CHAPTER XII 



Nine Iron-clad Palms 



The best graceful foliage plants that will successfully 

 withstand for long periods the variable temperature, 

 dust, and gas of the ordinary living room. 



Among the best all-round house plants, 

 of a purely decorative nature, are the palms. 

 In the sizes best adapted for house culture, 

 the stem is short, but from it arises a cluster 

 of long, slender, arching leaves which are 

 bold and massive, yet, at the same time, 

 light and airy. One great advantage they 

 have over most plants is that they do not 

 need a large amount of direct sunlight; 

 in fact, the light of a north windovv^ is 

 sufficient. If for purposes of decoration 

 you wish to put them in a dark corner of 

 the room or in a hall, they can stay there 

 three or four days without injury; but they 

 must then be put back in the light to recu- 

 perate, for no green plant can live long 

 without light. 



17S 



