An excellent paper in the Midland Florist, on the " Management of Camellias," contains the following advice: "In a general way, we can afford to cut all the shoots a good way back, some as far back as to leave only two or three eyes. Camellia japonica is a plant that wants great attention, or it will become ill-formed. The shoots at the ends of the branches start before the bloom has opened; the flower is the smaller and weaker for it; the new shoot takes up the growth, and merely lengthens the branch that is already long enough. And it is the same with the other branches; they all lengthen, no side and lower shoots come, the plant grows tall, without getting more bushy, and in two seasons is spoiled. When the spike next the bloom bud begins to push, remove it; never leave the end shoot on, unless you want to lengthen the branch. By picking them off, the whole strength of the plant is thrown into side shoots, branches, and flowers; but this is not all that is to be done. Shorten every branch that is too long; cut out any weak wood that clogs up and confuses the centre; make the plant of a good form, by cutting back whatever is ugly, and if the pot is full of roots, shift the plant into a larger one; but as Camellias are now set for bloom, and have done all their growth, set them in the shade.

See that they do not want for water, and let them rest and harden. There are some plants that, like the Camellia, are out of bloom before it is safe to turn them out of doors; these must make their new wood in the house, and be well grown and perfected before they are turned out. The perfection of a turn is, however, under a canvas awning, like a tulip frame, because, when closed up, the sharp winds take no effect on them. With a convenience of this kind, most plants might be pruned and turned into the canvas-house, as they decline flowering; but they will require some attention. They must have protection from the wind, when north or east, and from the sun during the heat of the day; they must have all the air they can get, and in fine, genial weather, except the few hours of mid-day sun, they may be open altogether; they may also have warm showers, but they must be shut up in their canvas abode whenever the wind is high, and also when in the wrong quarter. When the plants have made their growth, they may be more exposed; still, they must not have the hot sun.

But after all is said and done, the pruning is by far the most important operation, because, this done well, your plants will be handsome, however large they grow; neglect this, and they will be barelegged, nothing but naked wood at the bottom, and totally unfit to show singly, even on your own shelves. What is the consequence?. When you arrange your greenhouse for the winter, you crowd them, to hide their naked stems, and make bad worse. They may make a pretty bank of flowers, because you Bee nothing but their tops; whereas, prune them every year before they make their new wood, keep them well down, for the top eye or bud left is sure to grow the most vigorously, and for this you must make allowance when cutting back or pruning. As, therefore, you must, properly speaking, begin in the spring, prune everything as it goes out of flower; Hoveas, Acacias, Camellias, Correas, Chorozemas, Cytissus, Oestrum, Epacris, Nerium, Pimelia, and many others".