130 
CULTIVATION OF THE GENUS MESEMBRYANTHEMUM. 
so long as they are kept from withering or shrivelling, they cannot be too sparingly 
watered at all seasons ; an attention to which point would doubtless contribute to 
increase the number of flowers. 
These plants may all (except a few species which are of only annual duration) 
be propagated by cuttings, which should be taken off from the extremities of the 
young shoots about the month of May, or from that time till the month of Aug-ust, 
and, like those of most other succulent plants, they will require placing in a shady, 
dry situation for a few days, till they begin to shrivel, when they may be planted 
numerously into shallow pots, in a very light sandy soil, with an abundance of 
drainage materials in the bottom of the pot. They should be placed in a slight, 
dry heat, and carefully shaded from the sun till they have struck root, watering 
them occasionally, but with caution, as they are very liable to rot when any 
superfluous moisture is collected about them. When struck, they may be potted 
singly into very small pots, in a compost of one-half light loam, one-fourth well- 
decayed manure, or leaf soil, and one-fourth, or less, of lime rubbish broken fine, 
and sand, placing them in the coolest part of the succulent-house, (or in the green- 
house, where a house is not exclusively devoted to succulents,) Vv^atering them 
sparingly, and keeping them as close as possible to the glass, so as to receive the 
full benefit of solar light. When the roots appear to have filled the pots, they 
must be repotted into pots of a larger size, in a similar compost ; and during the 
whole period of their growth, it is important that they should not be allowed too 
much pot-room, as they usually become straggling and unsightly if they are 
stimulated or suffered to become too large. 
Plants raised during the summer of one year, may be planted out into the open 
ground in the spring of the ensuing season, or they may be allowed to remain till 
they are two years old, before they are thus treated ; for they invariably flower 
better when they are well established. The situation chosen for them should be a 
border with a southern aspect, as they delight in receiving the full influences of the 
sun, and indeed, their flowers will seldom expand unless the sun is shining on them ; 
the border should be slightly elevated above the surrounding surface, for the 
purpose of preserving the plants from superfluous moisture ; and the sub-soil should 
if possible, be firm and hard. We are accustomed to plant out a number of these 
plants in a small border in the front of an ornamental stove, and in this situation, 
being fully exposed to the sun, and on a rather rocky sub-soil, they flower most 
beautifully and profusely, the soil of the border being very similar to that before 
recommended, but with a less proportion of sand and lime rubbish. A rockery, 
with a southern aspect, is likewise a most excellent situation for them, in the 
crevices of which they may be inserted in a soil introduced for the purpose, and 
they will there be effectually preserved from any superfluity of moisture. But 
they will seldom be found capable of enduring the open air throughout the whole 
season in this country, and therefore it is necessary to remove them from the 
ground in the autumnal months, and place them in pots of a sufficient size to be 
