36 THE FANTASTIC CLAN 



bottom for drainage, half or two-thirds filled with gravel 

 and sand and the remainder with light sandy soil, or wooden 

 flats twelve by twelve inches or larger and three inches deep, 

 filled to a depth of two and a half inches with fine light sandy 

 soil, answer well. The soil must be free from alkali, but 

 may contain some finely divided organic matter. Level 

 the surface of the soil firmly to prevent water from col- 

 lecting, sow the seed an eighth of an inch deep, cover care- 

 fully, set in a sunny location, and give just enough water to 

 keep the surface moist but not wet. (Out in the open, cover 

 the frame with glass painted white or with white cheesecloth, 

 and raise the glass slightly to insure ventilation. ) The seeds 

 should be sown in warm weather, and they should begin 

 growth within one to three or four weeks. After the plants 

 have grown a half-inch or more, transplant to two-inch pots, 

 using paper pots or the usual flower pot, and with the soil 

 somewhat heavier but drainage good. From this time their 

 growth is more rapid and far more interesting, and they 

 should be kept in a sunny location and given frequent light 

 waterings, and, later, less frequent but heavier waterings. 

 Do not attempt to force growth by heavy watering or heavy 

 fertilizing. Once established and having grown to a con- 

 siderable size, many of the Pincushion Cacti propagate by 

 means of offshoots from the axils of tubercles below the sur- 

 face of the ground, and thus form clumps of several larger 

 plants with numerous smaller ones about them. 



Foxtail Cactus (Coryphantha deserti) 



Southern California, Northwestern Arizona, and 

 Southern Nevada 



The desert is noted for its many forms of mirage, and be- 

 cause of the rarefied or clear atmosphere due to lack of mois- 

 ture, things are not always what they seem there. In the 



