52 
AOTUS ERICOIDES. 
impossible to attain any degree of perfection in the cultivation of such plants as the 
present, as nothing can be more injurious to them than sour and stagnant water 
about the roots. Besides the above particulars, much depends upon the manner 
in which the soil is placed about the roots ; this should neither be pressed down too 
closely, nor left too loose, either of which extremes would be more or less preju- 
dicial to the plants. Watering is likewise of great importance, and should never 
be administered unless there is absolute necessity for it, which is usually indicated 
by the appearance of the surface of the soil ; for, from some almost indescribable 
cause, the best potted plants will sometimes retain an undue quantity of moisture 
about the roots, and in no case should water be supplied where the soil is already 
wet. 
Cuttings of the young shoots may be propagated without difficulty, by placing 
them in sand under a glass, with a slight bottom heat. Seeds are sometimes 
produced, and would doubtless vegetate, though multiplication by cuttings is a 
far more speedy and effectual method, as the seeds of plants of this description 
frequently require a year or more to induce them to germinate. 
The generic name is taken from a, privative, and ota, ears, in allusion to the 
absence of appendages in the calyx. 
The specific name refers to the similarity of the leaves to those of most of the 
species of Erica. 
