daddy q everix evelti Eve mix 18 fairy fd iry tale ta I 1 e BOWER i tv UN on a THE CHRISTMAS CACTUS ive come to hear your story christmas cactus sold said nillie brownie gladly kindly gladly will I 1 tell it to sou 11 said tile the Chri chrismas Amas cactus in ili the first place of all I 1 live in tills this nice greenhouse hy home used to lie be far dom down it south but here I 1 now a am ill and I 1 am so well looked after the one who cares for us Is so fond of us ile he treats us with kindness and with admiration arid and affection what Ws ba words you use cactus said billie lir ownie noble words arent they asked the cactus proudly well mild billie brownie im not so sure about them being such noble words but mg mo mot moat t certainly very big words now tell me about yourself Is it true that you only bloom at christmas time and iby why do ion look so ninth ilk like e a crab even though you at are e a plant because one of my names Is crab cactus sly aly other name Is christmas cactus yes I 1 only bloom at christmas time Peili aps I 1 should say that hat I 1 bloom around the whole christmas season I 1 dont jut bloom on christmas day as some folks have said and thought 1 I bloom from about the first or middle of NoNer november ilber until some time in january you see it Is almost christmas now and I 1 rim am blooming bloomin but I 1 have been blooming since november As you see front from all my little points are red blooms I 1 know like christmas color oh yes the christmas cactus knows the time of year in which to bloom and the color to be 10 lied Is the christmas color there Is no mi mistake take aborio that I 1 no mistake at till all ali and many red blooms to do I 1 wear too in lionor honor of the great season let no one tell fell you that I 1 only bloom on christmas lay day I 1 bloom for a good ion ions christmas season getting ready in plenty of time too plum PI lira pudding all and I 1 get ready in plenty of time I 1 do believe yes billie brownie my names are both well chosen names for as you T 1 W VV f 1 only once does she bloom say too ido I 1 do look like a crab or like a number of crabs but now that it Is christmas time I 1 alike like to be known by my christmas christinas cactus name 1 I rest at other times of the year there Is my cousin night bloom ing cereus only oaly once does she bloom site she has often a number of blooms on each plant but each bloom only lasts from midnight until some time in ili the morning when ashes gone no longer blooming she has a b beautiful golden red bloom it Is very large and very wonderful and at midnight people watch her when it is time for her to bloom for so wonderful Is she the little bud on the side of at the plant goes up to make a bloom there are many queer members of 0 my family standing about here their shapes lire are strange there Is the pincushion cactus a funny bli shaped aped little thin thing looking like a round kind of a pincushion with many pins or spikes sticking out front from it but I 1 rejoice at this tim time e of tile the year ballie brownie for I 1 feel so much in the spirit of things with my name such as it Is arid and my blossoms such as they are arc oil oh yes I 1 be anything g else but a christmas cactus and I 1 miss blooming for the whole glorious happy season the reason that I 1 come out as early as I 1 do and stay as long as I 1 do Is just because I 1 dont want nant to miss any of the christmas christinas season the reason billie brownie than the rea reason soul 1