OVER THE GARDEN GATE 
Howdy Folks: 
Since | last chatted with you over the grden gate, I've 
made two long trips out where the tall cactus grow. The last 
one was from El Paso down the central route through the 
heart of Mexico with some detours into the by-ways where 
the roads are not paved and the chatter of tourists is never 
heard. | saw a lot of things and learned a few more. Last 
spring a fellow writing for the Saturday Evening Post about 
“Cactus, The Craziest Thing That Grows," called me ''Mr. 
Cactus.'' | hope he was not stretching the truth too far 
with his literary license. Any way my Mother started a fine 
cactus collection while | was still in grammar school even 
though | can't claim | cut my teeth on a cactus spine. For 
over twenty years, l've been hunting for cactus, describing 
and naming new ones and learning_ how to grow them by the 
million. Yet some of the things | saw on this trio made me 
think | am just beginning to learn something. One of the 
lessons a native girl taught me was how to say ''Xoconochtle” 
which is the name for one of the cactus fruits they like to eat. 
It's something like ''Chaw-co-nist-lay."' 
On the steep sides of a great canyon, were forests of the 
Mexican Old Men cactus all the way up to thirty feet high. 
Over on the west coast, cactus as large as full grown Arizona 
giants, were often covered with morning glories and other 
vines. Of course some of you folks might have been more 
interested in the orchids growing in the trees and which are 
almost given away in the corsages at Xochimilco's floating 
gardens. Or the great six to eight foot wreaths used for 
funerals. Down near Orizaba, gardenias are grown in the 
open field the way some of you grow peonies. And those 
cut leaf Phillies you tenderly nurse along. They just climb 
up the nearest tree. Over west of Mexico City is that Para- 
cutin Volcano which sprouted up in that poor fellow's corn 
field. Now it dominates the landscape and puts on a real 
show. Not far away is Uruapan with its lush tropical national 
park. In it is the spot where the Devil is said to have 
stumbled and fell. Where his elbow struck the ground, 
great springs gushed forth to form a beautiful river. Here 
lumber comes down to town from the mountains lashed on 
to the sides of burros. Teams of oxen draw single handled 
plows in the fields alongside of the highways built by modern 
bulldozers. Indian packers still use head bands to help them 
carry heavy loads on their backs to market, over these same 
roads. No, I'm no relation to Baron Munchausen. 
But | had better get back to my job of keeping you in- 
terested in the cactus and succulents we grow, | spent all of 
last winter and spring in the seedling glass house sowing 
seed and nursing the tiny plants. When | got back from this 
last journey, | found that Bob Kilian's crew had all those 
seedlings transplanted, some for the second time. The place 
was so crowded it was a job every morning to find a place 
to put the day's new plantings. So we went into a huddle 
over the problem of just what to do. Since there are a lot 
of good fellows out here doing a fine job of growing Crassu- 
las, Sedums, Echeverias, Kalanchoes and the like we decided 
to discontinue growing all of those types which we have been 
listing in our Price Group ''O" and devote all our effort to 
the harder’ and slower types. These kinds take a year on 
the average to reach the smallest sizes we ship. It is our en- 
deavor to grow the highest quality plants in adequate 
quantity. Our price lists always give the approximate size 
as well as the price. 
We note that some persons confuse the terms "air ex- 
press’ and “air freight." Air express is a service of the 
Railway Express Agency which will take shipments of any 
size across country by air and deliver them to your door. 
Delivery is made in quick time but the rates are very high, 
often as much as the goods are worth. Air freight rates are 
lower but only include the transportation from air port to 
air port. It costs slightly over $1.00 per 100 pounds ad- 
ditional to ship from our nursery to the Los Angeles or Bur- 
bank Air Ports. At the delivery air port, shipments may be 
picked up by your own trucks, delivered by the air ports 
local delivery service for a fee or forwarded by railway ex- 
press or truck line. Slick and Flying Tiger Air Lines have 
commodity rates on shipments of a hundred pounds or 
more, which bring the delivered cost close to the same as 
Railway Express. Shipments to Chicago and beyond are 
usually delivered in fifty to seventy-five hours after leaving 
eur nursery. Please note on your orders your instructions 
re routing and final delivery method. 
Nothing pleases us more than to please you. We can 
be more sure of pleasing you if you will note "cactus only," 
“succulents only'’ or ''cactus and succulents'’ as well as the 
price range on your orders for assortments. Sometimes we 
have to guess just which our patrons wish. 
We hope you will pardon us if we transcribe an old ad- 
vertising slogan and make it read, ''When more and better 
cactus are grown, Gates will grow them." 
Adios. Hasta la vista. 
Mr. Cactus. 
EPIPHYLLUM ORCHID CACTUS  PHYLLOCACTUS 
These are the so-called Orchid Cactus whose large flowers with 
their brilliant colors have become familiar to many by the color plates 
recently published in many publications. They are hybrids produced 
by the crossing of white night blooming Epiphyllum species with brightly 
colored day bloomers of other genera. The branches, leaves to most 
people, are usually flat with crenulated edges like a bread knife. Some 
produce three or four cornered branches. Usually they are spineless, 
though some do bear spines. Blooming season is spring though some 
kinds scatter a few flowers during the rest of the year. The day bloom- 
ing flowers open for several days. Many are fragrant. The kinds 
listed as true species are white night bloomers whose flower is good for 
only one night. The potting soil should be porous and well drained. 
One part each of good topsoil, leaf mold and coarse sand plus a 
generous portion of crushed charcoal makes a good soil. They like a 
good light but should not be in the full sun which will stunt and possibly 
burn the branches. Many home greenhouses are ideal for their culture. 
We offer stout year old plants out of quart cans (equivalent to 5" 
pots). Most of them will bloom in May if shipped before March 
fifteenth. $6.00 per 10, $50.00 per 100. Un-rooted cuttings $2.00 per 
10, $15.00 per 100. 
Adonis. Wide open, funnel shape, soft pink with rose center. 
Agatha (Peach Blow) Open funnel form, light rose with red throat, 
early bloomer. 
Amber Queen. Cup Shape, cherry red, orange center stripe. 
Anguliger. True species, white night bloomer, noted for its deeply 
notched branches. 
Argus. Funnel form, flesh pink, red throat. Extra long blooming period. 
Autumn. Orange red, late bloomer. 
Bliss. Open cup shape, light orange. 
Bohemiene, Hanging basket type. Cup shape, flesh to salmon pink 
flowers. 
F. W. Buell. Striking dark red, irridescent. 
Canary Yellow. White with yellow outer petals. 
Conway's Giant. Cup shaped, large red flower, free bloomer, strong 
grower. 
Dante. Cup shaped, orange red with violet shadings. 
Eden. A strong grower with very large white flowers. 
Frau H. M. Wegener. Large soft rose flowers shading to carmine. 
Hofrat Bouche. Cup shaped, blood red flowers. 
Joseph de Laet. (Tri Tone Orchid). Spreading, outer petals scarlet 
shading to orchid tones. 
Madam Wm. de Laet. Cup and saucer shaped. Dark red overcast with 
purple. Free bloomer. 
Prof. Ebert. Flat, funnelform, double, varying orchid shades. 
Eden. Open cup shape, white flower with yellow back petals. Free 
blooming. 
Erlauer wees Open cup, red outer petals shading to irridescent rose 
center, 
Flamingo. Open funnel form with curved throat, light orange with 
violet throat shadings. 
Hermosissimus. Wide funnel form, red with purple, margins on center 
petals. Good bloomer. 
Hermosus. Cup shaped, red with irridescent throat. Free bloomer. 
Lackneri. Flat cup, wide petals shading from deep to light red. 
Marseillaise. (Red, White and Blue). A strong grower with several 
