EBE 



E C H 



EARTH, a substance constituted of various 

 combinations of terrene materials. It forms 

 the bed in which vegetables establish themselves 

 and take their growth. The vegetable earth near 

 the surface is in general the most fruitful and pro- 

 ductive, as containing the largest proportions 

 of vegetable and animal matters ; the goodness 

 of the inferior parts being estimated, as they 

 approach or recede from it. For the purpose of 

 perfect vegetation, it should neither be too stiff 

 and adhesive, nor too light and porous, as in 

 the former case the component particles are 

 too close and compact to afford the roots of 

 plants a sufficiently ready entrance to extend 

 themselves and col'lect their nourishment ; and 

 in the latter, they are too loose and open to af- 

 ford that stability and support to the plants 

 which is necessary, as well as incapable of re- 

 taining a due degree of moisture for promoting 

 their healthy growth. 



Earth for the purpose of garden culture should 

 therefore neither be of a too loamy or clayey, 

 or too loose and sandy a quality ; but of a rich, 

 rather light, pliant nature, capable of being 

 worked at all seasons without inconvenience, 

 and of sufficient depth, as from one to two feet, 

 to admit the roots of all sorts of plants and trees 

 to extend themselves with facility. 



The black vegetable, hazelly-brown, and 

 chesnut-coloured loams are all proper for the 

 purpose of garden ground. And many other 

 sorts of earth that are of a more stiff and reten- 

 tive nature may be made so by the application 

 of such substances as are of a contrary quality. 

 See Soil. 



EBENUS, a genus comprising a plant of the 

 hoary, evergreen, flowery, exotic, shrubby kind, 

 for the green-house. t 



It belongs to the class and order Diadelphia 

 Decandria. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed, bell-shaped pcrianthium, terminated by 

 five filiform teeth, which are villose, and nearly 

 equal : the corolla is papilionaceous, length of 

 the calyx : standard roundish, straight, entire : 

 rudiments of wings obscure, crescent-shaped : 

 keel crescent- shaped, gibbous, ascending at the 

 tip : the stamina have diadelphous filaments, all 

 growing together into a sheath, with tips di- 

 stinct: anthers roundish: thepistillum, a round- 

 ish germ, villose : style capillary : stigma ter- 

 minal, acuminate: the pericarpium is an ovate 

 legume : the seed single, and rough with hairs. 

 The species cultivated is E. Cretiea, Cretan 

 Ebony. 



It rises with a shrubbv stalk three or four feet 

 high, having several side branches. The leaves 

 at each joint hoary, composed of five narrow 

 lanceolate leaflets, which join at their tails to the 

 foot-stalk, and spread out like the fingers of a 

 hand. The branches are terminated by thick 

 spikes of large purple flowers ; from two to 

 three inches long, making a fine appearance. It 

 flowers in June and July, and in very warm sea- 

 sons sometimes perfects seeds in this climate. It 

 is a native of Crete. 



Culture. — These plants may be increased by 

 seeds, which should be sown in the autumn, in 

 pots filled with light earth, and placed under a 

 frame in the winter, to be protected from frosts. 

 When the plants come up in the spring, they 

 should be kept clean from weeds, and be refresh- 

 ed now and then with water. After they have 

 acquired strength to be removed, they should be 

 planted in separate small pots of the same earth, 

 and plunged into a moderate hot-bed, just to 

 promote their taking new root, then gradually in- 

 ured to the open air, and removed in the latter end 

 of May into a sheltered situation, to remain till 

 autumn, when they should again be brought 

 under shelter, as they will not live in the open 

 air during the winter; but they must not be too 

 tenderly treated, as they are apt to draw up 

 weak. They should in winter be sparingly wa- 

 tered, but in summer often refreshed. They 

 afford variety in the green-house. 



ECHINOPS, a genus containing plants of 

 the hardy, herbaceous, perennial and annual 

 kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Si/ngencsia 

 Polygamia Segregate/, and ranks in the natural 

 order of Composites Capitatce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is com- 

 mon, many-leaved, with scales subulate, totally 

 reflected, containing many flowers : perianthium 

 partial one-flowered, oblong, imbricate, corner- 

 ed : leaflets subulate, loose above, upright, per- 

 manent : the corolla one-petalled, length of the 

 calyx, tubular ; border five-cleft, reflex, spread- 

 ing : the stamina consist of five capillary fila- 

 ments, very short: anthers cylindric, tubular, 

 five-toothed : the pistilfum is an oblong germ : 

 style filiform, length of the corolla: stigma dou- 

 ble, somewhat depressed, rolled back : there is 

 no pericarpium: calyx unchanged, larger: the 

 seed single, ovate-oblong, narrower at the base, 

 with obtuse tip : the down obscure ; the recep- 

 tacle common globose and bristly. 



The species cultivated are: 1. E. sphceroce- 

 phalus, Great Globe Thistle; 2. E. rltro, Small 



