CACTUSES.--NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS.--REX BEGONIAS.
For singularity and grotesqueness of form, as well as for the
exceptional conditions under which they grow to the best advantage, no
class of plants is more remarkable than the _Cactaceæ_. Of these, about
a thousand species have been described by botanists; nearly all are
indigenous to the New World, though but a small proportion are in
cultivation. Cactuses delight in a dry, barren, sandy soil. They are
naturally children of the desert. It is said by travellers that many of
the species bear edible fruit, resembling somewhat in taste the
gooseberry. So much for the peculiarities of the Cactus family in its
native localities, but how can we succeed in cultivating the plants with
satisfactory results in the window-garden?
There are two simple methods of treatment that Cactuses should receive,
namely: First, keep the soil about them constantly dry, and keep them
in a warm place. Secondly, the soil should be of a poor quality, mixed
with a little brick dust, and they should never be allowed too much pot
room. If either of these two points are observed in the treatment of
Cactuses, there will be no difficulty in keeping them in a flourishing
condition all the time.
THE NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS.
The Night-blooming Cereus is an interesting plant, and excites much
admiration when in flower, as it blooms at night-time only, the flowers
closing up when exposed to the day-light. They are magnificent flowers
when in full blow, but, unhappily, are short-lived, a flower never
opening a second time. The plant belongs to the Cactus Family, and
requires the same general treatment. There are a number of
night-flowering species and varieties, but the one especially known as
the Night-blooming Cereus is _Cereus grandiflorus_, which, when in full
bloom, presents a rare sight. Some of the flowers of the night-blooming
kinds are exceedingly fragrant, notably _Cereus triangularis_, a single
flower of which, when in fall bloom, will fill the air of a room with
its pleasant odor. These plants can be made to bloom freely by keeping
the soil quite dry, and allowing them very little pot-room, as they
depend more upon the atmosphere than the soil for their growth. We have
known large plants of _Cereus grandiflorus_, to produce as many as
twenty-five fine blossoms each in the course of a season. We have found
that liquid manure, if applied to these plants about once a month, and
when the soil about them is very dry, will work wonders in their growth,
and when a rapid growth can be obtained, there will be no trouble in
having an abundance of flowers at regular intervals. Care must be taken
not to have the liquid too strong. A small quantity of brick dust,
mixed with the soil in which they are growing, will be beneficial. These
species of Cereus are easily propagated by cuttings, which will root
readily in sand of any kind. Being of a slender habit of growth, and
rather rampant, they should have some sort of support, and it is
advisable to either train them to a trellis, or upon wires, or a string
stretched over and along the window sash. We have had a number of
flowers of a pure feathery white, _C. grandiflorus_, that were over
fifteen inches in diameter; this is the best of the night-flowering
species.
PROPAGATING REX BEGONIAS.
Those Begonias, known as belonging to the Rex division, are very
beautiful, and also very distinct in both leaf and flower from all other
species and varieties. The leaves are noted for their peculiar shape and
markings, making them very valuable as ornamental house plants. They are
easily multiplied from the leaf with its stalk. To propagate these, the
leaf, or leaves, including the stalk, should be taken off close to the
plant. Insert the stem of the leaf in sand, and deep enough to allow the
leaf to lie flat upon the surface of the sand. It will take them about
from two to three weeks to root, after which they should be potted in
good, rich soil. It will take sometime to start them into a growth, but
they grow very rapidly when they begin, and in two years will make large
plants.