PAINTED CANVAS OF THE DESERT 107 



ferent sizes, but they are not fierce nor as dangerous as the 

 thorns of the Cholla, and they are nevxr sheathed. The 

 flowers are symmetrical and very beautiful, among the most 

 brilliant of all the gorgeous cactus bloom, large flaming 

 orange or yellow blossoms, usually. They open in the fore- 

 noon and close in the late afternoon of the same day, gen- 

 erally, soon falling away from the young fruit. The latter 

 is covered with tubercles and always has spicules, scales, and 

 generally spines, is either fleshy or dry, and is edible, often 

 purple, falling away soon after maturity. 



Hozv to grow 



Plants grow readily from cuttings of one or two joints set 

 a few inches deep in moist sandy soil and given enough water 

 to keep the soil moist; the cut surfaces should be allowed to 

 dry thoroughly before planting. If mature cuttings are 

 used and planted in early spring, many species will blossom 

 the same season. Plants can be grown also from seeds 

 planted a half-inch deep in sandy soil out of doors or in 

 flats, with part shade and watered enough to keep the soil 

 moist but not wet; but these develop very slowly and remain 

 a long time in the soil before they germinate. All species 

 grow indoors or out, preferably in a southern exposure. 



Papago Fruit Cactus (Opuntia Blakeana) 



(Named in honor of Dr. William P. Blake, professor of 



geology in the University of Arizona and director of the 



College of Mines) 



How to identify and how it grows 



Blakeana, or the Papago Fruit Cactus, is formed by stems 

 a foot or so high which grow on the desert in clumps eight 

 feet or more in diameter. The branches or joints are pear- 

 shaped, about three inches wide and eight inches long, col- 



