92 111 /as. 



is named, and soon proved itself one of the hardiest 

 of the group well called princes of the vegetable 

 kingdom. For nearly quarter of a century a few at 

 least of this Palm have lived out below the latitude 

 of London ; but the beauty of some of those which I 

 have seen has been much marred by the effect of 

 winds, though well enduring cold. One such speci- 

 men is in the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Eegent's Park. 

 At Grlasnevin, Dr. Moore is trying an experiment for 

 protecting the foliage of one or more specimens. 

 Inserting firmly in the ground around the bush a 

 few posts or poles to the height of or a little above 

 the top of the leaves, he has made of spruce branches 

 rustic screen- work around, but not touching, the 

 foliage. 



But by far the finest specimen I know of this 

 group permanently out of doors in the kingdom is 

 one of C. excelsa, which was planted by the Hon. and 

 liev. J. T. Boscawen in his glebe ground at Probus, 

 in Cornwall, in 1853. It is over sixteen feet high, 

 and at six feet from the ground the stem measures more 

 than three feet in circumference. For seven years 

 it has borne many bunches of well- developed fruit. 

 In the same ground is a male plant about ten feet 

 high, growing luxuriantly. We read that this Palm, 

 as well as Cycas rcvoluta, is one of the most ordinary 

 bushes in Japanese gardens, however small the gar- 

 den may be. 



Though the various Italian and other Continental 

 climates differ materially from most of those at home, 



