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Notes and Gleanings. 



Palms as Decorative Plants. — We copy from " The Floral World " 

 the following article upon the best palms for decorative purposes. They are 

 thus extensively grown in Europe, and serve a most admirable purpose. 



" Were we to name all that are really good and distinct, we should not only take 

 up more space than we can reasonably hope to be spared, but we should confuse 

 the readers, and make them think they would require a house as large as the 

 Palm House at Kew, or a miniature Crystal Palace, to grow them in. We do not 

 want to frighten our readers ; but we do want to encourage them to take these 

 plants in hand boldly, and thus add a large amount of grace and beauty to their 

 collections, where much monotony at present prevails. It is not necessary that 

 they should have large and lofty houses ; for, though many of the palms attain 

 an immense height in their native countries, they are very slow growing when 

 subjected to a lower temperature in this country. 



AKECA RUBRA. 



" To take the kinds which require a stove temperature, first, we will just ob- 

 serve, that nearly all of those which we shall name will suffer no injury if placed 

 in the conservatory from the end of June until September. It is not safe to 

 place them there earlier than June ; for, if they are subjected to a low tempera- 

 ture before the new growth is completed, the fronds will be poor and stunted, 

 and the beauty of the plants materially interfered with. Another consideration 

 which ought not to be lost sight of in bringing them into the conservatory is to 

 guard against exposing the plants to cold draughts, more particularly when they 

 are first brought there. We are well aware of the difficulty in forming a select 

 collection, when there are so many good ones, so as not to leave out any of the 

 best kinds : but, as we must begin somewhere, we will make a start with the 

 cabbage-palms ; and first on our list we will place 



" Arcca aurea and ^. rubra, both strong-growing kinds, with long pinnate 

 fronds, which attain to eight or ten feet in length in full-grown specimens, but 

 particularly beautiful when young. We have some good things amongst the — 



