QUESTION DRAWER. 



Your apples could not have been for- 

 warded from Montreal by a direct line 

 to Hamburg, or they would not have 

 been so long en route. No doubt they 

 went via London, and were delayed 

 waiting transhipment. You should get 

 a definite bill of lading specifying just 

 how the fruit is to be forwarded, or 

 by what line. Unless you have some 

 agent in Montreal to see that your goods 

 are loaded in cold storage, or else have 

 it in your railway shipping receipt, we do 

 not see how you can expect them to be 

 carried in that way. 



Cereus and Phyllocactus. 



1079. Sir,— The article on The Nright 

 Blooming Cacti, in the March number of the 

 HoKTicuLTURisT is rather confusing. Cuts 

 of two plants are given — Cereus grandiflorus 

 and Phylocactus latifrous. I have both 

 plants and they were in bloom last summer. 



Florists apply grandiflorus to that indivi- 

 dual of a species having the best flower. 

 Hence the use of the term indicates that 

 there are other members of the species. The 

 one I have, that bloomed, is quite diflerent 

 from the cut given. It is square, each side 

 being | of an inch, and quite rounded, being 

 without spines. The cut represents a much 

 smaller plant with concave sides, and having 

 prominent spines. I obtained mine from a 

 person skilled in cacti, and he assured me 

 that it was the real Cereus grandiflorus. I also 

 have the smaller plant, the one represented 

 in the cut as the Cereus grandiflorus. I 

 should like to know which is the real and 

 which is the spurious Cereus grandiflora or 

 grandiflorus. 



The flowers of the Cereus are perfect, hav- 

 ing both calyx and corolla. Those of Cacti 

 are imperfect, having no corolla, but a col- 

 ored calyx. Cacti remain in bloom during a 

 number of days. The flowers of the Cereus 

 open in the evening and close before morn- 

 ing. I have not much knowledge of Cacti, 

 but the above is the result of my observa- 

 tions. According to these, combined with 

 some knowledge of botany and an acquaint- 

 ance with the practices of florists, I cannot 

 understand why, when two plants having 

 perfect flowers and both blooming in the 

 night only, one should be called a Cereus and 

 the other a Cactus. 



Wm. Gorsline, Durham. 



The Cacti are a very numerous family, 

 a large part of them natives of Mexico. 



They are also found in California, Tex- 

 as, Nevada, and South America ; as 

 many as looo varieties having been dis- 

 covered. They are subdivided into 

 numerous genera, as (i) Cereus, of which 

 there are about 200 species, among 

 them Cereus giganteus, which in Mexi- 

 co has reached the height of 50 feet, and 

 Cereus grandiflorus, of which our illus- 

 tration on page iti shows a two year 

 plant, grown in a six inch pot from a six 

 inch cutting, and this is the true Night 

 blooming Cereus. (2) Echinocactus, 

 the hedge hog cactus, containing about 

 200 species ; (3) Echinocereus ; (4) 

 Echinopsis ; {^) Epiphyilum ; {6) Mam- 

 illaria, a numerous and popular family ; 

 (7) Pilocereus, to which belongs that 

 curiosity Pilocereus senilis, the "Old 

 Man Cactus " ; (8) Phyllocactus, of 

 which P. latifrons, figured on page iii, 

 is called the giant of its family, growing 

 8 or 10 feet high, with stout flattened 

 stems 4 or 5 inches broad. The flowers 

 appear at night, giving rise to the mis- 

 nomer, "Night blooming Cereus," which 

 is mentioned above. This genus is of 

 the easiest culture ; (9) Opuntiae, of 

 which there are 150 species in cultiva- 

 tion. 



We have given a list of the principal 

 families of Cacti, a class of plants 

 quite in favor of late with some amateur 

 florists, and which go far to make up 

 for their ugly spines by their beautiful 

 bloom. 



Transplanting" Asparagus. 



10§0. Sib, — Last year I planted a quan- 

 tity of asparagus seed, sufficient for a bed of 

 about one-eighth acre, intending to trans- 

 plant this spring. The seed came up very 

 well and looked strong and healthy last fall. 

 During last season I prepared the bed into 

 which I intend to transplant by ploughing 

 up the sod and planting in roots, keeping 

 well hoed and free from weeds, and when 

 crop was taken out I manured very heavily 

 and ploughed again last fall. 



