Cactuses

For singularity and grotesqueness of form, as well as for the

exceptional conditions under which they grow to the best advantage, no

class of plants is more remarkable than the Cactaceae. Of these, about

a thousand species have been described by botanists; nearly all are

indigenous to the New World, though but a small proportion are in

cultivation. Cactuses delight in a dry, barren, sandy soil. They are

naturally children of the desert. It is said by travellers that many of

the species bear edible fruit, resembling somewhat in taste the

gooseberry. So much for the peculiarities of the Cactus family in its

native localities, but how can we succeed in cultivating the plants with

satisfactory results in the window-garden?



There are two simple methods of treatment that Cactuses should receive,

namely: First, keep the soil about them constantly dry, and keep them

in a warm place. Secondly, the soil should be of a poor quality, mixed

with a little brick dust, and they should never be allowed too much pot

room. If either of these two points are observed in the treatment of

Cactuses, there will be no difficulty in keeping them in a flourishing

condition all the time.