476 



THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF CACTUSES. 



and species of mamillaria, and others with short steins, 

 from offsets treated as cuttings. Delicate mamillarias 

 are sometimes grafted upon a cereus of stronger char- 

 acter, while the drooping epiphyllums and cereuses are 

 improved in habit by being grafted upon erect forms of 

 the latter genus. Stocks of Pcrfskia aculeata are also 

 often used for epiphyllums, with good results. 



The seeds may be sown in pots containing sandy 

 loam, at any season of the year, but, preferably, as 

 soon after they are ripe as possible. Keep the soil moist, 

 and the pot covered until germination takes place, when 

 the covering may be removed. If placed in a tempera- 

 ture of eighty degrees, they will germinate in about 

 three weeks ; but they may be raised in a much lower 

 temperature, such as that of a room or window, though 

 the process is much slower in such cases. Great care 

 will be required in watering for some time after ger- 

 mination, as the little seedlings advance slowly and are 

 very easily injured by an excess of moisture. When 

 large enough to be handled without difficulty they may 

 be potted separately, and treated in the same manner as 

 older specimens. 



Cuttings and offsets should be 'e.xposed to sunshine 

 for about a week previous to planting in sandy soil, and 

 subsequently kept perfectly dry, in a warm sunny house, 

 until growth commences. Water may be given in 

 moderate quantity from this time, and increased in 

 volume, according to requirements, as the plants de- 

 velop. Good roots having been formed, turn out the 

 plants, pot in the ordinary compost, and place them 

 with their elders. 



In grafting mamillarias it is simply necessary to cut 

 off the upper portion of the stock, which should be 

 dwarf, so as to leave a smooth horizontal surface at the 

 top. The scion is prepared by removing a portion at 

 the base, which should then correspond with the surface 

 of the stock as nearly as possible. Now place the scion 

 on the top of the prepared stock, and bind it thereto 

 with matting or any other material that will answer the 

 same purpose, just tight enough to keep it securely in 

 position. The object of grafting in this case is to se- 

 cure for the mamillaria a more perfect root system. 

 With Cereus Jiagelliformis and the epiphyllums, as 

 already indicated, it is different. These plants thrive 

 most satisfactorily on their own roots, but larger and 

 more shapely specimens are obtainable by grafting 

 them on tall or erect stocks, and members of the latter 

 genus flower more freely when so treated. The stocks 

 should be grown quickly in such cases, and cut down to 

 the required height, a point which must be determined 

 according to the size of plant desired. If the stock is 

 a cereus, the scions — pieces of the young growth about 

 six inches long, trimmed at the base in the form of a 

 thin wedge — may be inserted in corresponding notches 

 at the top or on the sides, and fastened with a small pin, 

 or, better still, a long prickle of pereskia, or some 

 other cactaceous plant similarly furnished with promi- 

 nent spines. In the absence of these, the scions may 

 be bound in position as advised in the case of mamil- 



larias. The pereskia stock is usually employed for 

 epiphyllums, when medium-sized specimens are desired; 

 and here the most reliable union is effected by grafting 

 at the top. Scions may be inserted in the top of all 

 branches of a branched pereskia stock with perfectly 

 satisfactory results, provided it be done in the summer, 

 which is the best time for all grafting. The manual 

 part of the operations having been completed, place the 

 plants in a close atmosphere, and keep them shaded 

 from bright sunshine until a union is brought about. 

 Their after-treatment is similar to that required by 

 plants on their own roots. 



The only disastrous disease to which cactuses are sub- 

 ject is a rotting of the stems, induced by a prolonged 

 excess of moisture about the roots, by a severe bruise, 

 or by a continually moist and close condition of the 

 atmosphere in which the plants are grown. When this 

 disease appears the affected portion should be entirely 

 removed with a knife, and, after applying fresh slaked 

 lime or powdered charcoal to the wound, expose it to 

 sunshine till it heals. The soil and atmosphere, in the 

 meantime must be kept severely dry. 



Among insects the most troublesome are the green 

 fly, the scale, and the mealy bug. Fumigation with 

 tobacco and subsequent free use of water by means of 

 the syringe will speedily disperse the first-named, but 

 the other two are not so easily banished when they ob- 

 tain a firm footing. It is strictly unwise to let either of 

 these two pests get a hold in the cactus house, for, when 

 once they gain the shelter afforded by the spines and 

 hairs, their eradication is almost impossible. The best 

 way to get rid of them is to remove all that are accessi- 

 ble with a pointed stick, and then syringe the plants 

 with a mixture prepared as follows : Dissolve four 

 ounces of whale-oil soap in five gallons of tepid water, 

 and to this add as much kerosene as will go in a three- 

 inch pot. These ingredients must be thoroughly mixed 

 before applying with a syringe, and even while that 

 operation is in progress a second person must be em- 

 ployed stirring the mixture vigorously. The object of 

 this stirring is to prevent the kerosene from floating on 

 top. Care should be taken to keep the preparation 

 from reaching the roots, and also to syringe the plants 

 thoroughly with clean water about thirty minutes after 

 its application. It would be well to treat the plants, 

 whether or not infested, periodically as here described, 

 merely as a preventive measure. 



We have now dwelt upon the more important cul- 

 tural requirements of these curious plants. It should be 

 remembered, however, that the instructions are general, 

 and that particular cases must occur in which they will 

 not be applicable. This refers more especially to the 

 matter of watering, when so much depends upon local 

 conditions. When the rriajority of these plants are es- 

 tablished and thrive in a given position, they are hard 

 , to kill, but continued neglect will do its work anywhere, 

 and in such cases the strongest efforts of even the fore- 

 most specialists would be wholly futile. 



Edward Bowen. 



