CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - Pole Shift Survival Information

THE NURSERY-LIST 263
always more or less injured. It is always best to cut away the
roots, let t,he wounds dry and heal for a time, and then treat the
plants as cuttings. Many of the opuntias are naturally adapted
to propa,gatct themselves vegetatively. The stems are readily
detached at the joints. These stems fall to the ground and in a
short time deve!op roots and begin to grow as independent plants.
In rIlnI1~ of the opunt.ias the fruits are sterile but proliferous.
‘l’h~c fruits may be removed and treated as cuttings and will
rc3rtil>v products new plants. Many of the smaller kinds, such as
t’~lllillc~~‘~~tlls, ec’hinoc(~reus, and mamillaria, produce branches
t,hxt are readily tktuchablc and easily rooted as cuttings. Some
sptGs of mamillaria have side shoots which are so lightly attached
that thc>r break ott’ t,~v a slight touch.
(frafting is c&ly accomplished in cact.i. The possibilities of
uniting /bot,h species ~~~2 genera seem to be unlimited. For a long
tinit it has Iwe a practice to graft epiphyllum on pereskia or some
upright stiR’-stemmed cereus in order to produce a more decorative
hsh plant. The rat-tail cactus (.4yorocacf us, or CCWUS, Jlccgcbl~i-
4/;~rr,cix) is frthquently treater1 in the same way. It not infrequently
lIapptm that a plalkt lIecomes deca~~l at its Ijase, and when all
c~\~iclc~ncc of clr~~~ or disease has heen removed there will be so little
hcalth~. tisslle lrhft that. it is nest to impossible to get it to grow as a
cutting. Sue+ a piclce may IW graft~eci on a heaithy stock and the
plant IW prt’sei*v(h(l, if tlith growing tip is intact. A\ cleft-graft or
saclclltb-graft is mart’ dcsirahlc when either of these can be employed,
since tlieJ- require ltbss work in preparat,ion and give a large surface
for the union of thtA tissues. The mucilaginous sap that exudes
from tlitb Gut sII~*fa.et~ tallows the stock and cion to slip apart very
tlasil!., and the parts INW~~~~ disarranged unless proper precaution
is used to prigi*chnt it. For this purpose the needle-like spines of
pclreskia or opunt ia ma!r l)e ust~d. The two parts are pressed
fit*nil~- togt~t\it~r into tile rksirt~tl position, and then a spine is thrust
tlrrc.)ugll thcb unittl(l portions, securel>~ pinning them in that position.
No M’U is rx~rluirrct, Ijut it is Ilest to wrap the graft closely with
raffia to esclu(lt~ thtb air. The grafted plants are then placed in
a warm modt~ratel~~ moist place until the tissues have become
tliorougl~ly knitt& together. They should not be placed where
su\~,jcc*to clrJ*ing, for under such conditions the cut surface Gil
be thti first t,o tlry, a11d consequently a perfect union will be
Pi*ti~eL2fit&.
With sndl glol~se or thick plants, suoh as mamillaria, echino-