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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIS2 , 



CARE AND CULTURE OF CACTI. 



OST people who admire a well- 

 grown Cactus in some other 

 -llvVlvlvr person's collection would like to 

 '^^^^^^ have some themselves if they 

 thought they would be able to give the 

 plants the proper care to produce the best 

 results. The writer has found also a wide- 

 spread belief that a cactus must be about 

 seven years old before it will bloom, and the 

 thought of that long wait is enough to deter 

 a great many from possessing any oi this 

 most interesting species of plant life. Some 

 ladies have persevered and patiently went 

 through the term of waiting, in the hopes of 

 having at last the long coveted bloom, and 

 under their treatment it has perhaps 

 taken the required number of years to 

 comply with the tradition. But in the 

 writer's experience this idea has been en- 

 tirely exploded. ^"ery small specimens of 

 some varieties, which have only been rooted 

 and grown for one and two years have cheer- 

 fully contributed their quota of beautiful 

 waxy flowers. It is true that some species 

 are extremely shy bloomers, and very large 

 plants have been kept for years without 

 ever rewarding the owner with a blossom, 

 and to the flower lover who only prizes the 

 plant for its bloom this is a serious draw- 

 back. To a collector of cacti, who sees 

 sufficient beauty in the diversity of spines, 

 shapes, growth and other features, to prize 

 a specimen for its own sake, even if bloom 

 is scarce, this does not matter. A few sug- 

 gestions as to care along the lines that have 

 been most successful in the writer's case 

 may be of interest. One peculiarity that is 

 common to all kinds of cacti, is that the 

 plant that is given the best care and most 

 elaborate treatment, almost invariably re- 

 wards the owner by dying. They will not 

 stand forcing ; for although if fed on plant 

 food they will flourish for a while, the final 



result is almost sure to be disaster. So 

 then it seems that neglect is a better plan 

 to follow, and one need only consider the 

 conditions in which cacti grow in their native 

 home, to realize that this is what they are 

 used to, and what nature has fitted them 

 for. In clear, hot sand beds, where noth- 

 ing else can live, there will be found some 

 varieties of cacti, covered in their season 

 with their fine flowers, and flourishing under 

 these apparently adverse conditions. How 

 then are we to make conditions resemble 

 nature in our house treatment of cacti ? 

 Supposing one has a lot of cuttings of 

 diff"erent kinds with which they wish to make 

 a start towards a small cactus collection, a 

 simple way to start them in a south window 

 or conservatory is to make a shallow box 

 about three inches deep and fill it with noth- 

 ing but very coarse sand, the coarser the 

 better, set the slips in this just far enough 

 to be held firmly, and then after moistening 

 the sand it would be just as well to forget 

 the box for a week before again watering. 

 Never keep the sand very wet or the cutting 

 will rot off", but by giving them a little of the 

 neglect which they naturally expect, growth 

 will very soon appear, when the plants may 

 be separately potted. In potting them care 

 must be taken to have the drainage perfect. 

 Fill in the bottom of the pot with broken 

 crockery, stones or mortar, and on this just 

 a layer of soil, composed of one-third gar- 

 den soil and two-thirds coarse sand. Leave 

 a hollow space in the center of the pot large 

 enough to set the plant in, and in this put 

 the plant, in clear sand, filling up the pot to 

 the required depth with the sand only. 

 This allows the roots to extend into a little 

 heavier soil when the plant requires a little 

 more nourishment, and the plant itself rests 

 on the sand, which seems to suit it best. 

 For a large window box a nice eff^ect can be 



