
Be 
Cactus expert John H. Leasure checks one of the thousands of cacti he raises at “Cactus Acres” near El Paso. 

The Master of Cactus Acres 
John Leasure became interested in cacti as 
a wounded veteran. Now it’s a big business 
EITHER THE KINDLY nurse nor the extremely sick sol- 
i) dier knew that the small cactus plant she gave him 
someday would blossom into an interesting and profitable 
business. But that’s exactly what happened. 
Just 25 years ago John H. Leasure, who had been severely 
gassed in France, was bed-ridden in an El Paso, Tex., 
army hospital, the ninth one he’d been in during five years. 
He had little interest in anything. 
The nurse, trying to direct the sick man’s thoughts away 
from his illness, gave him the spiny plant. Leasure kept 
it at his bedside and his wife, Clara, and friends added 
2 PARADE APRIL 18, 1948 
others. As time went on Leasure became interested in the 
different varieties of cactus, and when he was discharged 
Clara took the collection home. 
John Leasure was unable to work. Clara described it this 
way recently: “We were stony broke, so I put some of the 
best cactus in bowls, painted a small sign, and placed them 
outside. A tourist stopped and bought one. The next day 
I sold some more. We haven't been hungry since.” 
So began a business in cactus. Today, John Leasure is 
an international authority on the plants, has published a 
small book on cactus containing a dictionary of cactus 
terminology. At his farm near El Paso he has a 1,600- 
square-foot greenhouse in which he raises 1,038 varieties 
from tiny seedlings to giant 20-foot plants. 
The business is generally in small-orders but it is world- 
wide. “And it all started with one plant,” he confides. 


Leasure (right) supervises 

SS ey 2 : 
Lampstands and tables Leasure fashions from 
the tough wood of “Jumping Cholla” variety. 

Tourists Mrs. Fred Black ‘and daughters 
bought plants for their home in Akron, Mich. 
Cactus Acres’ rare types are called Living 
Rock, Barrel, Grandpa, Coxcomb, Bird's Nest. 
: s 
Clara Leasure and her husband get cael 
orders from all parts of the world. THE END. 
Ipers digging 
and trucking Spanish Dagger type of cactus. 







