THE CACTUS. 
PROF. W. K. HIGI,EY. 
BECAUSE the Greeks in olden 
times applied the word Cactus 
to a prickly plant, Linnaeus, 
often called the Father of Bot- 
any, gave the same name to our won- 
derful American growth and since his 
time these strange and varied plants 
have borne this nomenclature. 
We can hardly imagine any group of 
plants more interesting. There are 
over eight hundred varieties of curious 
and unexpected forms, bearing tubular 
or rotate flowers most varied in size 
and color — white, pink, purple, yellow, 
crimson, deep red— all beautiful and 
fascinating, and in our Northern coun- 
try, protected in the conservatories. 
The Night-blooming Cereus is most 
renowned, most admired of all. 
The Cacti are commonly found in the 
United States, in Mexico, and in South 
America, and some species are culti- 
vated on the borders of the Mediterran- 
ean Sea, where the fruit is eaten. 
They vary in size from an inch or two 
in height to enormous growths of fifty 
or sixty feet ( Cereus giganteus) which 
stand like telegraph poles, some- 
times nearly bare, sometimes with 
many vertical branches, reminding 
one of a huge candelabrum. Then 
again some forms are nearly spherical, 
while others are long, jointed, and 
square, one species {Echinocactus vis- 
naga) grows about nine feet in height 
with a diameter of three feet or more 
and a single plant of this species will 
sometimes weigh a ton. One of our 
most common forms is flat and broad; 
This, the Prickly Pear or Indian Fig 
{Opentia Vulgario), is the only species 
found as far north as Wisconsin and 
New York. 
As many of the Cacti require but lit- 
tle care, they are quite extensively cul- 
tivated, not only for the rare beauty of 
their flowers, butfor economic purposes. 
However, nearly all are worthy of cul- 
ture because of their peculiar forms. 
In structure they are fitted for growth 
in the most arid regions; they abound 
in the deserts of New Mexico and 
southward, in many cases obtaining 
their food from a soil in which no other 
plant will grow, their thick coats en- 
abling them to retain moisture and vi- 
tality for many weeks. Specimens of 
the Prickly Pear have been known to 
grow after lying on a dry floor, in a 
closed room, for six months and they 
have blossomed when left in this con- 
dition for some time. 
These plants, which are more or less 
succulent, are usually protected from 
the ravages of animal life by a formid- 
able array of spines and prickles. Those 
who have carelessly handled our com- 
mon Prickly Pear can attest to the in- 
tensely irritating character of its de- 
fensive armor. Thus does nature pro- 
vide for the care of its otherwise de- 
fenseless forms. 
A form of the Prickly Pear ( Opuntia 
coccinellifera) is cultivated in Mexico for 
the purpose of raising the Cochineal in- 
sect ( Coccus cacti) which feeds upon it. 
Some of these plantations contain as 
many as 50,000 plants. The females are 
placed on the Cactus in August and in 
about four or five months the first 
gathering of the Cochineal takes place, 
being then ready for the market. 
There are many other interesting 
uses to which these plants are put. 
When suffering from thirst animals will 
tear off the hard outer fibers and 
eagerly devour the moist, juicy inte- 
rior of the stems. The Moki Indian 
basket makers use the fiber in their 
work. This they dye different colors 
and wind around the foundations, giv- 
ing strength and beauty. The spines of 
one species {Echinocactus visnaga) are 
used by the Mexicans as toothpicks. It 
has been estimated that a single plant 
may bear upwards of 50,000 spines. 
A unique and beautiful sight was a 
group of Cacti blooming in a Colorado 
garden, where the owner had spent 
much time and expense in gathering to- 
gether many varieties, and one was 
made to realize how remarkable a thing 
Nature had lavished upon us: for, as 
Mr. Grant Allen has said: "The Cac- 
tuses are all true American citizens by 
birth and training, and none of them 
are found truly indigenous in any part 
of the Old World." 
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