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CACTUS CULTURE FOR AMATEURS:
BEING
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE VARIOUS CACTUSES GROWN IN THIS COUNTRY.
with
FULL AND PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THEIR SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION.
By W. WATSON, Assistant Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED.
LONDON: L. UPCOTT GILL, 170, STRAND, W.C.
1889.
PREFACE
The idea that Cactuses were seldom seen in English gardens, because so little was known about their cultivation and management, suggested to the Publisher of this book that a series of chapters on the best kinds, and how to grow them successfully, would be useful. These chapters were written for and published in The Bazaar, in 1885 and following years. Some alterations and additions have been made, and the whole is now offered as a thoroughly practical and descriptive work on the subject.
The descriptions are as simple and complete as they could be made; the names here used are those adopted at Kew; and the cultural directions are as full and detailed as is necessary. No species or variety is omitted which is known to be in cultivation, or of sufficient interest to be introduced. The many excellent figures of Cactuses in the Botanical Magazine (Bot. Mag.) are referred to under each species described, except in those cases where a complete figure is given in this book. My claims to be heard as a teacher in this department are based on an experience of ten years in the care and cultivation of the large collection of Cactuses at Kew.
Whatever the shortcomings of my share of the work may be, I feel certain that the numerous and excellent illustrations which the Publisher has obtained for this book cannot fail to render it attractive, and, let us also hope, contribute something towards bringing Cactuses into favour with horticulturists, professional as well as amateur.
W. WATSON.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION
BOTANICAL CHARACTERS
CULTIVATION
PROPAGATION
THE GENUS EPIPHYLLUM
THE GENUS PHYLLOCACTUS
THE GENUS CEREUS
THE GENUS ECHINOCACTUS
THE GENUS ECHINOPSIS
THE GENUS MELOCACTUS
THE GENUS PILOCEREUS
THE GENUS MAMILLARIA
THE GENUS LEUCHTENBERGIA
THE GENUS PELECYPHORA
THE GENUS OPUNTIA
THE GENUS PERESKIA
THE GENUS RHIPSALIS
TEMPERATURES
DEALERS IN CACTUSES
INDEX OF SPECIES
CACTUS CULTURE FOR AMATEURS
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION.
The Cactus family is not popular among English horticulturists in these days, scarcely half a dozen species out of about a thousand known being considered good enough to be included among favourite 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 patronised by several rich plant amateurs, of whom may be mentioned the Duke of Bedford, who formed a fine collection at Woburn Abbey, the Duke of Devonshire, and Mr. Harris, of Kingsbury. Mr. Palmer, of Shakelwell, had become possessed of Mr. Haworth's collection, to which he greatly added by purchases; he, however, found his rival in the Rev. H. Williams, of Hendon, who formed a fine and select collection, and, on account of the eagerness of growers to obtain the new and rare plants, high prices were given for them, ten, twelve, and even twenty and thirty guineas often being given for single plants of the Echinocactus. Thus private collectors were induced to forward from their native countries—chiefly from Mexico and Chili—extensive collections of Cacti." (quoting J. Smith. A.L.S., ex-Curator of the Royal Gardens. Kew).
This reads like what might be written of the position held now in England by the Orchid family, and what has been written of Tulips and other plants whose popularity has been great at some time or other. Why have Cactuses gone out of favour? 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 (see Frontispiece, Fig. 1) 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 colour, 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 colours 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.
Of the many collections of Cactuses formed many years ago in England, that at Kew is the only one that still exists. This collection has always been rich in the number of species it contained; at the present time the number of kinds cultivated there is about 500. Mr. Peacock, of Hammersmith, also has a large collection of Cactuses, many of which he has at various times exhibited in public places, such as the Crystal Palace, and the large conservatory attached to the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens at South Kensington. Other smaller collections are cultivated in the Botanic Gardens at Oxford, Cambridge, Glasnevin, and Edinburgh.
A great point in favour 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 simpleness 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 characterise this family, and which supply the cultivator and student with an unfailing source of pleasure and instruction, the Cactus family is peculiarly rich.
CHAPTER II.
BOTANICAL CHARACTERS.
Although strictly botanical information may be considered as falling outside the limits of a treatise intended only for the cultivator, yet a short account of the principal characters by which Cactuses are grouped and classified may not be without interest.
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 either herbs, shrubs, or trees, with soft flesh and copious watery juice. Root woody, branching, with soft bark. Stem branching or simple, round, angular, channelled, 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, joints broad and fleshy, or rounded; spines barbed; flowers large; fruit spinous, large, pear-like.
12. PERESKIA. Stem woody, spiny, branching freely; leaves fleshy, large, 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. 2). This tube, then, must be the calyx, and the small scattered scale-like bodies, b (Fig. 2), which clothe the outside, are really calyx lobes.
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. 2). 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. 2), 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. 2), which stretches from the ovary to the top of the flower, where it splits into a head of spreading linear rays, 1/2 in. in length. When the flower withers, the seed vessel, f (Fig. 2), 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 characterised 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 channelled 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 fossilised forms of vegetation belonging to the past ages of the mastodon, the elk, and the dodo, rather than to the living things of to-day.
By far the greater part of the species of Cactuses belong 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 ardour 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.
CHAPTER III.
CULTIVATION.
By noting the conditions in which plants are found growing in a natural state, we obtain some clue 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 were found by Humboldt 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. Humboldt, in his "Views of Nature," says: "There is hardly any physiognomical character of exotic vegetation that produces a more singular and ineffaceable impression on the mind of the traveller 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 traveller 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 naturalised, and appear like aboriginal inhabitants. It is, however, only in warm sunny regions that the naturalisation of these plants is possible.
From these facts, we are able to form some general idea of the conditions suitable for Cactuses when cultivated in our greenhouses; for, although we 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 specially 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 equalled 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-coloured 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. 3 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.
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 are 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, hybridisation, 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 neighbours 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 fibre 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 bones.
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 peen 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 practised 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 coloured and shrivelled 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 handlight 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 favourably 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 unfavourable 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 a 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.
CHAPTER IV.
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.
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. 4, and its transition from a small globule-like mass of flesh to the spine-clothed stem, which characterises 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.
In the genus Opuntia, the cotyledon stage (see Fig. 5) 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 fertilisation that the top of the stigma (see Fig. 2) 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 fertilisation 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-fertilisation; still, it is always as well to give them some assistance. The night-flowering species must, of course, be fertilised 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 colours 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. 6 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.
For most plants the operation of grafting must be carefully and skilfully 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 effected. 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 handlight 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 effected, 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. 7), and also a cylindrical-stemmed Opuntia worked on a branch of the flat, battledore-like Indian Fig (Fig. 8.)
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.
CHAPTER V.
THE GENUS EPIPHYLLUM.
(From epi upon, and phyllon, a leaf).
It is now about a century since some of the most beautiful of Cactaceous plants came into cultivation in this country, and amongst them was the plant now known as E. truncatum, but then called Cactus Epiphyllum; the name Cactus being used in a generic sense, and not, as now, merely as a general term for the Natural Order. Introduced so early, and at once finding great favour as a curious and beautiful flowering plant, E. truncatum has been, and is still, extensively cultivated, and numerous varieties of it have, as a consequence, originated in English gardens. We do not use the seeds of these plants for their propagation, unless new varieties are desired, when we must begin by fertilising the flowers, and thus obtain seeds, which should be sown and grown on till the plants flower.
Epiphyllums have already "broken" from their original or wild characters, and are, therefore, likely to yield distinct varieties from the first sowing. In the forests which clothe the slopes of the Organ Mountains, in Brazil, the Epiphyllums are found in great abundance, growing upon the trunks and branches of large trees, and occasionally on the ground or upon rocks, up to an elevation of 6000 ft. It was here that Gardner, when travelling in South America, found E. truncatum growing in great luxuriance, and along with it the species known as E. Russellianum, which he sent to the Duke of Bedford's garden, at Woburn, in 1839. These two species are the only ones now recognised by botanists, all the other cultivated kinds being either varieties of, or crosses raised from, them. The character by which Epiphyllums are distinguished from other Cactuses, is their flattened, long, slender branches, which are formed of succulent, green, leaf-like branchlets, growing out of the ends of each other, to a length of from 3 ft. to 4 ft. As in the majority of Cactuses, the stems of Epiphyllum become woody and almost cylindrical with age, the axes of the branchlets swell out, and the edges either disappear or remain attached, like a pair of wings.
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 favourably situated and the room kept warm in winter. Mr. J. Wallis, gardener to G. Tomline, Esq., of Ipswich, has become famous for the size and health of the specimens he has produced. Writing on the cultivation of Epiphyllums, Mr. Wallis gives the following details, which are especially valuable as coming from one of the most successful cultivators of these beautiful plants:
"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 41/2 ft. down to 11/2 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.
SPECIES.
E. truncatum (jagged); Bot. Mag. 2562.—Branchlets from 1 in. to 3 in. long, and 1 in. wide, with two or three distinct teeth along the edges, and a toothed or jagged apex (hence the specific name). The flowers are 3 in. long, curved above and below, not unlike the letter S; the petals and sepals reflexed, and exposing the numerous yellow anthers, through which the club-headed stigma protrudes; colour, a deep rose-red, the base of the petals slightly paler. The varieties differ in having colours which vary from almost pure white, with purplish tips, to a uniform rich purple, whilst such colours as salmon, rose, orange, and scarlet, are conspicuous among them.
E. Russellianum (Russell's); Fig. 9.—This has smaller branchlets than the type plant (E. truncatum), and is thus easily distinguished; they do not exceed 1 in. in length and 1/2 in. in width, whilst the edges are irregularly and faintly notched, not distinctly toothed, as in E. truncatum. The flowers are a little larger than in the older kind, and are not curved, whilst the petals are narrower; their colour is bright rosy-red. This species flowers rather later in the year than E. truncatum, and may be had in blossom so late as the month of May or June. There are several varieties of it which have either larger and darker, or smaller and variously tinted flowers. Both the species will cross with each other, and probably many of the varieties enumerated by nurserymen have been obtained in this way.
VARIETIES.
The following is a selection of the best varieties, with a short description of the flowers of each:
E. bicolor (two-coloured).—Tube of flower white; petals purple, becoming almost white towards the base.
E. Bridgesii (Bridges').—Tube violet; petals dark purple.
E. coccineum (scarlet).—Bright scarlet, paler at the base of the petals.
E. cruentum (bloody).—Tube purplish-scarlet; petals bright scarlet.
E. Gaertneri (Gaertner's).—This is an interesting and beautiful hybrid, raised from Epiphyllum and a Cereus of some kind. The branchlets are exactly the same as those of E. truncatum, but the flowers are not like Epiphyllum at all, resembling rather those of Cereus or Phyllocactus. They are brilliant scarlet in colour, shaded with violet.
E. magnificum (magnificent).—Tube rosy-violet; petals dark red.
E. salmoneum (salmon-coloured).—Tube and base of petals white, rest salmon-red, shaded with purple.
E. spectabile (remarkable).—Tube and base of petals white; tips of petals carmine.
E. tricolor (three-coloured).—Tube salmon-red; petals red, centre purplish.
E. violaceum (violet).—Tube white; petals carmine, margined with violet-purple.
CHAPTER VI.
THE GENUS PHYLLOCACTUS.
(From phyllon, a leaf, and Cactus).
As in the case of the Epiphyllums, the principal character by which the Phyllocactus is distinguished is well described by the name, the difference between it and Epiphyllum being that in the former the flowers are produced along the margins of the flattened branches, whereas in the latter they are borne on the apices of the short, truncate divisions. If we compare any of the Phyllocactuses with Cereus triangularis, or with C. speciosissimus, we shall find that the flowers are precisely similar both in form and colour, and sometimes also in size.
In all the kinds the stem is compressed laterally, so as to look as if it had been hammered out flat; or sometimes it is three-angled, and the margins are deeply notched or serrated. These notches are really the divisions between one leaf and another, for the flat, fleshy portions or wings of the stems of these plants are simply modified leaves—not properly separated from each other and from the stem, but still to all intents and purposes leaves—which, as the plant increases and matures, gradually wither away, leaving the central or woody portion to assume the cylindrical stem which we find in all old Phyllocactuses. It is from these notches that the large, showy flowers are developed, just as in plants the flowers of which are borne from the axils of the leaves.
Under the names "Spleenwort-leaved Indian Figs," and "Winged Torch-thistles," as well as those here adopted, the most beautiful perhaps of all Cactuses, and certainly the most useful in a garden sense, have been cultivated in English gardens for more than 150 years; for it was in 1710 that the flowering of E. Phyllanthus was first recorded in English horticulture. Philip Miller grew it with many other Cactuses in the botanical garden at Chelsea which was founded by Sir Hans Sloane, in 1673, to be maintained "for the manifestation of the power, wisdom, and glory of God in the works of creation," and which still exists as the botanical emporium of the Apothecaries' Society. The majority of the gorgeous Phyllocactuses which we now possess are of only recent introduction, or are the result of cultivation and crossing. |
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