131 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 30, 1858. 
‘H'lii&li must occur. There is one thing to bd observed 
with regard to old stock becoming unmanageable, they 
will prove excellent subjects to plant out in" the garden, 
for tiiey will have become so dwarfed as to be lit to 
export to China. Much, very much, will depend on the 
character of the soil in the pots, and the mode of potting. 
And herd, as to soil, I strongly recommend that which 
I, for the last twenty years, have used for Camellias with 
the highest results. I have not had a general potting of 
Camellias for about seven years : most of them are so 
pot-bound as to astonish some persons who notice them; 
out still they flourish. At the last general potting, or 
tubbing, I obtained, somehow, a sample of very strong, 
or adhesive, loam, from a pasture which had not known 
the plough for some fifty years ,or more. The turf, con¬ 
sequently, was some three inches thick, and as tough as 
the best blanket. 
This was piled up indoors for many months, to become 
dry, and when completely so, was chopped by a sharp 
spade into squares, or irregular lumps, averaging about two 
inches square. Of course I do not intend, good folks who 
happen to read these remarks, to think that two is a magical 
number in this case. I must somehow try to convey a 
correct impression. After chopping the desired bulk, the 
whole was well riddled, and that with a strong hand ; and 
the consequence was, that about one-half of the more 
clayey, or soily, matter became disengaged; aud the mass 
left was a body of these cubes of turf, so elastic when 
heaped, that by a thump they would bound from the 
potting bench. They were masses of organic matter, in¬ 
terspersed throughout with as much of the clayey principle 
as needed—that is to say, to carry out a double purpose, 
the prevention of sudden injury to the roots through 
drought, and still so porous that they were iu a position 
to let water pass through them with rapidity. At the 
same time, be it remembered, that the organic texture was 
of so sti’ong and durable a character as to preserve its 
texture for years. This it has done, for, in repotting 
Camellias that had been thus handled half-a-dozen years 
since, I have found these squares in the old ball nearly as 
fresh-looking as when put in, aud thoroughly invested 
with a network of fibres. My chief reason for this pro¬ 
ceeding, indeed, was to provide a long enduring material, 
that could bear repeated applications of liquid manure as 
years rolled on. It has accomplished all this. 
Now, since, in my opinion, the use of liquid manure at 
proper junctures should be part and parcel of the plan 
from the first in pot culture, it behoves the man who 
pots these fruit bushes in their earlier years, to well con¬ 
sider this question of texture in the soil. With complete 
drainage, 1 am not aware of any of our fruits that will not 
thrive in this material, from the Vine up to the Pear tree. 
But root-pruning, and what is vulgarly called disrooting, 
must, in my opinion, form an important division of this 
subject. 
As to root-pruning, this must have been called into re¬ 
quisition several times previous to their arrival at a full 
fruiting condition ; for every time a tree is removed, we 
have a case of root-pruning, or root-breaking, if you will. 
Whatever the stocks be that are used, although naturally 
fibrous, a certain amount of root-pruning is of much im¬ 
portance in every dwarfing system, especially as to long- 
continued pot culture. By disrooting, I do not mean 
cutting away all the fibres. This term, so inapt, seems to 
have had its origin in the days of Pine Apple mutilation, 
when a man was ordered outside the camp, if he did not 
disroot annually. 
But this I do mean, with regard to pot-bushes in 
the orchard-house, that when they become too stunted, 
through bearing, age, &c, they should be suffered to be¬ 
come very dry in their pots previous to the operation, 
and in that condition turned out, and all possible old 
and worn soil dislodged. At the same time trim the 
roots, remove those partly in root and somewhat naked, 
and encourage by all possible means fresh young 
j fibres. But, with my advice, the parties will let them rest 
i from fruiting for ono summer after such operation, and 
suffer them to pass their time out-doors, plunged from 
! June to the end of August, using the finger and thumb 
! occasionally over rapid growths. 
I spoke, I believe, of ventilation, in the earlier portion 
of these remarks : I beg again to refer to it. I advise all 
aboitt to build orchard-houses, to provide the most ample 
ventilation possible, of a specific character,—not by a 
hedge; at the same time, to possess the power of en¬ 
closing any amount of solar heat deemed necessary in the 
afternoon,—what is called “ putting them to bed warm'.- 
Where any amount of acceleration is needed, this is 
the very best plan by which to carry it out; and feeling 
assured of it, and the awkward tendency of plants in¬ 
doors, in a southern lean - to, of drawing or growing 
towards the light, was one chief reason lor recommending 
the house with a north light, and facing the south-east. 
In such a house, any necessary degree of solar heat might 
be shut in (after the most free ventilation for hours) from 
3 p.m,, through the evening. But scorching the foliage 
must not be thought of; and, indeed, there is no reason 
why such should occur, unless the glass be bad, or the 
house ill-constructed, as to ventilation. As the object is 
rather to obtain a sure crop, in a small compass of ground, 
of superior fruit, than an} r particular amount of accele¬ 
ration, the ventilating openings should be thrown wider 
by 7 a.m., all the summer. Let them, indeed, have a 
hearty puff of wind occasionally, if not too keen. This 
will keep the bushes sturdy, allow' the fruit due time and 
chances for swelling, and give them a hearty relish lor 
the solar heat shut up in the afternoon. It will thus bo 
readily seen, by those free from bias or undue interest in 
the case, that this—in a house of substantial character, 
with a solid back-may be made to amount to a degree 
of forcing,—only let us call it natural forcing. In the 
midst of such practice the syringe must be plied manfully, 
and copious ablutions frequently used about the floors, &c. 
Whilst discussing the potting of fruit bushes, I forgot 
to state one thing connected with the fibrous, dry loam I 
recommended. It is well known that soils in a dry state 
may he rammed tighter in the pot than when moist,-—in 
other words, a pot of a given size may be made to contain 
about one-tliird more soil. 
Now, in Camellia potting, the way in which we ram 
this open, dry, turfy material, would astonish some folks. 
It is packed, or crammed, as tight as a blunt-ended stick 
i can effect it, round the sides of the ball; and if the turfy 
lumps be prepared as I have described, I defy any man 
! to ram it so tight but that water will rmi through with 
the utmost facility. Let this turfy plan he well under- 
| stood, as I consider it the most important feature iu 
most potting operations. Lotus, then, ask w'hat this turf 
thus prepared can effect, that common, mixed, or riddled 
compost cannot. In order to show forth its character and 
mode of operation, I must claim as follows in its behalf:—- 
First. It is best adapted to the frequent use of liquid 
manure. The latter is one of the best things in modern 
practice, when rightly understood. 
Second. It will maintain its texture for years longer 
! than ordinary compost. 
Third. It will receive and part with water for years 
with facility,—the water filtering, as if it were riddled 
through every part. 
Fourth. It is particularly adapted to the potting, or 
i tubbing, of plants which have to remain years without 
j repotting. 
Fifth. It is much less liable to worms than mixed 
composts. 
These, then, arc—as I know by long experience—the 
effects of the use of this prepared turf,—merits which 
cannot possibly ho claimed on behalf of mixed and com¬ 
minuted composts. 
I have deemed it necessary thus to offer my opinions 
about orchard-houses, aud the collaterals connected there- 
