TO THE FLOWER GARDEN. lOi 



or old brick and lime rubbish ; the pots must be well drained, 

 and in winter little or no water must be given. They require 

 to be kept in the greenhouse beyond the reach of frost. Cut- 

 tings or suckers, dried a little before planting, after being 

 detached, will readily afford young plants ; and all the species 

 mmj be propagated by planting the leaves as cuttings, and 

 especially by means of the small leaves of the flower-stem, 

 which should be merely laid on the sm'face of the soil until 

 they have produced a young shoot. 



ECHINACEA. [Compositse.] Large-growing hardy per- 

 ennials, of the habit of Kudbeckia, and requiring similar 

 treatment. Common garden soil. Propagated by divi- 

 sion. 



ECHINOCxlCTUS. Hedgehog Cactus. [Cactace^.j 

 A genus of succulent herbs or sub-shrubs, of a leafless de- 

 pressed figure, the surface varied by alternating perpendicular 

 channels and ridges, the latter armed at short intervals with 

 clusters of rigid, more or less lengthened spines. The plants 

 are therefore lumpish masses, covered over with spines ; and 

 hence the popular name. They require a greenhouse, and 

 must be potted in well-drained pots. The compost should be 

 mellow loam, intermixed with one-fourth leaf-mould, one- 

 eighth sand, and one-eighth bricks or potsherds broken up 

 into very fine fragments or dust. They require much ex- 

 posure to light and sun, and in winter must be kept almost 

 dry : even in summer the supply of water must be so far 

 limited that the soil never becomes soddened. They are^ 

 admirable plants for cultivating in a Wardian case, in a 

 sitting-room window, or on a staircase, from their grotesque 

 appearance, small size, and the slow progress they make. 

 They are increased by planting any lateral offshoots as cut- 

 tings, which should be exposed to dry for a few days before 

 planting. There are upwards of sixty reputed species in 

 cultivation, any of which may be indiscriminately selected. 

 Their blooming season is very uncertain, and the blossoms of 

 many of the species are not at all showy. 



ECHITES. [Apocynaceae.] Beautiful stove evergreen 

 twiners, now separated into various genera, including Dipla- 

 deriia, Chonemorpha, Aganosma, Parson ia, and Hceinadictyon. 

 The general treatment of Dipladenia is suitable to the whole 



