vitae, often called white cedar, is use- 

 ful. A drive of a few miles to the 

 music of sleigh bells and frozen toes 

 brings us to the home of our ever- 

 greens, and the white spruce, so much 

 used for Christmas trees, is also found, 

 although the well-grown Norway 

 spruce makes the ideal Christmas tree. 

 Fancy what beautiful Christmas trees 

 they get in Leadville, Col., where the 

 beautiful Colorado blue spruce grows 

 on the mountain side, and with us it 

 is about $2.00 a foot. Wei will not be 

 jealous of their noble conifers, for 

 perhaps their rocky slopes are not 

 covered with golden rod as are our 

 fields and lanes just now, and how 

 beautiful. 



DECORATIVE PLANTS. 



Besides the plants that are grown 

 and kept for decorative purposes for 

 special occasions, much of our glass, 

 and acres of glass in large establish- 

 ments, are devoted to the growing of 

 plants used in a decorative way, either 

 as permanent adornments of the houss 

 or for the florist's use when filling an 

 order. 



Exhibition Group of Decorative Plants. 



Generally when plants are known as 

 decorative it is meant those whose 

 foliage is ornamental rather than 

 their flowers, and my remarks under 

 this head will be confined mostly to 

 those of the former class. 



Palms. 



Palms are pre-eminently ahead of 

 all others for this purpose. Of the 

 species or varieties adapted to the 

 purpose there is at present not a great 

 number. They must be of fairly quick 

 growth, not easily hurt by a low tem- 

 perature and able to stand a good deal 

 of rough handling. 



The Areca lutescens I place ahead of 

 all as the handsomest. It is light and 

 graceful. Next the Kentias Forster- 

 iana and Belmoreana. These, like the 

 areca, are fine in effect whether used 

 singly or in a group. The Phoenix, es- 

 pecially rupicola, comes next, although 

 these do not blend in a group and are 

 best as small or medium sized speci- 

 mens, where they can show off their 

 graceful outlines. The Latania bor- 

 bonica is fine where you can find a 

 suitable place. We are sometimes (in 



fact often) asked to place a palm in 

 a fire-place, and there is the spot for a 

 latania. Like the phoenix, its spread- 

 ing growth makes it not so well suited 

 for mixing in with the tall growing 

 palms, however handsome it is indi- 

 vidually. The graceful little Cocos 

 Weddeliana is very valuable on many 

 occasions. When two or three feet 

 high and in good order, there is noth- 

 ing more beautiful. 



There are many other palms that 

 are just as ornamental as the well- 

 known kinds mentioned, but their 

 variety and value forbid their use. 

 And again, the kentias and arecas 

 have entirely displaced such quick- 

 growing but soft kinds as seaforthia. 



Cycas revoluta makes a grand orna- 

 ment where it can be used in a, very 

 large plant vase, perhaps at the end 

 of a room or hall, but should be so 

 placed that its perfect outline can be 

 seen or it will not be appreciated. 



As to the hardiness or ability to 

 stand rough usage, of these palms I 

 think there is not the slightest doubt 

 that the phoenix are the best. We 

 have a pair of P. rupicola that in the 



