FERTILIZING 
You should use an acid react- 
ing fertilizer, sold by most 
nurseries, and begin applying 
it in the spring just as soon 
as the Camellia is through 
blooming, as new growth is 
about to begin. Loosen the top 
half inch of soil with a hand cultivator as illustrated below, 
apply two handsful of fertilizer around a small plant, more 
around larger bushes. Water immediately. Repeat applica- 
tions once each month through July. 

Camellias are top feeders and Et) LTIVATING 
should never be cultivated 
deeply. It is well to keep the 
surface of the soil loose so that 
water will permeate and not 
run off. This is especially de- 
sirable after fertilizing. Use 
a hand cultivator and do not 
cultivate deeper than about 
¥% inch—just enough to pre- 
vent a top crust from forming. Weeds should be pulled by 
hand from immediately around the plant. 

Camellias very often set more DISBUD DING 
buds than it is desirable for 
a plant to mature. To leave 
all of these buds on a plant 
causes it to exhaust its energy 
maturing a large crop of some- 
times inferior flowers. By 
proper disbudding and ferti- 
lizing, you can appreciably in- 
crease the size of the blooms. 
Leave but two buds to each terminal and be careful not to 
injure the sharply pointed leaf bud in removing the flower 
buds. 

A Camellia bush can be ruined ba NG 
by improper removal of the 
flowers. Flowers wanted for 
floating in a shallow bowl 
should be twisted off and 
leaves from other parts of the 
plant inserted where required 
in the arrangement. Those for 
corsages should be cut with 
shears or sharp knife, taking 
only two or three leaves with 
the flowers. Make the cut % inch above a leaf on the new 
wood which shows a dormant bud in the leaf axil. 

