Icbraary 8, 1872. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AKD COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



125 



the return of frost the followiug autumn, when air at a tem- 

 jjerature below freezing should be admitted. 



Nothing is so detrimental to ice-keeping as constantly 

 opening the doors. It should only be occasioned by necessity, 



and the doors should be closed after the person visiting the 

 ice chamber, so that as little as possible of the outer air may 

 be allowed to enter, and in coming out the like care should be 

 bestowed on closing the door. — G. Abbey. 



CAEYOTA EXCELSA. 

 The subject of our present illustration is a member of 

 perhaps the most distinct genus belonging to the natural 

 order Palmacea?, inasmuch as it is the only genus which has 

 bipinnate, or, iu other words, branching leaves. There are 

 other genera, such as 



Wallichia and Mai'- 

 tiuezia, which may 

 be mistaken for Cary- 

 ota when the plants 

 are in a young state, 

 but as they increase 

 iu size it is utterly 

 impossible to cou- 

 foimd them with 

 any other family ; for 

 while the leaflets of 

 Palms as a rule are 

 long and narrow, ta- 

 pering upwards and 

 becoming narrowest 

 at the apes, thos» of 

 Caryota, on the con- 

 trary, are very broad 

 at the ends, present 

 the ajjpearanee of 

 having been bitten 

 off, and taper down- 

 wards towards the 

 base. All the species 

 of Caryota are na- 

 tives of India or the 

 islands of the Indian 

 seas, and some of 

 them are of immense 

 value to the natives, 

 supplying them with 

 sugar, sago, toddy, 

 and many necessa- 

 ries of life; and the 

 " kettul " fibre of 

 commerce is also de- 

 rived from one or 

 more species of this 

 genus. 



In a decorative 

 pouit of view, Cary- 

 otas are exceedingly 

 beautiful, especially 

 if suftncient space can 

 be afforded them to 

 develope their beau- 

 ties, and this is not 

 so very difficult ; for 

 although some of the 

 kiuds become trees 

 with stately stems 50 

 or 00 feet in height, q 



there are others that 



never exceed 18 or 20 feet. In a young state Caryotas ai'e ad 

 mirably adapted for the decoration of the dinner-table, and 

 also form beautiful objects distributed throughout the various 

 apartments during the summer months, but during the winter 



open ah- in summer, to assist in giving the pleasure ground a 

 tropical appearance, but, of course, the jJractical common 

 sense of the gardener or amateur must be brought into play, 

 in selecting a sheltered nook or dell to enable it to withstand 

 any sudden change of 



temperature, which 

 often, in fact too 

 often, as we frequent- 

 ly find to our cost, 

 occurs with us even 

 in the most favour- 

 able seasons. 



This plant, of which 

 we have now the op- 

 portunity of giving a 

 portrait through the 

 kindness of M. Roths- 

 child, is one of the 

 best of the genus for 

 decorative purposes, 

 and will amply rejjay 

 any amount of la- 

 bour which may be 

 bestowed upon it. It 

 will not fail to give 

 equal satisfaction to 

 the possessor, whe- 

 ther grown iu the 

 drawing-room, or iu 

 the stove, or used in 

 the open ail' ; in all 

 of these situations it 

 will produce a gi'and 

 tropical effect, which 

 is always so highly 

 apjireciated by lovers 

 of the beautiful in 

 Nature who live in 

 temperate climes. 



As a compost for 

 Caryotas, I use good 

 rich loam and leaf 

 mould in about equal 

 parts, with the ad- 

 dition of a little sharp 

 river sand. The pots 

 should be well drain- 

 ed, and during the 

 summer a liberal sup- 

 ply of water should 

 be given. If the 

 plants are kept in the 

 stove during the win- 

 ter, still continue to 

 supply them freely 

 with water, but this 

 excelfft, must be given more 



carefully if the plants 

 are kept iu a low temperature. As a rule Caiyotas are not 

 easily projiagated except by seeds, but they occasionally send 

 up suckers from the base, which should be removed as soon 

 as large enough, potted in some sandy loam, in as small-sized 



I should scarcely advise them to be kept in rooms unless these I pots as possible, and plunged in a gentle bottom heat until 

 are slightly heated. When larger they may be plunged iu the I well established. — Expekto Ckede. 



GEOS COLMAN GEAPE. 



Havi^jg seen at page 102 a few notes by Mr. Rivers on this 

 Grape, I wish to state that for the last twelve years I have 

 had ample opportunities of testing its qualities, and I have 

 come to the conclusion that there are few varieties to equal it, 

 not to say surpass it, as a fine late-keeping Grape of excellent 

 liavour. The Vine is of a vigoroits strong habit, and a free 



bearer, both on its own roots and grafted on the Black Ham- 

 burgh. 



The chief point in the treatment of- this variety is to have 

 the fruit ripened early, and in planthig I would place it next to 

 the Muscat of Alexandria, then after the Gros C'olmau I would 

 have Alicante. Gros Colman wiU compare favourably even with 



