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CULTIVATION AND ANALYSIS OF PLANTS. 
BOUVARDIA. 
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as IRST brought to notice about a century ago, being introduced from 
ah Mexico, it was named in honor of Dr. Bouvard, director of the fardiz 
des Plantes, at Paris; and is one of the most attractive of the Madders, 
freely blooming through the winter. The flowers appear in trusess on 
each new shoot, and are of various colors, from a bright carmine through 
all the shades of red to almost a pure white. They are waxy in texture 
and of a compact growth, forming a very striking bunch of flowers not 
unlike the cluster of the Lilac; and for purposes of floral decoration they are 
very general favorites. A rich loam, with a slight admixture of sand, forms the 
best soil for their cultivation; and they are best grown outdoors in summer, where 
they will bloom through August and September. They can be made shapely 
lawn shrubs by careful pruning of all straggling shoots. They are very desirable 
indoor plants for winter blooming, and should not be allowed to catch the slightest nip of 
the early frost, but be removed in season, as they cannot thrive in an atmosphere that 
falls under fifty degrees. Even when not vitally injured, they are slow to recover from 
the effects of cold; and, though more easily hurt by too much than too little water, the 
soil must not be permitted to become “dust-dry.” The Bouvardias are seldom propagated 
from regular shoots or cuttings, but mainly from pieces of the roots laid horizontally in 
sand, and covered to the depth of about an inch. These require a uniform heat of from 
seventy to seventy-five degrees in the bed or box where they are set; and sometimes will 
not show growth for four or five weeks, but must not on that account be disturbed. 
CACTUS. 
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S ye REAT arid plains and rocky, infertile wastes, where other vegeta- 
ANE 2 tation is sparse and water scarce, are the native homes of these 
BG peculiar plants. The curious and varied manner of their growth 
\ a» amazes us at first, and finally fascinates us, making the charm com- 
¥ plete when we behold the superb blossoms of some of the species. 
They are divided into several classes, according to their manner of 
growth, many of them being foreign plants. Of the Cereus there are sev- 
“eral kinds, among which the Cereus flagelliformis, or Whip Cactus, and the 
X Cereus grandiflorus, or Night-blooming Cactus, are the best representatives. 
The first grows in long, branching stems, having ten angles, and needs support 
to keep it upright. The flowers are of a ruddy pink, lasting for several days. 
The latter has stems of only five angles, and at night produces its flowers, which 
fade before the morning. They are very large, varying from seven to twelve inches in 
diameter, the petals being white, and the calyx yellow within and brown without. The 
genus Opuntis, of which the Prickly Pear is a specimen, are hardy plants, with yellow 
flowers, indigenous on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. The genus Echinocactus 
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