AN ADVENTURE IN GARDENING 
The tall plant with red flowers 
is the Scarlet Aloe, which sells for 
25c. At the lower right is the Hen 
and Chickens. 25c. Lower left, 
Purple Figmarigold, 25c. 
COLORFUL COLLECTION 
COLLECTION No. C27 
Five Colorful Succulents. Scar¬ 
let Aloe, Purple Figmarigold, Hen 
and Chickens, Red Tips, 
Sedum dendroideum. 
$100 
Have you experienced that most fascinating of all 
gardening adventures, the collecting of Cacti and 
Succulents? These interesting and often gorgeously 
colorful plants are amongst the simplest and easiest 
of all to grow and yet for over a hundred years few 
people have ever heard of them! Collectors have 
been jealous of them and only the dyed-in-the-wool 
fancier had the patience to bring together more than 
a few kinds generally unnamed. 
The great fascination they have, after you come to 
know them, has induced men to spend fortunes in 
assembling collections of Cacti just as they have in 
bringing together collections of paintings or antiques. 
Great Botanic Gardens have fine collections and 
many books have been written about them. Expedi¬ 
tions have been sent out on long and arduous trips 
into the fastnesses of the Andean Mountains, through 
the rainless wastes of Chilean plains, and south into 
far Patagonia. 
It is said that Columbus on the first voyages to the 
new world brought back to Europe the first Cacti. 
The difficulties collectors have had getting their 
finds back into civilization, classified by botanists, 
and established in gardens, have been great, but 
love of the hobby and intense interest have con¬ 
quered all obstacles. 
Thousands of Cactus Collectors throughout the 
United States are enjoying the thrills of growing and 
flowering these strange plants that differ so from 
the common garden flowers you know. They need 
none of the care of ordinary plants and there are 
hundreds of curious kinds to select from. 
In the nast Fanciers have been forced to rely upon 
exchanges with others or upon collectors of wild 
plants to enlarge their collections. Now the increasing 
attention being given these enormously interesting 
plants has made it practical to assemble from the 
far corners of the earth the thousands of kinds avail¬ 
able and to propagate them. For thirty years Cacti 
have been my hobby and though I have grown or 
collected every class of plant from Ferns to Orchids 
and spent years collecting plant life in the jungles 
of Central America, yet I have never found another 
group to equal them in intense interest. 
Now for the first time I have a really comprehen¬ 
sive collection to offer. They are clean, healthy, well 
rooted seedlings, plants free from pests and diseases. 
Much attention has been given to correct labelling 
and I have tried to follow, within practical lines, the 
leading authorities. 
In my new and modern greenhouses built espe¬ 
cially for the raising of cacti hundreds of thousands 
of vigorous plants are growing. Under our California 
sun they are developing into perfect specimens with 
a robust vitality that will make them the gems of 
your collection. This has been a task consuming 
many years and, as any pioneering task, an enor¬ 
mous amount of preliminary work. To my patrons I 
can now offer many new and rare kinds from the 
largest collection in America. 
WINNER OF 2 BLUE RIBBONS! 
“Here is a picture of my collection of Cacti including 
the last shipment from you which raised my collection 
to about 30 varieties. I entered it in the Cactus Show 
in the Great Lakes Exposition, where it won for me two 
blue ribbons and one each of second and third prize 
in the “Best Specimen” class. We, the exhibitors at 
the Cactus Show, have organized a Cactus and Succu¬ 
lent Society in this vicinity and being a satisfied cus¬ 
tomer of yours I will highly recommend your stock to 
fellow members to show my appreciation to you and 
also for their benefit.” 
WILLIAM SCHERER, 
Ohio. 
CHRIST THORN 
Scarlet Flowers Like the Poinsettia 
EUPHORBIA SPLENDENS 
Scarlet flowers all the year around 
cover this wonderful African plant. It 
is closely related to the brilliant Poin¬ 
settia. Easily grown, it likes a 
rich soil and plenty of water. O C- 
Everyone enjoys it. 
Nice blooming plants, 50c. 
WINTER BLOOMING CHRIST THORN. 
(E. Bojeri.) Has deep crimson blossoms 
and flowers most freely during 
the winter time. Just as easy 
to grow. 
A LETTER FROM AN INVALID 
November 27, 1936. 
Dear Mr. Johnson: 
I thought you might be interested in the enclosed 
picture of part of my Cacti Collection. I have about 75 
now in a fernery or "Cactus-ary” as I now call it. 
What an interesting, fascinating hobby collecting Cacti 
is. My sister, who is in California, bought most of my 
collection from you and every Easter, Birthday or 
Christmas she sends me a cactus. The care and watch¬ 
ing of my interesting Cacti has helped me forget many 
hours of pain. For an invalid may I recommend the 
collecting and raising of Cacti. 
MRS. H. N. SCOTT, 
Minnesota. 
TIGER'S JAW (Faucaria tigrina) 
A great favorite with curious jaw¬ 
like leaves and fine flowers. 
JOHNSON CACTUS GARDENS, HYNES. CALIFORNIA 
— 16 — 
