May 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
suppose the plants to be put into the cold pit about 
the time, this letter sees the light, say the first week 
in May, the growth finished by midsummer, and the 
cooling down period to he full three weeks, we are 
then in the second week in July, and any time be¬ 
tween that and the middle of August will do equally 
well to pot them. However, those that are intended 
to bloom from November to Christmas ought to he 
potted as soon as they are ready for it, and the 
spring flowering ones will not suffer any loss if they 
are not potted till the first week in October. For 
some years I potted a large assortment of these 
plants, in number very hard upon 500, including 93 
sorts, some in the first week of August and the rest 
in the first week of October, and they were as healthy 
and flowered as well as one could wish. At that 
time I used to get annual supplies of new seedlings 
from Italy, Germany, and Belgium; the Italian ones 
cldeflv raised by Dr. Sacco, of Milan, then the most 
celebrated grower of this class in Italy; the German 
seedlings I had from M.M. Rinz and Griineberg, of 
Frankfort-on-tlie-Main; and the rest from Mr. Mackay, 
of Liege, names well known in plant circles here; but 
I have a sad story to tell about all these by-and-by. 
In the meantime let us pot the first succession of 
these plants. 
If one could procure that land of soil which old 
gardeners and old gardening books called mellow 
loam, because a handful of it in a dry state would 
feel to the touch like new flour from the mill, and a 
little sand added to it, there is no mixture that can 
be made in which the camellia would flourish better. 
I have used it near London for some years in the 
pure state from three different localities,—Norwood, 
the Essex Flats, and Stanmore Common, north from 
Edgeware ; but as this particular loam is very diffi¬ 
cult to be had in most places, one-third good peat is 
generally added to the best loam that comes nearest 
to hand; and, with a little sand, this mixture does 
very well if the pots are kept well drained. They 
are’ potted like other plants, hut tlie ,! drainage ought 
to he more perfect for them, as if they bloom in 
winter they will require a liberal supply of water, 
and of liquid manure too, all the time they are in 
bloom; so that unless the drainage is very good, 
there would be great danger, at that dull season, of 
the soil getting soddened, and the roots of camellias, 
notwithstanding the apparent strength of the plants, 
are as susceptible of injury as those of a Cape heath. 
They should never receive a drop of liquid manure 
all the time they are forming their new wood, nor 
until after the flower-buds are all set, but after this 
potting they would flower much stronger if they had 
liquid manure once a week from this time till they 
are out of blossom. Those that are to flower in 
November may be returned into the pit after potting, 
and kept a little close for a week or two, and also 
shaded a little, and after that in all fine weather the 
lights may be drawn off' every afternoon, so that they 
may have the evening and night dews, and the lights 
drawn over them after breakfast time. In cold, 
rainy, or dull weather, let*the lights be on, but let 
them he well aired. 
I see no reason, with these simple rules, and such 
humble contrivances, why you should not have as 
fine a show of bloom as any gardener whatever. 
Such, then, are the simple means by which the ca¬ 
mellia may be kept in perfect health for nobody 
knows how long. It is not by any very extraordi¬ 
nary exertions of mind or body, but by a close and 
steady adherence to the simple laws of nature that 
we are to look for success in gardening. 
09 
In the second place, let us consider the best means 
of restoring unhealthy camellias to a vigorous state, 
and the first step in this process is to ascertain, if 
possible, the cause of the disease, for without some 
knowledge on this point the doctor can only pre¬ 
scribe at a venture. The cause of nine-tenths of the 
failures experienced in the cultivation of this, and 
all other plants, must be looked for at the roots. In 
the first stages of a disease many of the roots may 
have perished without any visible change being evi¬ 
dent in the leaves or branches, for the camellia will 
not die off at once, like a heath and many other 
plants, but will struggle on for months, and even 
years, before the case is hopeless or beyond a cure. 
The first symptoms of diseased roots will not 
become manifest, without examination, until the 
growing season comes round. At this stage, the 
natural energy of the branches being not seconded 
by the enfeebled roots, a stinted growth of short- 
jointed wood, and a profusion of flower-buds, are the 
sure consequences. Now is the proper time to adopt 
measures for arresting the progress of the disease; 
and, instead of allowing the plant to spend its re¬ 
maining strength in producing this heavy crop ot 
bloom, every one of the flower-buds should be cut off 
at once. Thus the strength and substance necessary 
for maturing a crop of diminutive flowers will be 
saved, and will then be expended in strengthening 
the wood-buds for the next growth. If tire roots, in 
the meantime, are judiciously treated, the chances 
are that they will be in a fair way to support a 
healthy growth next season; and, if so, this plant 
may take its place among the first class of healthy 
one's; but, to ensure a permanent health, it should 
not be allowed to bloom too freely for the next year 
or two. 
The best treatment for diseased roots is to shake 
off as much, of the old soil from them as can be done 
without breaking them; then to cut back such as 
are already dead at the points, and also those that 
appear anyways cankered or unsound, and to repot 
them in the smallest pot that will hold the ball with 
a little fresh compost all the way round, and this 
compost to consist of equal parts of loam, peat, and 
sand, with a thorough good drainage, and lor the 
next three months to keep the plant in a close, cool pit, 
with a damp atmosphere and a low diet, that is, as 
little water as will keep the soil from getting too dry. 
If you were to double pot it, and keep a layer of 
damp moss on the top of the soil, with constant 
shading, once in ten days would do to give it water, 
even in the height of summer; and surely a favourite 
plant is worth a little petting. 
Now, let us suppose that this plant has been neg¬ 
lected during the first stage of the disease, and that 
it was allowed to bear that large number of blossom- 
buds, which, when they were about three-parts grown, 
would begin to drop off; the plant, through sheer in¬ 
ability, not being able to carry them any longer; and 
those of them that would open, what would they be? 
Nothing better than mere abortions. Bad as the state 
of this plant is, I shall give you an instance out of 
many which are in a much more hopeless' condition 
at this moment in many parts of this great garden¬ 
ing country; but let me first tell you that the plant 
under consideration is to he treated exactly as in the 
former case, with this addition, that all its branches 
must be cut down one-half their length: and this 
comes of letting it go so long without attempting a 
cure. 
If I were writing on tins subject fiiteen years since, 
I should end here about culture and cure, and treat 
