A point in favor of the Cactus family for gardens of small 
size, and even for window gardening, is the simpleness of their 
requirements. Their tough-skinned, succulent stems enable 
them to live for an extraordinary length of time without water. 
They are children of the dry barren plains and mountain sides, 
living where scarcely any other form of vegetation could find 
nourishment, and thriving with the scorching heat of the sun 
over their heads, and their roots buried in the dry, hungry soil 
or rocks which afford them anchorage and food. 
NEEDS RESTING PERIOD 
As stated before cactus is truly a child of the desert, hav¬ 
ing no leaves to shed to warn you that it is now ready for its 
dormant season of rest. Cactus as a rule is a glutton, drink¬ 
ing up moisture and food until some actually burst. This is 
handed down thru the surviving generations of these oft-time 
misunderstood plants. When the dry days and months of 
drouth are broken by a sudden hard rain most of the water 
running down the mountain slopes gives them little time to 
quench their parched thirst. When transplanted in sandy-leaf 
mold in deep containers giving natural growing conditions it is 
easy to give too much water. 
MOTHER EARTH 
Cactus is very sensitive. We have laid plants out on 
sandy soil under a tree, not planted, just laying flat on soil, 
no water given and they lived six months; being transplanted 
then, they lived. At the same time we planted same varieties 
in heavy soil giving them water, and they rooted in thirty days. 
This happened twelve years ago just when we began studying 
cactus. 
WARIDAN CASES 
Many of our readers will be acquainted with the neat 
little glass cases, like a greenhouse in shape, and filled with a 
collection of minature Cacti. To the professional gardener, 
these cases are playthings, bearing about the same relation to 
