Cultural practices of cactus (????????)

INTRODUCTION

Cactus family is not popular among Bangladeshi horticulturists in these days, scarcely half a dozen species out of about a thousand known being considered good enough to be included among favorite garden plants. Probably five hundred kinds have been, or are, in cultivation in the gardens of the few specialists who take an interest in Cactuses; but these are practically unknown in English horticulture. It is not, however, very many years ago that there was something like a Cactus mania, when rich amateurs vied with each other in procuring and growing large collections of the rarest and newest kinds. "About the year 1830, Cacti began to be specially patronized by several rich plant amateurs. Why have Cactuses gone out of favor? It is impossible to give any satisfactory answer to this question. No doubt they belong to that class of objects which is only popular whilst it pleases the eye or tickles the fancy; and the eye and the fancy having tired of it, look to something different. The general belief with respect to Cactuses is that they are all wanting in beauty, that they are remarkable only in that they are exceedingly curious in form, and as a rule very ugly. It is true that none of them possess any claims to gracefulness of habit or elegance of foliage, such as are usual in popular plants, and, when not in flower, very few of the Cactuses would answer to our present ideas of beauty with respect to the plants we cultivate. Nevertheless, the stems of many of them are peculiarly attractive on account of their strange, even fantastic, forms, their spiny clothing, the absence of leaves, except in very few cases, and their singular manner of growth. To the few who care for Cactuses there is a great deal of beauty, even in these characters, although perhaps the eye has to be educated up to it.

If the stems are more curious than beautiful, the flowers of the majority of the species of Cactuses are unsurpassed, as regards size and form, and brilliancy and variety in color, by any other family of plants, not even excluding Orchids. In size some of the flowers equal those of the Queen of Water Lilies (Victoria regia), whilst the colors vary from the purest white to brilliant crimson and deep yellow. Some of them are also deliciously fragrant. Those kinds which expand their huge blossoms only at night are particularly interesting; and in the early days of Cactus culture the flowering of one of these was a great event in English gardens. A great point in favor of the plants of the Cactus family for gardens of small size, and even for window gardening�a modest phase of plant culture which has made much progress in recent years�is the simpliness of their requirements under cultivation. No plants give so much pleasure in return for so small an amount of attention as do these. Their peculiarly tough-skinned succulent stems enable them to go for an extraordinary length of time without water; indeed, it may be said that the treatment most suitable for many of them during the greater portion of the year is such as would be fatal to most other plants. Cactuses are children of the dry barren plains and mountain sides, living where scarcely any other form of vegetation could find nourishment, and thriving with the scorching heat of the sun over their heads, and their roots buried in the dry, hungry soil, or rocks which afford them anchorage and food. In beauty and variety of flowers, in the remarkable forms of their stems, in the simple nature of their requirements, and in the other points of special interest which characterize this family, and which supply the cultivator and student with an unfailing source of pleasure and instruction, the Cactus family is peculiarly rich.

Discussion 

Botanical Characters

From the singular form and succulent nature of the whole of the Cactus family, it might be inferred that, in these characters alone, we have reliable marks of relationship, and that it would be safe to call all those plants Cactuses in which such characters are manifest. A glance at some members of other families will, however, soon show how easily one might thus be mistaken. In the Euphorbias we find a number of kinds, especially amongst those which inhabit the dry, sandy plains of South Africa, which bear a striking resemblance to many of the Cactuses, particularly the columnar ones and the Rhipsalis. (The Euphorbias all have milk-like sap, which, on pricking their stems or leaves, at once exudes and thus reveals their true character. The sap of the Cactuses is watery). Amongst Stapelias, too, we meet with plants which mimic the stem characters of some of the smaller kinds of Cactus. Again, in the Cactuses themselves we have curious cases of plant mimicry; as, for instance, the Rhipsalis, which looks like a bunch of Mistletoe, and the Pereskia, the leaves and habit of which are more like what belong to, say, the Gooseberry family than to a form of Cactus. From this it will be seen that although these plants are almost all succulent, and curiously formed, they are by no means singular in this respect.

The characters of the order are thus defined by botanists: Cactuses are herbs, shrubs, or trees, with soft flesh and copious watery juice. Root woody, branching, with soft bark. Stem branching or simple, round, angular, channeled, winged, flattened, or cylindrical; sometimes clothed with numerous tufts of spines which vary in texture, size, and form very considerably; or, when spineless, the stems bear numerous dot-like scars, termed areoles. Leaves very minute, or entirely absent, falling off very early, except in the Pereskia and several of the Opuntias, in which they are large, fleshy, and persistent. Flowers solitary, except in the Pereskia, and borne on the top or side of the stem; they are composed of numerous parts or segments; the sepals and petals are not easily distinguished from each other; the calyx tube is joined to, or combined, with the ovary, and is often covered with scale-like sepals and hairs or spines; the calyx is sometimes partly united so as to form a tube, and the petals are spread in regular whorls, except in the Epiphyllum. Stamens many, springing from the side of the tube or throat of the calyx, sometimes joined to the petals, generally equal in length; anthers small and oblong. Ovary smooth, or covered with scales and spines, or woolly, one-celled; style simple, filiform or cylindrical, with a stigma of two or more spreading rays, upon which are small papillae. Fruit pulpy, smooth, scaly, or spiny, the pulp soft and juicy, sweet or acid, and full of numerous small, usually black, seeds.

Tribe I.�Calyx tube produced beyond the Ovary. Stem covered with Tubercles, or Ribs, bearing Spines.

1. Melocactus: Stem globose; flowers in a dense cap-like head, composed of layers of bristly wool and slender spines, amongst which the small flowers are developed. The cap is persistent, and increases annually with the stem.

2. Mamillaria: Stems short, usually globose, and covered with tubercles or mammae, rarely ridged, the apex bearing spiny cushions; flowers mostly in rings round the stem.

3. Pelecyphora: Stem small, club-shaped; tubercles in spiral rows, and flattened on the top, where are two rows of short scale-like spines.

4. Leuchtenbergia: Stem naked at the base; tubercles on the upper part large, fleshy, elongated, three-angled, bearing at the apex a tuft of long, thin, gristle-like spines.

5. Echinocactus: Stem short, ridged, spiny; calyx tube of the flower large, bell-shaped; ovary and fruit scaly.

6. Discocactus: Stem short; calyx tube thin, the throat filled by the stamens; ovary and fruit smooth.

7. Cereus: Stem often long and erect, sometimes scandent, branching, ridged or angular; flowers from the sides of the stem; calyx tube elongated and regular; stamens free.

8. Phyllocactus: Stem flattened, jointed, and notched; flowers from the sides, large, having long, thin tubes and a regular arrangement of the petals.

9. Epiphyllum: Stem flattened, jointed; joints short; flowers from the apices of the joints; calyx tube short; petals irregular, almost bilabiate.

Tribe II.�Calyx-tube not produced beyond the Ovary. Stem branching, jointed.

10. Rhipsalis: Stem thin and rounded, angular, or flattened, bearing tufts of hair when young; flowers small; petals spreading; ovary smooth; fruit a small pea-like berry.

11. Opuntia: Stem jointed broad and fleshy, or rounded; spines barbed; flowers large; fruit spinous, large, and pear-like.

12. Pereskia: Stem woody, spiny, branching freely; leaves fleshy, large, and persistent; flowers medium in size, in panicles on the ends of the branches.

The above is a key to the genera on the plan of the most recent botanical arrangement, but for horticultural purposes it is necessary that the two genera Echinopsis and Pilocereus should be kept up. They come next to Cereus, and are distinguished as follows:

Echinopsis: Stem as in Echinocactus, but the flowers are produced low down from the side of the stem, and the flower tube is long and curved.

Pilocereus: Stem tall, columnar, bearing long silky hairs as well as spines; flowers in a head on the top of the stem, rarely produced.

With the aid of this key anyone ought to be able to make out to what genus a particular Cactus belongs, and by referring to the descriptions of the species, he may succeed in making out what the plant is.

For the classification of Cactuses, botanists rely mainly on their floral organs and fruit. We may, therefore, take a plant of Phyllocactus, with which most of us are familiar, and, by observing the structure of its flowers, obtain some idea of the botanical characters of the whole order.

Phyllocactus has thin woody stems and branches composed of numerous long leaf-like joints, growing out of one another, and resembling thick leaves joined by their ends. Along the sides of these joints there are numerous notches, springing from which are the large handsome flowers. On looking carefully, we perceive that the long stalk-like expansion is not a stalk, because it is above the seed vessel, which is, of course, a portion of the flower itself. It is a hollow tube, and contains the long style or connection between the seed vessel and the stigma, a (Fig. 1). This tube, then, must be the calyx, and the small scattered scale-like bodies, b(Fig. 1), which clothe the outside, are really calyx lobes.

Fig. 1.�Flower of Phyllocactus, Cut Lengthwise

 a, Calyx Tube. b, Calyx Lobes. c,Ditto, assuming the form of Petals. d, Stamens. e, Style. f,Ovary or Seed Vessel.

Nearer the top of the flower, these calyx lobes are better developed, until, surrounding the corolla, we find them assuming the form and appearance of petals, c (Fig. 1). The corolla is composed of a large number of long strap-shaped pointed petals, very thin and delicate, often beautifully coloured, and generally spreading outwards. Springing from the bases of these petals, we find the stamens, d (Fig. 1), a great number of them, forming a bunch of threads unequal in length, and bearing on their tips the hay-seed-like anthers, which are attached to the threads by one of their points. The style is a long cylindrical body, e (Fig. 1), which stretches from the ovary to the top of the flower, where it splits into a head of spreading linear rays, � in. length. When the flower withers, the seed vessel, f (Fig. 1), remains on the plant and expands into a large succulent fruit, inside which is a mass of pulpy matter, inclosing the numerous, small, black, bony seeds.

It must not be supposed that all the genera into which Cactuses are divided are characterized by large flowers such as would render their study as easy as the genus taken as an illustration. In some, such for instance as the Rhipsalis, the flowers are small, and therefore less easy to dissect than those of Phyllocactus.

The stems of Cactuses show a very wide range of variation in size, in form, and in structure. In size, we have the colossal Cereus giganteus, whose straight stems when old are as firm as iron, and rise with many ascending arms or rear their tall leafless trunks like ships' masts to a height of 60 ft. or 70 ft. From this we descend through a multitude of various shapes and sizes to the tiny tufted Mamillarias, no larger than a lady's thimble, or the creeping Rhipsalis, which lies along the hard ground on which it grows, and looks like hairy caterpillars. In form, the variety is very remarkable. We have the Mistletoe Cactus, with the appearance of a bunch of Mistletoe, berries and all; the Thimble Cactus; the Dumpling Cactus; the Melon Cactus; the Turk's cap Cactus; the Rat's-tail Cactus; the Hedgehog Cactus; all having a resemblance to the things whose names they bear. Then there is the Indian Fig, with branches like battledores, joined by their ends; the Epiphyllum and Phyllocactus, with flattened leaf-like stems; the columnar spiny Cereus, with deeply channeled stems and the appearance of immense candelabra. Totally devoid of leaves, and often skeleton-like in appearance, these plants have a strange look about them, which is suggestive of some fossilized forms of vegetation belonging to the past ages of the mastodon, the elk, and the dodo, rather than to the living things off to-day.

By far the greater part of the species of Cactuses belongs to the group with tall or elongated stems. "It is worthy of remark that as the stems advance in age the angles fill up, or the articulations disappear, in consequence of the slow growth of the woody axis and the gradual development of the cellular substance; so that, at the end of a number of years, all the branches of Cactuses, however angular or compressed they originally may have been, become trunks that are either perfectly cylindrical, or which have scarcely any visible angles."

A second large group is that of which the Melon and Hedgehog Cactuses are good representatives, which have sphere-shaped stems, covered with stout spines. We have hitherto spoken of the Cactuses as being without leaves, but this is only true of them when in an old or fully-developed state. On many of the stems we find upon their surface, or angles, small tubercles, which, when young, bear tiny scale-like leaves. These, however, soon wither and fall off, so that, to all appearance, leaves are never present on these plants. There is one exception, however, in the Barbadoes Gooseberry (Pereskia), which bears true and persistent leaves; but these may be considered anomalous in the order.

The term "succulent" is applied to Cactuses because of the large proportion of cellular tissue, i.e.,flesh, of their stems, as compared with the woody portion. In some of them, when young, the woody system appears to be altogether absent, and they have the appearance of a mass of fleshy matter, like a vegetable marrow. This succulent mass is protected by a tough skin, often of leather-like firmness, and almost without the little perforations called breathing and evaporating pores, which in other plants are very numerous. This enables the Cactuses to sustain without suffering the full ardor of the burning sun and parched-up nature of the soil peculiar to the countries where they are native. Nature has endowed Cactuses with a skin similar to what she clothes many succulent fruits with, such as the Apple, Plum, Peach, &c., to which the sun's powerful rays are necessary for their growth and ripening.

The spiny coat of the majority of Cactuses is no doubt intended to serve as a protection from the wild animals inhabiting with them the sterile plains of America, and to whom the cool watery flesh of the Cactus would otherwise fall a prey. Indeed, these spines are not sufficient to prevent some animals from obtaining the watery insides of these plants, for we read that mules and wild horses kick them open and greedily devour their succulent flesh. It has also been suggested that the spines are intended to serve the plants as a sort of shade from the powerful sunshine, as they often spread over and interlace about the stems.

CULTIVATION 

Noting the conditions in which plants are found growing in a natural state, some clue are obtained to their successful management, when placed under conditions more or less artificial; and, in the case of Cactuses, knowledge of this kind is of more than ordinary importance. In the knowledge that, with only one or two exceptions, they will not exist in any but sunny lands, where, during the greater part of the year, dry weather prevails, we perceive what conditions are likely to suit them when under cultivation in our plant-houses.

Cactuses are all American (using this term for the whole of the New World) with only one or two exceptions (several species of Rhipsalis have been found wild in Africa, Madagascar, and Ceylon), and, broadly speaking, they are mostly tropical plants, not-withstanding the fact of their extending to the snow-line on some of the Andean Mountains of Chili, where several species of the Hedgehog Cactus on the summit of rocks whose bases were planted in snow. In California, in Mexico and Texas, in the provinces of Central and South America, as far south as Chili, and in many of the islands contiguous to the mainland, the Cactus family has become established wherever warmth and drought, such as its members delight in, allowed them to get established. In many of the coast lands, they occur in very large numbers, forming forests of strange aspect, and giving to the landscape a weird, picturesque appearance. "Views of Nature," says: "There is hardly any physiognomic character of exotic vegetation that produces a more singular and ineffaceable impression on the mind of the traveler than an arid plain, densely covered with columnar or candelabra-like stems of Cactuses, similar to those near Cumana, New Barcelona, Cora and in the province of Jaen de Bracamoros." This applies also to some of the small islands of the West Indies, the hills or mountains of which are crowned with these curious-looking plants, whose singular shapes are alone sufficient to remind the traveler that he has reached an American coast; for these Cactuses are as peculiar a feature of the New World as the Heaths are in the Old, or as Eucalypti are in Australia.

Although the Cactus order is, in its distribution by Nature, limited to the regions of America, yet it is now represented in various parts of the Old World by plants which are apparently as wild and as much at home as when in their native countries.

The Indian Figs are, perhaps, the most widely distributed of Cactuses in the Old World�a circumstance due to their having been introduced for the sake of their edible fruits, and more especially for the cultivation of the cochineal insect. In various places along the shores of the Mediterranean, and in South Africa, and even in Australia, the Opuntias have become naturalized, and appear like aboriginal inhabitants. It is, however, only in warm sunny regions that the naturalization of these plants is possible.

From these facts, scientists are able to form some general idea of the conditions suitable for Cactuses when cultivated in our greenhouses; for, although scientists seldom have, or care to have, any but diminutive specimens of many of these plants as compared with their appearance when wild, yet we know that the same conditions as regards heat, light, and moisture are necessary for small Cactuses as for full-grown ones.

Although the places in which Cactuses naturally abound are, for the greater portion of the year, very dry and warm, heavy rains are more or less frequent during certain periods, and these, often accompanied by extreme warmth and bright sunshine, have an invigorating and almost forcing effect on the growth of Cactuses. It is during this rainy period that the whole of the growth is made, and new life is, as it were, given to the plant, its reservoir-like structure enabling it to store up a large amount of food and moisture, so that on the return of dry weather the safety of the plant is insured.

It is to the management of Cactuses in a small state, such as is most convenient for our plant-houses, and not to the cultivation of those colossal species referred to above, that the instructions given here will be for the most part devoted; but, as in the case of almost every one of our cultivated plants, it is important to the cultivator to know something of the conditions which Nature has provided for Cactuses in those lands where they are native.

There is nothing in the nature or the requirements of Cactuses that should render their successful management beyond the means of anyone who possesses a small, heated greenhouse, or even a window recess to which sunlight can be admitted during some portion of the day. In large establishments, such as Kew, it is possible to provide a spacious house especially for the cultivation of an extensive collection, where many of them may attain a good size before becoming too big. And it will be evident that where a house such as that at Kew can be afforded, much more satisfactory results may generally be obtained, than if plants have to be provided for in a house containing various other plants, or in the window of a dwelling-room. Apart altogether from size, it is, however, possible to grow a collection of Cactuses, and to grow them well, in a house of small dimensions�given the amount of sunlight and heat which are required by these plants. We sometimes see Cactuses�specimens, too, of choice and rare kinds�which have been reared in a cottager's window or in a small greenhouse, and which in health and beauty have at least equaled what has been accomplished in the most elaborately prepared houses. It may be said that these successes, under conditions of the most limited kind, are accidental rather than the result of properly understood treatment; but however they have been brought about, these instances of good cultivation are sufficient to show that success is possible, even where the means are of the simplest or most restricted kind. Whether it be in a large house, fitted with the best arrangements, or in the window of the cottager, the conditions essential to the successful cultivation of Cactuses are practically the same.

In Wardian Cases.�Many of our readers will be acquainted with the neat little glass cases, like greenhouses in shape, and fitted up in much the same way, which are sometimes to be seen in our markets, filled with a collection of miniature Cactuses. To the professional gardener, these cases are playthings, and are looked upon by him as bearing about the same relation to gardening as a child's doll's house does to housekeeping. Not-withstanding this, they are the source of much interest, and even of instruction, to many of the millions to whom a greenhouse or serious gardening is an impossibility. In these little cases�for which we are indebted to Mr. Boller, a dealer in Cactaceous plants�it is possible to grow a collection of tiny Cactuses for years, if only the operations of watering, potting, ventilating, and other matters connected with ordinary plant growing, are properly attended to.

In Window Recesses.�In the window recess larger specimens may be grown, and here it is possible to grow and flower successfully many of the plants of the Cactus family. In a window with a south aspect, and which lights a room where fires are kept, at least during cold weather, specimens of Phyllocactus, Cereus flagelliformis, Epiphyllum, and, in fact, of almost every kind of Cactus, are sometimes to be met with even in England; whilst in Germany they are as popular among the poorer classes as the Fuchsia, the Pelargonium, and the Musk are with us. One of the commonest of Cactuses in the latter country is the Rat's-tail Cactus (Cereus flagelliformis), and it is no unusual thing to see a large window of a cottager's dwelling thickly draped on the inside with the long, tail-like growths and handsome rose-colored flowers of this plant. This is only one among dozens of species, all equally useful for window gardening, and all as interesting and beautiful as those above described.

In Greenhouses.�For the greenhouse proper, Cactuses are well adapted, either as the sole occupants or as suitable for such positions as are afforded by shelves or baskets placed near the roof glass. If the greenhouse is not fitted with heating arrangements, then, by selecting only those species of Cactus that are known to thrive in a position where, during winter, they are kept safe out of the reach of frost (of which a large number are known) a good collection of these plants may be grown. In heated structures the selection of kinds may be made according to the space available, and to the conditions under which they will be expected to grow. Fig. 2 represents a section of a house for Cactuses, which will afford a good idea of the kind of structure best suited for them. The aspect is due south.

Fig. 2.�Section of House for Cactuses�A, Hot-Water Pipes; B, Ventilators

When grown on their own roots, the Epiphyllums, as well as the pendent-growing kinds of Rhipsalis, and several species of Cereus, may be placed in baskets and suspended from the roof. The baskets should be lined with thin slices of fibrous peat, and the whole of the middle filled with the compost recommended for these plants under "Soil". When well managed, some very pretty objects are formed by the Epiphyllums grown as basket plants. The climbing Cactuses are usually planted in a little mound composed of loam and brick rubble, and their stems either trained along rafters or allowed to run up the back wall of a greenhouse, against which they root freely, and are generally capable of taking care of themselves with very little attention from the gardener.

In Frames.�For cultivation in frames, the conditions is the same as for greenhouses. Even when grown in the latter, it will be found conducive to the health and flowering of the plants if, during the summer months, they can be placed in a frame with a south aspect, removing them back to the house again on the decline of summer weather. Wherever the place selected for Cactuses may be, whether in a large plant-house, or a frame, or a window, it is of vital importance to the plants that the position should be exposed to bright sunshine during most of the day. Without sunlight, they can no more thrive than a Pelargonium could without water. In Germany, many growers of almost all the kinds of Cactuses place their young plants in frames, which are prepared as follows: In April or May a hot-bed of manure and leaves is prepared, and a frame placed upon it, looking south. Six inches of soil is put on the top of the bed, and in this, as soon as the temperature of the bed has fallen to about 70 deg., the young plants are placed in rows. The frames are kept close even in bright weather, except when there is too much moisture inside, and the plants are syringed twice daily in dry, hot weather. The growth they make under this treatment is astonishing. By the autumn the plants are ready to be ripened by exposure to sun and air, and in September they are lifted, planted in pots, and sent to market for sale. This method may be adopted in England, and if carefully managed, the growth the plants would make would far exceed anything ever accomplished when they are kept permanently in pots.

Out-of-doors.�There are some kinds which may be grown out of doors altogether, if planted on a sunny, sheltered position, on a rockery. The most successful plan is that followed at Kew, where a collection of the hardier species is planted in a rockery composed of brick rubble and stones. During summer the plants are exposed; but when cold weather and rains come, lights are placed permanently over the rockery, and in this way it is kept comparatively dry. No fire-heat or protection of any other kind is used, and the vigorous growth, robust health, and floriferousness of the several species are proofs of the fitness of the treatment for this class of plants.

In any garden where a few square yards in a sunny, well-drained position can be afforded for a raised rockery, the hardy Cactuses may be easily managed. To make a suitable rockery, proceed as follows: Find a position against the south wall of a house, greenhouse, or shed, and against this wall construct a raised rockery of brick rubble, lime rubbish, stones (soft sandstone, if possible), and fibrous loam. The rockery when finished should be, say, 4 ft. wide, and reach along the wall as far as required; the back of the rockery would extend about 2 ft. above the ground level, and fall towards the front. Fix in the wall, 1 ft. or so above the rockery, a number of hooks at intervals all along, to hold in position lights sufficiently long to cover the rockery from the wall to the front, where they could be supported by short posts driven in the ground. The lights should be removed during summer to some shed, and brought out for use on the approach of winter. Treated in this manner, the following hardy species could not fail to be a success:

Opuntia Rafinesquii and var. arkansana, O. vulgaris, O. brachyarthra, O. Picolominiana, O. missouriensis, O. humilis, Cereus Fendleri, C. Engelmanni, C. gonacanthus, C. phoeniceus, Echinocactus Simpsoni, E. Pentlandii, Mamillaria vivipara.

Having briefly pointed out the various positions in which Cactuses may be cultivated successfully, we will now proceed to treat in detail the various operations which are considered as being of more or less importance in their management. These are potting, watering, and temperatures, after which propagation by means of seeds, cuttings, and grafting, hybridization, seed saving, &c., and diseases and noxious insects will be treated upon.

Soil.�The conditions in which plants grow naturally, are what we usually try to imitate for their cultivation artificially. At all events, such is supposed to be theoretically right, however difficult we may often find it to be in practice. Soil in some form or other is necessary to the healthy existence of all plants; and we know that the nature of the soil varies with that of the plants growing in it, or, in other words, certain soils are necessary to certain plants, whether in a state of nature or cultivated in gardens. But, whilst admitting that Nature, when intelligently followed, would not lead us far astray, we must be careful not to follow her too strictly when dealing with the management of plants in gardens. There are other circumstances besides the nature of the soil by which plants are influenced. Soil is only one of the conditions on which plants depend, and where the other conditions are not exactly the same in our gardens as in nature; it is often found necessary to employ a different soil from that in which the plants grow when wild.

It has been stated that plants do not grow naturally in the soil best suited for them, and that the reason why many plants are found in peculiar places is not at all because they prefer them, but because they alone are capable of existing there, or because they take refuge there from the inroads of stouter neighbors who would destroy them or crowd them out. There are, as every gardener knows, numerous plants that succeed equally well in widely different soils, and a soil which may be suitable for a plant in one place, may prove totally unsuited in another. Hence it is why we find one gardener recommending one kind of soil, and another a different one, for the same plant, both answering equally well because of other conditions fitting better with each soil. This helps us to understand how it is that many garden subjects grow much better when planted in composts often quite different from those the plants are found in when wild. Few plants have a particular predilection for soil, and some have what we may call the power to adapt themselves to conditions often widely different.

In Cactuses we have a family of plants for which special conditions are necessary; and, as regards soil, whether we are guided by nature or by gardening experience, we are led to conclude that almost all of them thrive only when planted in one kind, that soil being principally loam. Plants which are limited in nature to sandy, sun-scorched plains or the glaring sides of rocky hills and mountains, where scarcely any other form of vegetation can exist, are not likely to require much decayed vegetable humus, but must obtain their food from inorganic substances, such as loam, sand, or lime. So it is with them when grown in our houses. They are healthiest and longest-lived when planted in a loamy soil; and although they may be grown fairly well for a time when placed in a compost of loam and leaf mould, or loam and peat, yet the growth they make is generally too sappy and weak; it is simply fat without bone, which, when the necessary resting period comes round, either rots or gradually dries up. In preparing soil, therefore, for all Cactuses (except Epiphyllum and Rhipsalis, which will be treated separately) a good, rather stiff loam, with plenty of grass fiber in it, should form the principal ingredient, sand and, if obtainable, small brick rubble being added�one part of each of the latter to six parts of the former. The brick rubble should be pounded up so that the largest pieces are about the size of hazel nuts. Lime rubbish, i.e., old plaster from buildings, &c., is sometimes recommended for Cactuses, but it does not appear to be of any use except as drainage. At Kew its use has been discontinued, and it is now generally condemned by all good cultivators. Of course, the idea that lime was beneficial to Cactuses sprang from the knowledge that it existed in large quantities in the soil in which the plants grew naturally, and it is often found in abundance, in the form of oxalate of lime, in the old stems of the plants. But in good loam, lime, in the state of chalk, is always present, and this, together with the lime contained in the brick rubble, is sufficient to supply the plants with as much as they require.

For Epiphyllums and Rhipsalis, both of which are epiphytal naturally, but which are found to thrive best in pots in our houses, a mixture of equal parts of peat and loam with sand and brick rubble in the same proportion as before recommended, will be found most suitable. Leaf mould is sometimes used for these plants; but unless really good it is best left out of the soil. The finest Epiphyllums have been grown in a soil which consists almost wholly of a light fibry loam, with the addition of a little crushed bone.

Potting.�Cactuses, when healthy, are injuriously affected by frequent disturbance at the roots. On the arrival of the potting season, which for these plants is in April and May, established plants should be examined at the root, and if the roots are found to be in a healthy condition, and the soil sweet, they should be replaced in the same pots to continue in them another year. If the roots are decayed, or the soil has become sour, it should be shaken away from the roots, which must be examined, cutting away all decayed portions, and shortening the longest roots to within a few inches of the base of the plant. Cactuses are so tenacious of life, and appear to rely so little on their roots that it will be found the wisest plan, when repotting them, to cut the roots thoroughly.

The size of pots most suitable is what would be considered small in comparison with other plants, Cactuses preferring to be somewhat cramped in this respect. This, indeed, is how they are found when wild, the roots generally fixing themselves in the crevices of the rocks or stones about which the plants grow, so that a large specimen is often found to have only a few inches of space in the cleft of a rock for the whole of its roots. When thus limited, growth is firmer and the flowers are produced in much greater profusion than when a liberal amount of root space is afforded. The pots should be well drained-about one-fifth of their depth filled with drainage when intended for large, strong-growing kinds and one-third for the smaller ones, such as Mamillarias. A layer of rough fibry material should be placed over the crocks to prevent the finer soil from stopping the drainage. When filling in the soil, press it down firmly, spreading the roots well amongst it, and keeping the base of the plant only an inch or so below the surface.

For plants with weak stems, stakes will be necessary, and even stout-stemmed kinds, when their roots are not sufficient to hold them firmly, will do best if fastened to one or two strong stakes till they have made new roots and got firm hold of the soil. Epiphyllums, when grown as standards, should be tied to strong wire supports, those with three short, prong-like legs being most desirable, as, owing to the weight of the head of the plant, a single stake is not sufficient to hold the whole firmly. After potting, no water should be given for a few weeks. In fact, if the atmosphere in which the plants are placed be kept a little moist, it will not be necessary to water them till signs of fresh growth are perceived. For Epiphyllums and Rhipsalis, water will be required earlier than this; but even they are best left for a few days without water, after they have been repotted. As soon as fresh growth is perceived, the plants may be well watered, and from this time water may be supplied as often as the soil approaches dryness. Newly-imported plants, which on arrival are usually much shrivelled and rootless, should be potted in rather dry soil and small pots, and treated as recommended above. Cactuses, we must remember, contain an abundance of nourishment stored up in their stems, and upon this they will continue to exist for a considerable time without suffering; and, when their growing season comes round, root action commences whether the soil is wet or dry, the latter being the most favourable.

Plants altogether exposed to the air will push roots in due time. A remarkable instance of this has been recorded by Mr. J. R. Jackson, curator of the museums at Kew. A plant of Pilocereus senilis, which had grown too tall for the house, was cut off at the base, and placed in the museum as a specimen. Here it gradually dried up to within 2 ft. of the top, where a fracture across the stem had been made. Above this the stem remained fresh and healthy, and, on examining it some months afterwards, it was found that not only had the top of the stem remained green, but it had formed roots of its own, which had grown down the dead lower portion of the stem, and were in a perfectly healthy state. When it is remembered that all this happened in the dry atmosphere of a museum, it will be apparent how exceptional Cactuses are in their manner of growth, and in the wonderful tenacity of life they exhibit under conditions which would destroy the majority of plants in a very short time. We sometimes find, when examining the bases of Cactus stems, that decay has commenced; this is carefully cut out with a sharp knife, and the wound exposed to the action of the air till it is perfectly dry, or, as we term it, "callused."

Watering.�It will have been gathered from what has been previously said in relation to the conditions under which the majority of the plants of the Cactus family grow when wild, that during their season of growth they require a good supply of moisture, both at the root and overhead; and afterwards a somewhat lengthened period of rest, that is, almost total dryness, accompanied by all the sunlight possible, and generally a somewhat high temperature. The growing season for all those kinds which require to be kept dry when at rest is from the end of April to the middle of August, and during this time they should be kept moderately moist, but not constantly saturated, which, however, is not likely to occur if the water is not carelessly supplied, and the drainage and soil are perfect. This treatment corresponds with what happens to Cactuses in a wild state, the frequent and heavy rains which occur in the earlier part of the summer in the American plains supplying the amount of moisture necessary to enable these plants to make fresh growth, and produce their beautiful flowers and spine-clothed fruits. After August, little or no rain falls, and the Cactuses assume a rather shrivelled appearance, which gives them an unhealthy look, but which is really a sign of ripeness, promising a plentiful crop of flowers when the rainy season again returns.

As the sun in England is not nearly so powerful as in the hot plains of Central America and the Southern States of North America, where Cactuses are found in greatest abundance, it will be evident that, if flowers are to be produced, we must see that our plants have a sufficiency of water in early summer, and little or none during the autumn and winter, whilst the whole year round they should be exposed to all the sunlight possible, the temperature, of course, varying with the requirements of the species, whether it is a native of tropical or of temperate regions. It is important that the cultivator should understand that if water is liberally supplied all through the summer, the plants cannot obtain the rest which is necessary to their ripening and producing flowers, as dryness at the root alone is not sufficient to provide this, but must be accompanied by exposure to bright sunlight, which is not possible in England during winter, so that the ripening process must begin before the summer is over.

It is possible to preserve most Cactuses alive by keeping them constantly growing; but, with very few exceptions, such treatment prevents the plants from flowering. The following is what is practiced in the gardens where Cactuses are successfully cultivated. For the genera Cereus, Echinopsis, Echinocactus, Mamillaria, Opuntia, and Melocactus, a moist tropical house is provided, and in April the plants are freely watered at the root, and syringed overhead both morning and afternoon on all bright days. This treatment is continued till the end of July, when syringing is suspended, and the water supplied to the roots gradually reduced. By the end of August, the plants are placed in a large light frame with a south aspect, except the tall-growing kinds, which are too bulky to remove. In this frame the plants are kept till the summer is over, and are watered only about once a week should the sun be very powerful. The lights are removed on all bright sunny days, but are kept on during wet or dull weather, and at night. Under this treatment, many of the species assume a reddish appearance, and the thick fleshy-stemmed kinds generally shrivel somewhat. There is no occasion for alarm in the colored and shriveled appearance of the plants: on the contrary, it may be hailed as a good sign for flowers.

A common complaint in relation to Cacti as flowering plants is that they grow all right but rarely or never flower. The explanation of this is shown by the fact that the plants must be properly ripened and rested before they can produce flowers. On the approach of cold weather the plants which were removed to a frame to be ripened should be brought back into the house for the winter, and kept quite dry at the roots till the return of spring, when their flowers will be developed either before or soon after the watering season again commences.

Hitherto we have been dealing with those genera which have thick fleshy stems; but there still remain the genera Rhipsalis, Epiphyllum, and Phyllocactus, which are not capable of bearing the long period of drought advised for the former. The last-mentioned genus should, however, be kept almost dry at the root during winter, and, if placed in a light, airy house till the turn of the year, the branches will ripen, and set their flower buds much more readily than when they are wintered in a moist, partially-shaded house. During summer all the Phyllocactuses delight in plenty of water, and, when growing freely, a weak solution of manure affords them good food. Epiphyllums must be kept always more or less moist at the root, though, of course, when growing freely, they require more water than when growth has ceased for the year, which happens late in autumn. The same rule applies to Rhipsalis, none of the species of which are happy when kept long dry. For the several species of Opuntia and Echinopsis, which are sufficiently hardy to be cultivated on a sunny rockery out of doors, it will be found a wise precaution to place either a pane of glass or a hand light over the plants in wet autumns and during winter, not so much to serve as protection from cold as to shield them from an excess of moisture at a time when it would prove injurious.

Temperature.�As the amount of heat required by the different species of Cactus varies very considerably, and as the difference between the summer and winter temperatures for them is often as great as it is important, it will be as well if we mention the temperature required by each when describing the species. It is true that the majority of Cactuses may be kept alive in one house where all would be subjected to the same temperature, but many of the plants would merely exist, and could not possibly flower. It would be easy to point to several instances of this unsatisfactory state of things. At Kew, for example, owing to the arrangements necessary for the public, it is found convenient to have the majority of the large collection of Cactuses in one house, where the plants present an imposing appearance, but where, as might be expected, a good number of the species very rarely produce flowers. The Cactuses which inhabit the plains of the Southern United States are subjected to a very high summer temperature, and a winter of intense cold; whilst on the other hand the species found in Central and South America do not undergo nearly so wide an extreme, the difference between the summer and winter temperatures of these countries being generally much less marked. A word will be said under each species as to whether it is tropical, temperate, or hardy, a tropical temperature for Cacti being in summer 70 degs., rising to 90 degs. with sun heat, night temperature 60 degs. to 70 degs., in winter 60 degs. to 65 degs. Temperate: in summer 60 degs., rising to 75 degs. with sun heat, night 60 degs. to 65 degs., in winter 50 degs. to 55 degs. The hardy species will, of course, bear the ordinary temperatures of this country; but, to enable them to withstand a very cold winter, they must be kept as dry as possible. In the colder parts of England it is not advisable to leave any of these plants outside during winter.

Insect Pests.�Notwithstanding the thickness of skin characteristic of almost every one of the Cactuses, they are frequently attacked by various kinds of garden pests when under cultivation, and more especially by mealy bug. There is, of course, no difficulty in removing such insects from the species with few or no spines upon their stems; but when the plants are thickly covered with clusters of spines and hairs, the insects are not easily got rid of. For Cactuses, as well as for other plants subject to this most troublesome insect, various kinds of insecticide have been recommended; but the best, cheapest, and most effectual with which we are acquainted is paraffin, its only drawback being the injury it does to the plants when applied carelessly, or when not sufficiently diluted. A wineglassful of the oil, added to a gallon of soft water, and about 2oz. of soft soap, the whole to be kept thoroughly mixed by frequently stirring it, forms a solution strong enough to destroy mealy bug. In applying this mixture, a syringe should be used, or, if the plants are to be dipped overhead, care must be taken to have the oil thoroughly diffused through the water, or the plant, when lifted out, will be covered with pure paraffin, which does not mix properly with water, but swims upon the surface if allowed to stand for a few moments. The plants should be laid on their sides to be syringed with the mixture, and after they have been thoroughly wetted, they may be allowed to stand for a few minutes before being syringed with pure water. Plants that are badly infested with mealy bug should be syringed with the paraffin mixture once a day, for about a week. It is easy to do serious harm to these plants by using a stronger solution than is here recommended, and also by not properly mixing the oil with the soap and water; and the amateur cannot, therefore, be too careful in his use of this excellent insecticide. It would be easy to recommend other insecticides, so called, for Cactuses; but whilst they are less dangerous to the plants, they are often as harmless as pure water to the insects.

For scale, which sometimes infests these plants, and which is sometimes found upon them when wild, the paraffin may be used with good effect.

Thrips attack Phyllocactus, Rhipsalis, and Epiphyllum, especially when the plants are grown in less shade, or in a higher temperature, than is good for them. Fumigation with tobacco, dipping in a strong solution of tobacco, or sponging with a mixture of soap and water, are either of them effectual when applied to plants infested with thrips. The same may be said of green-fly, which sometimes attacks the Epiphyllums.

A blight, something similar to mealy bug, now and again appears on the roots of some of the varieties of Echinocactus and Cereus. This may be destroyed by dipping the whole of the roots in the mixture recommended for the stems when infested by mealy bug, and afterwards allowing them to stand for a few minutes immersed in pure water. They may then be placed where they will dry quickly, and finally, in a day or two, repotted into new compost, first removing every particle of the old soil from the roots.

Diseases.�When wild and favorably situated as regards heat and moisture, the larger kinds of Cactus are said to live to a great age, some of the tree kinds, according to Humboldt, bearing about them signs of having existed several hundred years. The same remarkable longevity, most likely, is found in the smaller kinds when wild. Under artificial cultivation there are, however, many conditions more or less unfavorable to the health of plants, and, in the case of Cactuses, very large specimens, when imported from their native haunts to be placed in our glass houses, soon perish. At Kew, there have been, at various times, very fine specimens of some of the largest-growing ones, but they have never lived longer than a year or so, always gradually shrinking in size till, finally, owing to the absence of proper nourishment, and to other untoward conditions, they have broken down and rotted. This rotting of the tissue, or flesh, of these plants is the great enemy to their cultivation in England. When it appears, it should be carefully cut out with a sharp knife, and exposed to the influence of a perfectly dry atmosphere for a few days till the wound has dried, when the plant should be potted in sandy compost and treated as for cuttings. Sometimes the decay begins in the side of the stem of the plant, in which case it should be cut away, and the wound exposed to a dry air. The cause of this decay at the base or in the side of the stems of Cactuses is no doubt debility, which is the result of the absence of some necessary condition when the plants are cultivated in houses or windows in this country.

Grafted plants, especially Epiphyllums, when worked on to Pereskia stocks, are apt to grow weak and flabby through the stem wearing out, or through the presence of mealy bug or insects in the crevices of the part where the stock and scion join, in which case it is best to prepare fresh stocks of Pereskia, and graft on to them the best of the pieces of Epiphyllum from the old, debilitated plant. It is no use trying to get such plants to recover, as, when once this disease or weakness begins, it cannot easily be stopped.

PROPAGATION

Cactuses may be multiplied from cuttings of the stems, from seeds, and also by means of grafting; this last method being adopted for those species which, under cultivation, are not easily kept in health when growing upon their own roots, or, as in the case of Epiphyllums, when it offers a means of speedily forming large and shapely specimens. From seeds the plants are generally freer in growth than when cuttings are used, although the seedlings are longer in growing into flowering specimens than large cuttings would be. To the amateur, the process of germination and development from the seedling to the mature stage, is full of interest and attraction, the changes from one form to another as the plant develops being very marked in most of the genera.

Seeds.�Good fresh seeds of Cactaceous plants germinate in from two to four weeks after sowing, if placed in a warm house or on a hotbed with a temperature of 80 degs. If sown in a lower temperature, the time they take to vegetate is longer; but, unless in a very low degree of heat, the seeds, if good, and if properly managed as regards soil and water, rarely fail to germinate. For all the kinds, pots or pans containing drainage to within 2 in. of the top, and then filled up with finely sifted loam and sand, three parts of the former to one of the latter, and pressed down moderately firm, will be found to answer. If the soil be moist at the time of sowing the seeds, it will not be necessary to water it for a day or two. The seeds should be scattered thinly over the surface of the soil, and then covered with about 1/8 in. of soil. Over this, a pane of glass may be placed, and should remain till the seedlings appear above the soil. Should the position where the seeds are to be raised be in a room window, this pane of glass will be found very useful in preventing the dry air of the room from absorbing all the moisture from the soil about the seeds. For the germination of Cactus, and indeed of all seeds, a certain amount of moisture must be constantly present in the soil; and after a seed has commenced to grow, to allow it to get dry is to run the risk of killing it.

Fig. 3.�Seedlings of Cereus.

a, One month after germination. b, Two months after germination. c, Three months after germination. (Magnified six times). 

The seeds of Cactuses may be sown at anytime in the year; but it is best to sow in spring, as, after germinating, the young plants have the summer before them in which to attain sufficient strength to enable them to pass through the winter without suffering; whereas plants raised from autumn-sown seeds have often a poor chance of surviving through the winter, unless treated with great care. The seeds of all Cactuses are small, and therefore the seedlings are at first tiny globular masses of watery flesh, very different from what we find in the seedlings of ordinary garden plants. The form of the seedling of a species of Cereus is shown at Fig. 3, and its transition from a small globule-like mass of flesh to the spine-clothed stem, which characterizes this genus, is also represented. At a we see the young plant after it has emerged from the seed, the outer shell of which was attached to one of the sides of the aperture at the top till about a week before the drawing was made. At b, the further swelling and opening out, as it were, of what, in botanical language, is known as the cotyledon stage of development, will be seen; a month afterwards, this will have assumed the shape of a very small Cereus. It is interesting to note how the soft fleshy mass which first grows out of the seed is nothing more than a little bag of food with a tiny growing point fixed in its top, and that, as the growing point increases, the food bag decreases, till finally the whole of the latter becomes absorbed into the young stem, which is now capable of obtaining nourishment by means of its newly-formed roots.

Fig. 4.�Seedlings of Opuntia, Showing Mode of Germination.

In the genus Opuntia, the cotyledon stage (see Fig. 4) of the plant is different from that of the Cereus, and is more like that of a cucumber. Still, though the form is different, the purpose of the two cotyledons and the juicy stem in the seedling Opuntia is the same as in the Cereus; and, as the growing point develops, the cotyledons shrivel up and fall off, the plant food they contained having passed into that part of the young seedling which was to be permanent. The seedlings of these two genera serve as an illustration of the process of germination from seed of all the Cactuses; and it must be evident that there is much that is singular and full of interest in raising these plants from seeds. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to be handled, they may be planted separately in small pots, using a compost similar to, but slightly coarser than, that in which the seeds were sown. The soil should be kept moist till the summer is over; and after that, till the return of warm sunny weather, it will be found safest to keep the seedlings on the dry side, a little water only to be given at intervals of a week, and only when the sun is shining upon the plants.

To obtain seeds from cultivated plants, it is necessary, in order to insure fertilization that the top of the stigma should be dusted over with the dust-like pollen from the anthers. This may be done by means of a small camel-hair brush, which should be moistened in the mouth and then pushed among the anthers till covered with pollen, which may then be gently rubbed on to the stigma. A warm, sunny morning is the most suitable time for this operation, as fertilization takes place much more readily under the influence of bright sunshine than at any other time. Some of the kinds have their floral organs so arranged as to be capable of self-fertilization; still, it is always as well to give them some assistance. The night-flowering species must, of course, be fertilized either at night or very early in the morning. By using the pollen from one kind for dusting on to the stigma of another, hybrids may be obtained, and it is owing to the readiness with which the plants of this family cross with each other, that so many hybrids and forms of the genera Epiphyllum and Phyllocactus have been raised. It would be useless to attempt such a cross as Epiphyllum with Cereus giganteus, because of their widely different natures; but such crosses as Epiphyllum with Phyllocactus, and Cereus flagelliformis with C. speciosissimus, have been brought about. To an enthusiast, the whole order offers a very good field for operations with a view to the production of new sorts, as the different kinds cross freely with each other, and the beautiful colors of the flowers would most likely combine so as to present some new and distinct varieties.

Cuttings.�No plants are more readily increased from stem-cuttings than Cactuses; for, be the cutting 20 ft. high, or only as large as a thimble, it strikes root readily if placed in a warm temperature and kept slightly moist. We have already seen how, even in the dry atmosphere of a museum, a stem of Cereus, instead of perishing, emitted roots and remained healthy for a considerable time, and it would be easy to add to this numerous other instances of the remarkable tenacity of life possessed by these plants. At Kew, it is the common practice, when the large-growing specimens get too tall for the house in which they are grown, to cut off the top of the stem to a length of 6 ft. or 8 ft., and plant it in a pot of soil to form a new plant. The old base is kept for stock, as it often happens that just below the point where the stem was severed, lateral buds are developed, and these, when grown into branches, are removed and used as cuttings. Large Opuntias are treated in the same way, with the almost invariable result that even the largest branches root freely, and are in no way injured by what appears to be exceedingly rough treatment. Large cuttings striking root so freely, it must follow that small cuttings will likewise soon form roots, and, so far as our experience�which consists of some years with a very large collection of Cactuses�goes, there is not one species in cultivation which may not be easily multiplied by means of cuttings. The nature of a Cactus stem is so very different from the stems of most other plants, that no comparison can be made between them in respect of their root-developing power; the rooting of a Cactus cutting being as certain as the rooting of a bulb. The very soft, fleshy stems of some of the kinds such as the Echinocactus should be exposed to the air for a time, so that the cut at the base may dry before it is buried in the soil. If the base of a plant decays, all that is necessary is the removal of the decayed portion, exposure of the wound to the air for two or three days, and then the planting of the cutting in a dry, sandy soil, and placing it in a warm moist house till rooted. All cuttings of Cactuses may be treated in this way. If anything proves destructive to these cuttings, it is excessive moisture in the soil, which must always be carefully guarded against.

Grafting.�The object of grafting is generally either to effect certain changes in the nature of the scion, by uniting it with a stock of a character different from its own, which usually results in the better production of flowers, fruit, &c., or to multiply those plants which are not readily increased by the more ordinary methods of cuttings or seeds. In the case of Cactuses, however, we resort to grafting, not because of any difficulty in obtaining the kinds thus treated from either cuttings or seeds, as we have already seen that all the species of Cactuses grow freely from seed, or are easily raised from cuttings of their stems, nor yet to effect any change in the characters of the plants thus treated, but because some of the more delicate kinds, and especially the smaller ones, are apt to rot at the base during the damp, foggy weather of our winters; and, to prevent this, it is found a good and safe plan to graft them on to stocks formed of more robust kinds, or even on to plants of other genera, such as Cereus or Echinocactus. By this means, the delicate plants are raised above the soil whence the injury in winter usually arises, and they are also kept well supplied with food by the more robust and active nature of the roots of the plant upon which they are grafted. Grafting is also adopted for some of the Cactuses to add to the grotesqueness of their appearance; a spherical Echinocactus or Mamillaria being united to the columnar stem of another kind, so as to produce the appearance of a drum stick; or a large round-growing species grafted on to three such stems, which may then be likened to a globe supported upon three columns. As the species and genera unite freely with each other, it is possible to produce, by means of grafting, some very extraordinary-looking plants, and to a lover of the incongruous and "queer," these plants will afford much interest and amusement. Besides the above, we graft Epiphyllums, and the long drooping Cereuses, such as C. flagelliformis, because of their pendent habit, and which, therefore, are seen to better advantage when growing from the tall erect stem of some stouter kind, than if allowed to grow on their own roots. By growing a Pereskia on into a large plant, and then cutting it into any shape desired, we may, by grafting upon its spurs or branches a number of pieces of Epiphyllum, obtain large flowering specimens of various shapes in a comparatively short time. For general purposes, it is usual to graft Epiphyllums on to stems, about 1 ft. high, of Pereskia aculeata; pretty little standard plants being in this way formed in about a year from the time of grafting, As an instance of how easily some kinds may be grafted, we may note what was done with a large head of the Rat's-tail Cactus which had been grown for some years on the stem of Cereus rostratus, but which last year rotted off just below the point of union. On re-grafting this head on to the Cereus a little lower down, it failed to unite, and, attributing the failure to possible ill-health in the stock, we determined to transfer the Rat's-tail Cactus to a large stem of Pereskia aculeata, the result being a quick union and rapid, healthy growth since. Upon the same stock some grafts of Epiphyllum had previously been worked, so that it is probable these two aliens will form on their nurse-stem, the Pereskia, an attractive combination. In Fig. 5 we have a fine example of this kind of grafting. It represents a stem of Pereskia Bleo upon which the Rat's-tail Cactus and an Epiphyllum have been grafted.

Fig. 5.�Pereskia Bleo, With Epiphyllum and Cereus Flagelliformis Grafted Upon It

For most plants the operation of grafting must be carefully and skillfully performed, but in the case of Cactuses very little skill is necessary if one or two rules, which apply to all kinds of grafting, are observed. The period of vigorous growth, and while the sap of both the stock and the scion is in motion, is the most favourable time for the operation. It is then only necessary, in order to bring about a speedy union, that the parts grafted should be cut so as to fit each other properly, and then bound or in some way fastened together so that they will remain in close contact with each other till a union is affected. A close atmosphere and, if possible, a little shade should be afforded the worked plants till the grafts have taken. The ligature used should not be bound round the graft too tightly, or it will prevent the flow of the sap; if bound tightly enough to hold the parts together and to prevent their slipping, that will be found quite sufficient.

Epiphyllums are treated as follows: Cuttings of Pereskia are rooted and grown on to the required size, and in the month of September they are headed down, the tops being used as cuttings. Grafts of Epiphyllum are then prepared by cutting them to the required length, usually about 6 in., and removing a thin slice of the fleshy stem on each side so as to form a flat wedge. The stem of Pereskia is then split down about 1 in. with a sharp knife, and into this the wedge of the graft is inserted, and fastened either by means of a small pin passed through the stem and graft about half-way up the slit, or by binding round them a little worsted or matting, the former being preferred. The worked plants are then placed in a close hand light or propagating frame, having a temperature of about 75 degs., where they are kept moist by sprinkling them daily with water; they must be shaded from bright sunlight. As soon as a union has been affected, which will be seen by the grafts beginning to grow, the ligature and pin should be removed, and the plants gradually hardened off by admitting air to the box, till finally they may be removed to the house where it is intended to grow them. In a cottage window this operation may be successfully performed if a box with a movable glass top, or a large bell glass, be used to keep the grafts close till they have taken.

For the spherical-stemmed kinds of Mamillaria, Cereus, Echinocactus, &c., a different method is found to answer. Instead of cutting the base of the graft to a wedge shape, it is simply cut across the base horizontally, or, in other words, a portion of the bottom of the graft is sliced off, and a stock procured which, when cut across the top, will about fit the wound at the base of the scion; the two sliced parts are placed together, and secured either by passing a piece of matting a few times over the top of the graft and under the pot containing the stock, or by placing three stakes around it in such a way that, when tied together at the top, they will hold the graft firmly in position. Another method is that of cutting the base of the scion in the form of a round wedge, and then scooping a hole out in the centre of the stock large enough to fit this wedge; the scion is pressed into this, and then secured in the manner above mentioned. To graft one spherical-stemmed kind on to three columnar-stemmed ones, the latter must first be established in one pot and, when ready for grafting, cut at the top into rounded wedges, three holes to correspond being cut into the scion. When fixed, the top should be securely fastened by tying it to the pot, or by means of stakes. For this last operation, a little patience and care are necessary to make the stocks and scions fit properly; but if the rules that apply to grafting are properly followed, there will be little fear of the operation failing. In the accompanying illustrations, we have a small Mamillaria stem grafted on to the apex of the tall quadrangular-stemmed, night-flowering Cereus (Fig. 6), and also a cylindrical-stemmed Opuntia worked on a branch of the flat, battledore-like Indian Fig (Fig. 7.

Fig. 6.�Graft of Mamillaria Recurva On Cereus Nycticalus

Fig. 7.�Graft of Opuntia Decipiens on O. Ficus-Indica

 In the hands of a skilful cultivator, the different Cactuses may be made to unite with one another almost as easily as clay under the moulder's hands; whilst even to the amateur, Cactuses afford the easiest of subjects for observing the results of grafting.

THE GENUS EPIPHYLLUM

Cultivation.�Epiphyllums require the temperature of an intermediate house in winter, whilst, in summer, any position where they can be kept a little close and moist, and be shaded from bright sunshine, will suit them. Remembering that their habit, when wild, is to grow upon the trunks of trees, where they would be afforded considerable shade by the overhanging branches, we cannot be wrong in shading them from direct sunshine during summer. Some growers recommend placing these plants in a hot, dry house; but we have never seen good specimens cultivated under such conditions. All through the summer months, the plants should be syringed both morning and evening; but by the end of August they will have completed their growth, and should, therefore, be gradually exposed to sunshine and air.

It is advisable to discontinue the use of the syringe from September till the return of spring, but the plants should always be kept supplied with a little moisture at the root and in the air about them during the winter months. In this respect, these plants and the Rhipsalis are exceptions among Cactuses, as all the others are safest when kept dry during the cold, dull weather between September and April. The soil most suitable for them is a mixture of peat, loam, and sand, unless a light and fibrous loam be obtainable, which is, perhaps, the best of all soils for these plants, requiring only the addition of a little rotted manure or leaf-mould, silver sand, and some small brick rubble. The Pereskia stock is not a stout-rooted plant, and does not, therefore, require much root-room, although, by putting in plenty of broken crocks as drainage, the soil space in the pots may be reduced to what is considered sufficient for the plant. If small pots are used, the head of the plant is apt to overbalance the whole. The stems should be secured to stout stakes, and, if large, umbrella-like specimens are wanted, a frame should be made in the form of an umbrella, and the stem and branches fastened to it. Smaller plants may be kept in position by means of a single upright stake, which should be long enough to stand an inch or two above the head of the plant, so that the stoutest branches may be supported by attaching a piece of matting to them, and fastening it to the top of the stake. In the remarks upon grafting we mentioned the large pyramidal specimens of Epiphyllum which are grown by some cultivators for exhibition purposes; and, although these plants are much rarer at exhibitions now than they were a few years ago, yet they do sometimes appear, especially in the northern towns, such as Liverpool and Manchester.

It would not be easy to find a more beautiful object during winter than an Epiphyllum, 5 ft. or 6 ft. high, and nearly the same in width at the base, forming a dense pyramid of drooping, strap-like branches bearing several hundreds of their bright and delicate coloured blossoms all at one time, and lasting in beauty for several weeks. With a little skill and patience, plants of this size may be grown by any amateur who possesses a warm greenhouse; and, although it is not easy to manage such large plants in a room window, handsome little specimens of the same form may be grown if the window is favorably situated and the room kept warm in winter for the size and health of the specimens he has produced. "The Epiphyllums here are grown for flowering in the conservatory, and are usually gay from the first week in November till February. During the remainder of the year, they occupy a three-quarter span-roof house, in which an intermediate temperature is maintained. All our Epiphyllums are grafted on the Pereskia aculeata. We graft a few at intervals of two or three years, so, if any of the older plants become sickly or shabby, they are thrown away, and the younger ones grown on. Some of the stocks are worked to form pyramids, and some to form standards. The height of the pyramids is 6 ft., and, to form these, six or eight scions are inserted. The heads of the standards are on stems ranging in height from 4� ft. down to 1� ft. To form these heads, only one scion is put on the stock. Some of our oldest pyramids are 4 ft. or 5 ft. through at the base, and the heads of the standards quite as much. When in flower, the heads of the latter droop almost to the pots. The pyramids occupy No.2 and No.4 sized pots, the standards 8's and 12's. Each plant is secured to a strong iron stake, with three prongs fitting the inside of the pot, and the Epiphyllum is kept well supported to the stake by ties of stout wire. After the plants are well established, they are easily managed, and go many years without repotting; but, of course, we top-dress them annually, previously removing as much of the old soil as will come away easily. We grow these plants with plenty of ventilation on all favourable occasions, and they are seldom shaded. During active growth, water is given freely, occasionally liquid manure; they are also syringed daily. After the season's growth is completed, water is given more sparingly, and syringing is dispensed with."

When grown on their own roots, Epiphyllums are useful for planting in wire baskets intended to hang near the glass; large and very handsome specimens form in a few years, if young rooted plants are placed rather thickly round the sides of the baskets, and grown in a warm house. Epiphyllums are employed with good effect for covering walls, which are first covered with peaty soil by means of wire netting, and then cuttings of the Epiphyllums are stuck in at intervals of about 1 ft. The effect of a wall of the drooping branches of these plants is attractive even when without their beautiful flowers; but when seen in winter, clothed with hundreds of sparkling blossoms, they present a most beautiful picture. Large plants of Pereskia may be trained over pillars in conservatories and afterwards grafted with Epiphyllums; in fact, there are many ways in which these plants may be effectively employed in gardens.

THE GENUS PHYLLOCACTUS

Cultivation.�For the following cultural notes we are indebted to a most successful grower of Cactuses in Germany, whose collection of Phyllocactuses is exceptionally rich and well managed: The growing season for these plants is from about the end of April, or after the flowers are over, till the end of August. As soon as growth commences, the plants should be repotted. A light, rich soil should be used, a mixture of loam, peat, and leaf-mould, or rotten manure with a little sand, being suitable. Small plants should have a fair shift; larger ones only into a size of pot which just admits of a thin layer of fresh soil. When pot-bound, the plants flower most freely, and it is not necessary to repot large specimens more often than about once every three years. When potted they should be placed in a sunny position in a close house or frame, and be kept freely watered. In bright weather they may be syringed overhead twice a day. For the first few days after repotting it is advisable to shade the plants from bright sunshine. A stove temperature is required until growth is finished. After this they should be gradually ripened by admitting more air and exposing to all the sunlight possible. During winter very little water is needed, just sufficient to prevent shriveling being safest. Excess of moisture in winter is ruinous, as it often kills the roots, and sometimes causes the plant to rot off at the collar. The lowest temperature in winter should be 50 degs., lower than this being unsafe, whilst in mild weather it might be 5 degs. higher.

It is a bad plan to turn these plants round, in order, as some think, to ripen the growths properly. As a matter of fact, it does no good, but often does harm, by suddenly exposing the tender parts to the full force of sunlight.The stems may be trained either in the form of a fan or as a bush. Old branches which have flowered and are shriveling may be cut away in the spring. Some fine specimens have been grown in pockets on old walls inside lean-to greenhouses, where the conditions have been favourable to the healthy growth and flowering of most of the species. When grown in this way, water must be supplied exactly as advised for plants grown in pots; if the pockets are not within easy reach of the watering pot, the plants can be watered by means of a heavy syringing.

Propagation.�For the propagation of the Phyllocactus either the whole plant may be divided at the base, or cuttings of the branches may be used; the latter, after having dried by remaining with their bases exposed to the air for a day or two, should be planted in small pots filled with very sandy soil; they may be placed on a dry, sunny shelf near the glass, and be slightly sprinkled overhead daily till rooted. Seeds, which sometimes ripen on cultivated plants, should be gathered as soon as the fleshy fruits have turned to a purplish color, dried for a day or so, then sown in a light, porous soil, and placed in a warm frame or house to germinate.

THE GENUS CEREUS

200 distinct species of Cereus are, according to botanists, distributed over the tropical and temperate regions of America and the West Indies, extending to the Galapagos, or "Tortoise" Islands, 200 miles off the coast of Peru. It was in these islands that the late Charles Darwin found several small kinds of Cereus, some of them growing near the snow-line in exposed situations on the highest mountains. In Mexico, C. giganteus, the most colossal of all Cacti, is found rearing its tall, straight, columnar stems to a height of 60 ft., and branching near the top, "like petrified giants stretching out their arms in speechless pain, whilst others stand like lonely sentinels keeping their dreary watch on the edge of precipices." In the West Indies most of the night-flowering kinds are common, their long, creeping stems clinging by means of aerial roots to rocks, or to the exposed trunks of trees, where their enormous, often fragrant, flowers are produced in great abundance, expanding only after the sun has set. Between these three distinct groups we find among the plants of this elegant genus great variety both in size and form of the stem and in the flower characters of the different species. A large proportion of the 200 kinds known are not cultivated in European gardens, and perhaps for many of them it is not possible for us to provide in our houses the peculiar conditions they require for their healthy existence. But there are a good many species of Cereus represented in gardens, even in this country, and among them we shall have no difficulty in finding many useful and beautiful kinds, such as may be cultivated with success in an ordinary greenhouse or stove. Lemaire, a French writer on Cactuses, groups a number of species under the generic name of Echinocereus; but as this name is not adopted in England, it is omitted here, all the kinds being included under Cereus.

THE GENUS ECHINOCACTUS

Cultivation.�The soil for Echinocactuses should be similar to that recommended for the Cereuses, as also should be the treatment as regards sunlight and rest. It cannot be too clearly understood that during the period between October and March these plants should be kept perfectly dry at the root, and in a dry house, where the temperature would not fall below 50 deg. There is no occasion for re-potting the Echinocactuses every year, it being by far the safest plan to allow them to remain in the same pots several years, should the soil be fresh and the drainage perfect.

All the larger-stemmed kinds may be kept in health when grown on their own roots; but for some of the smaller species it is a good plan to graft them upon the stem of some of the Cereuses, C. tortuosus or C. colubrinus being recommended for the smaller kinds, and for the larger C. peruvianus, C. gemmatus, or any one the stem of which is robust, and of the right dimensions to bear the species of Echinocactus intended to be grafted. Some growers prefer to graft all the small Echinocactuses upon other kinds, find certainly, when properly grafted, they are safer thus treated than if grown on their own roots. In grafting, the two stems (stock and scion) must be cut so that their edges meet, and in securing them two or three stakes must be placed in such a way as to afford support to the graft and hold it firmly in position.

Propagation.�Besides grafting, cuttings of the stems may be utilized for the multiplication of Echinocactuses, first removing the upper portion of the stem and putting it into soil to root, and afterwards, as lateral stems develop on the old stock, they may be cut away with a sharp knife, and treated in a similar manner. Should a plant become sickly, and look shriveled and cankered at the base, it is always best to cut away the healthy part of the stem, and induce it to form fresh roots, thus giving it a new lease of life. Seeds of these plants may be obtained from dealers, more especially Continental nurserymen, and to watch the gradual development of the plant from the seedling is both interesting and instructive. The seeds should be sown in soil, and kept moist and warm; in about a month after sowing, the little pea-like, green balls will be seen pushing their way through the thin covering of soil, and gradually but slowly increasing in size, their spines also increasing in number and strength, the ridges forming according to the character of the species, till, finally, they assume the mature characters of the plant, both in stem and habit. The flowers, of course, appear according to the length of time it takes for the species to grow to flowering size.

THE GENUS ECHINOPSIS

Cultivation.�The growing and resting seasons for Echinopsis are the same as for Echinocactus, and we may therefore refer to what is said under that genus for general hints with regard to the cultivation of Echinopsis in this country. The following is from the notes of the late Curator of the Royal Gardens, Kew (Mr. J. Smith), as being worthy the attention of Cactus growers. Writing about Echinopsis cristata, which he grew and flowered exceptionally well, he says: "This showy plant is a native of Chili, and, like its Mexican allies, thrives if potted in light loam, with a little leaf mould and a few nodules of lime rubbish. The latter are for the purpose of keeping the soil open; it is also necessary that the soil should be well drained. In winter, water must be given very sparingly, and the atmosphere of the house should be dry; the temperature need not exceed 50 degs. during the night, and in very cold weather it may be allowed to fall 10 degs. lower, provided a higher temperature (55 degs.) be maintained during the day. As the season advances, the plants should receive the full influence of the increasing warmth of the sun; and during hot weather, they will be benefited by frequent syringing overhead, which should be done in the evening. It is, however, necessary to guard against the soil becoming saturated, for the soft fibrous roots suffer if they continue in a wet state for any length of time."

None of the species require to be grafted to grow freely and remain healthy, as the stems are all robust enough and of sufficient size to take care of themselves. The only danger is in keeping the plants too moist in winter, for although a little water now and again keeps the stems fresh and green, it deprives them of that rest which is essential to the development of their large, beautiful flowers in summer.

THE GENUS MELOCACTUS

Cultivation.�The cultivation of the several kinds known in gardens is as follows: A tropical temperature all the year round, with as much sunlight as possible, and a moist atmosphere for about three months during summer, when growth is most active. Very little soil is required, as the largest stems have comparatively few roots; indeed, imported stems have been known to live, and even make growth, nearly two years without pushing a single root; but, of course, this was abnormal, and was no other than the using-up of the nourishment stored up in the stem before it was removed from its native home. M. Louis de Smet, a well-known Ghent nurseryman, who grows a fine collection of Cactuses, stated that he had kept M. communis a long time in robust health and growth by feeding it with a very weak solution of salt. Tried at Kew, this treatment did not appear to make any perceptible difference; but, bearing in mind that the Turk's-Cap Cactus is found in great abundance within the reach of sea spray, in some of the West Indian Islands, there seems much reason in M. de Smet's treatment. The same gentleman informed us that he had a specimen of this Cactus bearing no less than thirteen heads. There is, at the time of writing, a specimen at Kew bearing four fine heads. Large imported plants are very rarely, established; and even when established, they do not thrive long, owing to the fact that, after the cap has commenced to form, no further stem-growth is made. Young plants grow very slowly, a plant 3 ft. across taking, according to Sir W. Hooker, from 200 to 300 years to reach that size. It has been stated that grafting is a good plan to adopt for the Melocactus, Mr. F. T. Palmer, in "Culture des Cact�es", recommending the following treatment for M. communis: Take a Cereus peruvianus of about the same diameter as that of the base of the Melocactus, cut off the head of the former, but not so low as to come upon the hard, ligneous axis, and then pare off the hard epidermis and ribs for about 1 in. Then take off a slice from the base of the Melocactus, also paring off about 1 in. of the epidermis all round; place the two together, and bind on firmly with strong worsted. In warm weather, a union should take place in about two months, but it will be safest to allow the ligature to remain till growth commences. The precaution of paring off the hard skin and ribs is absolutely necessary, as the juicy centre contracts, and the rind, or epidermis, does not. There would, therefore, be a cavity formed sufficient to prevent all cohesion, be the graft tied on ever so tightly.

Large imported stems should be kept perfectly dry for about a fortnight, and, if they show any signs of rottenness, they should be carefully examined and the bad portions cut away; exposure to the air for a few days will generally cause these pared places to callus over. At all times, even when the stems appear to be in good health, a sharp look-out should be kept for patches of rottenness in the stem, and especially about its base.

Propagation.�This is affected by means of seeds, which usually follow quickly after the flowers produced on cultivated specimens. Multiplication is also possible by means of offsets, which are formed about the base of the stem if the top of a growing plant is cut out. The thirteen-headed plant mentioned above was the result of the removal of the top of a stem which had developed these lateral growths, and thus formed a family of red-capped stems; this had, however, taken place before the plant was removed from its native home. As the cap is the most remarkable part of M. communis, the purchase of large imported stems, in preference to young ones raised from seeds, is recommended; for, as the cap does not form till the stem attains a large size, there would be small hope of seedlings reaching the flowering stage during a lifetime.

THE GENUS PILOCEREUS

Cultivation.�These plants require distinctly tropical treatment. During summer, they must have all the sunlight possible, and be supplied with plenty of water, both at the root and by means of the syringe. Air should be given on very hot days, but the plants should be encouraged to make all the growth possible before the approach of winter. In winter, they may be kept quite dry, and the temperature of the house where they stand should be maintained at about 60 degs., rising to 65 degs. or 70 degs. in the day. In March, the plants should be repotted into as small pots as convenient, employing a good, loamy soil and ample drainage. Should the hairs become soiled or dusty, the stems may be laid on their sides and then syringed with a mixture of soft soap and warm water, to be followed by a few syringefuls of pure water; this should cleanse the hairs and give them the white appearance to which the plants owe their attractiveness.

THE GENUS MAMILLARIA

Cultivation.�Particulars with respect to cultivation are given along with the descriptions of most of the species, but a few general principles may here be noted. With only a few exceptions, all the cultivated Mamillarias may be grown in a warm, sunny greenhouse, or they may be placed in a frame with a south aspect, during our summer, removing them into artificially heated quarters for the winter. They do not like a large body of soil about their roots, but always thrive best when in comparatively small pots. If a sweet, new, fibry loam, mixed with broken bricks or cinders, be used to pot these plants in, they may then be left undisturbed at the root for several years. Much harm is often done to the more delicate kinds of Cactuses by repotting them annually; the best-managed collection I have seen had not been repotted for four years. This would not be safe if a poor and exhausted soil were used in the first instance. The pots should be well drained with crocks, and these covered with a layer of fibre sifted from loam. In summer, the soil should be kept moist, but never saturated; and after a bright warm day, the stems may be moistened over by syringing them with tepid water. A point of much importance in connection with these, and indeed all tropical and extra-tropical plants, is, that the water used for watering or syringing them should be rain-water if possible, and never more than a degree or so colder than the plants themselves would be. Thus, a plant which had been standing in the full glare of a midsummer sun all day, would be much endangered by watering it with cold tap-water. Where proper arrangements for water are not made in a greenhouse or stove, it is a good plan to place the water wanted for the day's use in the sun along with the plants. A little bag filled with soot and tightly tied at the neck, and water, is a good method for rendering hard tap-water suitable for watering the roots of plants. In winter, Mamillarias may be kept quite dry at the roots, except in mild sunny weather, when a little water may be given.

A collection of the most distinct kinds may be successfully managed in a glass case in a room window, providing the sun shines through it for a few hours in the day.

Propagation.�This is usually effected by means of seeds, which may be procured from Continental seedsmen as well as from our own. The treatment required by the seeds is similar to what has been already advised for those of other Cactuses. The tufted kinds are easily multiplied by separating the stems, or even by cutting off the tops and planting them in small pots of sandy soil.

THE GENUS LEUCHTENBERGIA

Cultivation.�The Leuchtenbergia has always been difficult to keep in health. It thrives best when kept in a warm, sunny house during winter, and in an exposed, airy, warm position under a frame during summer. It may be watered regularly whilst growing�that is, from April to September�and kept quite dry all winter. The soil should be well-drained loam, and the roots should have plenty of room. A specimen may be seen in the Kew collection.

Propagation.�This may be effected from seeds, or by removing the head from an old plant, putting the former in sand, and placing it under a bell-glass to root, watering it only about once a week till roots are formed. The old stem should be kept dry for about two months, and then watered and placed in a sunny, moist position, where it can be syringed once a day. A shelf in a stove is the best position for it. Here it will form young buds in the axils of the withered tubercles, and on the edges of the persistent parts of the tubercles themselves. They first appear in the form of tiny tufts of yellowish down, and gradually develop till the first leaf-like tubercle appears. When large enough, the buds may be removed and planted in small pots to root. If an old plant is dealt with in this way in April, a batch of young ones should be developed and rooted by October. Grafting does not appear to have ever been tried for this plant. When sick, the plant should be carefully washed, and all decayed parts cut away; it may then be planted in very sandy loam, and kept under a bell-glass till rooted.

THE GENUS PELECYPHORA

Cultivation.�The Hatchet Cactus grows very slowly, specimens such as that represented in our Illustration being many years old. We have seen healthy plants, freshly imported, grow for a few months, and then suddenly die, the inside of the stem rotting whilst outside it looked perfectly healthy. It is always grown on its own roots, but probably it would thrive better if grafted on the stem of some dwarf Cereus or Echinocactus.

THE GENUS OPUNTIA

Cultivation.�The cultural requirements of the Opuntias may more conveniently be referred to under the description of each kind.

Propagation.�This entails no exceptional treatment; the numerous seeds contained in each fruit germinate freely if sown in sandy soil, and placed on a shelf in a warm house; and the smallest branches root quickly if planted in pots of open soil and kept in the Cactus-house. Large branches root just as freely as small ones. At Kew an enormous specimen, which had grown tall, and developed a thicket of branches too great for the house where it grew, was reduced most summarily by simply cutting off the head of branches and planting it in the ground where the original specimen had been. In a short time this "cutting" was well rooted, and made better growth than it had before the operation was performed.

THE GENUS PERESKIA

Cultivation.�Although several of the kinds of Pereskia are sufficiently ornamental to be deserving of a place in gardens as flowering plants, yet they are rarely cultivated�in England, at least�for any other purpose than that of forming stocks upon which Epiphyllums and other Cacti are grafted. Only two species are used, viz., P. aculeata and P. Bleo, the former being much the more popular of the two; whilst P. Bleo, on account of the stoutness of its stems, is employed for only the most robust kinds of grafts.

Propagation.�Both the above-named species may be propagated to any extent, as every bit of branch with a leaf and eye attached is capable of rooting and soon forming a stock. The practice among those who use Pereskias as stocks for Epiphyllums is as follows: Cuttings of P. aculeata are planted in sandy soil, in boxes, and placed on a shelf in a stove till rooted. In about a month they are ready to be planted singly in 3 in. pots, any light soil being used; and each plant is fastened to a stake 1 ft. long. They are kept in a warm, moist house, all lateral shoots being cut away, and the leader encouraged to grow as tall as possible in the year. From December the plants are kept dry to induce the wood to ripen, preparatory to their being used for grafting in February. Stocks 9 in. or 1 ft. high are thus formed. If taller stocks are required, the plants must be grown on till of the required length and firmness. Large plants may be trained against a wall or along the rafters in a warm house; and when of the required size, the branches may be spurred back, and Epiphyllums, slender Cereuses, and similar plants, grafted upon them. In these way very fine masses of the latter may be obtained in much less time than if they were grown from small plants.

THE GENUS RHIPSALIS

Cultivation.�All the species appear to grow well and flower freely under cultivation, the slowest grower being, perhaps, R. sarmentacea. In their natural homes they are invariably found either on trees or rocks, seldom or never on the ground; but in greenhouses may they be grown in pots, a few being happiest when suspended near the glass. They do not like bright sunshine, nor should they be kept in a very shaded, moist position. There is a good collection of kinds in the Succulent-house at Kew.

Propagation.�Seeds of Rhipsalis ripen freely, and these, if sown on sandy soil, and placed on a shelf in a warm house, germinate in a few days. The development of the seedlings is exceptionally interesting, as the vegetative organs of all the kinds are very similar, and Cactus-like; the gradual transition from this character to the diverse forms which many of the species assume when mature is quite phenomenal. Cuttings will strike at almost any time, if planted in sandy soil and kept in a close, warm house till rooted. Some of the kinds thrive best when grafted on to a thin-stemmed Cereus. Treated in this way, R. sarmentacea makes 6 in. of growth in a season; whereas, on its own roots it would take about five years to grow as much.

TEMPERATURES

Cool-House or Frame

Temperature: Summer, that of the open air.
Temperature: Winter�day, 50 deg. to 60 deg.; night, 40 deg. to 45 deg.

Cereus Berlandieri.	Cereus speciosissimus
Cereus Blankii.	Echinocactus brevihamatus
Cereus caespitosus.	Echinocactus centeterius.
Cereus cirrhiferus.	Echinocactus cinnabarinus.
Cereus ctenoides.	Echinocactus Cummingii.
Cereus enneacanthus.	Echinocactus echidne.
Cereus flagelliformis.	Echinocactus Emoryi.
Cereus Leeanus.	Echinocactus gibbosus.
Cereus leptacanthus.	Echinocactus hexaedrophorus.
Cereus multiplex.	Echinocactus Leeanus.
Cereus paucispinus.	Echinocactus Mackieanus.
Cereus pentalophus.	Echinocactus mamillarioides.
Cereus polyacanthus.	Echinocactus rhodophthalmus.
Cereus procumbens.	Echinocactus texensis.
Cereus reductus.	Echinocactus uncinatus.

Echinocactus viridescens.	Mamillaria semperviva.
Echinopsis, all the kinds.	Mamillaria stella-aurata.
Mamillaria atrata.	Mamillaria tuberculosa.
Mamillaria chlorantha.	Mamillaria uncinata.
Mamillaria dasyacantha.	Mamillaria viridis.
Mamillaria elegans.	Mamillaria Wildiana.
Mamillaria elephantidens.	Mamillaria Zucchariniana.
Mamillaria elongata.	Opuntia arborescens.
Mamillaria fissurata.	Opuntia aurantiaca.
Mamillaria floribunda.	Opuntia corrugata.
Mamillaria gracilis.	Opuntia cylindrica.
Mamillaria longimamma.	Opuntia Davisii.
Mamillaria macromeris.	Opuntia Engelmanni.
Mamillaria macrothele.	Opuntia Ficus-indica.
Mamillaria multiceps.	Opuntia hystricina.
Mamillaria phellosperma.	Opuntia macrorhiza
Mamillaria Schelhasii.	Opuntia occidentalis.
Mamillaria Schiedeana.

Warm-House or Stove

It is possible that some of those included in this division will eventually prove hardier than is at present supposed. Many of the species now classed as cool-house plants, and even some of those which are hardy, were formerly grown in the stove.

Temperature: Summer-day, 70 deg. to 90 deg.; night, 65 deg. to 75 deg.
Temperature: Winter-day, 60 deg. to 70 deg.; night, 55 deg. to 60 deg.

Cereus caerulescens.	Echinocactus cornigerus.
Cereus extensus.	Echinocactus corynodes.
Cereus fulgidus.	Echinocactus cylindraceus.
Cereus giganteus.	Echinocactus Haynii.
Cereus grandiflorus.	Echinocactus horizonthalonis.
Cereus Lemairii.	Echinocactus Le Contei.
Cereus Macdonaldiae.	Echinocactus longihamatus.
Cereus Mallisoni.	Echinocactus mamillosus.
Cereus Napoleonis.	Echinocactus multiflorus.
Cereus nycticalus.	Echinocactus myriostigma.
Cereus peruvianus.	Echinocactus obvallatus.
Cereus pleiogonus.	Echinocactus Ottonis.
Cereus repandus.	Echinocactus pectiniferus.
Cereus serpentinus.	Echinocactus polycephalus.
Cereus Royeni.	Echinocactus Pottsii.
Cereus triangularis.	Echinocactus scopa.
Cereus variabilis.	Echinocactus sinuatus.
Echinocactus concinnus.	Echinocactus tenuispinus.
Echinocactus coptonogonus.	Echinocactus turbiniformis.

Echinocactus Visnaga.	Opuntia, all not included under "Cool-house or Frame."
Echinocactus Williamsii.	Pelecyphora.
Echinocactus Wislizeni.	Pereskia, all the kinds.
Epiphyllum, all the kinds.	Phyllocactus, all the kinds.
Leuchtenbergia.	Pilocereus, all the kinds.
Mamillaria, all not mentioned under " Cool-house or Frame."	Rhipsalis, all the kinds.
Melocactus, all the kinds.

Outdoor

The following may be grown out of doors in the more favored parts of Worlds.

Cereus Fendleri.	Opuntia missouriensis.
Echinocactus Simpsoni.	Opuntia Rafinesquii.
Mamillaria vivipara.	Opuntia R. arkansana.
Opuntia brachyarthra.	Opuntia vulgaris.

Cleistocactus winteri (Hildewintera aureispina)

Cultural Practices: Cleistocactus winteri are of easy culture, which makes them good cacti for beginners. Require filtered bright light, but not in full suns that will sunscald it. It needs a well drained soil mix. Water regularly in summer but allow drying fully before watering again. During the winter months they should be rather kept dry. Since they are rapid growers need plenty of space for their roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the plant has outgrown its pot.

Compass Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus)

Cultural Practices: Ferocactus cylindraceus needs little water in a moderately rich, well drained soil. Ferocacti die easily with too much water or not enough sun. They come from an area that receives winter rain, so some limited rain in early spring is fine, but in habitat, the soil around them is bone dry most of the year.

The Cactaceae are an exciting and challenging group of plants because of their varied morphology and succulence, their showy ?owers, their adaptations to the environment, and their reproductive strategies. The family has ca. 1600 species in ca. 115 genera (Barthlott & Hunt 1993). Cacti occur naturally from just south of the Arctic Circle in Canada to the tip of Patagonia in South America. Native cacti are restricted to the New World, except for one species, Rhipsalis baccifera (Miller) W. T. Stearn or mistletoe cactus of tropical Americas, which prehistorically migrated to Africa, Madagascar and Ceylon (Barthlott 1983). The sticky small fruits of R. baccifera were presumably carried across the Atlantic Ocean bybirds. Cacti grow at altitudes from below sea level(e.g., at Death Valley, CA) to over 4,500 m in theAndes; and in climates having no measurable rainfall to more than 500 cm of annual precipitation. Cacti vary in size from that of a large marble to as tall as 20+ m and weighing several tons.There are three centers of cactus diversity: (1)central Mexico, from where the North American cacti have evolved, 2) the Andean region, and 3)Brazil. The dispersal of species radiating from these three centers has overlapped very little, except for human introductions. There is a subcenter extending from northern South America, northward through the Antilles and West Indies to Florida. The origin of all cacti is probably in South America, perhaps 90-100 million years ago (Gibson & Nobel 1986). However, there are no fossil records known beyond the desert packrat (Neotoma sp.) middens of the Pleistocene (McCarten 1981).

CONCLUSION

The Cactaceae are a diversi?ed group of New World plants with a wide array of evolutionaryand ecological strategies that has given them the ability to adapt to many different habitats. The family is both interesting and challenging because of its varied morphology, adaptationsto the environment, and reproductive systems. Of the groups within the cactus family, the opuntias are one of the most successful and widespread, but they exhibit many taxonomic difficulties and are, therefore, not well understood. Growing cacti can be a lot of fun and doesn't require tremendous effort. Creating the growing environment that works best for you will likely require some trial and error. Once you establish the best soil, water, and light mix for your location the cacti will do the rest. Cacti come in a diverse range of unique and/or unusual growth forms. I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of both growing cacti and building CactiGuide.com. I hope that this information helps others likewise find enjoyment in the hobby.

Refference

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Internet Sources

http://www.cactusart.biz/schede/CLEISTOCACTUS/CLeistocactus_winteri/Cleistocactus_winteri/Cleistocactus_winteri.htm

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13357/13357-h/13357-h.htm