THE RAISING OF PLANTS FItOM SEED. 
177 
the day; and it may be taken as a general 
rule that if the green-house could be kept 
down to 35° all night, or indeed to anything 
short of freezing, it would be always better 
for the plants. 
DISOCACTUS BIFORMIS, OF LINDLEY. 
TWO-SHAPED TORCH THISTLE. 
Tins plant formed part of a collection trans- 
mitted by G-.U. Skinner, Esq., from Honduras, 
in 1839, to Sir C. Lemon, Bart. M.P. of 
Carclew. It forms a graceful plant, from two 
to three feet high, with round quill-like stems, 
and flattened fleshy branches, which bear 
towards their extremity solitary deep pink 
flowers, of the form represented in the an- 
nexed cut ; these are succeeded by crimson 
egg-shaped berries or fruit. It requires treat- 
ment similar to the well-known Cactus, or 
Epiphillum, or as it is now to be called, Phillo- 
cactus speciosus. The following account is 
written by Mr. Booth, the gardener at Carclew: 
" The flowers are of short duration, but open 
in succession for a considerable time. The 
plant delights in a rich loamy soil, mixed with 
charcoal, and is easily multiplied by means of 
its leaves or bits of its stem. Like most 
others of its tribe it requires a w r arm tempe- 
rature and plenty of light. In the beginning 
of September, the plant produces an abun- 
dance of beautiful little berries. They are 
shaped like a very small egg, the largest of 
them scarcely averaging the size of the common 
sloe, with the dried remains of the flowers 
attached to the point of each. The skin is 
smooth and glossy, semi-transparent, and of a 
deep purplish crimson, with several minute 
i scales, but without any of those small spines 
Which render the fruit of the prickly pear, 
and other Cacti, so troublesome. The inside 
consists of a soft mucilaginous pulp, somewhat 
paler than the skin, having numerous small 
dai-k-brown seeds irregularly imbedded in it, 
and possesses a sweetish, with something of a 
sub-acid flavour, by no means unpleasant to 
the taste. Where novelty is an object it 
would almost be worth while to cultivate this 
plant for the sake of its fruit; not that I think 
it will ever become of sufficient importance to 
rank as an auxiliary to the dessert, but for 
the purpose of ornamenting the varied pro- 
ductions of the cook and confectioner I believe 
it will be found extremely useful, and on this 
account I venture to recommend it to the 
notice of such as are interested in these matters. 
The plant is of the easiest culture, and sets 
its fruit more readily than any other species 
that I know. On the one at this place I 
counted eight dozen ripe fruit, although the 
plant does not much exceed two feet in height. 
It had a very pretty appearance, and was 
quite as ornamental in its fruiting state, as it 
Avas when in blossom in the spring." 
THE RAISING OF PLANTS FROM SEED. 
Nothing so completely kills the germ in a 
seed as alternations of wet and dry. It mat- 
ters very little about the cause why these 
alternations kill them, but having proved it 
many times, I hesitate not to say such is the 
effect. Next to this in point of mischief, is 
cold and wet ; and next to that, heat and dry. 
From repeated trials, I have proved that heat 
and moisture will cause seed of all kinds to 
germinate ; but there are many that will grow 
with so little of either, as to require no care 
or attention. Among our popular plants, 
Eriostemon buxifolium, which gives a hard 
seed, and Andromeda floribunda, the seed of 
which is very small, are as difficult as any; 
but if there is a fair degree of moisture kept 
up, and the heat of an ordinary stove pre- 
served, these seeds will germinate freely. The 
easiest mode of securing this, is to sow in a 
seed- pan of peat and loam, with a little sand ; 
water with a very small-rosed syringe, throw- 
ing the wet like a moist dew, and as lightly, 
and covering with moss. In a fortnight, or 
rather more in some cases, and in others a 
month, the seed will germinate, when they 
must be shaded with white thin cloth or paper 
over a hand-glass or bell-glass, which should 
be placed on to protect it from draughts and 
alternations of atmosphere. As soon as they 
are large enough to conveniently get hold of, 
plant them out in similar pans, or large pots, 
an inch apart, water them gently from time 
to time, and cover again with hand-glass, and 
have it lightly shaded until the roots get esta- 
Q 
X. 
