103 



their construction resemble those of 

 the other plants belonging to the 

 genus Cereus. Whatever botanic 

 name may be given to them, all the 

 round-shaped, ribbed, spiny, or por- 

 cupine Cacti, require the same treat- 

 ment ; that is, to be grown in vege- 

 table-mould, mixed with pounded 

 bricks, or lime-rubbish, and allowed 

 bottom-heat where practicable. The 

 pots should be drained with cinders; 

 and the plants should be frequently 

 watered, but the water should never 

 be given overhead ; as it will rot the 

 centre, where there is an indentation, 

 if suffered to lie there, and this can 

 hardly be avoided, if water is poured 

 all over the plants. They are propa- 

 gated by seeds, which should be sown 

 in silver sand, and placed in a warm 

 shaded situation ; or by cutting oif the 

 top of the plant, and after letting it 

 lie a day or two to dry, planting it in 

 silver sand, and not watering it ; when 

 it will soon throw out shoots, while 

 the other paii; of the plant will form 

 a new top. The young plants, when 

 raised from seed, should not be 

 watered when transplanted, for 

 several days after transplantation. 

 The flowers of all the porcupine Cacti 

 are very ornamental; and those 

 which are considered to belong to 

 Cereus, sometimes have the tubes of 

 the flowers a foot long. 



EcHi'NOPS. — Compbsitce. — The 

 Globe Thistle. — Hardy annual, bien- 

 nial, and perennial plants, generally 

 with blue flowers ; that requii-e only 

 the common culture of their respec- 

 tive kinds, and which will grow in 

 almost any soil and situation. 



Echi'tes. — ApocynacecE. — Beau- 

 tiful stove and greenhouse climbers, 

 which grow freely in a mixture of 

 sandy loam and peat ; and which 

 should be trained up the pillars, and 

 under the rafters. They are propa- 

 gated by cuttings, which strike 

 readily. Several new species have 



been lately introduced by Messrs. 

 Veitch, of Exeter, one of the hand- 

 somest of which is E. atropurpurea^ 

 a greenhouse climber from South 

 Brazil, with very dark-piu'ple flowers. 



See DlPLADE^NIA. 



E'CHIUM. — Boraginacece. -Viper's 

 Bugloss. — Perennial, biennial, and 

 annual plants, generally with rich 

 dark-blue flowers ; though some of 

 the kinds that are natives of the Cape 

 of Grood Hope, and the Canaries, have 

 red, white, or violet flowers. They 

 all require a light soil, and will grow- 

 well in either sandy or peaty loam ; 

 and they are easily propagated by 

 seeds or division of the root. 



Edgings are lines of plants, gene- 

 rally evergreens, to separate walks 

 from beds or borders. The plant in 

 moi-t universal use for this purpose in 

 British gardens is the dwarf Box ; a 

 low evergreen shrub, which retains its 

 leaves for two or three, and even four 

 years, and bears clipping, so as to be 

 kei)t not more than three or four 

 inches high, two inches or three inches 

 broad at the base, and one inch at top. 

 For the mode of forming box-edgings, 

 see Bu'xus. 



Edgings to beds and borders are 

 also formed of other materials, such 

 as lines of bricks, tiles, or slates, or 

 of narrow strips of stone, or even of ' 

 wood. In general, however, edgings | 

 of this kind have a meagre appearance, | 

 especially in small gardens, though 

 they have this advantage, that they 

 do not harbour snails, slugs, or other 

 vermin. In architectural flower- 

 gardens, near a house, where the 

 garden must necessarily partake of 

 the character of the architecture of 

 the building, stone or brick edgings 

 are essential, and they should be 

 formed of strips of curb-stone, bedded 

 on stone or brickwork, so as never to 

 sink. These stone -edgings should 

 never be more than two or three 

 inches wide, and they should not rise 



