CVI.TVUE OF FAVORITE PI.AXTS 



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have many deep angles, with curious swellings with each set of spines; the Epiphyllums 

 have flat leaves without spines, producing flowers at their margins; Melocactus is the 

 genus familiarly called Turk's Cap; and the Mamillarias are distinguished by their 

 numerous tubercles or small, rounded projections. 



All the Cactaceae will grow in any soil where there is no stagnant moisture nor actual 

 frost, but for the best results they should have a soil composed of loam, leaf-mold and sand, 

 with abundant drainage. A group of any of these plants forms a very attractive object 

 in a window. They are very free from insects, causing little or no anxiety in that 

 resjject, though some beetles will feed upon the young tips. Like all succulents, they 

 need comparatively little water; if shriveled, however, the roots and enveloping earth 

 should be soaked in a pail of water for two or three hours. While growing, they need 

 water about three times a week, and every day if in very small pots. Slips may be 

 taken from the parent plant, and inserted about an inch deep in comparatively dry 

 sand. Some genera, as the Echinocactus, Melocactus and Mamillaria, are also propa- 

 gated from the tubercles or ofl^shoots, and from seeds. 



The Staphelias are Cactus-like plants that require the same treatment. Young plants 

 are potted about once a year; large ones, when in good sized pots, only once in three or 

 four years. These plants are all fond of heat and a dry atmosphere. 



^^t-^^Si—i,.;-.— ^^IjS NOWN to florists and many amateur culturists as a suborder of 



\ I \iJ^ '^^ '^''"- handsome-leaved Arum family of plants, the Caladium is 



J;y I Pv?'^"^ Itself subdivided into almost innumerable species and varieties. Of 



thc-t perhaps the most conspicuous are the C. esculentum and the C. 



odoiatum, both of which are cultivated mainly for the size and beauty 



ot the leaves. These often measure, under fair cultivation, thirty-six 



niches in length by twent\--four in breadth. Both of these species pre- 



majestic appearance scattered singly through a lawn, on the bank of a 



et oi pond, or collected in groups at con\enient distances, their shield-like 



es making them a somewhat conspicuous ornartignt among other foliage. 



Tliev delight in abundance of water, and grow best where it is close at hand; 



but if planted on higher grounds the roots should be thoroughly drenched with 



water at least once a day in warm weather; they can hardly have too much. A depth of 



eighteen to twenty-four inches of good, rich soil must underlie them. 



The approach of frost should be anticipated in preserving these plants for future growth, 

 as they are very sensitive to cold. Leaves, stems and roots should not be plucked ofl!", but 

 sliould be allowed to dry back to the tuber, which can be then kept in a warm place, em- 

 bedded in sand, until needed for the next season. Smaller specimens can be kept growing 

 through the winter, as parlor plants, by giving them plenty of water and warmth. In 

 spring they should get a start for two or three weeks indoors before being put out, as 

 ^ they thrive much better afterward for that preliminary indulgence. The roots of the 



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