CULTURE OF FAVORITE PLANTS. 
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 Cactaceze 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 
respect, 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 offshoots, 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. 
CALA DIUM, 
NOWN to florists and many amateur culturists as a suborder of 
the handsome-leaved Arum family of plants, the Caladium is 
itself subdivided into almost innumerable species and varieties. Of 
these perhaps the most conspicuous are the C. esculentum and the C. 
odoratum, both of which are cultivated mainly for the size and beauty 
of the leaves. These often measure, under fair cultivation, thirty-six 
inches in length by twenty-four in breadth. Both of these species pre- 
sent a majestic appearance scattered singly through a lawn,’on the bank of a 
rivulet or pond, or collected in groups at convenient distances, their shield-like 
leaves making them a somewhat conspicuous ornament among other foliage. 
is They 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 off, but 
should 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 wecks indoors before being put out, as 
they thrive much better afterward for that preliminary. indulgence. The roots of the 
