Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-29
ARIZONA CACTUS FARM.
Novel and Lucrative Industry Carried
on by a German Scientist.

Novel and Lucrative Industry Carried
on by a German Scientist.
From the Los Angeles Times
A mile south Of Phoenix, close to the u.s.
ually dry channel of Salt river. is one OF
the oldest farms in America. 1t is planted
to nothing but cactus. of every form found
within Arizona. Each kind Is cultivated
under the same conditions that prevail upon
Its native heath. to as great an extent as Is
possible, and most of them thrive well I'M
der the hot skies of southern ARIZONA, cared
for by experts.
The main owner of the farm Is DIR. r. Z.
Kunz, a college-bred German scientist. who
has taken up the study OF cacti and their
cousins his life work. A physician. he
has particularly studied the plants for the
possibility of securing products valuable in
medicine. And the unitarian side has ap-
pealed to him in other ways and he knows
the plants wherefrom come good fruit.
those that bear good water for the thirsty
desert traveller and those useful to the
architecture of the aboriginal householder.
Arizona has become the source Of supply
for cactus for most of the botanical gardens
of the world. and this demand for plants
has increased till a lucrative industry has
arisen from what would seem to the unin-
itiated of the most unpromising floral
fields of the world.
The most prominent Of the cacu of the
garden is the saguaro. It is one of the
landmarks of the desert It's large white
flowers cover the end of every branch In
April and May, followed by a greenish vel.
low fruit, which. when it bursts. discoses
scarlet pulp filled with black seeds. This Is
very nutritious.
Another species of far greater use, IL not
attraction, is cereus thurberi or pitaya OF
the natives. which was named after the late
DR.. George Thurber, editor of the Ameri-
can Agriculturist of New York. It's north
ern limit is rs miles from Phoenix in
southwesterly direction, and extends into
Sonora southwark. The flower Is white,
nocturnal and smaller than that OF the
saguaro.
The fruit Of this species is of delicious
taste, and for months Is the support OF
tribes Of Indians, who then feast upon it.
The pulp is also dried for future use, and
syrup. as well as an intoxicating liquor. Is
Papagoes and Pimas largely subsist on the
fruit of this cactus. The stem Of this cac-
tus grow from six to twenty feet high.
Perhaps the queerest cactus of all Amer
lea Is cereus greggu Of Arizona. known to
Mexicans as jara matraca. Unlike any
other cactus, 1t has very large tuber in
place of hbrous roots. and 1t resembles a
great sugar beet below the surface, weigh
ing from two 70 fourteen pounds. The stems
are not more than two to four feet high. as
thick as finger and covered with very
short spines. The tuber is medicinal, used
externally in Mexico. 1t Is the Arizona
night blooming cereus. fragrant, the flower
white and large as saucer
Engelmann's hedge hog cereus. known as
echinocereus engelmanni. grows in clumps
Of from two to twenty joints having very
large brownish white spines. from one to
one and a half feet in height. Its brilliant
rose-colored flowers. very fragrant. appear
in April. and by the latter part of May are
followed by q crimson edible berry of the
size and flavor of large strawberry.
"Opintia" is the prickly pear family, OF
which we have many species of various
colors The fat-jointed bear in some cases
fine fruit, while the round branched. often
twisted like a rope, have a woody fruit I'M
fit for food. These are met with on the
desert, tableland and mountains. But most
of these are seen together cultivated on
the cactus farm near Phoenix