E BE 
which have tHeir refpedive good qualities ; and all of 
them, when they are in their extremes, require art to 
render them ufeful and beneficial in the production 
and growth of plants. 
A light, Tandy, or loofe earth, requires a proper li- 
gature, and fhould have a compoft of a heavier na- 
ture ; and thofe that are heavy, clayey, and cloddy, 
fhould have a compoft of a more fiery fp rightly na- 
ture, that will infin'uate itfelf into the heavy, lumpy, 
indigefted clods, which would otherwife very much 
obftrudt the bufinefs of vegetation. 
A good earth ihould be of a blackifh colour, fat, 
pliant, or eafy to be digged ; it Ihould be neither cold 
nor light ; it ought to have no ill fmell or tafte, and 
it ftiould be of the fame quality three or four feet deep 
for trees, which, if they have not that depth, will 
languilh and decay after they have been planted fix 
years. But this depth is not required for fruit-trees, 
which will thrive very well if they have two feet and 
a half of good earth, and generally produce the moft 
generous fruits, when their roots fpread near the fur- 
face of the earth. 
In order to know whether the earth has any ill fmell 
or tafte, they dire6t to lay a handful of it to foak in 
water for feven or eight hours, and afterwards to 
ftrain it, and tafte and fmell it, by which the tafte or 
fmell will eafily be perceived. 
EARWIGS. 
Thefe are very troublefome vermin in a garden, efpe- 
cialiy where Carnations are preferved •, for they are 
fo fond of thefe flowers, that if care is not taken to 
prevent them, they will entirely deftroy them, by eat- 
ing off the fweet part at the bottom of the petals or 
leaves. To prevent which, moft people have ftands 
eredted, which have a bafon of earth or lead round 
each fupporter, which is conftantly kept filled with 
water. See the article Carnation. 
Others hang the hollow claws of crabs and lobfters 
upon flicks in divers parts of the garden, into which 
thefe vermin get ; and by often fearching them, you 
will deftroy them without much trouble, which will 
be of great fervice to your wall fruit, for thefe are 
great deftroyers of all foft fruits. 
EBENUS. Lin. Gen. Nov. Barba Jovis. Tourn. 
Inft. R. H. tab. 419. Ebony. 
The Characters are. 
The emp dement of the flower is of one leaf which is di- 
vided into five acute fegments at the top \ the flower is 
of the butterfly kind the vexillum is obtufe and reflexed 
the wings are equal in length with the vexillum ; they are 
broad and roundifh *, the keel is floor ter and turns upwards. 
It hath ten fiamina , nine joined , ftanding together , and 
the other feparate , terminated by Jingle fummits. In the 
bottom is Jituated an oblong germen , fupporting a rifling 
jlyle , crowned by a Jingle ftigma. The germen afterward 
becomes an oblong fwelling pod,, opening with two valves , 
and inclofing three or four kidney-Jhaped feeds. This is 
diftinguifhed from Trifolium, by the brafteae which 
are fituated between the flowers on the fpike. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third fedion 
of Linnaeus’s feventeenth clafs, intitled Diadelphia 
Decandria, the flowers having ten ftamina in two 
bodies. 
We know but one Species of this genus, viz. 
Ebenus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 764. Ebony. Barba Jovis 
lagopoides, Cretica, frutefcens, incana, fiore fpi- 
cato purpureo amplo. Breyn. Prod. 2. Shrubby Hare s- 
foot Jupiter’s Beard of Crete with hoary leaves , and a 
large purple flower growing in fpikes. 
This plant grows naturally in Crete, and in fome of 
the iflands of the Archipelago •, it rifes with a fhrubby 
ftalk three or four feet high, which puts out feveral 
fide branches, garnifned with hoary leaves at each 
joint, which are compofed of five narrow fpear-fhaped 
lobes, which join at their tails to the foot-ftalk, 
and fpread out- like the fingers of a hand. The 
branches are terminated by thick fpikes of large pur- 
ple flowers, which are of the butterfly or Pea-bloom 
kind •, the fpikes are from two to three inches long, 
fo make a fine appearance, efpecially when the plants 
E C H 
are ftrong, and have many fpikes of flowers on them. 
It flowers in June and July, and in very warm feafons 
will fometimes perfect their feeds in England. 
This is propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown 
in the autumn, for thofe which are fown in the fpring 
often fail 5 they muft be fown in pots, and placed urn 
der a frame in the winter, where they may be pro- 
tected from froft. In the fpring the plants will come 
up, which fhould be kept clean from weeds, and re- 
frefhed now and then with water. When thefe have 
acquired ftrength enough to be removed, they ihould 
be each planted in a feparate fmall pot filled with 
light earth, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed juft 
to promote their taking new root •, then they fhould 
be gradually inured to bear the open air, into which 
they fhould be removed the latter end of May, pla- 
cing them in a fheltered fituation, where they may re- 
main till autumn, when they muft be removed into 
fhelter •, for thefe plants will not live in the open air 
through the winter, nor fhould they be too tenderly 
treated, left they draw up weak. I have found them 
fucceed beft when placed in an airy glafs-cafe without 
fire in winter, where they will have more fun and 
air than in a green-houfe. During the winter fea- 
fon, the plants muft be fparingly watered, but in the 
fummer they will require to be often refrefhed. The 
other management is the fame as for other of the har- 
dier exotic plants, among which this will make a 
fine variety. 
EBULUS. See Sambucus. 
EC HI NATE SEEDS [of echinus, Lat . a 
hedge-hog,] fuch feeds of plants as are prickly and 
rough. 
ECHINOMELOCACTUS. See Cactus. 
EG HINOPHORA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 292. Tourn. 
Inft. R. H. 656. tab. 423. [of 'E Z S(&, a hedge-hog, 
and p£jo«, Gr. to bear.] Prickly Parfnep. 
The Characters are, 
It hath an umbellate d flower ; the general umbel is com- 
pofed of many f nailer , the intermediate being the jhorteft ; 
the involucrum of the general umbel ends in acute thorns ■, 
thofe of the rays are turbinated , of one leaf. \ cut into fix 
unequal parts , with acute points ■, the perianthum is di- 
vided into five parts , and Jits on the germen • the general 
umbel is uniform \ the flowers have five unequal petals 
which fpread open they have each five ftamina , termi- 
nated by roundifh fummits. Under the perianthium is fitu- 
ated an oblong germen within the empalement , fupporting 
two ftyles, crowned by Jingle ftigmas the germen after- 
ward turns to two feeds , which are inclofed in the hard 
empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 
of Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Digynia, 
the flower having five ftamina and two ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Echinophora ( Spinofa ) foliolis fubulato-fpinofts in- 
tegerrimis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 344. Prickly-headed Parf- 
nep , with awl-Jhaped prickly leaves which are entire . 
Echinophora maritima fpinofa. Tourn. Inft. 656. 
Prickly maritime Parfnep. 
2. Echinophora ( Tenuifolia ) foliolis incifis inermibus. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 344. Prickly-headed Parfnep , whofe 
fmall leaves are cut , but have no thorns. Echinophora 
paftinacas folio. Tourn. Inft. 656. Prickly-headed Parf- 
nep with a Carrot leaf . 
Thefe plants grow naturally on the borders of the 
Mediterranean fea ; they are preferved in the gardens 
of botany for the fake of variety •, they have both 
perennial roots, which creep in the' ground 5 the firft: 
hath branching ftalks, growing five or fix inches high, 
which are garnifhed with fhort thick leaves, that ter- 
minate in two or three fharp thorns ; they are placed 
by pairs oppofite : the flowers grow in an umbel, 
fitting upon a naked foot-ftalk, which arifes from the 
fide of the ftalk ; they are white, and under the um- 
bel is fituated an involucrum, compofed of feveral 
leaves, which terminate in fharp fpines. It flowers 
in June, but feldom ripens feeds in this country. 
The fecond fort rifes near a foot and a, half high ; 
from the principal ftalk are fent out two fide branches 
at 
ijA 
