February, 1911! 
flowers. In an 
ideal compost for 
Cre timwtiie te 
should be very 
little loam, but 
plenty of coarse 
silver sand and a 
liberal allowance 
of old mortar or 
some such ma- 
Eerie. Give 
great care to the 
drainage of every 
pot. and lets the 
soil around each 
plant become 
quite dry before 
water is applied. 
In the winter this 
may mean that 
the Cacti will go 
for months with- 
out being watered but there is no cause for anxiety; it is 
natural for most of the species to rest during this season. 
In the forefront of those Cacti 
which may be relied upon to flower if 
proper treatment is accorded to them, 
are certainly the Phyllocacti. Of late 
years a large number of magnificent 
hybrids have been introduced and 
some of these may be fairly classed 
as the most showy plants which we 
possess. A delicate pink variety pos- 
sessing all the robustness of the com- 
mon red kind is illustrated, and is yet 
further to be recommended on account 
of its rapid growth. A small cutting 
developed into a good sized plant of 
flowering size in a couple of years. The 
number of varieties of which Phyllo- 
cactus albo superba is the type, are all 
well worth growing, and present an 
additional charm in their flowers in 
that these are sweet scented. One 
great feature in the culture of Phyllo- 
cacti is that the plants should be 
accorded the sunniest possible position 
which can be accorded to them. It is the habit of these 
plants to make their growth for the next season after their 
blossoming time, which usually falls about April or May. 
It is just at this active period that the specimens should be 
allowed simply to roast in the sunshine, so that the new 
shoots may be able to become thoroughly ripened. A rather 
unpleasant habit observed in some Phyllocacti is that of 
dropping the buds just as they begin to develop. This 
tendency may be checked if a little weak liquid fertilizer 
be administered every three days for a fortnight, just at 
the time when the buds are emerging from the flattened 
stems. With careful treatment it is possible to make the 
Red Phyllocactus bloom in the autumn as well as in the 
spring; the great feature being that of allowing a maximum 
amount of sunshine. 
Perhaps next to the Phyllocacti in their freedom of 
flowering one should class the Cereus group. The most 
interesting sections are those which blossom during the 
hours of darkness, a typical example being the famous 
“Queen of the Night” (Cereus grandiflorus). The flowers 
of this class are so very transitory and are only on show at 
so awkward a time, generally between the hours of about 
eleven onward to the early hours of the next morning, that 
most people will probably be more attracted to the Cereus 
A pink phyllocactus 
Echinocactus 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 79 
which are of more permanent worth. In an accompanying 
photograph is shown a plant of C. lulvilupinus, an exceed- 
ingly handsome species which repays the careful cultivator 
with a wealth of large rose colored blooms. A variety 
which has smaller but very showy flowers is C. flagelli- 
formis, commonly known as the Rat’s Tail Cactus from its 
singular manner of growth. This kind is one of the easiest 
of all the Cacti to grow and will flower profusely even in 
a dwelling-room. All the spécies of Cereus like a very light 
position, and also plenty of ventilation when the air is 
warm. They can hardly be allowed to become too dry 
during the winter, at which time their growth is entirely 
suspended. A curious feature of many Cereuses is their 
ability to flower under the most adverse conditions. A 
short while ago the writer was taking some cuttings from a 
number of specimens, and one of these a well ripened shoot, 
fell down between two pots. Here it lay unobserved for 
four or five months until one day attention was directed to 
it by reason of the fact that it had a large pink bud. This 
rapidly developed until it expanded fully! All this was 
accomplished although the shoot had no roots of any sort 
and was not even planted in the soil. 
Of late years the very interesting genus of Mammilaria 
has come into popularity. These are certainly amongst the 
most interesting of Cacti, their quaint 
shape and complex arrangement of 
protective thorns causing them to be 
peculiarly attractive. In many of the 
species the flowers are relatively small, 
but they are often brightly colored 
and are nearly always produced with 
great freedom. The M. bocasana 
kind bears quantities of delicate flesh 
colored blooms and these as a rule 
develop in succession so that the speci- 
men is an object of great beauty for a 
long while. Another sort which is 
also illustrated 1s Mammilaria cen- 
tricirhha, a species which bears good 
sized flowers of a peculiarly rich shade 
of carmine. An additional point of 
value in the Mammilarias is that many 
of them after blooming time is over 
develop berry like fruits which quite 
frequently rival the flowers in the bril- 
liancy of their coloring. All the Mam- 
milaria delight in a dry warm atmo- 
sphere and cannot be grown successfully unless they receive 
plenty of sunshine. Most of all the Cacti are those plants im- 
patient of a moist 
soil, and they will 
speedily show 
their resentment 
by starting to rot 
in a manner 
dificult to check. 
In order to pre- 
vent such a cal- 
amity it it well to 
fill the pots in 
which they are 
planted at least 
half full of crocks 
and thus ensure 
a perfect drain- 
age. This will 
not matter on ac- 
count of the roots 
as all the Mam- 
milarias are very 
shallow rooted. 
A handsome philicereus 
