206 THE amateur's greenhouse 



send their roots deep and far in search of food. But whatever 

 may be the position of cactuses and their kindred at home, it 

 is certain that all of them that are worth cultivating are worth 

 cultivating well, and the three requisites to success are a 

 rather ricb, and substantial, and very gritty soil, abundance of 

 water in the growing season, and the utmost possible amount 

 of light the whole year round. Without exception they 

 should be comparatively dry during winter, and the colder the 

 bouse the more careful must the cultivator be to prevent in- 

 jury by damp; but the tender kinds should be rather warm 

 all winter and never quite dry, for when they appear to be 

 quite dormant the flower buds and the next growth are 

 quickly advancing in readiness for rapid development when 

 the stimulus of solar light becomes sufficient. The capability of 

 bearing any amount of sunlight renders these plants admirably 

 adapted for the possessors of those little glass boxes which, in 

 town houses, are called "conservatories," for, unfit as these 

 structures usually are for plant growing, they answer admi- 

 rably for sheltering succulent and hard leaved plants of small 

 size on account of their dryness and strong light. The 

 wonderful variety, both of form and colour, that may be 

 ensured in a collection of succulents costing almost nothing in 

 the first instance, and the very small space occupied by them 

 if judiciously selected, are additional reasons in favour of 

 their adoption by amateurs who value a bit of glass more 

 highly than to waste it on ephemeral plants that can only be 

 properly grown in comparatively large and well appointed plant 

 houses. 



EcHEVEBiA. — This genus comprises some of our most useful 

 decorative plants. E. metallica, E. secunda, and E. secunda 

 glauca are well known as the most useful of the older kinds. 

 E. sanguinea has acquired considerable repute as a bedder, 

 but it makes a charming pot plant, and its deep red foliage 

 presents a remarkable contrast to the others. E. retusa can 

 fairly claim a place with the best spring-flowering plants we 

 have ; unlike either of those named above, it has a bushy yet 

 compact habit, and flowers most profusely throughout the 

 spring months. When it is desired to increase the stock of 

 this species, the side-shoots, if taken off" below where the wood 

 has become moderately hard, immediately the plants go out of 

 flower, will quickly strike and make flowering specimens of 



