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i dcU)i)e]l ct G(nitle. 
HALF-AN-HOUR WITH CACTACEOUS PLANTS. 
PRACTICAL HINTS ON THE CULTURE OF CACTI. 
TIic members of the Cactus family iu general possess a peculiar attraction which no other of the 
vegclahlc kingdom can boast. Their point of attraction does not lie alone iu beauty of flower, but 
in their queerly shaped, oft times groteaiiuely distorted, stems, which iu some instances are closely 
covered with a network of line hair-like sj.iues ; in others the spines are formidable, cither erect 
or depressed, and are often found to attain the length of four inches. The variation of colour in the 
blooms of Cacti is rivalled by that of their spines, the stems of soino varieties are blue, others range 
through different shades of green, and some arc even black. Then, still again, many species after 
flowering present us with a lavish display of brightly coloured berries through various shades of 
colour ranging from white to crimson. Some of the' magnificent blooms ai-e delightfully scented, 
and many remain open for a considerable period, while others again only expand for a few hours 
and then droop and wither. The flowers of some varieties of this peculiar family of plant life 
expand only at night time, when their appearance is always hailed with delight by every true lover 
of flowers. Thus it may be seen at a glance that this uuiriue family, by iwesentiug so many .striking 
attractions, responds in a most worthy manner to a cotnparatively small amount of careful attention, 
and is undoubtedly an unlimited source of interest from year’s end to year's cud. The popular 
taste in this direction of floriculture, after lying dormant for something like half a century', is 
gradually but surely awakening to the varied beauties of .succulent ))laut life, and to our miud the 
interest once aroused will noteusily flag. Gardeners of the present day, amateur or otherwise (with 
but few exceptions), are not fully awake, unfortunately, to the amount of pleasure and interest whic.li 
this cbiss of plants can command if properly treated, ft seems to be a common idea that (’acti 
only bloom at very indefinite periods. This is (piite erroneous. If by our humble, efforts we are 
successful in raising in the render's mind a desire to penetrate and examine for himself the 
mvsteries of Cactus culture, which will cause him to procure a small, carefully'-as-iorled rapre- 
seutative collection of the plants in question, he will be amply rewarded for his outlay of money 
and time by a wealth of gorgeous bloom from January to December. To give an idea of the 
average quantity' of bloom carried by these i)lants under proper treatment, a well-grown plant of 
the genus Epiphyllum, in a ,5-inch pot, will carry 100 blooms or more; a correspondingly good 
specimen of the genus I’hyllocactus, in a 7-inch pot, will in its season annually present us with from 
GO to 70 magnificent flower.?, each of which measuring from 8 inches to 1 foot in diameter, according 
to the variety. Another charm associated with these curious plants is the vast amount of interest 
which, with a comparatively small amount of trouble, can be aromsed from the })rocess of grafting 
one variety on to another of a different genus. This operation, when nicely ])crformed, will result 
in some most peculiar productions. It is resorted to not only from a love for the grotessjue, but for 
the reason that some weak-growing sorts are liable to rot off at the base during the period of our 
usually foggy, dami) winters. These, when grafted on to a variety of stronger growth and habit, 
will grow away without showing any signs of decay'. 'I'he amateur, as a rul(!, has but little time 
to devote to the requirements of his floral pets, and with this fact iu mind we may confidently 
assume that no plant other than a Cactus will so well rc])ay the small amount of labour expended 
on it by its grower. Tor want of space we are debarred from giving any cultural notes in these 
pages other than a mere synopsis of the general rc.piircments of the family. A word on propagation 
at this stage will no doubt go fur to convince the reader of the simple requirements of the Cactus 
in that resjiect. I’ropagalion may be effected, according to the genus to be operated upon, by 
both seeds, cuttings, and decapitation, or by detaching the young growths from the parent stock. 
This is an e.xceediugly interesting branch of their culture. 'The jieculiar natural construction 
of the stems of Cacti enables them to live for an ama/.ing length of time without water — in fact, the 
plants constituting some genera do not require any water at all from the middle of autumn until 
the following spring. This fact alone should commend them to the attention of amateurs. They 
appeal also to the gentler se.x by reason of the adaptability of many varieties to culture in xvindow 
cases. Those varieties which are nearly hardy in this country are very interesting when well grown, 
a nice assortment of them planted on a sunny rockwork forming a very attractive subject. The 
climbing varieties are suitable for training over the back walls of heated glass structures, and 
grown either in that manner or twined round supports or posts form a refreshiug feature from the 
monotony of more commonly cultivated plants. The (act that the plants which form the subject of 
these pages are children of the tropics must be borne iu mind at every stage of their cultivation in 
this country to ensure, as nearly as possible, those geuial surroundings and natural temperature 
which they enjoy in their habitat. There arc altogether some 600 varieties of Cacti, duly 
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