and the ordina¬ 
ry aphides or geen fly. For the two last, 
fumigate with tobacco moderately for two 
nights in succession, at intervals, until they 
disappear. For the scale, add two ounces 
of whale oil soap to a gallon of warm water; 
beat well together and apply with a sponge. 
The common earth-worm generally infests 
the Camellia, and does serious damage to 
the drainage. Should they appear in the 
soil, use a little clear lime or soot water, 
which will soon drive them from the ball. 
A few of the best varieties for a small col¬ 
lection, out of the great number now in cul¬ 
tivation, are the following, from which the 
required number may be selected, beginning 
with the first named. 
1. Camellia albapleno—( Old double white) 
—Fine form; petals regularly imbricated ; 
color pure white ; large flower—one of the 
best. 
2. C. Candidissima —Pure white ; large; 
form perfect; very late bloomer. 
3. C. Leeana superba —Vivid red; center 
rosy salmon ; perfect form; imbricated—one 
of the finest grown. 
4. C. Duchess d'Orleans —A pure waxy 
white, blotched and striped with bright rosy 
pink, clear and well defined—a beautiful 
flower. 
5. C. Matholtiana — Very deep carmine 
red; fine form ; the best red. 
6. C.fimbriata —Fine clear white; perfect 
form ; the edges of the petals fimbriated; a 
lovely flower, and universally admired. 
7. C. Henri Favre— Light rose ; beautiful 
imbricated form—a superior flower. 
8. C. Imbricata —Color carmine or deep 
rose, often striped with white ; beautifully 
imbricated—the best of its class. 
9. C. Wilderii —Color very clear bright 
rose; superb form; free bloomer—one of the 
best. 
10. C. Mrs. Abby Wilder—A fine large im¬ 
bricated flower; white, faintly blotched and 
striped with rose; superb; robust habit. 
11. C. Teutonia —A fine white, flaked and 
spotted with violet; very clear—a splendid 
flower. 
12. C. Princess Bachiochii —A rich dark 
crimson, spotted and striped with white—a 
splendid flower. 
13. C. Lowii —Deep carmine, sometimes 
striped with white ; finely imbricated—a no¬ 
ble flower. 
14. C. Queen Victoria —A fine variety; rich 
rosy carmine, with a white stripe down the 
petals—superb. 
15. C. Sacoii nova —Clear light rose ; su¬ 
perb form ; beautifully veined—extra flower. 
16. C. Jeffersonii —Fine bright red, with 
clear white stripe down the center of each 
petal—novel and superb. 
17. C. Sovereign — Waxy white; flaked 
and spotted; light rose—beautiful flower. 
18. C. Chandlerii elegans — Bright red; 
blotched and striped pure white ; large flow¬ 
er; very showy. 
19. C. Emperor —A noble flower; cherry 
red; monstrous flower—the largest known 
in cultivation. 
20. C. Lady Hume—A fine variety ; white, 
beautifully tinged with flesh. 
FIGURES ABOUT NEW-YORK STATE. 
In reading over the Governor’s Message, 
we were forcibly impressed with the magni¬ 
tude of some of the figures incidentally pre¬ 
sented; such, for instance, as the following : 
Population .—The population of the State 
on the 1st of June, 1855, was 3,470,063, an 
increase of one-third in 10 years, and more 
than all in the whole country at the time of 
the Declaration of Independence. There 
are 516,745 native voters, and 135,976 natu¬ 
ralized voters ; 632,746 foreign-born persons 
in all, or less than one-fifth ; 35,923 colored 
persons, and 3,945 Indians. 
Emigrants .—Only 136,233 emigrants land¬ 
ed in New-York in 1855 ; in 1854 there were 
319,223. 
Schools .—More than $3,000,000 were paid 
in 1855 for the education of 998,273 children 
between the ages of 4 and 16. There were 
besides 225,854 children not attending school. 
Many of these are those between 4 and 6 
years of age. There are 11,028 school- 
houses, of which 9,356 are frame buildings, 
715 of brick, 576 of stone, and 381 of logs ! 
State Prisons —There are three of these 
whichheld, incarcerated, December 1st, 1,905 
prisoners, viz. : at Sing Sing, 937; at Au¬ 
burn, 687; at Clinton, 281. To support these 
for one year cost $223,343. Of this the pri¬ 
soners earned $198,230. 
Canals .—Owing to the abundant crops, 
the canal tolls for 1855 amounted to nearly 
three millions of dollars ($2,804,800. 
Railroads .—There are in this State 3,216 
miles of railroad track, requiring in their 
construction a continuous bar of iron 6,432 
miles in length, and probably weighing over 
three hundred million pounds. These rail¬ 
roads cost more than $120,000,000. During 
1855 the cars carried nearly thirty-four mil¬ 
lion (33,839,164) passengers, a greater num¬ 
ber than the whole population of the United 
States. The earnings of these roads were 
