THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



it, and rap again noting the difference. 

 Have a pot that was watered the day 

 before, rap it and you will have still 

 another note. With a little practice 

 you will be able to tell by this simple 

 method whether a plant needs water or 

 not. The only rule to be laid down is, 

 never allow the earth to become dry 

 enough to powder between the thumb 

 and finger, and never keep it soaking 

 wet. One of the best methods of water- 

 ing is to place the plant in a pail or tub 

 of water, where the water is deeper than 

 the pot, and allow it to stand until the 

 air bubbles cease to come to the sur- 

 face ; then, in taking the pot out, drain 

 the water from the top of the pot so 

 that as little water as possible will pass 

 through the soil. The reason that this 

 method is better than the one usually 

 employed is, that the earth in drying 

 shrinks away from the pot, and when 

 the water is poured in at the top, it is 

 very apt to find its way down the sides 

 of the pot and out at the bottom, with- 

 out having thoroughly penetrated the 

 centre. You will also find that plants 

 watered by this method do not dry so 

 quickly, thus showing that the watering 

 was more thoroughly done. And now 

 I must sound a note of warning in re- 

 gard to jardinieres, they are all very 

 well in their place, and certainly im- 

 prove the appearance of a handsome 

 palm, but they were never intended to 

 water palms in. When you water your 

 plant, take it out of the jardiniere and 

 allow it to drain before putting it back ; 

 and it is perhaps as well, as a matter 

 of precaution, to have an inch of beach 

 gravel, or something of that nature, in 

 the bottom of the jardiniere, and when 

 you lift your plant out, drain out any 

 water that may have accumulated. 



The next matter of importance is 

 washing the leaves. To keep a palm in 

 good order, this must be done at least 



62 



once a week and at a time when the 

 plant needs water. Perhaps the easiest 

 way is to stand the plant in a bath or 

 tub and give the leaves a shower bath 

 with the watering can, or fill up the 

 bath and put the plant in so as to cover 

 the leaves, if necessary, placing it on its 

 side. Should you prefer to have the 

 leaves cleaner than these methods will 

 make them, rub them over with a damp 

 sponge, rinsing it occasionally. There is 

 no necessity to use castor oil or any- 

 thing else of that nature to make the 

 leaves glossy, if they are kept perfectly 

 clean. Handle your palms carefully. 

 The tip of the coming leaf in some 

 varieties is very brittle, the slightest 

 touch will break it as I have found 

 out to my sorrow more times than 

 one. If you should be so unfortunate 

 as to break one, don't feel too bad 

 about it as the injury is generally 

 temporary, seldom effecting the leaf 

 after opening. 



With regard to temperature, a palm 

 with proper watering will stand a higher 

 or a lower temperature, than we would 

 find comfortable in our living rooms. 

 It is a mistake to suppose that they re- 

 quire an extra amount of heat They 

 will grow and thrive just as well in a 

 lower temperature, say from 55 to 65 , 

 and in the end make a better plant. A 

 palm will stand, without injury, an oc- 

 casional temperature of 45 , provided 

 it has not been grown in a high tempera- 

 ture, but it is not of course advisable to 

 subject the plant to such an extreme, if 

 it can be avoided. As to light, give 

 them a sunny window in winter if you 

 can, but it is by no means a necessity ; 

 many palms that are fine specimens 

 have seen little or none of the winter 

 sun. Be careful not to give a full ex- 

 posure to sun in the late spring, or the 

 result will probably bejinsightly burnt 

 leaves. If your housejis heated by a 



