Our drawing of this ornamental plant was taken at the 
Nursery of Mr. Colvill, in June last ; it is an old inhabi- 
tant of our gardens, having been introduced into them from 
the Cape, ever since the year 1774 ; but it is still far from 
being common, and is not so much cultivated as it deserves 
to be, probably from want of a proper mode of treatment. 
The best soil, to have it thrive and flower well, is an equal 
mixture of turfy loam, peat, and sand, and the pots to be well 
drained with potsherds broken small, or they will be liable 
to sufi'er with moisture in winter, at which season it re- 
quires but very little water; but in summer, when it is 
growing freely, it requires a constant supply. The best 
method of propagating it is by cuttings of the root, planted 
with their tops above the surface of the mould ; those re- 
quire no water for the first 2 or 3 days, until the wound is 
dried over ; they must then be supplied with a little, and 
they will soon make nice young plants. 
We have lately received seeds of M. mat a brought 
from the Cape by Mr. W. Synnet, who had been residing 
there, in the interior, for four years ; we have also received 
from him seeds of that rare and little known plant, Grie- 
lum laciniatum, which we have long been wishing to 
procure, and plants of it are already growing ; the 
styles in it were not hardened into a spine, as in 
G. tenuifolium, though they were very rigid and per- 
sistent ; the calyx is also persistent and hardened, but not 
so much as in the latter species. From the same gentleman 
Ave have received both seeds and roots of several other 
curious Geraniaceas, which we hope soon to flower, and 
to have an opportunity of publishing. Mr. Colvill has 
also procured from him a fine collection of bulbs, consist- 
ing of different species of Gladiolus, Ixia, Morasa, and 
other genera belonging to Iride^, Asphodele^, and 
Melanthace^ ; amongst them, we believe, there are some 
curious new genera. 
