Arizona republican., 1903-09-19
a CACTUS ORCHARD"
One Can naKe Money Out of Anything
IL He Knows How.

Quietly and unCsteatatiousIy a bust
moss enterprise of a novel and unique
nature has been built up in these parts
ard though it is not large enough to
attract greet deal of attention it is
being carried on successfully from
financial point Of view. Mention is
made Of il to illustrate the fact that
this part of t-le world has possibilities
that few p-Jple have ever dreamed
of, and also to illustrate tn furth1r
TACT that if q man cant 30 one thing
he G. II do another \ man VINO has
go, brains in his head can often turn
to financial profit - vary things
that ere considered &C L. : value and a
detrinent 10 the CO.. try.
Nearly every body Who has lived in
Phoenix long is acquainted with DR.. r.
i. i<un2e. better known locally as the
bug catcher DR.. Kunze is Il man Of
chnenC IT and education. though he is
Wy cHiet and unassuming. He takes
10 scientific things rs d duck takes to
water. and came here a few years ago
from New York Noting the many
bugs, butterflies and insects here that
are rarely found in other parts he be-
gan to systematically and Industrious
~ collect them and send them to east
ern collectors. schools. etc, and it is
understood that his work was pleasing
l. romunerative, for he knew first how
to catch and preserve his specimens ana
next how TO classify them.
Finally he bought little piece of
ground down near the river mile
south of Washington street, Gu Seventh
avenue. intending TO plant an orchard.
He tried faithfully for a year or two,
but with poor success. He found the
soil in that locality was worthless for
fruit trees, and the few that did grow
were siclIy lot.
1t then occurred to him that if he
couldn't raise anything else ne could
grow cactus. so he went into the cactus
business. Now he has q. cactus nursery
and is making money out of it. He
supplies local people when they want
cactus for decorative purposes. but the
local demand, of course, does not
amount to much. His main business is
in the large eastern cities and in Eur
ope. lie has been sending cactus plants
10 Germany for the last four years and
last spring he made shipment of abou:
5000 pounds. He has associated with
him man named Louis Kunz. and
though their names are very similar
the packing and shipping and has
charge of the nursery most of the time
While the doctor is travelling over the
territory hunting choice specimens.
DT. kunZe knows as much about cac-
tus as he does about bugs. and when he
meets new variety he prizes it as Il
prospector does a promising gold ledge.
He now has cactus from all over the
southwest. Arizona particularly One
variety he goes clear down to the Mex
lean lii for and can find it nowhere
else.
One of his best customers s the Ger
man Cactus Association" an organiza-
ton of German scientists. mostly bctan-
lists. ard those interested in cactus as 4
decorative plant. DR.. Carl Schumann,
director of the imperial gardens. is Il
member of the association which issue,
an annual report giving the latest sci
entific information respecting the Varl-
ous varieties of cactus The society
also has a number of representatives
that travel all over the world in search
of new varieties and unusual speci-
mems.
Dr.. Kunze & Co. have had fine sue
cess in their shipping business and
every plant they have sent to Europe
has arrived in good shape. Meanwhile
the doctor has not neglected his bug
business, and any rare specimen that
m3E be travelling about Arizona is tax
ing long chances if il meets tie doctor
in the road.