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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  26,  1903. 
Seasonable  Culture — The  Border-flowering  Section. 
Quite  a  feature  can  now  be  made  -with  varieties  that 
flower  successfully  in  the  open  border  with  but  little  atten¬ 
tion,  so  suitable  are  they  for  blossoming  during  October  and  | 
November,  which  is  a  time  of  becoming  dulness  in  the 
ordinary  herbaceous  border.  Such  an  advance  has  been 
made  during  the  last  five  years  in  raising  varieties  so  well 
adapted  for  this  purpose  t^t  no  gardener,  no  matter  how 
small,  need  despair  of  having  a  really  fine  show  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  with  but  a  minimum  of  trouble  or  expense.  At 
one  time  the  varieties  for  out  of  door  flowering  either 
flowered  too  early  or  too  late  to  be  of  service.  In  the  former 
case  they  opened  their  blossoms  when  the  border  was  ordi¬ 
narily  well  stocked  with  the  usual  plants,  or  they  flowered 
during  frosty  weather,  which  crippled  them  in  a  half  or 
even  partly  expanded  condition. 
Perhaps  the  best  way  to  obtain  a  full  crop  of  these  out¬ 
door  flowering  varieties  is  to  plant  them  in  a  mass  in  the 
open  on  a  specially  prepared  plot  of  ground,  where  of  course 
even  less  trouble  is  required  than  when  they  are  growing 
in  the  herbaceous  border.  Where  a  quantity  of  cut  flowers 
is  required  that  plan  has  much  to  recommend  it.  Although 
the  Chrysanthemum  is  a  hardy  plant  itself,  the  method 
adopted  in  propagation  and  preparing  the  plants  weakens 
their  constitution,  so  that  they  will  not  withstand  an  ordi¬ 
nary  winter  in  the  open  without  a  too  serious  loss  in  the 
future.  Although  the  plants  may  not  be  absolutely  killed, 
they  are  so  weakened  that  they  throw  up  cuttings  so 
slowly  and  so  weakly  that  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  obtain  a 
sufficient  stock  for  next  season’s  display.  This  latter  is  an 
important  point  to  remember.  Sturdy  plants  put  out  early 
cannot  fail  to  give  more  satisfaction  than  those  weakly  and 
late.  Any  amateur  can  easily  preserve  his  stock  of  plants 
through  the  winter  and  increase  them  readily  in  March  and 
April,  even  if  he  has  no  more  glass  accommodation  than  a 
cold  frame. 
When  flowering  is  past  in  the  autumn,  choose  a  dry  day 
to  dig  up  the  plants,  shaking  the  bulk  of  the  soil  from  the 
roots,  and  pack  them  closely  together  in  a  cold  frame  having 
a  southern  aspect,  covering  the  roots  with  sandy  soil.  Be 
careful  to  attach  the  name  to  each  securely.  Failing  a  cold 
frame,  the  foot  of  a  south  wall  will  suffice,  providing  the 
whole  are  covered  with  dry  leaves  to  keep  out  frost,  remov- ' 
ing  these  early  in  the  year  upon  the  first  sign  of  growth. 
Early  in  March  divide  the  plants,  every  piece  with  a  root 
attached  will  grow  and  make  a  stocky  plant  by  the  middle 
of  April.  Prepare  a  compost  of  sandy  Soil,  road  grit,  loam, 
and  leaf  mould,  or  half-decayed  horse  manure  will  suffice 
if  leaves  are  not  obtainable.  Ordinary  cutting  boxes  or 
the  frame  itself  will  suffice  to  dibble  the  plants  in. .  Keep 
the  lights  closed  for  a  few  days  until  growth  is  assured,  then 
admit  abundance  of  air  to  promote  a  stocky  growth, 
eventually  drawing  off  the  lights  entirely  during  favourable . 
weather.  In  the  meantime  deeply  dig  over  and  manure 
a  plot  of  ground.  If  the  soil  requires  enriching,  it  is  not 
wise  to  add  too  much  manure,  as  this  promotes  a  too 
luxuriant  growth  at  the  expense  of  blossom.  The  deeper 
the  soil  is  dug  the  less  liable  will  the  plants  be  to  attacks 
of  mildew  from  drought,  as  deep  digging  conserves  the 
moisture  in  the  soil.  Ample  space  should  be  allowed  for 
each  plant  to  thoroughly  develop  its  growth.  Two  feet 
apart  all  ways  will  suffice  for  the  bulk  of  varieties ;  if  a 
yard  could  be  given,  so  much  the  better. 
The  plants  put  out  in  the  herbaceous  border  will  receive 
sufficient  root  attention,  as  there  the  soil  is  annually  reno¬ 
vated.  The  main  point  there  to  observe  is  to  choose  plants 
suitable  for  the  spaces  required  to  fill  gaps  amongst  the 
ordinary  border  occupants.  Early  attention  to  supporting 
the  branches  is  absolutely  essential  to  preserve  the  plants 
in  their  true  character.  In  a  subsequent  issue  I  will  give 
a  list  of  suitable  varieties.  Those  who  already  hold  a  stock 
can  get  them  into  growth,  but  there  is  yet  abundance  of 
time  to  obtain  a  new  collection. — E.  Molyneux. 
Cactaceous  Piants.“ 
The  most  striking  characteristic  of  the  Cactacese  is  their 
grotesqueness  of  form,  Common  to  nearly  the  whole  family, 
and  so  totally  different  to  anything  else  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  Some  of  those  curious  plants  seem  to  convey  a 
sense  of  relationship  to  the  Animal  kingdom.  One  species 
in  its  young  state  possesses  wool  like  that  of  a  sheep  ;  others, 
by  their  form  and  the  way  they  climb  or  run  along  the 
ground,  resemble  snakes  and  giant  caterpillars ;  and  one 
well-known  species  has  long,  dense,  white  hair  like  that 
of  an  old  man.  Others,  again,  resemble  sculptured  columns 
of  stone  ;  whilst  some  appear  to  be  part  of  the  very  rocks 
themselves,  owing  to  their  colour,  solidity,  and  slowness  of 
growth. 
Between  these  rock-like  plants  and  the  Pereskia,  which 
makes  a  connecting  link  with  the  ordinary  forms  of  plant 
life,  there  are  hundreds  of  shapes  and  forms,  curious  and 
grotesque,  if  not  always  beautiful. 
To  the  amateur.  Cacti  have  much  to  recommend  them. 
The  majority  may  be  grown  in  an  ordinary  greenhouse  from 
which  the  frost  is  excluded  ;  a  number  need  no  artificial 
heat  at  all ;  and  a  few  species  may  be  grown  outside  without 
any  protection,  providing  they  are  planted  in  a  well-drained, 
porous  soil  in  a  sheltered  position.  The  amateur  may  leave 
his  collection  without  fear,  and  trembling  when  he  goes  on 
his  summer  holidays,  it  is  quite  capable  of  looking  after 
itself  for  a  week  or  two  without  any  attention  whatever. 
About  seventy  years  ago  Cacti  enjoyed  a  run  of  popu¬ 
larity.  The  then  Dukes  of  Bedford  and  Devonshire  and 
others  formed  at  that  period  very  fine  collections,  and  large 
prices  were  paid  for  single  specimens.  When  the  hot  water 
system  of  heating  greenhouses  came  into  vogue,  and  when 
the  steamship  enabled  collectors  to  send  home  numbers  of 
other  plants,  which,  unlike  the  Cacti,  would  not  so  readily 
stand  the  long  voyages  in  the  old  sailing  ships,  the  subjects 
of  this  paper  were  gradually  ousted  from  the  greenhouse 
to  make  room  for  the  more  showy  members  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  and  had  to  take  a  back  seat. 
Within  these  last  ten  years,  however.  Cacti  have  once 
more  come  to  the  front.  Some  of  our  large  nurserymen 
have  taken  up  their  culture,  chief  among  them  being  Messrs. 
Cannell  and  Sons,  of  Swanley,  and  Messrs.  Veitch  and  Sons, 
Limited,  of  Chelsea.  Visitors  to  the  Temple  Show  in 
recent  years  have  been  much  struck  with  the  fine  floral 
display  of  Phyllocacti  exhibited  by  the  latter  firm ;  while 
Messrs.  Cannell  have  a  more  general  collection,  which 
enjoys  the  reputation  of  being  the  largest  in  the  trade  in 
England.  As  well  as  our  own  firms,  dealers  in  Germany, 
France,  and  Belgium  are  doing  an  increasing  trade  in 
Cactacese  and  other  succulent  plants  in  this  country. 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  grotesqueness  is  the  only 
point  of  interest  which  the  Cactus  family  possesses,  for 
whilst  the  flowers  of  some  kinds  are  small  and  insignificant, 
the  flower  of  Cereus  grandiflorus,  the  Night-blooming 
Cereus,  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  Nature,  and  is 
'worth  going  miles  to  see.  The  flowers  of  the  sub-genus 
Echinocereus  are  most  brilliant  in  their  colouring,  consisting 
as  they  do  of  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow.  Unlike  most 
of  the  Cereuses,  which  only  bloom  for  one  night,  many  of 
them  have  the  desirable  quality  of  expanding  every  day  for 
a  week  or  ten  days.  The  Echinopsis  produce  very  beautiful 
flowers,  sweetly  scented,  and  ranging  in  colour  from  a  pure 
white  to  a  blood  red. 
Many  of  the  Echinocacti  are  really  beautiful  subjects 
when  in  bloom,  and  in  some  species  the  plants  flower  when 
very  small.  Some  of  the  Rhipsalis,  or  Mistletoe-Cacti,  are 
useful  for  hanging  baskets,  owing  to  their  profuse  flowering 
qualities.  Lastly,  there  are  the  Phyllocacti,  which,  together 
with  the  Epiphyllums,  are  well  known.  The  colours  of  their 
flowers  are  very  brilliant,  they  range  from  a  pure  white  to  a 
dark  crimson.  It  is  true  they  do  not  last  long,  but  well 
grown  specimens  form  large  numbers  of  buds,  which  open 
in  succession,  and  thus  the  plant  remains  in  full  beauty  for 
some  weeks. 
In  addition  to  the  brilliance  of  their  flowers,  the  spines  of 
Cacti,  particularly  of  Opuntias  and  Echinocactus,  are  very 
handsome,  some  species  being  so  densely  clothed  the  stems 
are  completely  concealed  from  view.  Echinocactus  Grusoni, 
commonly  called  the  Golden  Cactus,  is  clothed  Avith  bright 
golden  yellow  spines,  which  are  almost  transparent.  In 
♦  A  paper  read  at  Manchester  by  Mr.  Arthur  Cobbo’.d,  ITol  y  Point,  Heaton  Mersey 
