Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-30
CAC1I FOR WINDOW -GARDEN
HABITS OF THE CURIOUS AND
OFTEN BEAUTIFUL PLANT.
Many Varieties in the Arid Regions
of America-One Genus Found
in Africa.
From Suburban Life.


To the careless traveller who has jour-
neyed on either of the railway systems
which traverse the great southwestern
portion Of this country, the cacti, among
the other plants. have risen from the
ground as weird and interesting sights. He
may have dismissed them with the COM
ment that they are fit inhabitants Of such
a land. but to the scientists these plants
present an extremely interesting stuay.
because, although there are SO many dit
ferent kinds, something over one thou
sand different species, there are many
that are so closely related that the spe-
cific difference between them is very
small. 1t is this minute differentiation
that makes their study fascinating.
Amateurs get enthusiastic over them, too.
There are cacti clubs. which grow more
Or less extensive collections, and which
are in constant communication with deal
ers who devote most of their time to col
Letting the strange plants in their native
haunts and disseminating them to those
interested. I doubt if there is another
single class Of plants. barring the orchid,
that has such a large cult.
The history of the cacti is interesting.
Put in nutshell, it is supposed that they
are products of one of the later geologi-
cal ages through which this earth passed
when 1t was in process Of formation for
the occupancy Of man. 1t Is because Of
their more recent origin that many of the
species are hard to differentiate. as the
types have not yet become we'll estab-
lished. They Ire still slowly evolving;
but some time the types will probably be-
come fixed.
The cacti are not limited to our own
country. They grow in the arid regions
of Mexico. Central and South America,
and even a few of one genus (Rhipsalis)
are in Africa Not all the cacti grow in
the ground either. for a few are epiphytal,
that is, they are attached to other plants,
although they have their own roots and
also forage for their own food.
Need Little Water.
The best known Of the epiphytes is the
crab cactus, which grows in the crotches
Of branches and other convenient places
in trees, as do the orchids. 1t is, how
ever, equally well grown in soil. as the
many flourishing specimens found in win
dow gardens and Conservatives will at
test.
How these plants exist on the waterless
plains Is a question often asked. The
structure Of the plant has been modified
from that OF the ordinary plant. In the
first place, but few Of the plants have any
leaf surface whatever. In some cases. a
few small leaves are found on new
growths, but they are so small that they
never amount to anything and soon drop
of. This means a great saving In the
amount of moisture transpired by the
plant. To take the place Of the leaves
the entire stem contains chlorophyll. the
green coloring matter Of the leaves that
digest the food assimilated by the roots.
To further guard against the loss OF
water by Transportation. the outer skin OF
the leaf Is very thick-rubberlike. These
precautions are necessary. for portions OF
the country in which cacti grow have but
one or two rainfalls year and then only
in small quantities. and some years even
this small rainfall fails to arrive. To get
the necessary water supply the roots go
to great depths to obtain any subter-
ranean moisture they may be able to
find.
Once they find water, they husband 1t
with even greater care than does the or
binary American farmer in more humid
sections care for the soil moisture nec-
essary to carry his crops to maturity.
The ability of the cactus to resist long
periods of drought makes it probably the
best of all plants for the busy amateur
to grow who has only little time morn
ing or evening, for If the soil does be-
come little dry during the day the plant
can wait until the grower returns in the
evening from the office. The biggest col
lection grown by a private individual
that has come to my knowledge-and
there were several hundred plants in the
collection-was grown in this way.
Care of the Plants.
In growing cacti one must not neglect
the plants and depend on their natural
hardness to carry them along, for while
they will exist for long time under such
conditions, they are, when grown in pots.
deprived of the opportunity to hunt mois-
ture on their own account, and SO must be
frequently watered; nearly every day will
hardly be too often, except during the
cold winter months when little growth
takes place.
The form and size of the various cacti
are almost as various as the number OF
species. Some are tall and branching;
some have round stems. others flattencd
or angled; some are almost perfect CYL
inders, while others are globular. Nearly
all of the cacti have spines, and these
spines vary very much. Some are long.
straight and sharp-pointed; others are
broad, very stout and hooked; those OF
the f1g-leaved cactus (Opuntia) are very
small. slightly barbed and are easily shed
catching on anything that brushes the
plant.
Any cactl grower can tell You how,
when he first commenced the culture OF
this class, he spent much time picking
out spines. Later. as he becomes more
familiar with the plants. he acquires less
of this foreign matter in his skin. On
some the spines are so modified as to be
almost like white silk. and 10 be grown
to perfection must be covered by bell
glass, water glass or something similar,
to prevent their becoming somewhat un-
slightly from gathering dirt.
For the person who is growing cacti,