November 1, 1909 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
13 
Cactus Group at St. Catherine’s, Prospect, South Australia. 
v 
‘growers were. Time has taught us other- 
Wise, By growing exotic plants we have 
learnt that it is not a good plan to try to 
‘imitate the original environment in part 
only, while we cannot imitate all the 
conditions, e.g., air, light, and sun, heat’ 
-&e, 
We now grow plants successfully in 
shade whose home is in full sunshine’ 
‘give good soil to those from poor ground, 
and water those from dry countries. This 
is the way in which orchids and tropical 
Plants used commercially are grown with 
us, and now we treat Cacti the samo way: 
Thave worried myself a great deal about 
Cacti, having planted them in the old 
Way in sandy loam mixed with many 
kinds of small stones, keeping them both 
in the full blaze of the summer’s sun, and 
also.in winter. Tho result was what you 
might expect — infinitesimal growth, 
Withering rather than thriving, rough 
Pale appearance, and very mean show of 
blossom, There are even now gardens 
Where this plan is followed, with, of . 
‘Course, no’ good result, while in other 
Sardens the opposite error is made; that 
is, sheltering plants both in summer and _ 
Winter, so that they are enfeebled before 
Spring comes. 
Cacti require fairly rich soil either 
when grown in pots or planted ont. I 
use a nourishing compost, mixed with — 
sand, to which I add some loam for 
Opuntias, Mammillarias, Cereus, Echi- 
' nopsis, and Echinocactus, and some peat 
for Phyllocactus and Rhipsalis. In the 
beginning of May I plant out badly 
grown or weak plants in a frame with 
bottom heat produced by a two-foot layer 
of horse manure. While transplanting I 
remove all old soil, thoroughly cleanse 
the roots, and take the opportunity of 
destroying any mealy bug with rectified 
spirit, to which a little extract of bitter 
gourd is added. This routine does not 
hurt the plants, which I then place close 
to the glass, keeping the ‘lights’ always © 
at the same inclination. The air supply 
is diminished in the evening, and the 
frames are never shaded even in the heat 
of summer, when the temperature inside 
may rise to 122 Fahr. The Rhipsalis and | 
’ Phyllocactus families only are shaded at 
midday. The plants must be freely 
_ watered and sprinkled, and it is a good 
“plan once a week to give a weak manure 
water, to which Iadd water in which hoof 
parings have been steeped. 
Pot plants are treated in the same 
rd 
way, transplanted in April or May, and 
again in August, early in the month, so 
that they may make good roots, For 
tall plants £ have a special frame, with 
glass on all sides. Pot plants must be 
started in heat, i.e , the frame must have 
bottom heat, the pots at first standing on 
the ground, and then, as the latter cools, 
are sunk in it. Well fed plants will not 
suffer from cold.then, being well warmed 
by the sun. I do not advise a second 
heating of the frame, not caring to grow 
Cacti like Lettuces. The situation in 
winter should be bright, and as dry as - 
possible. 
Transtaror’s Nore.—This very sug- 
gestive paper on the feeding of Cacti is 
from an article in ‘ Die Gartenwelt,’ and 
should interes: the growers of Cacti in 
Australia. In our country some blinding 
of the glass would be necessary on 
account of our great sun temperature 
during heat waves. The translator has 
grown many. Cacti on ‘the starvation - 
principle” and thinks that a few experi- 
ments in Herr Graebener’s treatnient 
might lead to interesting results. 
SRST A REIGN DOT, SC RSORTAS MOHSEAMRAACEASTREC 
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