DRA 



[307] 



DRI 



DRAGON'S-HEAD. Dracoce'phalum. 



DRAGON-TREE. Dracdna dra'co. 



DRAINING is drawing away the surface 

 water, instead of allowing it to chili the 

 land by evaporation, and further injuring 

 the crops by an excessive supply of mois- 

 ture. There is scarcely a garden exist- 

 ing that would not be benefited by under- 

 draining. Every gardener knows the ab- 

 solute necessity for a good drainage 

 under his wall-trees and vines, but few 

 gardeners ever think for a moment 

 whether there is any escape and outfall 

 for the water he has drained from im- 

 mediate contact with the roots of the 

 above-named favoured trees. Every gar- 

 den should have drains cut, varying in 

 depth from two to three feet, according to 

 the depth of the soil, with an interval of 

 twenty-four feet between the drains; 

 twelve feet will not be too near in clayey 

 soils. At the bottom of the drains should 

 be placed one-inch pipes; these should 

 be well puddled over six inches deep with 

 clay, and then the earth returned. They 

 should have an outfall into a ditch, at 

 the least elevated side of the garden. 

 By having the pipes with a bore no 

 larger than an inch moles cannot creep 

 in; and that bore is large enough to 

 carry off all the water, after even the 

 heaviest rains. For full directions we 

 refer our readers to Donald's shilling 

 volume, entitled Land Drainage. 



DRAKE'A. ^ (Named in honour of Miss 

 Drake, botanical painter for the Botanical 

 Register. Nat. ord., Orchids [Orchida- 

 ceoej. Linn., 20-Gynandria 1-Monandria. 

 Allied to Caleya.) 



The only species is an extremely curious ground- 

 orchid, having one flower on the top of a slender 

 stalk, eighteen inches long, " resembling an in- 

 sect suspended in the air, and moving with every 

 breeze." Greenhouse. Divisions ; peat, loam, and 

 rough sand. 



D. ela'stica (elastic). Variegated. September. 

 Swan River. 



DRAWN. A plant is said to be drawn 

 when it is unnaturally increased in 

 length. This is usually by an access of 

 heat and moisture, and a deficiency of 

 air and light. 



DBBPASOOA'BPUS. The Sickle-pod. (From 

 drepanon, sickle, and carpos, a fruit; re- 

 ferring to the shape of the seed-vessel. 

 Nat. ord., Leguminous Plants [Fabacese]. 

 Linn., L7-Diadelp/,ia 4,-Decandria.) 



Stove evergreen. Cuttings of young shoots 

 nearly ripe, with their leaves entire, in sand, under 

 a glass, and m bottoui-heat ; peat aad loaia, both 



fibry^ Summer temp., 60 to 80; winter, 50 



D. luna'tus (half -moon-capsuled). 12. White. 

 S. Amer. 1792. 



DRESSING. Putting the borders in 

 order; also manuring strawberries, as- 

 paragus, and other permanent beds. 



DRIFT SAND is the sand washed by 

 floods into drifts or banks, whether by 

 the sides of roads or streams. 



DRILLING. Scarcely a crop in the gar- 

 den should be sown broadcast, for drill- 

 ing saves seed and labour; and although 

 in some cases it takes more time to in- 

 sert the seed in drills, yet this is more 

 than compensated by the time saved dur- 

 ing the after-culture, for the thinning 

 and hoeing are greatly facilitated. (See 

 BROADCAST.) 



The distance apart appropriate for the 

 drills for particular crops will be found 

 under their respective titles; they are 

 usually made with a hoe and line, but the 

 drill-rake is often used. The teeth are 

 set six inches apart, and. are broad and 

 coulter-formed. When the drills are re- 

 quired to be less than six inches apart 

 the implement can he worked diagonally ; 

 but it may be made with teeth moveable 

 to any desired space apart. 



DRI'MIA. (From drimys, acrid; refer- 

 ring to the juice of the bulbs. Nat. ord., 

 Lily worts [Liliaceffl]. Linn., Q-Hexandrla 

 l-Monogynia. Allied to Massonia.) 



Little greenhouse bulbous plants, from the Cape 

 of Good Hope ; elegant, though less showy than 

 the Ixias. Offsets; peat, or leaf -mould, and 

 sandy loam. Summer temp., 50 to 75; winter, 

 35 to 45; potted when beginning to grow, and 

 until then kept dry after the withering of the leaf. 

 D. acumina'ta (pointed). *. Brown. August. 

 1829. 



alti'ssima (tallest). l. White, green. August. 



1791. 



cilia'ris (hair-fringed). Ij. Purple, white. Au- 



gust. 1800. 



ela'ta (tall). 2. Red, green. October. l/gp. 



lancecufo'lia (spear-leaved). . Purple. Sep- 



tember. 1800. 



lanceola'ta (spear-head-/eaed). $. Yellow, 



green. September. 1774. 



?on ( g'fperfwCK/u'/a(long-flower-stalked).Green, 



purple. September. 1800. 



me'dia (intermediate). White. August. 1820. 



purpura'scens (purplish). . Purple. August. 



1818. 



pusi'llti, (little). 4. Green. May. Cape of Good 



Hope. 1793. 



undulti'ta (waved). . Green-striped. May. 



1819. 



villo'na (long-haired). Green. August. 1826. 



DRI'MYS. (From drimys, acrid ; re 

 ["erring to the "bitter tonic taste " of ilie 

 bark, one of the characteristics of ito 



