Cactus Culture For Amateurs

Cactus Culture For Amateurs

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Title: Cactus Culture For Amateurs Being Descriptions Of The Various
Cactuses Grown In This Country, With Full And Practical Instructions
For Their Successful Cultivation
Author: W. Watson
Release Date: September 3, 2004 [EBook #13357]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CACTUS
CULTURE FOR AMATEURS ***

Produced by W. Christie and Leonard Johnson

CACTUS CULTURE FOR AMATEURS:
BEING
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE VARIOUS CACTUSES GROWN IN THIS
COUNTRY.
with
FULL AND PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THEIR
SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION.
By W. WATSON, Assistant Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew.

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED.
LONDON: L. UPCOTT GILL, 170, STRAND, W.C.
1889.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--A COLLECTION OF CACTUSES.
Frontispiece.]

PREFACE
The idea that Cactuses were seldom seen in English gardens, because
so little was known about their cultivation and management, suggested
to the Publisher of this book that a series of chapters on the best kinds,
and how to grow them successfully, would be useful. These chapters
were written for and published in The Bazaar, in 1885 and following
years. Some alterations and additions have been made, and the whole is
now offered as a thoroughly practical and descriptive work on the
subject.
The descriptions are as simple and complete as they could be made; the
names here used are those adopted at Kew; and the cultural directions
are as full and detailed as is necessary. No species or variety is omitted
which is known to be in cultivation, or of sufficient interest to be
introduced. The many excellent figures of Cactuses in the Botanical
Magazine (Bot. Mag.) are referred to under each species described,
except in those cases where a complete figure is given in this book. My
claims to be heard as a teacher in this department are based on an
experience of ten years in the care and cultivation of the large
collection of Cactuses at Kew.
Whatever the shortcomings of my share of the work may be, I feel
certain that the numerous and excellent illustrations which the
Publisher has obtained for this book cannot fail to render it attractive,
and, let us also hope, contribute something towards bringing Cactuses
into favour with horticulturists, professional as well as amateur.
W. WATSON.

CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION
BOTANICAL CHARACTERS
CULTIVATION

PROPAGATION
THE GENUS EPIPHYLLUM
THE GENUS PHYLLOCACTUS
THE GENUS CEREUS
THE GENUS ECHINOCACTUS
THE GENUS ECHINOPSIS
THE GENUS MELOCACTUS
THE GENUS PILOCEREUS
THE GENUS MAMILLARIA
THE GENUS LEUCHTENBERGIA
THE GENUS PELECYPHORA
THE GENUS OPUNTIA
THE GENUS PERESKIA
THE GENUS RHIPSALIS
TEMPERATURES
DEALERS IN CACTUSES
INDEX OF SPECIES

CACTUS CULTURE FOR AMATEURS

CHAPTER I
.
INTRODUCTION.
The Cactus family is not popular among English horticulturists in these
days, scarcely half a dozen species out of about a thousand known
being considered good enough to be included among favourite garden
plants. Probably five hundred kinds have been, or are, in cultivation in
the gardens of the few specialists who take an interest in Cactuses; but
these are practically unknown in English horticulture. It is not, however,
very many years ago that there was something like a Cactus mania,
when rich amateurs vied with each other in procuring and growing
large collections of the rarest and newest kinds.
"About the year 1830, Cacti began to be specially patronised by several
rich plant amateurs, of whom may be mentioned the Duke of Bedford,
who formed a fine collection at Woburn Abbey, the Duke of
Devonshire, and Mr. Harris, of Kingsbury. Mr. Palmer, of Shakelwell,

had become possessed of Mr. Haworth's collection, to which he greatly
added by purchases; he, however, found his rival in the Rev. H.
Williams, of Hendon, who formed a fine and select collection, and, on
account of the eagerness of growers to obtain the new and rare plants,
high prices were given for them, ten, twelve, and even twenty and thirty
guineas often being given for single plants of the Echinocactus. Thus
private collectors were induced to forward from their native
countries--chiefly from Mexico and Chili--extensive collections of
Cacti." (quoting J. Smith. A.L.S., ex-Curator of the Royal Gardens.
Kew).
This reads like what might be written of the position held now in
England by the Orchid family, and what has been written of Tulips and
other plants whose popularity has been great at some time or other.
Why have Cactuses gone out of favour? It is impossible to give any
satisfactory answer to this question. No doubt they belong to that class
of objects which