220 MESEMBRYANTHEMUM TRICOLOR. 
about the month of March ; or later, if it is wanted for autumnal decoration. The 
pot containing the seeds may be plunged into a gentle hotbed till they germinate. 
The soil in which they are sown should be particularly sandy, and well drained ; 
the pots used being as shallow as possible. When two or three leaves are formed, 
the young plants must be potted into the smallest pots, one in each, still using a 
very sandy soil, and putting them in a warm frame till they are established. They 
may then be transferred to a colder frame or a greenhouse, where they should 
stand close to the glass, so that they may receive the largest procurable supply of 
light. After being potted, they ought to be watered very carefully, because their 
succulent nature makes them liable to be destroyed by damp. 
"When they require shifting again, they may be re-potted into a richer loam, 
with which a little leaf-mould and sand can be blended ; or they may be turned 
out in a bed in the flower-garden as soon as frosts have ceased. Wherever kept, 
they should always be well exposed to the sun; for the flowers will not expand 
unless under the influence of his rays. They continue blooming for several months, 
and are interesting even when they are covered with nothing but seed-vessels. The 
beauty of the flowers, when they are fully opened, is very striking. 
For saving seeds, a few plants should be reserved in a frame, and from six to a 
dozen capsules be left on each, removing all the other flowers that show themselves. 
The origin of the generic name is in mesembria, midday, and antkemon, a flower ; 
the blossoms rarely unfolding till the sun has shone upon them for some time. 
