Palms 



CHAPTER X. 



PALMS. 



ARECA SAPIDA. 



THIS very ornamental genus of Palm is a native of New 

 Zealand and is not hardy where the temperature falls 

 below twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. From Santa 

 Barbara south it forms grand specimens, and also in some favored 

 localities farther north if planted under the shade of other trees 

 and away from cold draughts. It thrives best in a light sandy 

 soil well enriched with old well-decomposed manure. 



Propagate by seeds sown, in February or March, one inch 

 deep in a hotbed or in a warm greenhouse. When the seedlings 

 are about four inches high, plant them in three-inch pots and give 

 them more room as growth advances. 



CHAMAEROPS. 



The Chamserops are among the hardiest of our fan Palnis 

 while they are also free-growing and easily transplanted. Cha- 

 mserops humilis, which is a native of the Mediterranean regions, 

 is of a dwarf habit; Chamserops excelsa, which is from China, 

 is of a more stately habit, sometimes attaining a height of thirty 

 feet and growing handsome crowns of deeply cut fan-shaped 

 leaves. 



They delight in plenty of water and a well-drained soil. 



Propagate by seeds sown one inch deep, in heat, in early 

 Spring; when they are four inches high, pot them in three-inch 

 pots; when they are one year old, plant them in the open ground 

 in nursery rows. They may also be propagated by suckers taken 

 from the base of old plants in early Spring. 



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