53 



not. stinted for water. But the hermit 

 cactus (Echinocactus polyancistrus) 

 of the Mojave Desert region is seem- 

 ingly impatient of a drop of water, 

 and like many other desert species, 

 soon dies in cultivation. I have been 

 anxious to . try these in our climate 

 under glass without their being sub- 

 ject to ocean fog or winter rain, and 

 I believe that they can be so grown 

 without losing the brilliant colors of 

 the spines which are so characteristic 

 of them in their native haunts. 



The cacti of the coast regions, both 

 temperate and torrid, thrive under 

 great heat, abundant moisture and in 

 rich soil, as do most of the epiphytal 

 species of the forests of Central and 

 South America. These are classed as 

 stove or greenhouse plants in the east 

 and in Europe, but in Southern Cali- 

 fornia it is usually sufficient to give 

 them the shade of a lath house in a 

 frostless situation. The Phyllocacti, 

 Ephyllums and others, however, will 

 do better under glass along with the 

 Euphorbias — though many of these 

 will make luxuriant growth in the 

 open where good soil, good drain- 

 age, and a fair supply of water are 

 furnished. 



The climbing cacti are all natives 

 of the tropics, but in Southern Cal- 

 ifornia thrive excellently where given 

 a sunny exposure and abundant wa- 

 ter—though water should never touch 

 the surface of the plant, especially in 

 the heat of the sun — a safe, in fact 

 an indispensable, rule with all cacti. 



In planning a large cactus garden — 

 intended to accommodate all known 

 varieties — I laid the ground off in 

 squares and triangles, alloting a sep- 

 arate square to each region. All the 

 California varities were to be grouped 

 together — the cacti along with the 

 Yuccas, Agaves and other succulents, 

 together with plants especially char- 

 acteristic of the flora of the section 

 being grown together. The United 

 States were thus to be represented 

 by the California, the Arizona and 

 the Texas squares, while the few 

 species of Colorado and the Atlantic 

 coast would be kept separate. Near- 

 ly all the Mexican states would be 

 separately represented, the epiphytes 

 going with those of Central and 



South America under lath. Other 

 squares would be devoted to the 

 South American republics as they be- 

 come well represented, and to the 

 spiny or suculent plants of Aus- 

 tralia, Ceylon, South Africa, and other 

 regions. 



These squares were to be supple- 

 mented with lath and glass to provide 

 for the needs of all the plants and 

 there being an abundance of land, it 

 was hoped that each species might be 

 enabled to attain to its greatest devel- 

 opment. Thus the giant Cereus can- 

 delabrum, with arms spreading fifty 

 feet, would, require room to grow in, 

 that would not be accorded to an 

 Echinocactus or a Mammillaria — 

 which latter requires but a few inches 

 of space. The fruit-bearing opuntias 

 also often attain wide proportions — 

 clumps of our native species often 

 being found fifty feet in diameter. A 

 number of the. Cerei — like the velvet 

 cactus and the cord-wood cactus, also 

 require abundant ground, more than 

 usually accorded to them — while one 

 species, Cereus alamosensis, of Son- 

 ora, while seldom more than a few 

 feet high, yet naturally covers a di- 

 ameter of a hundred feet — its arch- 

 ing branches reaching out and rooting 

 at each approach to the earth. 



Such a cactus garden could only 

 thrive in Southern California in a sit- 

 uation practically frostless. The cac- 

 tus fences of Mexico could be repro- 

 duced; the Mission hedge of tunas, as 

 grown for their fruit in earlier days, 

 and the climbing and hanging species 

 should all be provided for, and after 

 a few years of intelligent and persis- 

 tent effort, no greater diversity of 

 form, beauty and utility could be 

 found in any garden in the world. 



A popular fallacy is that all cacti 

 have spines, and it is equally falla- 

 cious that all thrive under neglect or 

 any treatment that may be given 

 them. One gentleman purchased a 

 choice collection of 500 varieties from 

 me some years ago, and turned them 

 over to a gardener, who set them out 

 in the edge of a well-kept lawn! The 

 gentleman is still said to remember 

 me unkindly, though he could not 

 have expected different results from 

 such treatment of his plants. An- 



