106 



sliould be grown in very sandy loam, 

 mixed witli a little peat ; and they 

 should be allowed plenty of air and 

 light, with only enough of heat to 

 exclude the frost. They will not, 

 however, bear j^lanting out, as their 

 roots appear to require to be confined 

 in a small space, and the plants rarely 

 do well if they are transplanted,unless 

 before the roots have pushed through 

 the ball of earth in the pot, as the 

 roots seem to dislike fresh soil. The 

 pots should be well drained with 

 crocks, and care should be taken 

 neither to over-vrater the plants, nor 

 to let them become very dry. They 

 are propagated by cuttings of the 

 ripe v/ood, which ai'e struck in sand, 

 under a bell-glass, but without 

 bottom-heat ; and which, when trans- 

 planted, should have balls of earth 

 attached. For this reason, only 

 two or three cuttings should be put 

 into each pot, and these should be 

 as far asunder as possible. 



E'PACRis. — EpacridecE. — The 

 E'pacris is a New Holland shrub, 

 ■which the first settlers mistook for 

 a kind of Heath, and which is still 

 called the Heath in Australia, where 

 the true Heath (Erica) is unknown. 

 The E'pacris should be grown in a soil 

 composed of turf-bog, chopped small, 

 but not crumbled, and mixed with 

 sand ; and the plants do best in double 

 pots, with moss, kept moist, stuffed 

 between ; as, if the hot sun comes on 

 the outside of the pot, the tender 

 roots, which soon become matted 

 round the ball of earth in the pot, 

 will be -ndthered, and the plants will 

 receive a severe check, if they are not 

 killed. The pots should be well 

 drained, by filling them about a third 

 full of broken pots, or pieces of brick- 

 bat, the largest of which should not 

 exceed two inches in diameter, and 

 small lumps of freestone ; and this 

 will provide a reservoir of moisture 

 for the nourishment of the roots. The 



plants should be potted high, like 

 Heaths, as the collar is inevitably 

 rotted, if buried, by the moisture 

 which is essential for the roots. They 

 require plenty of air and light, but 

 not much heat ; sufficient to exclude 

 the frost in winter is quite enough 

 for them. Cuttings of the young 

 wood may be struck in pure sand, 

 under a bell-glass, and with the aid 

 of bottom-heat. See Eri'ca, and 

 Cuttings. 



E'PHEDRA. — Genetdcece. — The 

 shrubby Horse-tail, or Sea Grrape. 

 Very curious small evergreen shrubs, 

 with jointed branches,and apparently 

 without leaves. They grow best in 

 sea-sand ; and, when pegged down 

 and kept clipped closely, they maybe 

 made to present the extraordinary 

 appearance of green turf stretching 

 to the vei-y brink of the sea, and even 

 covered by it at full tide. They are 

 used for this purpose, Du Ham el 

 tells us, in Africa, to cover those 

 dry burning sands, and to give the 

 appearance of an English lawn, 

 where not a single blade of grass 

 will grow. The berries are whole- 

 some, and, T.'hen ripe, taste like 

 mulberries. 



Epide'ndrum. — OrcMdacece. — 

 Parasitic plants, which should be 

 grown in a damp stove or orchideous 

 house, on pieces of wood hung up 

 from the rafters for that purpose. 

 The roots must be wrapped in damp 

 moss and tied on the wood, into 

 which they will soon penetrate. 

 These plants may also be grown in 

 baskets, or cocoa-nuts filled with 

 moss, and hung up in the same 

 manner. They require to be grown 

 in the shade, and kept very moist 

 and hot. 



Epig.e'a. EricacecL'. The 



Ground Laurel. — A little creeping 

 plant, with white flowers, suitable 

 for rock- work. It should be grown 

 in sandy peat, and never suffered to 



