1873.] PICTURES OF PALM-TREES. 135 



but one laiglier, nobler, sweeter life. But Mignonette is an arrant thief earthwards ; 

 its hungry roots contend with the roots of the Rose on its own ground, and too 

 often come off with the best of the sport, that is, the richest of the food. In a 

 word. Mignonette is too expensive a carpet, since it takes too freely of the food of 

 the Eose to be safely used. And the same holds good of any other surface cover- 

 ings, such as Xemophilas, Sanvitalias^ Virginian and other Stocks, Calliopsis, 

 Candytuft^ Clarkias, ColHnsias, tj-c. The Saponarias seem to take less out of the 

 ground than almost any other annual, and form a simple carpet, that covers the 

 ground well without challenging contrasts with the Eoses above them. 



Among bedding plants. Verbenas are among the worst, because such ravenous 

 feeders. Alteniantheras and Golden Feather are pretty good, and seem non- 

 exhaustive. Unfortunately, the Cerastiums drain the soil dry of manurial strength. 

 I don't quite despair of finding a good carpet among Sediwis, SaxifrageSy 

 Echeverias, &c. These being accustomed to live on the bare face of rocks, could 

 hardly need much out of our rose-beds ; and the eye might speedily come to 

 admu-e their beauty in curious contrast with the glory of the Eoses above them. 

 I advance these views, however, as guesses, rather than certainties, and with the 

 hope of setting others to work to guess out with certainty the two problems, — Ts 

 it desirable to carpet the surface of our standard Eose-beds with living plants, 

 and if so, what plants are the best for this purpose ? 



Doubtless some readers may supplement their answer with the statement 

 that standard Eoses have had their day, and belong to the age of cut monstrosi- 

 ties in shrubs and trees. Why not let the rose be its own covering to its own 

 roots, by bringing it down off its stilts, to dye its mother earth with its beauty, and 

 perfume it anew with its own living fragrance. I fancj^ I hear the echo of a 

 more refined taste in the no distant future repeating, Why not ? But meantime 

 the question is, how to make the best of our standard Eoses, at bottom as well 

 as top. — D. T. Fish, Ilardivicke House, Bury St. Edmund's. 



PICTURES OF PALM-TEEES. 



D^MONOROPS PALEJIBANICUS. 



HE genus Daemon orops is an offshoot from Calamus., and contains many 

 species which are exceedingly ornamental objects in our plant stoves. 

 They have a close general resemblance, at least in the young state repre- 

 sented by our figure, being distinguishable, however, at sight by peculiarities 

 in the leaves and spines with which the stems are very freely armed. D. palem- 

 hanicus is remarkable for its numerous elongate linear very much acuminated 

 pinnae, which are three-nerved, setose on the margins and keel, as well as on the 

 two nerves above. It is a native of the Eastern Archipelago, especially of the 

 island of Sumatra. We have to thank Mr. Bull for our illustration, and take the 

 annexed description from his catalogue : — " One of the most elegant of Palms, 

 and, together with D. j^eriacanthus, exceedingly appropriate for table decoration 

 and other ornamental purposes. The leaves are broadly ovate, pinnate, consisting 



