134 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Cacti That Are Really Hardy 



HPHE cacti of the northern Rocky Moun- 

 -*■ tains are unique. Exiled from a race 

 of tropical and subtropical plants to survive 

 the zero weather of our northern winters, we 

 find not one, but four, distinct groups repre- 

 sented, including a dozen or more species and 

 varieties, all of which are able to grow out of 

 doors unprotected at Buffalo, Pittsburg, 

 New York and Boston, and probably still 

 farther north in favored positions. The 

 botany of these forms is as discouraging as 

 the cultivation of them is delightful, for these 

 species are wonderfully variable. Often a 

 maze of untypical or intermediate forms will 

 threaten hopeless bewilderment to any but an 

 experienced botanist. This is especially true 

 of opuntias, or prickly pears. 



Of our northern Colorado species, the pin- 

 cushion cactus, Echinocactus Simpsoni, may 

 well be considered the most notable, for in 

 addition to its being a beautiful plant at all 

 seasons, it has the distinction of being repre- 

 sented by one of its varieties at the remark- 

 able altitude of 8,500 feet above sea level — 

 this. not merely by a chance specimen, but 

 by thousands. At that altitude frost occurs 

 every month in the year and the growing 

 season is very short, so that the buds which 

 bloom in the spring become well formed the 

 previous autumn. The plants, also, are 

 much dwarfed, shrinking in winter to about 

 the level of the ground. 



The common or typical form of the species 

 is depressed-globose and is thickly set with 

 purplish-brown interlacing spines so that 

 the body of the plant is completely hidden. 

 The color varies to light brown, gray and 

 rarely to snow-white. The flowers are pink 

 or red, arranged in a cluster or circle at the 

 top of the plant. This grows all among the 

 lower mountains and foothills, and some- 

 times on the rolling lands adjoining. 



The green-flowered cerev.s, Echinocerens 

 viridiflorits, will rank second in ornamental 

 value, but it is so easily grown and presents 

 such a variety of interesting forms that it is 

 equally indispensable. This frequently 

 branches, forming clusters, such clusters 

 rarely reaching a diameter of more than 

 seven or eight inches, while the pincushion 

 cactus is sometimes considerably larger. 

 The flowers are bright green and are quite 

 show, because the body of the plant and 

 the spines also are distinctly tinged with red. 



The purple mamillaria, Cactus viviparus, 

 has large, erect, purple fkwers and fruit like 

 large gooseberries. The red-berried mamil- 

 laria, Cactus Missouriensis, has bright-red 

 berries, which ripen the second year. 



All of these are worthy of attention, and 

 being of small to medium size, and requiring 

 perfect drainage, they should be placed ap- 

 propriately on the driest part of a rockery; 

 or a raised bed of loose rocks and light soil 

 may be prepared especially for them in the 

 sunniest part of the garden. A square yard 

 of space will accommodate two or three 

 dozen plants without crowding, and the 

 plants can be obtained at from one to three 

 dollars per dozen, according to size and kind. 



The prickly pears (species of Opuntia) are 

 especially useful for covering rockv or very 

 sterile ground, where nothing else will thrive, 

 or for seaside planting. They should be 

 used unsparingly for immediate and most 

 satisfactory results. Eight or nine sorts can 

 be obtained, and these furnish an interesting 

 variety of forms, differing in habit of growth, 

 in the color and arrangement of the spines, etc. 



All of our northern cacti are free blooming, 

 and are very certain to succeed if it be duly 

 remembered that when growing in the 

 moister climate of the eastern United States 

 greater attention must be given to drainage 

 and sunshine, especially after the blooming 

 period, and until growth begins the following 

 spring. Thorough ripening of the growth 

 during the summer is essential for a good 

 display of bloom the following spring. If 

 the plants shrink away one-third or more by 

 the end of summer, they will be all the better 

 able to stand a little excess of moisture during 

 the winter. In case of long-continued cold, 

 rainy weather in fall or winter it would be 

 well to shelter with a sash or boards, to turn 

 off the water, but no other protection should 

 be given. D . m. Andrews. 



Outfits of Tools for Home 

 Gardens 



GARDENING without good tools is false 

 economy. Few people realize that a 

 spading fork beats a spade "all hollow," 

 that the common hoe is a very crude and 

 unspecialized instrument (every one ought 

 to have three different kinds of hoes), and 

 that the wheel hoe is as revolutionary a thing 

 in the home garden as the introduction of 

 steam power in the w-orld at large. 



"But tools cost like sixty!" complained one 

 of my neighbors. "Gardening is mighty 

 expensive business." 



The expense ought not to keep any gar- 

 dener from investing in tools, for he ought to 

 get it all back in one season's vegetables. 

 Our plot varied from a sixty-foot square to 

 an area twice that size, and it vielded from 



$30 to $60 worth of vegetables every year 

 that it received any decent cultivation. 



A TEN-DOLLAR OUTFIT 



An outfit costing about ten dollars has been 

 the means of raising successful crops in our 

 own garden for a dozen years or more. 



Wheel hoe $6.00 



Spade 1 .00 



Fork 1 .00 



Push hoe 65 



Watering can 60 



Rake 50' 



Common hoe 45 



Bulb sprayer 25 



Trowel 10 



$10.5$ 

 Our dibber, garden lines, labels, tomato 

 supports, plant protectors and stakes were all 

 home-made and of old material. 



Although we added roller, crowbar, and 

 others later, and consider them indispensable 

 to a higher priced outfit, still those in the 

 original list can be made to do the work 

 where economy is an object. For instance, 

 we pounded our planted seeds with the hoe 

 instead of using a roller; we made bulb 

 sprayer and watering can do the work of 

 hose and spraying outfit; we prepared places 

 for bean poles and trellises by driving in a 

 heavy stake instead of the crowbar. Our 

 ten-dollar collection has lasted a number of 

 years, and that without any special care. 

 So far as we remember, the only thing which 

 wore out and required replacing was a rake 

 that had a pleasant habit of sliding off the 

 handle when most needed. 



A TWENTY-FIVE DOLLAR OUTFIT 



If we were going to start again and intended 

 to spend $25, we should buy the following: 



Roller $8.o» 



Wheel hoe 8.50- 



Sprayer 3.75 



Crowbar 1 .50- 



Spade and fork, each $1 2.00 



Hoes — common and push 1.10 



Rake 50- 



Weeder 35 



Trowel io- 



$25.80- 



For the advantages of a wheel hoe see 

 article in February Garden Magazine, 

 page 28. For the good points of a roller 

 see March Garden Magazine, page 67. 

 Most of the tools in these lists need no- 

 description, their, use. is familiar to all — gar- 

 deners and otherwise. . The sprayer may 

 not be so commoii. The one on the list is a 

 hand pump,; to be used with a bucket for 

 spraying insecticides on plants and shrubs 

 or for watering plants. 



The weeder is a cousin to the push hoe 

 and has a zigzag blade for cutting off young 

 weeds which are just starting above ground. 

 It is pushed backward and forward and cuts 

 both ways. We found it very good for soft 

 ground. To accomplish the same purpose 

 on a harder path we used the push hoe. 



A wheelbarrow is necessary in every gar- 

 den, but we have not included it in our list 

 because every country house is sure to have 

 one for other purposes beside the garden. 



