Marck 7, 1872. 



JOUHXAL OF HOETICULIUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



2 13 



drooping dark greeu leaves affording a contrast which we seek 

 in vain in any other plant. It is frequentlj' remarked by both 

 amateurs and gardeners that Beaucarneas have a grotesque 

 but not an ornamental appearance. That such should be the 



case, however, is entirely the fault of the cultivation. Treat 

 them liberaUy, and an ornamental, graceful, spreading crown 

 of leaves mil be developed ; starve them, and they become 

 simply ugly. This peculiarity is not confined to the genus 



Beaucarnea, but applies more or less strictly to nearly all the 

 plants we have in cultivation; the fault lit a mostly in their 

 wants and requirements being very imperfectly understood, 

 and their rarity and consequent .liigh money -^alue has pre- 

 vented their owners from experimenting much with them. 

 I have had a great number of these plants under my care 



both in a large state and as seedlings; I shall theiefore con- 

 clude these remarks with a brief summary of my mode of 

 management, which has been very successful. I find that even 

 in quite a young state, say when only a few months old, the 

 plants begin to assume the bulb-like character at the base ; 

 but I am not able to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion as to 



