Villas. 93 



much, valuable information may be obtained for ex- 

 periment here, by carefully observing what things- 

 will grow there, and what protection they require 

 and receive even in and about Naples. 



After admiring a fine round bush of Cham&rops 

 Fort-urn, or excelsa, some six feet high, on a bank of 

 Lake Como, at Cadenabbia, looking in September as 

 if it never required protection, I was somewhat sur- 

 prised to learn that it is matted for winter every 

 October. 



We see fine specimens of Dasylcriorts, very orna- 

 mental, out in Northern Italy ; but I believe all these 

 require protection in winter, and I hope to see experi- 

 ments with some of the group to which these belong, 

 under what is called sub-tropical treatment, in Ire- 

 land, and even wintering out with suitable protec- 

 tion. One young Dasykrion was planted in a border 

 at Fota a few years ago, near to where I observed a 

 pretty strong Beaucarnia longifolia, which I was in- 

 formed had stood there for some years. 



In Battersea Park whose climate is inferior to 

 those of a thousand localities in Ireland I observed 

 a few stumps of Aralia papyri/era^ the rice-paper tree 

 of China, whuxh. have stood there for some years, 

 losing their soft foliage on approach of winter, but 

 retaining vitality in the stem to sprout afresh in 

 spring. Other species of ornamental Aralias, parti- 

 cularly A. Sicboldtii, have proved themselves valuable 

 additions to villa ornament ; so that it is interesting 

 to observe what protection they require in different 



