South Yorkshire Times – Friday 17 February 1933

Queer Hobbies

Wombwell Plumber’s Speciality

Cactus Culture

Some folk have queer hobbies. Possibly you wouldn’t get much fun out of a cactus. This man does. He has a wonderful assortment of these curious spiny plants and, despite the weather they are coming on nicely.

Our cactus specialist is Erie Saville, a young plumber, of 16, Princess Street, Wombwell. Like all plumbers he is busy with his “leaks” just now but he does not neglect his cactuses.

Mr. Saville told a South Yorkshire Times representative that he has been passionately fond of gardening since he was seven and has helped his father, Mr. James Saville, to work up an allotment on the dyke side between Littlefield Lane and Kent Row, Wombwell. That is where his cactus house is.

“When and why did you decide to specialise on cactuses?” the Times reporter asked him.

I started about four years ago and it was just a whim,” he replied. “I thought I would like to rear something that very few people have got and so I started with these, picking up and planting the different specimens just as I came across them. It very rarely happens now that I see a cactus of a kind that I haven’t got. I should be glad to have any rare specimen.”

“But something must have given you the idea.”

“Well, I will tell you. I saw some cactuses reared by a local doctor who is an expert and I thought I would like to imitate him. Scores of people have seen and admired my plants, the doctor included.  He has complimented me on them.”

Mr. Saville’s cactuses cover a wide range but of their proper names he knows only one; that is the tall plant on his right (in the picture) which gardeners will recognise as a “prickly pear.” It is very pricky indeed, an uncomfortable armful for anyone who tried to rob him of it. The plant is just over four feet high and has taken four years to get there. If it continues to grow he will soon require a second storey. The hot-house measures only twelve feet by eight feet at present.

Another consideration in favour of cactus culture is that the plant present more or less the same appearance all the year round. What does he feed them on? Just nothing. They are a thirsty lot, but they take nothing stronger than rain water. Rising from the centre of the big fellow on the right is a very choice bloom. Mr. Saville has his own names for the different varieties—” Pip.” “Squeak.” “Wilfred” and so on. That’s “Wilfred” on the left with the big ears.

Cactuses, he says, are quite different from ordinary plants. They are uncannily susceptible to weather changes. He can understand people being superstitious about them.