A WONDERLAND OF CACTUSES. 



527 



composed of many heads three and four inches in diam- 

 eter, could be obtained without difficulty. 



Echinocereus dasyacanlliHs should be grown as a con- 

 trast to the two preceding sorts, on account of its very 

 large yellow flowers, four to five inches in size. Ei/iiiio- 

 cereus chloranthus is grown for the beauty of its spines, 

 which are red and white. The flowers are not very at- 

 tractive. Among the fine bloomers we might mention 

 E.Fendleri, purplish-crimson, large ; E .plucniceits , which 

 forms large clusters of heads and crimson flowers ; E. 

 gonacauthus, of which the flowers are entirely distinct 

 from those of other echinocereuses, being what we would 



They all bear large flowers which open at night, and 

 which, to most people, appear to be alike. The trite 

 Ccreiis grandijioriis is the only one that has decidedly 

 fragrant flowers. Its stem is fully set with spines, 

 and its growth is not rapid. Ci-ri-i/s MarDoiialdia' 

 bears flowers nearly as large, but they are not fragrant. 

 It is a very quick grower and a much freer bloomer than 

 the other. The stems are slender, cylindrical, and at 

 regular intervals are set with fleshy tubercles instead of 

 spines. Cereus jtyctacahis we consider the most desirable 

 of the night blooming-cereuses on account of its very 

 rapid, strong growth, which often enables an amateur 



Fig. I. Monstrosities of Cereus flagelliformis (Grafted). 



call a vermilion-scarlet, very waxy in texture and re- 

 maining open for a week or more ; E. cu spi/osns, also 

 bearing fine flowers, but the plant does not remain in 

 good condition, being generally rusty towards the roots. 

 Several of the echinocereuses are very interesting when 

 grafted on stout cereuses. 



Cereus grandijlorus, the night-blooming cereus, is per- 

 haps the best known of all the cactuses. Its rapid 

 growth, ease of management and the enormous night 

 opening flowers have made it popular. It is not gen- 

 erally known, however, that under the name of Cereus 

 grandijlorus many sorts have been put in commerce. 



to have a blooming plant the second year from a cutting 

 It is also a very profuse bloomer if fully exposed to the 

 sun in winter. The stems, which are four to five-angled, 

 become much stouter than in C grandijlorus or C. Mae- 

 Donoldia. We use this extensively for grafting other 

 varieties on, especially for Cereus Jagellijormis, or rat- 

 tail cactus, which is wonderfully improved by grafting. 

 It then grows stronger, quicker, blooms more profusely, 

 and never rots off, which it does so often when grown on 

 its own roots. 



We now graft it in a different way than formerly, viz : 

 split the graft and cut the scion to a wedge, sticking a 



