CTTLTXVATXOir. 5 



are as popular among the poorer classes as the Fuchsia, the 

 Pelargonium, and the Musk are with us It is no unusual thing 

 to see a fine example of the Rat's-tail Cactus (Cereus i agelliformis) 

 m the window of a cottager's dwelling with its long, tail-like 

 growths and handsome rose-coloured flowers. 



dreenhousea. 



Cacti are easy to accommodate in a greenhouse, either 

 as the sole occupants or on shelves or brackets placed near the 

 glass roof. If the greenhouse is not fitted with hot- water pipes, 

 many species may yet be grown if, during winter, they are 

 kept safe from frost. In heated structures the selection may be 

 made according to the space available, and to the temperature that 

 can be maintained. Fig. 1 represents a section of a suitable house 

 for Cacti. Its aspect should be due south. 



When grown on their own roots, the Epiphyllums, as well 

 as the pendant-growing kinds of Rhipsalis, and several species 

 of Cereus. may be placed in baskets and suspended from the roof. 

 The baskets should be lined with thin slices of fibrous peat ; and the 

 whole of the middle filled with the compost recommended on page 6. 

 The climbing species are usually planted on a mound composed 

 of loam and brick-rubble, and their stems either trained along 

 rafters or allowed to run up the back wall of a greenhouse, against 

 which they root freely, thriving and flowering with very little 

 attention. 



Frames. 



Wherever the place selected for Cacti may be, whether in 

 a large greenhouse, a frame, a window, or in the open, it is 

 of vital importance that the position should be exposed to 

 bright sunshine during most of the day. Without sunlight, these 

 plants can no more thrive than can a Sundew. Continental growers 

 of Cacti bring on their young plants in frames as follows : In 

 April or May a hotbed of manure and leaves is prepared and a 

 frame placed upon it, facing south. Six inches of soil is put 

 on the top of the bed, and in this, as soon as the temperature of the 

 bed has fallen to about 70 deg., the young plants are planted in 

 rows. The frames are kept close even in bright weather, except 

 when there is too much moisture inside, and the plants are syringed 

 twice daily in dry, hot weather. The growth they make under 

 this treatment is astonishing. In autumn the plants are ripened 

 by exposure to sun and air before being lifted and planted in pots 

 for sale. This method might be adopted in England. 



Out of Doors. 



There are some species which may be grown out of doors 

 altogether, if planted in a sunny, sheltered position among 

 stones, and protected from snow and heavy rain in winter 



