144 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[Mat, 
VEGETATION IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN TERRITORIES. 
One accustomed only to the vegetation of the 
Northern States is struck, as he travels south¬ 
ward, with the new forms which meet his eye, 
giving new features to the landscape. If he con¬ 
tinue his journey until he reach the Territory 
of Arizona, upon the borders of Mexico, he will 
find a vegetation entirely unlike that which he 
left at the North. Instead of green fields, the 
parched soil bears only a few scattered tufts of 
grayish grass, and in place of leafy forests, in 
whose shade one might find shelter from the 
burning sun, there are the strange leafless 
trunks of the Cactuses, whose singular appear¬ 
ance and spiny branches repel rather than at¬ 
tract the traveler. Above we have sketched 
and engraved a scene in this barren territory, 
which well illustrates the appearance of the 
region where the plants of the Cactus family 
seem to attain their greatest luxuriance. These 
plants are peculiar to the American Continent, 
and are represented with us by the Prickly Pear, 
which is found as far North as Massachusetts 
and Wisconsin; but no one, from seeing this, 
or even those which are cultivated as green¬ 
house and parlor plants, can form an idea of the 
peculiar effect produced where the mass of the 
vegetation is made up of larger plants of this 
family. One of the most striking characteris¬ 
tics of these plants is, that they bear no leaves, 
but the green rind of the stems does their work 
and answers in place of them. Instead of leaves 
they bear tufts of spines or thorns, the number, 
size and shape of which vary with the dif¬ 
ferent species. Some of these spines are sever¬ 
al inches in length, either straight or hooked at 
the end; others are small and hair like, but all 
Sketched coil Engraved for the American Agricultui'ist. 
sharp and capable of inflicting annoying or dan¬ 
gerous wounds. These Cactus plants are won¬ 
derfully adapted to the region in which they 
live. But very little rain falls there, and this 
only during a few weeks, all of the rest of the 
year being a continued drouth. While in our 
moist climate, plants expose a great surface of 
leaves in order to facilitate evaporation, there 
they are constructed on a plan which exposes 
the least possible surface—they are all cylinders 
or spheres. When the short rainy season comes 
on, these plants start into life, make their annual 
growth, and flower, and produce fruit. The dry 
season soon follows; the whole country, under 
the influence of the sun and parching atmos¬ 
phere, becomes burned and barren like a desert. 
All the tender plants which the rain had called 
into existence, perish ; then the Cactuses go into 
a dormant state; they have no leaves to wither 
and fall away; they close up the pores of their 
thick skin, and resisting the drying influences 
around them, they retain their juices until the 
next rainy period awakens them to activity 
again. Notwithstanding the uncouth aspect of 
the plants themselves, they produce flowers 
which are often of great beauty. Some of the 
Cactus family are among the chief ornaments of 
our green-houses. We have seen them in the 
wild state when the desert literally “blossomed 
as the rose.” Their fruits, too, are generally 
pleasant and often delicious, some being very 
much like figs, and others having a fine fruity 
flavor. The largest plant represented in the en¬ 
graving is the Giant Cereus (Cereus giganteus), 
which grows to the bight of 40 to 00 feet, some¬ 
times rising in a single column, but more fre¬ 
quently branching and throwing out great up¬ 
turned arms. Though this is, from its size, the 
most conspicuous, there are others, a few of 
which are represented in the foreground, which 
are not less noticeable. Some of these are mere 
spiny balls, others branching and tree like, oth¬ 
ers in shape like the Prickly Pear, only as tall or 
taller than a man, and all of them so provided 
with thorns that the careless traveler soon learns 
to respect if he can not admire them. We know 
of nothing more strange and wild than to see, 
as we have often done, a landscape in which 
these outlandish plants form the chief vegetation. 
Trenching Grass Plots or Lawns. 
There are good reasons for this. A lawn is to 
be planted more or less with trees, and they will 
grow vastly better in a deep soil than in a shal¬ 
low one. They will strike their roots down 
deep, and spread them out wide in search of 
food, and their rapid growth will show their 
keeping. Even small trees set in such ground 
will soon outstrip large ones set in shallow soil, 
and will always be handsomer. A lawn is also 
to be a carpet of grass. If it be well trenched, 
the grass will be vigorous and green in Spring, 
Summer, and Fall. It will not turn brown and 
burn out in the first “ dry spell.” The moisture 
from below will continually rise to keep the 
roots fresh. The grass will bear frequent mow¬ 
ing and rolling, and will constantly improve, 
If any one doubts the good effects of trenching, 
let him compare a lawn so treated with one only 
surface worked, and he will be convinced. 
