THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



Cacti. 



These are, without doubt, the most important of all the 

 succulents, and also the most interesting. All have curious forms, 

 and when grown in a collection have a very extraordinary effect. 

 Many also bear handsome flowers of the most brilliant colours ; 

 some are scented, only opening their flowers during the night, 

 and others bear highly-coloured berries. Cacti are mostly 

 furnished with spines, which in many cases are also ornamental ; 

 but these are dangerous to handle, and it is necessary to wear 

 gloves for the purpose. 



Culture. — All the previous remarks in this chapter apply to 

 these plants, and when grown well and ripened during summer a 

 good show of blossom can be obtained. Cacti may all be 

 propagated by cuttings of the branches in 'a warm pit or house. 

 Some {e.g., Echinocactus and Melocactus)^ however, do not have 

 branches ; but cutting the apex of the plant will cause latent 

 buds to push and grow, or to throw up suckers. Although the 

 plants may be easily propagated from cuttings, some of the 

 delicate kinds, which are apt to rot at the base, are best grafted 

 on the roots of more robust ones {e.g., Cereus and Echinocactus) ; 

 while the pendent species of Epiphyllums and Cereus may be 

 grafted on the tall, erect stems of Pereskias, and are thus seen 

 to better advantage. The grafting should be done whilst the 

 plants are growing, and the grafts take readily provided they are 

 properly joined, and not bound too tightly. Soft worsted should 

 be used for binding. 



When Cacti are raised from seed, these require to be sown in 

 the spring in shallow pans of loam with plenty of sand incor- 

 porated, in a temperature of from 75deg. to 8odeg., and must 

 be kept moist at first whilst growing. Seed may be ripened and 

 saved on home-grown plants ; but to do this successfully it is 

 necessary to fertilise the flowers artificially, using a soft camel- 

 hair brush. Seedlings generally produce freer growth than plants 

 raised from cuttings, but are slower growing, or, rather, take 

 longer to form a good-sized plant. 



Cacti are now divided into several genera, and it will be 

 best to take these in alphabetical order, giving a few of the most 

 desirable and useful species of each. 



Anhalonium. — This small but rather interesting genus was 

 formerly classed under Mammillaria. K distinguishing feature, 

 however, is an absence of spines and the production of the 

 flowers on the young warts, or tubercles. Sorts : A. Engelmanni 

 (see Main7?iillaria fissiiratd). A. furfur aceum has pointed tubercles 

 and a dented top ; flowers, white or pale pink. A. prisinaticum 

 is rare ; it is very symmetrical, the chief colour being a delicate 

 pearl grey ; it has a rosette of tubercles at the top, the centre 

 of which contains short, soft hairs, and from this the flowers 



