32 Gardening in Egypt. 



prevent the wind from blowing them away. For this 

 purpose it is usual to employ a native who under- 

 stands the work. As the fruit ripens the bunches 

 should be looked to, any decayed or deformed fruit 

 picked out, and in some cases netted to protect the 

 dates from birds and bats. 



ORNAMENTAL PALMS. 



Areca Baueri. A handsome species requiring 

 shade. It has large pinnate arched leaves, and is a 

 suitable palm for a large conservatory or the 

 varandah. Pot in sandy loam and manure. 



A. lutescens. An excellent palm for a clump on 

 a lawn or in a moist place, throwing up several cane- 

 like stems which are yellow and spotted, and 

 light pinnate leaves. It also makes a useful pot 

 plant, but should not be exposed to the wind in 

 winter. 



Astrocaryum mexicana. A fine specimen palm, 

 allied to the Cocos (Cocoina), with coarse pinnate 

 leaves, white on the under surface, and flat black 

 spines which will cause the flesh to fester if come in 

 contact with. It can be propagated by seed, and 

 large plants in tubs seed readily, but being of an 

 exotic nature, it requires the shelter of a glass con- 

 servatory in winter. 



Caryota urens The Wine, or Toddy Palm ; native 

 of India and Ceylon. The Toddy, an intoxicating 

 drink, is made from the sap, and a good tree is said 

 to yield a hundred pints in twenty-four hours. In 

 Alexandria small plants are sometimes seen in 

 sheltered places, but in Cairo it assumes a tall, tree- 

 like form with a brown slender stem, and a crown of 

 spreading leaves like a large maidenhair fern. 

 Propagated by seed and suckers. 



COCOS flexuosa. This variety is one of the 

 handsomest palms in the country, clumps of which 

 often form a prominent feature in the gardens of 

 Cairo. Smaller plants are also occasionally met with 



