THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



The Plumbagos mentioned make very 

 satisfactory house plants when properly 

 handled. As the flowers are always 

 produced on the new growth, the plants 

 should be cut back every two or three 

 months to induce the formation of new 

 growths. 



Cocos Weddeliana. 



1#08. Would this palm make a desirable 

 centre piece for the dining-room table ? To 

 what height does it grow ? 



Cocos Weddeliana is one of the hand- 

 somest and most desirable palms for 

 table decoration. It may attain a 

 height of four or five feet, although we 

 seldom see specimens over two or three 

 feet. 



Kentia Belmoreana. 



1009. Is this a good palm for general 

 house culture ? Would be a suitable one for 

 a society collection ? 



Kentia Belmoreana is an excellent 

 palm for general house culture, and 

 would do honor to any collection. 



Palms From Seed. 



lOlO.— Can palms be grown from seed ? 

 Are the Kentias the best class to grow ? 



Palms are grown from seed, but they 

 are slow to germinate and require a 

 higher temperature than the amateur 

 would likely be able to give them. On 

 this account I am inclined to think the 

 majority of amateurs would likely loose 

 interest in them before the plants 

 amounted to much. The Date Palms, 

 however, may be easily grown from the 

 seeds of the dates of commerce. 



The Kentias are among the Sest 

 palms for general culture. Other de- 

 sirable ones are Areca lutescens, Cocos 

 Weddeliana, Latania Borbonica, Phoe- 

 nix, and Seaforthia elegans. 



% ©pet? Letterc?. % 



Mr. Forbes' Garden, Orillia. 



Sir, — ^Mr. Blackstone of The Times, I un- 

 derstand, has sent you the cut you asked me 

 for. Reading last summer in the Magazine, 

 your request for photographs, I had laid 

 aside three, intending to send them to you, 

 but in the mean time Mr. Blackstone asked 

 me for one of my house. I gave him the three 

 intended for you, on looking for others to 

 replace them, I could only find the two I sent 

 you, the third might perhaps iiave been suit- 

 able for a vignette, cedar hedge and trees. 

 The house is very much hidden by the trees. 

 You will notice a little to the right, a Weep- 

 ing Ehn. I planted a pair in 1882, but one of 

 them grew too much upwards and spreading, 

 so I cut it down, since the photo was taken. 



My taste inclines rather to Nature than art, 

 conseciuently I have cultivated trees and lawn 

 more than flower beds, not having room for 

 both ; maple, spruce, cedar, Cut-leafed Horse 

 chestnuts, maple, Cut-leafed Birch, Moun- 

 tain Ash, I tried the Kilmarnock Willow 

 but they died. I have quite a number of 

 shrubs which came from you, but unfortu- 

 nately did not keep note of their names. I 

 have also a fine white grape vine which I got 

 from you about fifteen years ago. 



W. J. Forbes. 

 Orillia, Feb. 15th, 1898. 



Foliage for Bouquets. 



SiR,_I noticed in the February number of 

 your journal, you have an article entitled 

 «' Foliage For Bouquets." No doubt there are 

 hundreds who are continually worrying them- 

 selves almost to death over this vexed ques- 

 tion. I, myself, for a long time was bothered 

 as to what would look well in a bouquet of 

 flowers. I think I solved this problem, how- 

 ever, and for the last two seasons I planted a 

 five cent package of Cosmos each spring. 

 This is ornamental as well as useful, furnish- 

 ing us not only with an abundance of the most 

 beautiful green foliage, but it also gives us 

 very beautiful dahlia-like flowers (single) for 

 the bouquet. If any is desirous of a beautiful 

 foliage there is nothing easier to grow, and 

 nothing cheaper, or more beautiful than cos- 

 mos. I trust that any reader who really 

 want something pretty in this line will get a 

 5 cent package of the mixed which grows 

 very readily, and I am sure that they will not 

 be sorry for having done so. 



There is another plant which can be very 

 easily raised from seed and which is also very 

 ornamental and will furnish us with bushels 

 of beautiful foliage for bouquets. I refer to 

 eschscholtzia. This can also be bought for 

 5 cents a package and is simply grand to mix 

 in with flowers. 



C. HiRSCH MILLER, 



23 Simcoe St. N., Hamilton. 



214 



