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p u t in the pots for drainage, we would recommend broken potsherds,
or the rough siftings of the compost.
Messrs. Loddiges formerly used loam, with a little sand and peat,
for most o f th e sorts, b u t latterly they find light loam alone to answer
as well, or better. This shows th a t Camellias will grow in what is
termed a good rich soil. I f they are planted in a conservatory, the soil
need not be very sandy; b u t if k ep t in pots, a moderate proportion of
sand is absolutely necessary.
PROPAGATION.
This is usually performed by th e several methods of seeds, layei-s,
inarching or grafting, budding, and cuttings.
B y Seeds.—W e have given a figure of the ripe capsule and seeds,
in plate 1. They are sometimes very freely produced, b u t more so on
certain kinds th an on others. The Single-red, Aitoni, and the Waratah
, are the best we know for obtaining seed from. Curtis gives the
following directions respecting th e raising of Camellias from seed:—
They should be sown in large pots, two inches apart. After they have
been sown a week or two, and regularly k ep t moistened, so as to be
nearly constantly damp, they should be plunged into a gentle bottom
heat, of either tan or dung, u n til they are up; after which, they may
be gradually inured to the air, and th e following winter they may be
potted separately into small pots, and k ep t with the other plants until
they flower. Should any of them prove handsome, they are o f course
added to the collection, b u t if otherwise, they are set aside for stocks to
graft on.
B y L a y e r s—For those who are not skilled in grafting, this is by
far the best mode of propagating Camellias. I t is also a ready way for
obtaining good healthy plants of particular varieties, or of such as are
cultivated for stocks. The plan which is usually pursued, is as follows:
A frame is prepared, and filled with the proper Camellia compost. In
the autumn, the sorts which it is intended to have stools of are selected,
each turned out of its pot, and planted in the centre o f the bed. The
shoots which cannot be brought in a posture for laying, are to be cut
off, and used for cuttings. The other shoots, of not more than two years
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growth, are then to be taken, and tongued about two thirds through,
and secured, with a wooden peg, an inch below the surface of the earth.
In this state they must remain u n til they have made sufficient roots to
support them, when cu t off from the parent plant. When removed, it
is advisable to shorten the head of each a little, and to keep them for a
few days in a close frame, u n til they have struck root again. The stools
are then to be properly cleaned, the decayed parts cut away, and the
soil round the roots renewed, if required.
B y Inarching, or Grq/'ring.—This is the usual mode of propagating
the finer sorts of Camellias, and is to be performed early in spring,
when the plants begin to grow. For this purpose, Curtis remarks, the
stock, being a plant of the Single-red, or an y other robust kind, in a
pot, is to be fixed in a convenient resting-place, so contiguous to a
young healthy shoot of the preceding year’s growth, of the variety you
wish to in c re ^ e , tha t, by the common mode of tongue-grafting, it can
be inserted into a clean p a rt of the side of the stock; aud after being
firmly bound with bass matting, a small piece of clay may be attached,
to exclude air from the wounded part, and over this again, a small
covering of damp moss may be tied, to prevent the clay from cracking.
The head of the stock should then be shortened, (but not cut off,) so as
to cause a greater flow of sap to the graft; and if the stock and graft
are free growing, healthy plants, in six weeks or two months the union
will be so complete, th a t the scion may be cu t from the parent plant.
In this state, it is better to let it continue a week; and, in th a t time,
if the leaves remain unaffected by th e separation, the clay and matting
may all be removed, and the head of th e stock cut off, a few inches
above the insertion of the scion. I t makes th e grafted p a rt look better
to bandage a fresh piece of matting round it, which in another month
may be finally removed; as, without this precaution, the scion is liable
to swell out and become unsightly. At the end of a month, when the
adhesion has taken place, it is advisable to slacken th e bandage, and
bind it again. I f the union seems tolerably firm, the matting, with a
little damp moss, is all th a t will be then necessary to secure success.
The young plants, when removed, should be placed in a close frame,
rather shady than otherwise.
We may here observe, th a t instead of tongue-grafting, above men