280 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
the most beautiful features in the Oriental landscape. 
Most of the varieties in cultivation at the present time 
were derived from C. Japonica, and every year new 
and improved varieties are added to the list. 
I do not know of any variety of stove, green-house or 
hardy plants that are cultivated with ,as varying suc¬ 
cess as the Camellia, and as it is a plant whose flowers are 
universally admired, its cultivation is attempted by all, 
even by those who have had little or no experience 
in the cultivation of plants, as well as by those who 
are wanting the necessary facilities to cultivate it suc¬ 
cessfully. As a green-house plant it has been very 
successfully grown, both by our amateur and profes¬ 
sional cultivators, but as a house-plant it has not given 
much satisfaction, nor has it been as much cultivated 
for this purpose as its merits entitle it to be. 
In this paper I propose to treat of its cultivation as a 
plant for the window-garden only. 
In attempting the cultivation of Camellias, it is 
well to remember that they will not bear neglect in 
any form, their wants are not many, but they must be 
supplied and, if they are properly cared for, no plants 
are as easily grown as the Camellia; one essential 
requisite is to keep their foliage perfectly clean and free 
from dust and insect pests, as it not only injures the 
beauty of the plant, but seriously affects its health. 
Camellias do best when grown in a compost composed 
of three parts loam, one part leaf mould with a slight 
admixture of sand. Mix thoroughly and use the com¬ 
post quite rough. Re-potting is best done after the 
plants cease blooming; but it is well to avoid re-potting 
too often, once every three years is often enough, for 
while the plants should not be permitted to become 
pot-bound, too much root room may prove to be equally 
injurious. In potting, be careful to select porous pots, 
and let them be well drained, filling them one-third full 
of drainage, for if the roots become injured, the health 
of the plant is gone, and many years must elapse ere 
it can be restored to beauty. 
Camellias also require an even temperature, and 
when in the growing state, an abundant supply of 
water both overhead and at the roots, and after growth 
ceases, a more moderate supply. They should be given 
plenty of air at all times, avoiding severe draughts. If 
large and perfect flowers are desired, not more than one 
flower-bud should be allowed on each stalk—all others 
being carefully removed before the buds begin to swell. 
The best manner of treatment, perhaps, is to remove the 
plants to the open air early in May, placing them in 
any airy, shady situation, and, if at all possible, par¬ 
tially plunging the pots in abed of coal-ashes to prevent 
them from becoming filled with earth-worms. Water 
must be given as often as is necessary, being careful to 
thoroughly saturate the entire mass of earth, and the 
plants should be freely syringed two or three times a 
week. On the approach of cold weather the plants 
should be removed indoors, first sponging the leaves 
and stems carefully with clean water in which a little 
whale-oil soap has been dissolved. After the plants are 
brought in every care must be taken to avoid any sud¬ 
den change in temperature, that from forty to fifty 
degrees being amply sufficient for a healthy growth. 
With a little attention to this as well as to watering, 
one will not be annoyed by dropping buds, imperfect 
flowers and sickly foliage. After the flowering season 
is over a higher temperature and an abundant supply of 
water can be given them. 
The only insect to which the Camellia is subject is the 
red spider, and to avoid this, the leaves and stems 
should be sponged with water and soap as above 
advised. 
Propagation is effected by cuttings and grafting, but 
amateurs and' others had better procure plants which 
can be obtained at a moderate price from any florist. 
In selecting plants, choose those of compact symmetri¬ 
cal form, with dark green, healthy foliage, and exam¬ 
ine the roots by turning the plants out of the pot to see 
that they are in a healthy state. 
From the many varieties in cultivation, the following 
will prove to be a very desirable selection for amateur 
cultivators, viz.: Alba plena; Incarnata; Fimbriata; 
Mrs. Abby Wilder; Noblissima Nova; Jenny Lind; Im- 
bricata; Mrs. Lurman; Reine des Fleurs; Sarah Frost; 
Eximia; Wilderii. Chas. E. Parnell. 
FLORICULTURE IN BOSTON. 
A correspondent of the Churchman in writing of 
flowers in and about Boston says, that “Strangers at 
this season ever remark the lovelines of the Public Gar¬ 
den, an addition yet quite distinct from the Common. It 
is a huge lawn, some twenty acres in extent, dotted with 
patches of bright colored flowers, a single kind in a bed 
of oblong, round, square, or some eccentric shape. The 
effect of such coloring in the midst of a smooth, vel¬ 
vety green is very charming, from the contrast as well 
as the beauty of the blossoms. The whole atmosphere 
is pervaded with these sweets. A lake, ornamental 
bridges, shrubbery and great shade trees at intervals 
along the winding pathways make this spot a kind of 
Elysium. As the season advances the flowers are 
changed, and so the place is ever harmonious in its 
beauty and purpose. All through the year flowers are 
hawked in the business streets of Boston at every hour 
of the day and evening. Great Roses and Pansies and 
Clove Pinks seem to take the lead in this street trade, 
while the florists’ windows have an embarrassment of 
riches in the rarest and most costly flowers from their 
great conservatories. In no city are flowers and foliage- 
plants more extensively used for decorative purposes. 
The bordering of a table-cloth made of Roses for a din¬ 
ner party is not uncommon, or the ornamentation of 
the wall of a dining-room or a parlor with the choicest 
cuttings from a greenhouse. A pretty fashion in call¬ 
ing is the leaving of a bouquet with a visiting card. 
The Roses cultivated near Boston have long been ac¬ 
cepted as the finest grown in this country. About 500 
are sent to New York daily, and as many more in other 
directions. One florist grows nothing but Clove Pinks 
in his largest conservatories. Another cut 10,000 Violets 
in one day in a single greenhouse. The most famuos 
Rose-houses ift the vicinity are those at Natick,belonging 
to Mr. Wood, some twenty-two in number, each over 
