348 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 16, 1884. 
Feed of the fruit of the full year, as to preclude the formation of growth 
and fruit buds for next year’s crop, a year’s recuperative growth is essen¬ 
tial to restore them to fertility. That this is parallel with trees in 
orchards having abortive blossoms I deny in toto, especially as facts point 
to the contrary—grossness is characteristic of barrenness; and feeble¬ 
ness, not ill health, is ever indicative of fruitfulness. A fruit tree must 
have its grossness considerably diminished before it will make so much as 
an effort at fruit-production. I have seen more barrenness as resulting 
from over-luxuriance of trees in gardens than of trees in orchards through 
enfeeblement, that consequent upon age and neglect excepted. 
“ Intelligent gardeners grow the finest fruit that wins prizes.” What 
has that to do with fruit-production 1 How much of such fruit feed and 
refresh the masses ? What produces nine-tenths of the marketable fruit 
of the United Kingdom 1 Gardens ! I trow not, but orchards; and if 
“ men ” cannot do better than that, the sooner they give place (as they 
are fast doing) to “sheep” the better. What is the value of prize fruit 
in relation to that which supplies the wants of more than 30,000,000 of 
people that inhabit these islands ? What of the number of prize fruits 
grown on a tree as compared with those on one from which the supplies 
are drawn for everyday consumption, even in gardens, not to mention 
those of orchards ? An exhibition comes but once a year, and as to the 
Apple Congress, who knows when there will be another? Apples and 
I’ears are grown in walled gardens, or from trees trained against walls, if 
not produced in glass structures, which “ men ” scruple not to exhibit as 
hardy fruit. Let “ An Old Gardener” be just before he is generous, and 
tell us if prize fruit afford as good interest on the capital invested as that 
of market fruit must do if it be profitable. 
I am thankful that “An Old Gardener” finds consolation with what 
I supplied him, and I am pleased beyond measure to know it has such a 
good effect. I thought the extracts I found for him in the files of the 
Journal of Hoi'ticultvre afford him particular delectation, and keep 
him from being “ overwhelmed,” especially as he is such an expert in 
making deductions, and so adroit at turning them to his own purposes. 
Notwithstanding what has been said, I shall proceed on the old lines, 
aiming at ripe wood and well-developed buds, and not be scared from the 
object by prospective “ frost” any more than a farmer will refuse Wheat 
this autumn for fear of wet weather next harvest time preventing his 
garnering the crop. —G. Abbey. 
CACTACEOUS PLANTS. 
(^Continued from page 334.) 
EPIPHYLLTJM, lyeiffer . 
No members of the Cactus family are so extensively grown or so 
generally useful as the Bpiphyllums, and yet it may be safely asserted 
that their merits are not half so well known as they deserve, or as might 
be expected by those who have satisfactorily proved their value. There 
can be no question that Epiphyllums are thoroughly useful garden plants, 
and wherever large numbers of plants have to be grown for decorative 
purposes they are almost indispensable. For the smallest collections 
they are equally appreciated, and though not quite so well adapted for 
windows or rooms as some of the Phyllocactuses, they can be grown and 
flowered in such positions, and therefore furnish an important addition 
to what may be termed home plants. They possess several qualities, each 
of which alone would be amply sufficient to renderthem worthy of recom¬ 
mendation, but the principal of these is their period of flowering. This 
extends from November to February, and during these four months an 
unbroken succession of flowers can be ensured by having a few batches 
of plants, which can be readily brought on to follow the earliest-flowered. 
The same plants will, however, often continue attractive for more than 
a month, producing abundance of their bright beautiful flowers through¬ 
out the whole of the time, at a season when flowers are scarcest and the 
demand greatest. Another good trait in their character is their free and 
q[uick growth, which enables cultivators to obtain plants of good size in 
a short time. They are readily propagated, most profuse and constant 
in flowering, their blooms are marked by a number of extremely rich 
and bright shades of colour, and the plants can be employed in a variety 
of ways—in pots as dwarfs, standards, or pyramids; planted out for 
training on the roof of stoves, and in baskets for the decoration of con¬ 
servatories. It is not surprising, therefore, that Epiphyllums are gradu¬ 
ally advancing from the comparative obscurity into which they had 
fallen, and one of the surest indications of this increasing popularity is 
afforded by that great emporium of plants, Covent Garden Market. 
There small useful specimen Epiphyllums may now be frequently seen 
side by side with the ordinary market plants, and one grower in the 
neighbourhood of London is paying special attention to them for supply¬ 
ing the market. The majority of the plants raised for this purpose are 
in IS-size pots, and are grafted on Pereskia stocks 9 inches or a foot in 
height, forming in two or three years compact handsome specimens. 
These usually make their appearance on the stalls during November and 
December, and are sold at prices ranging between Is. 6d, and 2s. 6d., 
according to the size of the plant and the quality of the variety. Com¬ 
paratively few different forms are sent to market; two or three of 
the richest-coloured and most fioriferous are the favourites, and with 
these the demands are supplied. 
Culture. —It may be premised that there is no especial difficulty in 
growing Epiphyllums fairly well, as they will do that with very ordinary 
treatment; but to have them in the best condition, their floral beauty 
fully developed, attention to a few details is requisite. These are, how¬ 
ever, so simple that no one need be deterred from growing the plants by 
any fear of non-success. As for Phyllocactuses, the basis of the compost 
employed should be light, turfy, and preferably somewhat sandy loam, 
that which has been in stack for a few months being the most suitable. 
Kespecting this there is no difference of opinion, but with regard to the 
other ingredients several different practices are followed. Some cul¬ 
tivators do not employ any manure in the soil, simply giving a moderate 
proportion of crocks, broken charcoal, lime rubbish, or sand with the 
loam, preferring to apply the manure as a liquid or in the form of top- 
dressings. Others, again, advocate incorporating various manures in the 
compost at first prepared, using and recommending for this purpose cow, 
horse, sheep, deer, and fowl manure, each grower fully believing in the 
especial efficacy of his favourite stimulant. A third, and according to 
my experience the best system, is to employ a small proportion of noanure, 
say one-fourth of the bulk of soil, and to give what further assistance 
may be needed either in a liquid state or as a top-dressing. The advan¬ 
tage of this method is, that while some encouragement is given to the 
roots, a stagnant and unwholesome condition of the soil is avoided until 
the plants are strong enough to assimilate their food rapidly, and then it 
can be supplied in exact proportion to their wants. The Pereskia 
aculeata, upon which Epiphyllums are usually grafted, is a strong-rooting 
and quick-growing plant, absorbing moisture and nutriment from the 
soil very rapidly ; therefore when it is bearing a large head of Epiphyllum 
the assistance afforded should be of a most liberal character, and it is 
only by such means that the finest and most abundant flowers can be 
produced. There is, then, little fear of giving too much manurial aid to 
these plants, and, as an example of this, I am informed that many years 
ago some exceedingly fine specimen Epiphyllums were grown at Scawby 
Hall, Brigg, Lincolnshire, potted in a compost of equal parts good loam 
and old Mushroom-bed manure. These attained the age of twenty years, 
and annually bore an enormous number of flowers—a sufficient proof that 
the treatment suited them ; but they were in experienced hands, 
and the smaller proportion of manure advocated above is, to say the 
least, safer. It matters very little what kind of manure is^ employed, 
but I give the preference to that fiom the cowyard, using it in a dry 
state and finely broken for mixing in the soil, while as a liquid it is 
equally beneficial. Clay’s Fertiliser, either in the compost or mixed with 
loam as a top-dressing, is also a valuable stimulant, and manure collected 
in fowl roosts or runs suits Epiphyllums admirably. 
Some importance is attached by a few growers to the due employment 
of lime rubbish or charcoal in the soil, but this is by no means so essential 
as is supposed, though a few nodules of charcoal or finely broken bricks 
assist in keeping the drainage in proper condition. During the growing 
and flowering periods abundance of water is necessary, and in conse¬ 
quence every care must be exercised, especially for large specimens, to 
insure that the pots are thoroughly drained. This can be easily effected 
in the usual way with potsherds, or crocks as they are commonly termed, 
and then there will be no danger of supplying water liberally. 
After flowering less moisture will be required, and the soil may be 
allowed to become partially dry for a few weeks, only giving a little 
water to prevent the branches being rendered flaccid. Then as growth is 
resumed the water supply may be increased, and with occasional 
syringings progress will be rapid in a suitable temperature. This should 
range from 55° to 65°, or ten degrees higher with sun heat, and when the 
plants flower they may be arranged in an ordinary greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory. Much depends upon a thorough maturation of the growth, 
and therefore the plants must at all times have a position fully exposed 
to the sun, as they never need shading, and with proper attention to 
ventilation to avoid rendering the growth weak, good results may be 
confidently expected. 
Propauation. —Epiphyllums are readily increased by cuttings 
grafting, and seeds, the two former methods being most frequently 
practised, the other being resorted to chiefly with the object of producing 
new varieties. Cuttings of two, three, or more joints of the branches 
strike readily at any season of the year if inserted in pots of sandy soil, 
kept rather dry, and placed in a warm house or frame. These plants 
upon their own roots are very useful for small pots to be employed as a 
marginal row on the conservatory stages ; they can also be used for 
filling baskets, and in several other similar ways. The most important 
method of increase is, however, that by grafting, as the majority of the 
larger plants are worked either on the Pereskia or Cereus speciosissimus 
stocks, and by that means the natural drooping habit of the Epiphyllum 
is more gracefully and pleasingly displayed. Considerable difference of 
opinion exists with regard to the respective merits of the two^ stocks 
named ; but the balance of evidence is in favour of the Pereskia as a 
long-lasting and free-growing support. The principal points advanced 
on behalf of the Cereus is that its stems are stouter and stronger than 
the Pereskia, and that Epiphyllums worked on it endure a much lower 
temperature than those on the accepted stock. Against this must be taken 
the fact that the scion does not grow so freely or so quickly upon the 
Cereus as it does upon the Pereskia, for the absorptive powers of the latter 
seem to be much greater, and in respect to endurance no belter evidence 
of the merits of the Pereskia is required than is afforded by the fact that 
there are many large specimen Epiphyllums upon that stock fully a 
quarter of a century old, and still showing no signs of decrepitude. 
The Pereskia is propagated by cuttings 5 or G inches long, which form 
roots quickly in an ordinary stove or propagating frame. When struck 
they must be potted singly in GO-size pots and grown on quickly, trans¬ 
ferring the plants into 48-pots when the smaller size is filled with roots. 
When they have reached a sufficient height to permit the stem being cut 
back to well-developed wood, a foot to 18 inches above the rim of the pot, 
they may be prepared for grafting. Cut the stems straight across at the 
