The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-03-11

earth and surrounded by wire screen
l. One of the most interesting thing
| in this land of oddities is the cactus
plant. The cactus is about the onlI
member of the vegetable kingdom
which can live on these deserts-witf
1.-THE exception of the mosquito and
sage bush and the latter can hardly
be considered in good standing.
The Jack RABBIT is the only known
animal which exists absolutely with
out water and the cactus bears the
the same relation to the vegetable
world.
No one who has crossed the desert
ever forgets the cactus, especially
the giant cactus, the most interest
ing and picturesque OF the species.
You can see them miles and miles
away standing like gigantic senti-
mel solitary and alone.
If you can image an enormous
cucumber standing on end as high as
two story house and as large around
as nail keg, yon will have better
picture of the giant cactus than /
can give you. The new plants make
you think of the end of large water.
mellon pushing his way up through
the ground, except that you never
saw a watermelon armed for the
battle of life in the way this cactus
is. The deck of a Japanese trans
port bristling with bayonets is the
only thing that approaches it and
there is someting martial in the way
these stickers, or 'spines" as they
are called 'fall in" and range them
selves in long straight ridges from
top to bottom of the plant as it push
es its way up into the air. The
spines are about the size of large
cambric needle, with points much
sharper. and so arranged that while
there is perfect geometric forma-
tlon they present arms" from every
unprotected point of the compass.
A full sized plant must weigh sever.
al tons as a small eight foot one.
which l saw weighed, tipped the
scales at 1900 lbs,
II Arizona ever becomes a state
the Legislature will probably adopt
the gigantic cactus as the state em.
blem
There are dozens of varieties OF
cactus but the next in interest to
to the giant is probably the cholla
l[pronounced choyal. If the giant is
the jack rabbit of the vegetable
kingdom, the cholla is the porcupine
1t grows in links like a sausage and
three or four new links branch of
at each joint. The tops of the bushe;
maintain light yellow shade and al
a distance present beautiful appear
ance as of blooming plant. Each
link is thickly studded with bristles
each one extending in a different
direction, and the sharpest of any
thing in the whole cactus family
and that is saying much. The scheme
of preparation is unique. The links
ase easily disjointed and have a pc
culiar affinity for leather, rubber oil
skin. The lightest touch is sufficient
to thoroughly imbed the bristles and
the link at once leaves on a journey
| with@whatever animal comes in prox
Unity.
Mrs. Campbell thought they were
so pretty she would have one. She
touched it very lightly, but she go'
1t, and then she was anxious to gel
rid of it; so she took hold of it will
the other hand to pull it off anC
it also took hold of her othel
hand. She finally disengaged it b.
getting il under the corner of he
jacket, and It took me about Is min
utes to extract the individual bris
ties from her fingers. some of then
breaking two or three times befor,
| could get them out.
The desert tree is another interest
ing and picturesque variety of cactus
It grows in the shape of small ire
or large bush but without bud or lea
and to all outward appearances
dead as a door nail. 1t takes goo
deal of credulity to believe that tn
grey. leafless branches are alive an
thriving, but year after year it pushe
out branches and, as if in contradic
tion of nature, at certain season
it produces a remarkably beautiful
blossom. w. B. CAMPBELL.