184 



" The fruits of palms may be fleshy, fibrous or even woodv, and 

 a few have a spiny spathe wdiich has to be ji-uarded against. Fleshv 

 fruits soon ferment and the pulp is easily removed. Fibrous fruits 

 may be macerated for a day or two when the o'uter covering can be 

 split or peeled off. The Malayan " Kahong- " is one of the worst 

 to handle, the juice from the fruits being a skin poison. The 

 Kitool {Cari/ofa urem) is also a powerful irritant on the skin. 

 Many palms germinate freely when left to themselves, under cul- 

 tivation however it is l)est to remove the outer covering of the seed 

 because of the decay of the ])ulp or fibrous covering and possible 

 loss from fungus. The period of germination varies from 6 weeks 

 with some to 3 or 4 years with others. Exce})ting, those palms 

 requiring much space, Coconuts, Sago, it is best to ])lant seeds in 

 pots or boxes, whichever is used the drainage shouhl he deep and 

 well covered with lialf decayed leaves to prevent the conijiost from 

 blocking up the drainage. The compost to be used should be free 

 from fungi and consist of burnt earth, well decayed leaf-mould, 

 some sand, and a little powdered charcoal. Seeds may be planted 

 fairly close, small seeds placed upright, large seeds on one side, or 

 flat, and covered with one-half to one inch of the prepared compost 

 which has been passed through a seive of a fine mesh. After plant- 

 ing the pot-s or boxes should be thoroughly watered (saturated) 

 placed in a moderately damp situation and afterwards sufficiently 

 sprinkled so as never to be over wet or too dry. Palm seeds when 

 planted miust l)e guarded from rats and mice, and white ants, the 

 surface soil inspected, aiul excessive damp and fungus removed. 

 The growth is often at first very slow (this is especially noticeable 

 in r'-iffans) l)ut after a year or two the growth increases much more 

 rapidly. 



" Seedlings. With most of the best known palms seedlings 

 may be described as fairly hardy and only ordinary attention is 

 necessary to produce stroiig plants, most failures occur through 

 excessive damp or watering, and the moisture remaining in the axils 

 of the leaves, or because the surface soil is too damp in which case 

 the seedling perishes. A few s])ecies of palniv'^ have been introduced 

 to cultivation by seedlings collected in the jungle of which seeds 

 have not been prociTrable. Owiiig to the different conditions under 

 which such seedlings have germinated care must be taken to wrap 

 the roots in mud immediately on lifting them and tlie seedlings dug 

 lip with a good ball of earth attached to them. The little plants 

 mTist be kept very moist till they can be planted, ami not allowed 

 to get dry by exposure to the sun or they speedily perish. Some 

 jungle palms stand transport fairly well, esijecially rattans and with 

 some species it is the only way to get them. 



" Kk-1'()ttix(!. As soon as seedling palms have filled their pots 

 with roots, the young plants should be transplanted or repotted into 

 single pots and a strong compost used. S'uie loamy soil, well 

 decayed cow manure and leaf-mould, some sand and burnt earth, 

 all well mixed together and passed through a moderately coarse 

 .sieve. Let the drainage ])e sufficient and placed carefully. All loose 



