EPYPHYLLUM G.^.RTNERI. 



Fig. 1370— 



Sir, — By this mail I am sending you 

 a photo, of a Cactus in bloom. You 

 may remember this as one of the plants 

 I showed at the meeting of the Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association in Waterloo, 

 last December, as a specimen of a 

 grafted Cactus. When photographed, 

 there were thirty-five flowers open, some 

 of these have been open daily for three 



weeks, thus proving that Cactus flowers 

 are not all ephemeral. 



This plant, Epyphyllum Ruselliaman 

 G(xrtneri, is one of the most handsome 

 and free-flowering of all the Epyphyl- 

 lums, and those who have not seen or 

 cultivated this most beautiful hybrid, 

 have a grand treat in store. The flow- 

 ers are not like the other varieties of 

 the "Crab Cactus," resembling more a 

 flower of Phyllocactus, and differing 

 also in color, which is brilliant scarlet. 

 They are profuse winter bloomers, easy 

 to grow, and when grafted on the Per- 

 eskia or Cereus, soon make fine speci- 

 mens, and a grand display can be had 

 from November to May, at a very small 

 cost. 



Cuttings strike readily at any time of 

 the year, in a warm house, after having 

 lain in the sun for a few days, so that 

 the cut is calloused ; insert in a clean 

 pot of sandy soil and give a slight syr- 

 inging with tepid water occasionally. 

 Grafted plants are more graceful and 

 produce flowers in greater profusion. 



James Ix)ckie. 



Waterloo. 



AZALEA. 



THE plants of Azalea Indica which 

 make such a show during winter 

 and spring are, for the most part, 

 grown in Europe, especially Holland 

 and Belgium. They are grown in nur- 

 sery beds, dug up, and shipped here in 

 the fall. When these semi-dormant 

 plants are received, the florists here pot 

 them at once in a compost consisting of 

 two-thirds loam and one third leaf- mold. 

 They must be potted very firmly, the 

 soil being rammed down at the side of 



the pot with a flat stick. As they have 

 a very hard ball of roots, and are ex- 

 tremely dry when received, it is well to 

 stand the plant in a tub of water for a 

 few minutes before potting it ; other- 

 wise the ball is so much harder and 

 drier than the soil added when potting, 

 that subsequent waterings run right 

 through the soil, without really reaching 

 the roots. There is no doubt that neg- 

 lect of this precaution is often the cause 

 of trouble with Azaleas. When first 



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