AND COKSERVATORT. 163 



out frost, but a rou2;ber structure may be turned to equally 

 good account if it is weathertigbt and airy. Tbe three greatest 

 enemies of ericas are darkness, damp, and artificial heat. 



The greenhouse heaths may be divided into two classes — the 

 hard-wooded slow-growing kinds, which are fairly represented 

 by E. ventricosa, and the soft-wooded free-growing kinds, 

 equally well represented by E. hyemalis. The species and 

 varieties of the first section are mostly summer flowering plants, 

 and those of the second section mostly flower in winter. The 

 general management of both groups is the same, but the 

 particular management difiers in accordance with their diff"er- 

 ence of habit. 



The bulk of the hard-wooded kinds flower in May, June, 

 and July, and as soon as they go out of flower they should be 

 taken out of doors and placed in the full sun, on a bed of coal 

 ashes. The soft wooded kinds may be taken out of doors 

 earlier. There must, however, be no haste in taking them into 

 the open air, especially if they are grown in a pit or a house 

 by themselves, or in company with such things as Aphelexis, 

 liedaromas, and Eriostemons, where they can have a continued 

 circulation of air around them, and full exposure to the light. 

 lu wet seasons they should be kept entirely under glass. 

 When kept in-doors through the summer, tilt the lights both 

 at the back and the front if in a pit, and if in a house the 

 front or side lights must be thrown as wide open as possible, 

 aud the top ventilators opened when there is no danger of the 

 wet reaching the plants in sufficient quantities to saturate the 

 soil, or wet it deep enough to deceive the cultivator. Other- 

 wise the plants will receive considerable benefit from genial 

 showers. The mechanical operations, such as preparing the 

 soil, potting, and so forth, must be carefully performed, and 

 particular attention must be paid to the provisions for drainage. 

 The peat must be of a tough texture, not at all greasy, free 

 from moss, and if of a bright brown colour all the better. The 

 sand must be sharp and free from lime and iron ; the cleanest 

 siliceous grit imaginable. The plants must be potted quite 

 firm and watered with the utmost regularity ; if dry for a day or 

 two and then supplied with an extra dose to make up for lost 

 time you will soon be rid of the trouble of keeping them. At 

 every watering the whole body of the soil in the pot should be 

 wetted, and there should be no more given until it is nearly 

 dry again. In case you do find a pot dry and capable of 



