OF EASY CULTURE AND RAPID GROWTH
Grown From Cuttings Everybody knows that Baldwin apples, Bartlett pears and our favorite peaches, plums and cherries cannot be raised from seeds. The same laws hold true with the improved Opuntias, but fortunately they can be raised from cuttings in any quantity with the utmost ease. More truly they raise themselves, for when broken from the parent plant, the cuttings attend to the rooting without further attention, whether planted right end up, bottom up, sideways or not at all.
Where To Plant Plant wherever you wish to have them grow, on rich level land or the steepest poorest rocky hillsides, old river beds or rock piles, but their growth and succulence are greatly increased by good soil, some culture and in very dry soils by one or two light irrigations each summer. By such treatment the fruit is greatly increased in size and quality, and the slabs for feeding are doubled in weight and succulence. Nothing responds more promptly to fairly good treatment. They will flourish almost anywhere except where it is too wet for anything else to grow.
When To Plant Unlike most other plants the Opuntias root best during the heat of summer, and this is the time also to transplant them. They should not be moved at other seasons. No one who is familiar with them would undertake to root or transplant them during cold damp weather such as would be best for other trees and plants. During June, July, August and September they will thrive under almost any treatment. The leaves, blossoms, buds, half-grown fruits or any part of the plant will make roots and grow, even on the floor back of a cook stove, in the pocket of your winter overcoat or on your writing desk.
How To Plant The Opuntias differ from nearly all other plants, as the cuttings must first be wilted before they will grow, after which nothing grows so readily. When received place them in some warm sunny place and allow them to remain a week or more, after which they will readily form roots and start to grow anywhere, even on a board, a pile of rocks or the roof of the house if you choose. When wilted, the usual way is to plant so that about one-third of the cutting is below the soil they may be planted in an upright position or at any angle from the perpendicular, it makes no difference to the Opuntias.
Distances For Planting On fairly good soil in general field culture for stock feed, the giant-growing kinds should be planted about three or four feet apart in the rows and the rows should be about eight feet apart. In orchard planting for the large growing, fruiting varieties probably four by ten or twelve feet would be better.
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