CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - ZetaTalk

THE NURSERY-LIST 263always more or less injured. It is always best to cut away theroots, let t,he wounds dry and heal for a time, and then treat theplants as cuttings. Many of the opuntias are naturally adaptedto propa,gatct themselves vegetatively. The stems are readilydetached at the joints. These stems fall to the ground and in ashort 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 willrc3rtil>v products new plants. Many of the smaller kinds, such ast’~lllillc~~‘~~tlls, ec’hinoc(~reus, and mamillaria, produce branchest,hxt are readily tktuchablc and easily rooted as cuttings. SomesptGs of mamillaria have side shoots which are so lightly attachedthat thc>r break ott’ t,~v a slight touch.(frafting is c&ly accomplished in cact.i. The possibilities ofuniting /bot,h species ~~~2 genera seem to be unlimited. For a longtinit it has Iwe a practice to graft epiphyllum on pereskia or someupright stiR’-stemmed cereus in order to produce a more decorativehsh plant. The rat-tail cactus (.4yorocacf us, or CCWUS, Jlccgcbl~i-4/;~rr,cix) is frthquently treater1 in the same way. It not infrequentlylIapptm that a plalkt lIecomes deca~~l at its Ijase, and when allc~\~iclc~ncc of clr~~~ or disease has heen removed there will be so littlehcalth~. tisslle lrhft that. it is nest to impossible to get it to grow as acutting. Sue+ a piclce may IW graft~eci on a heaithy stock and theplant IW prt’sei*v(h(l, if tlith growing tip is intact. A\ cleft-graft orsaclclltb-graft is mart’ dcsirahlc when either of these can be employed,since tlieJ- require ltbss work in preparat,ion and give a large surfacefor the union of thtA tissues. The mucilaginous sap that exudesfrom tlitb Gut sII~*fa.et~ tallows the stock and cion to slip apart verytlasil!., and the parts INW~~~~ disarranged unless proper precautionis used to prigi*chnt it. For this purpose the needle-like spines ofpclreskia or opunt ia ma!r l)e ust~d. The two parts are pressedfit*nil~- togt~t\it~r into tile rksirt~tl position, and then a spine is thrusttlrrc.)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 withraffia to esclu(lt~ thtb air. The grafted plants are then placed ina warm modt~ratel~~ moist place until the tissues have becometliorougl~ly knitt& together. They should not be placed wheresu\~,jcc*to clrJ*ing, for under such conditions the cut surface Gilbe thti first t,o tlry, a11d consequently a perfect union will bePi*ti~eL2fit&.With sndl glol~se or thick plants, suoh as mamillaria, echino-