Evening star., 1902-09-12
CACTUS CULTURE A FAD
THE CURIOUS PLANT is USEFUL
AND BEAUTIFUL.
There Are Many Varieties, Some Very
Wonderful in Their
Formation.

Z rom the Detroit Free Press.
YES" said Mrs. J. E. Burrows a cactus
collector, 'as We were looking over the
collection of which she is justly proud.
Il call him my old man He is harmless
old fellow and makes me very little trouble.
He sits in the window all day, basking in
the sun. He was so dusty and dirty when
I received him that just gave him good
washing with soap and water, and then
brushed his long, white hair with tooth
brush. Now he presents quite a respecta-
BILE and digniiied appearance, you see. 1
may add that he Is quite traveller. having
come all the way from an interior desert of
Mexico"
The "Old Man. cactus is one of the GU
riosities of plant life which always attracts
attention. Certainly it presents a strange
appearance. The entire upper portion of its
stem is covered with long silvery white
hairs. lending to the plant peculiar and
startling resemblance to the hoary head Of
an aged man. These hairs. instead of pro-
jecting rigidly as in other members of the
piiocereous family of cacti, to which he be-
longs. are soft and flexible, and thiclly
clothe the stem. The plant commonly at
tains the height of four feet. 1t is believed
that there are only two specimens of this
rare work of nature in one of her freakish
moods in existence in Detroit-and they are
sons of the same father.
1t is only within the last four years that
cactus culture, from being a sort of pet
hobby with a number of rich plant anna
teurs in England. such as the Dukes of
Devonshire and Bedford. has developed into
a popular craze both in Britain and Ameri-
ca. Nor is it at all surprising that to low
ers of the curious and beautiful cacti have
come as a boon.
Bear Beautiful Flowers.
There is a peculiar fascination to most
people, who know aught of them, about
these curious plants; with some the accu-
mutation of collection has become real
passion almost impossible to control. The
flowers Of many Of the varieties of cacti
are magnificent. There is the true cereus
grandiforus. for instance, the superb
queen of night'-were any one to get one
blossom In a season he must feel we'll re-
paid for the slight trouble the plant has
caused. Frequently a flower measures
three feet in circumstance, which may ac-
tually be seen to unfold its hundreds OF
petals, exhal1ng at the same time the most
exquisite perfume. Many others Of the
cereuses bear flowers Of nearly equal size
and some are yet more beautiful. There is
lovely pink night blooming cereus--but
1t Is rare and very costly. Then there Is,
too, the rainbow cactus. SO named not only
on account of its beautiful spines, but also
because Of the many brilliant colors dis
played by its flowers which not infrequent-
ly measure six inches across.
In some cacti the seed pods eclipse the
flowers. In one species. for instance, there
is an lncOnspicuOuS flower which is follow
ed by the brightest kind of coral red berry.
remaining on the plant for months. Some
of the larger ones will be surrounded by a
perfect circle Of these brilliant red beads.
The seed pod Of one rare variety is agree
able to the taste fully equal say those who
have tried 1t, to a wel-ripened gooseberry;
while that of another variety is used as a
lemon and pleasant beverage is made of
it. In many southern countries the large
opunties are grown for the sake Of their
large scarlet hg-lfke fruits.
Cacti Are Useful.
Manifold are the uses to which cacti are
put in the countries to which they are IN
digenous. Cactus spineS are used as pins
and sold as ornaments by the Mexican and
Arizona Indians. while others of the abor-
igines make use Of the hooked spines of an
echinocactus for fishing. Some of the
spines display all the colors of the rain
bow. while others, delicate and lace-like
are as white as snow. Some of the large
specimens Of cacu afford a delicious bever-
age to the thirsty travellers on the arid
pains Where they grow. Cattle feed upon
the young growth. and the Mexican In
dams fry the leaves in batter-like cakes
The wood Of many of them is made into
ornaments and pieces of furniture.
For Decorative Purposes.
Many. too. are the decorative uses Of the
scraggy plants. Gardeners have long utiI-
lied them for carpet bedding in the public
parks. particularly In Philadelphia The
most complicated and delicate designs may
be carried out with them because of the
great variety in size. form and color they
exhibit. In pretty Japanese jardineres
they are popular and often really beautiful
ornaments. and have replaced to consid-
cradle extent the once supreme palm In
iaH and parior A cactus rockery for a
large bay window is particularly effective.
Many Varieties
The more complete cactus collections
boast Of from three to four hundred va
f1eties of the mighty cactus tribe-cereus,
pountia. pilocereus, echinocereus, etc. as
their f":niy names run-of which some
fifty a,e natives of the United States One
OF the greatest wonders of the vegetable
Kingdom is the extremely rare Giving
rock castus. Scarcely any one upon see
ing this plant for the first time believes
1t to be a living object. but rather some
carved specimen OF stonework. upon which
DAYS of tedious work have been spent in
carving intricate designs. And yet ii lives
and blossoms! In its home it Is found
among the dry rocks. where no rain falls
Tor a year a time, and 1t is stonelike in
color. well-known and Interesting mem
Der of the cereus family is the popular
rattan cactus. with its bright rose-colored
blossoms: Other popular varieties are the