The tree by its use, the flower by its beauty, and everything according to its truth.

Many a flower is burdened with preposterous appellatives,

Which the wiser simplicity of rustics entitled by its beauties;

And often the conceit of science, loving to be thought cosmopolite,
Shall mingle names of every clime, alike obscure to each.

There is wisdom in calling a thing fitly: name should note particulars
Through a character obvious to all men, and worthy of their instant

acceptation.

The herbalist had a simple cause for

every word upon his catalogue, But now the mouth of Botany is filled with empty sound;

And many a peasant hath an answer on his tongue, concerning some

vexed flower,

Shrewder than the centipede phrase, wherewithal philosophers invest it."

Although Dr. Tupper's peasants are shrewder and more wise in their simplicity than those it has been our lot to catechise, concerning the flowers which deck. their native fields, there is much deserved rebuke in his observations on the absurd names by which many exotics are designated. Who could form any idea of the Echeveria from its name? And when we are told that it is named after Echeveri, a botanical draughtsman, how much wiser are we? We know nothing more of the character or qualities of the plant. Botanists, authors, patrons, gardeners, florists, collectors, draughtsmen, nobles, generals, actresses, are all sought to be immortalized by attaching their name to some unlucky plant which first falls into the hands of an enthusiast who thinks more of his friend, his patron, or himself, than he does of the plant. We shall undoubtedly need a biographical dictionary of these immortal personages for the present generation; for the next, indeed, what a hoard of biographical facts will

be hid in the not-to-be-pronounced names of some of the most beautiful of foreign flowers.

The Echeveria is a shrub of fleshy substance, which enables it to grow and thrive in the dry and rocky habitat where nature has allotted it to spring up. It was discovered by Mr. Hartweg, one of the collectors of exotic plants for the Horticultural Society, displaying its rich coloured flowers upon rocks near Anganguco, in Mexico. It was received in England

early in the year 1846, and is a very pretty species of the genus. It is a greenhouse plant, of a dwarf habit, and in this country enlivens our collection during the dull wintry months from November, and continuing in bloom until the early spring in April. It flowers very freely, in compact panicles, the corolla being inserted on the flower-cup, five-parted, and the teeth sharp. The corolla is erect, and of much greater length than the calyx, keeled and protuberant at the base, the outside being of a rich orange-red, and the inside and margin of a light yellow.

Mexico is an extensive country, forming the southern part of North America, its most southern point touching the fifteenth parallel of north latitude. It is supposed to be equal in extent to one-third of the whole of Europe. Its surface is much varied, and this is conceived to be the cause of the singular variety of climate which is observed in it. Indeed this variety has led to the division of Mexico into three regions, which are respectively named the hot, the temperate, and the cold regions, which fact prepares us for the remarks of Humboldt, that "there is scarcely a plant in the rest of the world which is

not susceptible of cultivation in one or other part of Mexico; nor would it be an easy matter for the botanist to obtain even a tolerable acquaintance with the multitudes of plants scattered over the mountains, or crowded together in the vast forests of the Cordilleras." The same venerable writer tells us that an acre of land planted with bananas will yield sufficient food for the maintenance of fifty persons; while the same plot of land in Europe would not produce enough wheat to sustain two. The inhabitants have, therefore, a great inducement to idleness, since the labour necessary to secure this ample provision consists only in cutting off the stems when the fruit has ripened, and in digging slightly round the roots of the trees once or twice in the course of the year. Hence, according to Humboldt, an European is struck with the utmost astonishment by the small size of the patches of cultivated ground around cabins swarming with children.

The following description of the wretched condition of the inhabitants of the hot regions, by M. Chevalier, is well calculated to make Europeans content with their less productive soil. He says that "Mexico is a country so rich, that famine scarcely visits even the most indolent. In the tierras calientes, or hot regions, and even on the plateau, the natives are content to dwell with their families in a cabin of bamboo trelliswork, so slight as scarcely to hide them from the stranger's gaze, and to sleep either on mere mats, or at best on beds made of leaves and brushwood. Their dress consists simply of a pair of drawers, or petticoat, and a dyed woollen garment, which serves for a cloak by day and a counterpane by night. Each has his

horse, a sorry beast, which feeds at large in the open country; and a whole family of Indians is amply supplied with food by bananas, chili, and maize, raised almost without labour, in a small enclosure round the hut. Labour, indeed, occupies but a trifling portion of the Indian's time, which is chiefly spent in drinking pulque, in sleep, or in singing to his wretched mandoline hymns in honour of Nôtre Dame de Guadeloupe, and occasionally carrying votive chaplets to deck the altar of his village church. Thus he passes his life in dreamy indifference, and utterly careless of the everreviving émeutes by which the peace of Mexico is disturbed. The assassinations and robberies which the almost impotent government allows to be committed with impunity on the public roads, and even in sight of the capital, are to him only matters for conversation, the theme of a tale or a ditty. And why should he trouble himself about it? Having nothing in the world but the dress in which he stands, his lance, spurs, and guitar, he has no fear of thieves; nor will the poniard of the assassin touch him, if he himself, drunk with pulque or chingarito, do not use his own.”

Such the country where the Echeveria spontaneously springs up and spreads its glowing flowers to the eye of day, and such the character of the people whose lot it is to look upon such rich specimens of Nature's works. The fleshy nature of the lead-coloured stems of this plant renders it well suited to the rocky character of its native soil. The different species of the genus are more or less ornamental. They vary also in their habit; some being shrubby, others dwarf and herb-like in their growth. All grow freely, and though

unable to bear the open air unprotected, a greenhouse is a sufficient asylum. Their succulent or juicy nature renders careful watering essential, and particularly at the season of blooming. It is necessary that the soil should be very porous, being artificially made so, in order that it may never be heavy or sodden. They need an ample supply of water when they begin to grow, and until they have attained their full growth. The compost in which they may be planted should be formed of what is known as sandy loam, or pure loam, with an admixture of sharp sand, so as to render the soil somewhat porous. A quantity of this mixed with pounded bricks, or charcoal broken up into small pieces, in the ratio of three to one, will suit them well; and as they increase in size, they should be placed in pots of moderate dimensions, fitted with a good drainage of charcoal or potsherds. During the period of growth, the plants may be put in a light and airy part of the greenhouse; but when their growth is completed, they must be transferred to a dry sunny spot. Here they should be watered sparingly, which will check their growth, and hasten their blooming.

These plants are easily propagated by the leaves. Those which grow on the flower-stem especially possess such vital energy that, when they fall on the surface of the soil and are allowed to remain there, they quickly become young plants. When intentionally propagated, the base of the leaf should be but lightly inserted in a pot of very sandy loam, and the surface be moistened just sufficiently to keep it damp. If this be observed, they are sure to form roots and plants.