off and the internal white substance pounds 

 pulp to a depth of several inches ; the pulpy n 

 and a considerable quantity of palatable wate 



lection of fig-marigolds, belonging 



to the genus. Mesembryan- 



t/iemitm, natives of southern Africa. 



These blossom freely dur- 



ing the spring and summer, and rr 



lany of them would be well 



adapted for planting in dry sterile s< 



jil for decoration during our 



summer months. They are unfortui 



nately not hardy in this lati- 



tude, and must be propagated ane 



w each year, but this is so 



simple a matter that it should not d< 



;ter one from growing them. 



They yield a profusion of bright-col 



ored flowers. In the center 



of the house will be found two c 



jr three plants of Crassula 



portulacea, also from southern Afric 



a. This miniature tree is a 



resident of the arid regions there, a 



nd well repays for its culti- 



vation in the profusion of white or 



pink flowers which it bears 



early in the year. Opposite to thesi 



s is a small group, mainly of 



cacti, including some of the monst 



rous forms of Cercus pcru- 



victims, a South American species, an 



d a plant of Percskia aculeata, 



one of the cacti already alluded to a: 



i having conspicuous leaves. 



It has a number of common name 



:s, among them lemon vine, 



blad apple, 



I Barb 



gooseberry. 



On the remaining corner bench some of the desert members of 

 the pineapple family, Bromeliaceae, find a place. While most 

 of those belonging to this family are found in humid regions, a 

 considerable proportion occur under really desert conditions. The 

 genera Dyckia&nd Hechtia and some species belonging to Pitcair- 

 nia are of this kind. In Pitcairnia hcterophylla the large leaves 



condition, with an armature of modified leaves which are viciously 

 armed on the margins with stiff spines. During the summer new 

 leaves make their appearance, to again fall off as winter ap- 

 proaches. On the same bench with these will be found a collec- 

 tion of the genus Euphorbia, from Africa, mainly from its south- 

 ern part. The great resemblance in form which these plants 

 bear to certain forms of the cactus family is striking and remark- 



