208 THE amateur's geeenhouse 



sons, first, because the plants will sufier if roughly handled on 

 account of their fleshy texture ; and secondly, because their 

 terrible spines and bristles inflict painful wounds on hands 

 that approach them rudely. When a cactus is turned out of 

 a pot remove the old soil from the roots and repot firmly, the 

 base of the plant slightly elevated so that the earth will slope 

 down from it all round, and steady it with a few sticks thrust 

 in so as to prevent it toj)pling over. If you have any diffi- 

 culty in getting the roots into the pot without crowding them, 

 cut away all the smaller ones and any of the larger roots that 

 appear to be dead or dying. If you can place them on a 

 gentle hot bed at from 75° to 85°, they will make a good start 

 after the potting, and will soon require water, but it is good 

 practice to withhold water until they begin to grow. If well 

 potted they may stand in the same pots three years. It is a 

 great risk to employ manure in the prej)aring of a compost for 

 the cactus, for although they will take to it and grow freely, 

 they will be likely to rot in the ensuing winter. 



Many of the kinds of cactus produce offsets freely, and to 

 make plants of them is the easiest matter in the world. 

 The cylindrical kinds may be cut from in May, and the cut- 

 tings should be put in sand in the full sun until they begin 

 to form roots, and should then be potted and have the advan- 

 tage of a gentle bottom heat. In case of requiring speedy 

 increase of any of the globular kinds that refuse to produce 

 off'sets, cut the tip oif and lay it on sand in the full sun until 

 rooted. This will form a plant, of course, and then in time 

 a number of off'sets will be produced by the decapitated plant. 

 They may be variously grafted on one another, but when the 

 amateur arrives at that stage of practice he will have done 

 with such a humble elementary book as this. 



Cotyledon.— A few good plants may be found in this genus 

 as O. velutina, C. coruscans, and C. decussata, for example. 

 They appear to live by their leaves more than their roots, and 

 hence must be extra well drained and potted in a sandy com- 

 post. About a sixth part of old mortar of the size of peas 

 may be added with advantage. These plants have acquired 

 increased importance of late owing to the success that has 

 attended their employment as bedding plants associated with 

 sempervivums,echeverias, and sedums, in what is called "carpet 

 bedding;" they are also worth attention as window plants. 



