342 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



for one of a medium size will hold a large number of plants, and 

 several hundred can be wintered in a very small space. The distance 

 at which they must be put apart in the boxes must, of necessity, be 

 regulated by their size ; but as a rule a distance of two inches each 

 way will be ample. The soil used for filling the pots and boxes 

 should be rather light and sandy, and no more water should be 

 applied than is sufficient to keep it just moist, for it will be safer to 

 allow it to become dust dry than for it to be kept too wet. Towards 

 the end of February, they can be potted off singly, and a rather 

 richer compost employed. 



As the two last-mentioned sorts do not produce offsets in the 

 same manner as the others, they must be propagated either by 

 means of leaf-cuttings or seed. The others may also be propagated 

 in the same way when it is considered desirable to raise a stock by 

 a quicker method than that afforded by the offsets. The leaves 

 produced on the flower-stems of E. metallica are the most desirable, 

 although the others strike freely. The autumn is the most suitable 

 season of the year for striking the leaves, as they are then firm and 

 matured, and are not so liable to damp off as when taken earlier in 

 the season in a partially developed state. They should be slipped 

 off carefully with the hand and then inserted rather close together 

 in cutting pots or pans filled with a light sandy compost. It is 

 essential in inserting them to make them firm, and if the leaves are 

 large and likely to become loosened in moving the cutting pot 

 about, thrust a small piece of stick through the leaf and into the 

 soil to keep it steady. The leaves of the smaller growers, such as 

 E. secunda glauca, if inserted moderately deep in the soil, will not 

 require the aid of pegs to hold them firm. The warmest end of a 

 light airy greenhouse is the most suitable place for the cutting pots ; 

 the cuttings will not strike so quickly as they would do in a warmer 

 temperature, but there will not, if the soil is not kept too moist, be 

 so much danger of their perishing. All decaying leaves should be 

 removed as soon as symptoms of decay are perceptible, to prevent 

 their injuring the others. They should be potted off singly as soon 

 as the young plants, which push from the base of the leaf, are well 

 above the surface. 



Echeveria seed is very minute, and a considerable amount of care 

 is necessary in sowing it. The compost with which the seed pots 

 are filled should consist of mellow loam, with which a liberal quan- 

 tity of leaf-mould and silver sand has been mixed, and to be made 

 perfectly level on the surface. Sow the seed regularly and then 

 cover with a layer of moss, and over that put a sheet of glass. The 

 moss will materially aid in preventing the soil drying up quickly, 

 and when water is required it can be applied by sprinkling the moss 

 without displacing the seed. A sharp look-out must be kept for 

 the appearance of the young plants, and the moss must be removed 

 immediately they can be seen. The glass should be left on for a 

 week or so afterwards, and two or three days previous to its 

 removal it should be tilted on one side to gradually inure the young 

 plants to the air. They should be allowed to become strong before 

 they are pricked off, but of course they must not remain until they 



