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T/i^ famous Quarantine No. j/ /laj 6^fM im operation, technically, since 

 June I. Among the plants excluded by the new restrictions are palms. The 

 zvar-time difficulties of importation suggested the desirability of grooving more 

 seedling palms in America. Now the desirability has become a necessity. 



T^s^^^^=i|HE production of palma 

 from seed is an interesting 

 process, but is frequently 

 long-drawn-out, and, from 

 K. A *^® varying quality and 

 |Vi».^ condition of the seeds 

 ^*v^ when received from their 

 #• g^ native habitats, is not in- 

 ^^sBssu variably a highly profit- 

 able department of the 

 Imsiness. The kentias are the most 

 prominent among the florists' palms, 

 owing to their comparative hardiness 

 and owing, also, to the fact that they 

 show character when quite small and 

 are therefore useful in all sizes. 



Kentia seeds come from Lord Howe's 

 island, in the South Pacific, and are 

 consequently many weeks in transit, the 

 steamer service being irregular. There- 

 fore, unless the seeds are carefully 

 packed, there is always the possibility 

 that they may heat in the cases and 

 thus suffer serious injury. 



Sowing Kentia Seeds. 



Kentia seeds usually arrive in this 



country in the late summer or in the 



autumn and are sown in various ways, 



according to the quantities the grower 



may have to handle. Growers having 



large lots stratify 



them in benches, or 



sometimes even under 



the benches, using a 



light and open soil, 



such as peat or sandy 



loam, for the germi- 

 nating medium. If 



the seeds are sown on 



a bench, about two 



inches of soil are first 



put in; then the seeds 



are sown as thickly 



as they will go in a 



single lay?r, are cov- 

 ered with soil to the 



depth of one inch and 



are well watered in. 

 Small lots of kentia 



seeds may be sown in 



trays, or in pans if 



the latter are at hand, 



using the same soil as 



•ilready noted and 



•sowing in the same 



manner, afterwards 



keeping the soil moist 



at all times and ^^ain- 



taining a night tem- 

 perature of 60 to 6") 

 iegrees at least. 



Those seeds germi- 

 nate quite irregularly 



•nul it is best to save 



and r'^plant any that 

 in not eome up with 



*he first growth. Some 



kentia seeds have been known to come 

 up after a period of three or four years, 

 while some come through in two months. 

 When the kentia seedlings have ex- 

 panded the first leaf, it is time to pot 

 them off into 2-ineh or 2^4 -inch pots. 

 They should then be placed in a shaded 

 house, with a temperature of not less 

 than 60 degrees, and should be regu- 

 larly syringed in bright weather in or- 

 der to keep down the insects. 



Cocos Slow in Early Stages. 



Seeds of the dwarf coconut, Gocos 

 Weddelliana, are usually on the mar- 

 ket in the early spring, and these, in 

 common with all such seeds, should be 

 sown immediately after their arrival. 

 The cocos is a rather slow proposition 

 from the seeds, and it is not uncommon 

 for six to ten months to elapse from 

 the time the seeds are sown until the 

 seedlings are ready for 2-inch pots. 

 Some growers sow their cocos' seeds in 

 pans, but the long and brittle roots of 

 this palm are likely to suffer in pot- 

 ting, so it seems preferable to sow two 

 or three seeds together in a 2-inch pot, 

 thus training the roots to curl around 

 in the pot in readiness for potting. 



This palm is slow in the early stages 



Kentia Belmoreana Plants Can No Longer be Imported 



and requires a fairly high temperature 

 for success. It also needs careful water- 

 ing, for the plants do not make an ex- 

 tensive system of root-fibers in their 

 juvenile stages. 



Cocos seeds vary in size considerably. 

 Some are about the "size of a large pea, 

 while others may be found in the same 

 lot that are over half an inch in diame- 

 ter. While there is but little difference 

 between the large and the small seeds 

 in the percentage of germination, yet 

 the larger seeds generally produce the 

 stronger plants. 



Seeds of Areca lutescens usually ar- 

 rive from South America in the early 

 summer and are sown in either pots or 

 pans in light soil. 



When given sufficient heat and mois- 

 ture, areca seeds will germinate in six 

 or eight weeks, provided they are fresh 

 and in good condition when received. 

 These seeds soon suffer from dryness 

 when exposed to the air, and after the 

 germ becomes shrunken they often fail 

 to germinate. 



Arecas Love Heat. 



Some growers sow three or four Areca 

 lutescens seeds in a small pot and then 

 pot off the whole of the seedlings to- 

 gether, instead of 

 separating them and 

 potting singly. This 

 method is followed on 

 account of the fact 

 that this palm is 

 more generally grown 

 in the form of com- 

 pound plants than as 

 solitary specimens. 

 But, whatever method 

 of handling the 

 plants is adopted, it 

 is well to remember 

 that this palm is a 

 heat-loving subject. 

 The seeds should be 

 placed in a shaded 

 greenhouse where a 

 night temperature of 

 70 degrees is ordi- 

 nary, and the soil in 

 which they are sown 

 should at all times be 

 kept moist. 



Latania borbonica 

 is the commonest of 

 the fan-leaved palms 

 that are usefl com- 

 mercially. Seeds of 

 this species are re- 

 ceived from various 

 parts of the world 

 and usually arrive in 

 good condition. These 

 seeds germinate 

 (luiekly. They are 



