462 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



P. aculeata is the West Indian or 1 Barbadoes gooseberry,' but the fruits 

 are rarely seen in this country. The plant has been said to flower rarely, 

 but recently in the Cambridge Botanical Gardens fine masses have been 

 produced with a perfume like that of orange blossom. The flowers are 

 white and as no fruit has been produced it is probable that pollen must 

 come from another plant. 



Hardy Cactaccac. — Out of doors I grow about 27 species, and by 

 experiment it would be possible no doubt to find others that are equally 

 hardy. The finest I have are Opuntia arborescens 4 feet wide, 

 5 feet high and 2 feet 6 inches from front to back ; 0. cantabrigiensis 

 (fig. 78) 13 feet x 3 feet, and 6 feet from front to back ; 0. bicolor 



3 



i 



Fig. 79. — (1) Opuntia monacantha (in fruit) ; (2) 0. robusta ; (3) Agave 

 utahensis ; (4) Dyckia raiuflora. 



8 feet x 2 feet 6 inches, and 3 feet from front to back ; 0. monacantha 

 (fig. 79) 4 feet wide, 4 feet 6 inches high, and 2 feet 6 inches from 

 front to back ; 0. robusta (fig. 80) 9 feet wide, 4 feet high, and 

 4 feet from front to back ; Echinopsis Eyricsii does very well and 

 occasionally flowers freely. All these outdoor Cactaceae must have a hot 

 position in full sun against a south wall, and the low walls of plant- 

 houses do exceedingly well. They must have good drainage, and in order 

 to secure this the borders on which they are planted may be raised by 

 means of a few stones. When they are growing it should be remembered 

 that the largo quantities of water they contain must be supplied from 

 some outside source, otherwise even a cactus may be stunted in growth 

 merely for want of moisture. The soil should be of a porous nature 



