322 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
lia which is noted, being used in commerce for 
the oil extracted from it. The date of the in¬ 
troduction of the Camellia is stated by the best 
authority to have been 1739; but this proved 
less important than more recent ones, as the 
first plants were not of a character to be easily 
propagated or improved, and quite valueless in 
originating new varieties. For this reason a 
later introduction proved more important, as it 
brought the Single Red, by means of which 
seedlings have been raised, in originating num¬ 
bers of which, the florists of the United States 
are behind none in the world ; since the climate 
here, especially a little farther south, is pecu¬ 
liarly adapted to its cultivation. While the Ca¬ 
mellia cannot become as popular with us in the 
northern States as the favorite rose, nor vie 
with it in fragrance, still the operative class in 
republican America cannot consider it beyond 
their reach, and the humble sewing girl may, 
without any great stretch of liberality, be pre¬ 
sented with a Camelia-flower for the concert- 
room. 
P. B. Mead. Before entering on the discus¬ 
sion of this subject, I wish to say a word or two 
relative to the discussions at the last Conversa¬ 
tional Meeting. As the proceedings are pub¬ 
lished, I consider it due to myself to explain 
why I took what might be considered an ex¬ 
treme position, in the course of the debate. My 
remarks at the last debate on the rose were 
quite misconstrued. I only referred to stand¬ 
ards when out of place, and not when located 
judiciously, surrounded by small plants or 
shrubs. When these meetings were proposed, 
it was the' opinion of many with Avhom I con¬ 
versed, that the members could not be pre¬ 
vailed on to speak. I stated that I could pro¬ 
voke them to do so, and find now that in the 
course I have pursued I may have appeared in 
a peculiar light before the public; as for what 
may be thought within the Society, I am not so 
anxious. This I trust will be a sufficient ex¬ 
planation, and for the future I shall be careful 
to state only plain matter-of-fact opinions, for 
which I will be responsible. 
The subject of the Camellia I have divided 
under the following heads: Propagation, Soil 
and Manures, Winter Treatment and Summer 
Treatment. 
Propagation .—The methods by which Ca¬ 
mellias are propagated are by inarching, graf¬ 
ting, budding, cuttings, and seeds. I believe 
the general practice is to propagate the Single 
Red by cuttings, to be used as stocks on which 
the double varieties are to be worked. I have, 
however, succeeded in striking cuttings of sev¬ 
eral double varieties, such as Wilderii, Imbri- 
cata, and others, without difficulty, and would 
like to know from professional growers what 
has been their experience. 
Tnos. Hogg, Jr. I desire to call attention to 
the importance of calling varietieshy their pro¬ 
per names, as much confusion occurs by care¬ 
lessness on this point. For example, take the 
Camellia raised by Col. M. P. Wilder, and 
named in honor of him as the originator, which 
the termination of the word shows. Now, this 
is called by various names, such as General 
Wilder, &c. We should correct this. 
Mr. IIogg’s views were fully concurred in by 
the members, as there are Camellias Wilderii 
and Abby Wilder, also Caleb Cope and Mrs. 
Cope; the correct nomenclature is of much 
moment to the trade. 
D. Boll stated that he had found that Double 
White, Imbricata, and other double varieties, 
would strike from cuttings as well as single 
ones; but their after growth is slow. It has I 
, been proved, how'ever, that American seedlings 
differ materially in constitution from the im¬ 
ported Chinese ones, as they strike much more 
rapidly; such sorts, for instance, as Mrs. Fet¬ 
ters, Caroline Smith, Binneyii, Prattii, Wilderii, 
and others. 
Remarks were made by Mr. Boll upon his 
method of grafting and inarching large plants. 
Thos. Hogg, Jr., entered fully into the prac¬ 
tice of grafting and inarching large Camellias, 
and stated that he had been fully successful 
with old plants. He had operated with success 
on stocks one inch in diameter, by simply cut¬ 
ting of the top, making a split and inserting 
scions. 
P. B. Mead recommended that the stock 
above the union of the graft should not be cut 
off all at once. 
Tnos. Hogg, Jr., differed with him on this 
point, his own experience was not corrobora¬ 
tive. 
P. B. Mead instanced the manner in which 
old pear trees were sometimes furnished with 
new sorts in a few years, by grafting, and be¬ 
lieved this practice was applicable to the Ca¬ 
mellia. He mentioned that such a practice had 
been followed by Mr. Cranston, who was pre¬ 
sent. 
Mr. Cranston, of Hoboken, stated the result 
of his experiments to have been successful to a 
certain extent with large Camellias. 
Tnos. Hogg, Jr., had been led to try the me¬ 
thod of grafting old stocks, by observing some 
plants of C. reticulata , sent from Loddiges & 
Son, of London ; they appeared to have been 
treated in the manner described. The chair 
described an instance of natural inarching which 
he had seen. It occurred in two parts of the 
tree, at abont ten feet of an interspace. It ap¬ 
peared to him curious at the time. 
Tnos. IIogg, Jr., explained the method and 
theory of inarching. 
The Chair wished to know why plants in pots 
are more readily operated upon, as has been 
stated, than in open ground. 
R. R. Scott stated that it arose from the fact 
that they were more under the control of the 
operator, as to watering and other treatment, 
since the temperature and moisture of the at¬ 
mosphere could be regulated according to cir¬ 
cumstances, which could not be done with plants 
in the open air. 
Trios. IIogg, Jr., explained the importance of 
peculiar treatment under such operation, as 
grafting, or inarching; and the necessity of 
withholding water when the top with the leaves 
had been cut off. 
R. R. Scott was desirous that this branch of 
the subject should not be dismissed without 
some information as to the method of raising 
hybrids, which some of those present were fully 
competent to furnish. 
D. Boll stated the course pursued by the late 
J. B. Smith, as described to him hy that gentle¬ 
man, whose success proved his accuracy. He 
mixed up several varieties of pollen in one mass, 
and then applied it to the female flower between 
ten and twelve o’clock in the day; this he be¬ 
lieved the best time, as the greatest amount of 
solar influence was requisite. 
R. R. Scott. The seeds are to be sown as 
soon as ripened, as they are oily, and seeds of 
this character do not bear keeping long. 
The first part of the subject having been dis¬ 
posed of, the meeting adjourned to Monday, 
30th. We regret that this meeting was not 
better attended by the amateur portion of the 
members, for whose benefit the discussions were 
especially got up. 
The meeting was almost entirely composed of 
gardeners and persons connected with the pro¬ 
fession, which prevented treating the subject as 
much in detail as would otherwise have been 
the. case. 
■- «» 0 - 
Consolation indiscreetly pressed upon us, 
when we are suffering under affliction, only 
serves to increase our pain, and to render our 
grief more poignant. 
STRAWBERRIES IN WINTER. 
The following is from the Tribune , one of 
whose editors exhibited some of the ripe fruit 
at the Astor House on the evening of the 19th 
of January. It had a fine appearance, and we 
have no doubt would have been highly relished 
by those present, if allowed to taste it; but 
the quantity was too small to permit this. We 
have often conversed with Mr. Peabody on his 
method of raising strawberries, as detailed be¬ 
low. 
We have several specimens of this fruit lying 
upon our desk as we write, which were plucked 
from vines grown in the open air. and the fruit 
ripened without the aid of a hot-house. The 
plants from which we plucked these berries 
were grown upon the plantation of Geo. A. 
Peabody, about five miles from Columbus, Ga., 
and sent to this city in a basket some weeks 
ago, where they have been blooming and ripen¬ 
ing fruit ever since. Mr. Peabody has five or 
six acres covered with strawberry plants— 
plants, not vines, for they have no runners— 
from which he gathers fruit and sends to market 
regularly every day for an average period of six 
months in the year; making them, by his 
peculiar mode of cultivation, produce abun¬ 
dantly through the long hot summers, and 
sparsely through three or four other months. 
The variety cultivated is the Ilovey Seedling, 
impregnated with the Early Scarlet, and so 
changed is their character that they manifest 
no more disposition to throw out runners than 
the wild vines of the old pastures in their un¬ 
cultivated state. Mr. Peabody endeavors to 
conform his cultivation as closely to nature as 
possible. He sets the plants in rows tvro feet 
apart, with a row of impregnators every sixth 
row, and in the fall spreads a slight coat of 
woods mould, and covers the ground completely 
with leaves, but never afterwards digs up the 
surface or applies any other manure. Grass 
and weeds are cut up with a hoe, and runners 
which only occasionally appear are cut away, 
unless the old plant is failing, and then that is 
cut up and a new one started. 
Every day during summer the vines are 
copiously watered by the assistance of a garden 
engine. This is the principal cause of success; 
of continued production and re-production of 
fruit through such a long season. 
We have seen upon these beds a growth of 
fruit ten times greater by weight or measure 
than all the vines or leaves producing it, and at 
the same time, upon the same soil only a few 
rods off, a growth of vines which would have 
afforded a good swath to the mower, upon 
which there was not a single berry. This bed 
was highly manured, and bore vines. The 
other bed was highly watered, and bore fruit. 
Dr. Hull, of Newburgh, has mulched his beds 
with spent tan bark, instead of leaves, and found 
it eminently beneficial, increasing the product¬ 
iveness, richness of flavor, and length of time of 
bearing. The question which naturally suggests 
itself to the minds of all is this : 
Can we lengthen the bearing season of the 
strawberry plant in this climate by pursuing 
the same course which has proved so wonder¬ 
fully successful with Mr. Peabody ? 
For the American Agriculturist. 
KEEPING FARM ACCOUNTS. 
No one null deny the importance of keeping 
accounts on a farm, that the owner may know 
the amount of his receipts and expenditures, 
and the cost and value of each crop. I imagine 
that the chief difficulty and cause of the neglect 
of this duty arises, not from a doubt of its im¬ 
portance, but from the want of knowledge of a 
sj'stem, at the same time simple and sufficiently 
comprehensive, to embrace all the points worthy 
of record. 
From these views I would present the lead¬ 
ing features of a system I have adopted, with 
