CACTACEOUS PLANTS. 



79 



from Kingston, where there was more rain, the plants would not 

 grow at all. As Cacti were, on the whole, so easily grown, 

 Dr. Morris hoped they would become more popular now that 

 attention had been called to them. 



Mr. W. Watson endorsed everything Mr. Singer had said 

 in regard to cultivation, and remarked that some Cacteae would 

 stand a great deal of moisture. In the Palm-house at Kew, 

 which has always an exceedingly moist atmosphere, there had 

 been for over fifteen years some large Cereus plants, and these 

 were in excellent health. As a proof of the easiness and neg- 

 ligence with which many plants of this order could be grown, Mr. 

 Watson remarked that here and there throughout the country 

 were to be seen splendid specimens in cottagers' windows, and, 

 as a rule, they were almost left to look after themselves. But 

 the great disappointment was that they flowered rarely, if at all. 

 To obtain this result he recommended that dryness should 

 prevail, and then if the beautiful flowers could be produced there 

 would be no doubt of Cacti becoming popular. 



Mr. R. Irwin Lynch, of Cambridge Botanic Garden, re- 

 marked that Cacti could be grown practically in any soil, pro- 

 vided the grower exercised his common sense. He mentioned 

 that a very good plan was to plant Cacti out in the summer 

 months in frames, from which they were transferred back to the 

 houses in pots in the winter. By this means strong growths 

 were developed for the production of flowers. 



[It may be mentioned that many species of Opuntia, Cereus, 

 Mamillaria, Echinocactus, and Echinocereus have been grown 

 in cold frames in the Herbaceous Department, Kew, for some 

 years past, and at the time of going to press were apparently 

 uninjured by the very severe frosts of January and February — Ed.] 



FILMY FERNS AND THEIR CULTIVATION. 

 By Mr„ J. Backhouse. 

 [Bead July 24, 1894.] 

 "The subject of the following paper is one about which much 

 may be said, far more than can possibly be compressed into half- 

 van-hour's discourse, or even into several half-hours. Moreover, 



