March 7.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
Epacris —contrasted in some respects with Erica .— 
The different species of the beautiful family of the 
Epacris are peculiarly fitted to suit those with limited 
means and space, and who may yet wish to possess 
as great variety as possible of flowering plants. Many 
of them, such as the crimson Tmpressa and the snow- 
white Nivalis, with their congeners and varieties, 
flower freely during the winter months; and others, 
such as Grandifiora and Miniata, with their reddish 
crimson and Vermillion flowers tipped with white, 
bloom in spring and early summer, and almost at 
any time, according to the diversity of treatment 
they receive in the matter of potting and growing 
the young shoots. They cannot be very successfully 
used as a window plant in a sitting-room, unless for 
the period when the plant is fully in bloom, as, like 
their near neighbours in appearance, the heath 
family, they dearly like plenty of fresh air. The 
closish atmosphere of a sitting-room, however, if not 
kept hot, will not affect them injuriously nearly so 
soon as it would the most of the ericas. The diffi¬ 
culty of growing the latter well, even in a small 
house, where geraniums, cinerarias, calceolarias, fuch¬ 
sias, &c., are grown, arises from the fact that the 
moist atmosphere in which these at one time or ano¬ 
ther delight, is the most fruitful cause of producing 
mildew among the heaths, which would soon impair 
the beauty of, if not totally destroy, the finest speci¬ 
mens. This dreaded enemy of the heath grower 
seldom or never makes its appearance among epa- 
crises—their hardy leaves not affording a tempting 
enough feeding and reposing place for the fungus; 
and hence we find that they flourish in an atmo¬ 
sphere and a temperature that would be ruinous to 
the erica family, accomodating themselves, in many 
respects, to the treatment given to the soft-wooded 
plants referred to; though even then prudence would 
dictate the necessity of keeping them together where 
the greatest quantity of fresh air could be given. 
We are not aware that this distinctive feature of 
the two families has been greatly noticed, though of 
considerable importance to the amateur; nor do we 
think we can fully and satisfactorily account for 
its existence, though with respect to the fact there 
can be no doubt. The heaths cultivated are mostly 
natives of the Cape of Good Hope, or hybrids raised 
from them. Their natural localities there are the 
tops and sides of mountains, and the fissures and 
clefts of rocks, where the soil is scanty, and chiefly 
consisting of the decaying debris of the rock, and 
vegetable matter which had been growing and de¬ 
composing for centuries. Their position removed 
them from the scorching heat of the plains, and, un¬ 
less in the rainy season, exposed them to a dry, clear, 
coolish atmosphere. Unless, therefore, when start- 
- ing into free growth, after the free growing kinds 
have been pruned after flowering, coolness and airi¬ 
ness are the essential elements of success—elements 
which demonstrate the importance of giving heaths, 
where practicable, a place for themselves. The epa- 
crises, on the other hand, may be said to be the 
heaths of Australasia. No ericas are found there, 
and no epacrises found at the Cape. The name 
(from epi upon, and alcros the top) is designed to give 
us an idea of the localities in which they are found— 
the tops of mountains. As the climate there, in 
many places, in several respects resembles our own— 
and as, at least the atmosphere, near the coast will 
be less dry than in the interior at the Cape — we 
o(J9 
may thus see one reason why the epacris will submit 
to variations of temperature, and a degree of closeness 
and humidity in the atmosphere which would soon 
destroy a heath. 
“But then,” says a young friend, “how am I, 
without glasses and much knowledge of botany, to 
know an epacris from a heath? Uncle Richard 
took me the other day to see what he called a beau¬ 
tiful crimson heath, and it was exactly the same as 
this, that you call the Epacris impressa; and really 
the leaves and little tubular flowers look exactly like 
many heaths.” Without going into the depths of 
botany, because there we should be afraid of getting 
overliead ourselves, we shall, without noticing 
other great distinctions, merely advert to the differ¬ 
ence in the leaves and flowers. The leaves of the 
heath are generally opposite each other, or in a whorl 
round the stem. The leaves of the epacris are not 
opposite, but alternate. Again, the leaves of heaths 
havo generally netted veins, similar to our hardy 
trees ; the leaves of the epacris have generally their 
veins more longitudinal in their character, extending 
from the base to the apex; resembling more, in this 
respect, the leaf of a leek than the leaf of a cucum¬ 
ber. The monopetalous tubular blossom of a heath 
is divided into four segments at its point, and con 
tains within it eight stamens, .inserted at the base of 
the corolla. The segments of the blossom of an epa¬ 
cris are five, and there are five stamens, not free, but 
adhering, for the greater part of their length, to the 
inside of the corolla. 
Culture. —Here the first thing to be considered is 
soil. This should be the same as that used for the 
generality of heaths, namely, sandy turfy peat, using 
it as rough as possible; proportioning, however, the 
roughness and the size of pieces to the size of 
the pot, and the large or small nature of the shift 
given. For instance, pieces of the compost, the size 
of marbles, may be used in a pot four inches in dia¬ 
meter ; but in a pot of twelve inches, the pieces may 
range from the size of marbles to that of a turkey’s 
egg. Pieces of charcoal will also assist in keeping 
the soil open, and also be useful for drainage. 
Selection of Plants. —Where fine future growth 
is desirable, very young healthy plants should be 
chosen in preference to those which are older and 
somewhat stunted in their growth. A plant, with 
its pot crammed with roots, may be made to flower 
successively where it is, but it is not to be depended 
upon for repotting and starting afresh into vigorous 
growth. 
Potting. —The pots should either be new or per¬ 
fectly clean outside and inside, and porous rather 
than hard. Before potting, be sure that the plant 
has been thoroughly watered, and then allowed to 
drain. If potted dry, nothing will again thoroughly 
wet the ball, but placing the pot in a tub of water, 
which, in any case, and especially when the one-shift 
system is used, would reduce the new unappropriated 
soil to something of a marshy state. In potting 
either upon the continuous, or the one-sliift system, 
we consider it preferable to adopt the first until the 
plants have been placed in five-inch pots. The pieces^ 
of charcoal blended with the soil, independently ol 
acting as chemical absorbents, will act mechanically 
as well, and be much lighter, than pieces ot sand¬ 
stone. The roots should reach the outside of the 
ball, after passing and surrounding the lumpy pieces, 
but should not get matted there to any extent before 
being shifted. The surface soil should always be 
fine, or too much air may enter. 'I he same atten- 
