light and rest. It cannot be too clearly understood that during the
period between October and March these plants should be kept perfectly
dry at the root, and in a dry house, where the temperature would not
fall below 50 deg. There is no occasion for re-potting the Echinocactuses
every year, it being by far the safest plan to allow them to remain in
the same pots several years, should the soil be fresh and the drainage
perfect.

All the larger-stemmed kinds may be kept in health when grown on their
own roots; but for some of the smaller species it is a good plan to
graft them upon the stem of some of the Cereuses, C. tortuosus or C.
colubrinus being recommended for the smaller kinds, and for the larger
C. peruvianus, C. gemmatus, or any one the stem of which is robust, and
of the right dimensions to bear the species of Echinocactus intended to
be grafted. Some growers prefer to graft all the small Echinocactuses
upon other kinds, find certainly, when properly grafted, they are safer
thus treated than if grown on their own roots. In grafting, the two
stems (stock and scion) must be cut so that their edges meet, and in
securing them two or three stakes must be placed in such a way as to
afford support to the graft and hold it firmly in position.

Propagation.--Besides grafting, cuttings of the stems may be utilised
for the multiplication of Echinocactuses, first removing the upper
portion of the stem and putting it into soil to root, and afterwards, as
lateral stems develop on the old stock, they may be cut away with a
sharp knife, and treated in a similar manner. Should a plant become
sickly, and look shrivelled and cankered at the base, it is always best
to cut away the healthy part of the stem, and induce it to form fresh
roots, thus giving it a new lease of life. Seeds of these plants may be
obtained from dealers, more especially Continental nurserymen, and to
watch the gradual development of the plant from the seedling is both
interesting and instructive. The seeds should be sown in soil, and kept
moist and warm; in about a month after sowing, the little pea-like,
green balls will be seen pushing their way through the thin covering of
soil, and gradually but slowly increasing in size, their spines also
increasing in number and strength, the ridges forming according to the
character of the species, till, finally, they assume the mature
characters of the plant, both in stem and habit. The flowers, of course,
appear a