
WHAT IS CACTUS? 
(TBE thousands of plants known as Succulents include those 
strangely unique: forms which, through evolution, have 
adapted themselves. to resist or survive long periods of 
drought. These plants, in the. distant past; had leaves and 
flourished as do other plants living under conditions where 
the extremes of dryness are not as pronounced. As certain 
areas became hotter and dryer these plants changed their 
forms and the leaves were modified into thickened bodies 
hardly recognizable as leaves. Many plants gave up their 
leaves altogether and the leaf functions were transferred to 
swollen stems and were replaced by defensive spines. By re- 
ducing the leaf surface, the moisture usually given off was 
reduced to a minimum. The plant bodies became covered with 
a waxy coating, hairs, and other specialized evaporation resist- 
ing coverings for the protection of these succulents until the 
next rains, which were readily absorbed and retained through 
the dry seasons. 
Succulents are found in many plant families erowing in all 
parts of the world, from high barren mountain slopes to arid 
wastes. Among the succulents is a group of plants called 
Cactus (cacti, meaning several and pronounced kak-tie). The 
Cactus family is the only group all of which are succulents. 
Whereas the other succulents are found in Africa and many 
other countries, cacti are all native to the Americas, where 
they have attained a most unusual variety of:forms and defen- 
sive armour, yet produce flowers which rival the orchids. 
Other plants have spines or thorns but a characteristic of 
the cactus is its spine-cushion bearing spines or bristly hairs. 
Cacti range in size from,the Giants of Arizona weighing tons 
to the Button Cactus the size of a penny. The diversified forms 
are interesting for themselves but the beautiful flowers are be- 
yond description. Anyone is challenged to obtain a few plants 
and to enjoy the thrill of seeing beauty which can be found in 
no other forms of plant life. 
The growing of cacti and the other succulents has long 
passed the stage of a fad. They have become well-known 
throughout the world where they thrive and respond to care- 
ful treatment, thus proving that cacti are not living in arid 
deserts because they want to, but from necessity. 
HOW TO GROW CACTI 
_ Cacti cannot be grown in pure sand as is generally believed. 
Even our deserts are rich in leafmold and only require rain to 
bring forth vegetation. Feed your cacti or they will starve. 
A good soil mixture is: one-third garden loam, one-third 
