J70 



THE FLORISTS* MANUAL. 



luke-warm water, add one-half pint of 

 fir tree oil and syringe again; or make 

 up a less quantity and sponge them 

 with it. By treating infested plants 

 when they first arrive, it will, be found 

 that the pests can be combated much 

 easier than if the work is deferred, 

 while at the same time the danger of 

 the insects spreading to other stock is 

 greatly minimized." 



Propagation. 



Palms are always raised from seed. 

 Of our commercial species the cham- 

 aerops and rhapis can be propagated 

 by suckers, but all our leading palms 

 grow easily from seed, which is now 

 imported in large quantities, and it 

 must be quite an industry, the gather- 

 ing of the seed where the several spe- 

 cies flourish. The seeds, which are 

 large (the kentia as big as the com- 

 mon acorn, and the cocoanut will fill 

 out a vest pocket) are sown in any 

 light soil in flats or pans. A mixture 

 of leaf mould, sand and loam in equal 

 parts will do finely. Just cover the 

 seeds, and place the pans over some 

 heat. If the compost is at a temper- 

 ature of 75 to 80 degrees, the seeds 

 will germinate much quicker than at 

 60 degrees. Keep them moist but not 

 saturated. 



When they have made one or two 



leaves at most, pot off singly in 2 or 

 2%-inch pots. Don't pot them too 

 deep; just to the base of the young 

 plant. Keep close and warm till they 

 get started in their new surroundings. 

 Young palms for the first few months 

 take up little room, as they can stand 

 close together, and I should have add- 

 ed that the seed can be sown very 

 thickly, as the young growths go 

 straight up and do not interfere with 

 each other at all. 



For the first year young palms will 

 grow slowly if kept in a shaded house 

 without fire heat during summer, for 

 these houses get very dull and cool. 

 The cool nights lower the tempera- 

 ture and the heavy shade prevents 

 the sun from raising it in the day 

 time. A hot-bed with the sash shaded 

 will bring them along fast in the sum- 

 mer months, but I would prefer a little 

 fire heat in the palm house every 

 night in the year. Having a few palms 

 and orchids that I wished to treat 

 properly this summer I have never 

 been a night without fire heat, and I 

 am sure it pays. This is not forcing 

 them because we also have the ven- 

 tilators up. It is giving them only a 

 genial heat and good circulation of 

 air. Young palms that are expected 

 to grow should have fire heat every 

 night in the year and ventilation too. 



Kentia Dumoineana. 



Not as I have seen in some plant man- 

 ufacturing establishments, fire heat 

 with ventilators shut, 75 degrees out- 

 side and 110 degrees inside. 



Shading. 



In this place I might say what I 

 should have done sooner, a few words 

 about shading. I believe Mr. W. K. 

 Harris tried French plate glass, and 

 with clear glass the sun did not burn 

 the palms. We are not likely to adopt 

 that quality of glass, as it is too ex- 

 pensive. Ordinary window glass is out 

 of our reach at present. Our double 

 thick glass which is commonly used 

 will burn our palms and some shade 

 is necessary. I should really think 

 that with those firms who make a spe- 

 cialty of palms by the tens of thou- 

 sands that some portable or adjusta- 

 ble shading could be used; perhaps 

 it is by some. We all know the great 

 advantages of it. But if it can't ba 

 used then be careful and don't put on 

 too heavy a coat of paint early in the 

 season. A very thin coat of naphtha 

 and white lead will do, and thicker 

 can be added in May. 



I often think we are very careless 

 about leaving our summer shade on 

 till late in the fall. If storms have not 

 washed it off you will see frequently 

 the glass very opaque till early No- 

 vember. Now, did you ever think how 

 the first of November corresponded 

 for strength of sun with the spring 

 days? The sun on November first 

 would be the same as it would Febru- 

 ary the 10th. Who would think of 

 shading on the latter date? And then 

 again the plants are better prepared 

 to endure the sun's rays in autumn 

 than in spring. So early in September 

 brush or scrub off part of your shad- 

 ing, and by end of the month have it 

 all off, particularly over your palms, 

 and I can't think of anything that 

 then needs shade unless it be orchids 

 in bloom or your cutting bed. 



Varieties. 



To attempt to give a long list of 

 palms is quite unnecessary. There are 

 so many genera and species that even 

 encyclopedias don't attempt to name 

 them. The commercial kinds are 

 rather limited and familiar to most of 

 my readers, but how few these are 

 when you consider the hundreds of 

 species of this noble family, many of 

 which are worthy a place in, any col- 

 lection. In mentioning some of the 

 leading palms it is not easy to decide 

 which to place first, for the graceful 

 and finest decorative palm is not al- 

 ways the hardiest or best house plant, 

 the latter a most important question 

 with us. Nearly every florist has had 

 some experience with a few palms 

 and has decided for himself which 

 suits him or his trade best. 



The names I have used are those by 

 which we familiarly know them, and 

 it would be little use to call Latania 

 borbonica "Livistona chinensis," for 

 our customers know it as latania and 

 they don't care about a lesson in long, 

 crooked names. Call it the Chines a 



