THE PALMS 01 BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 353 



often unsiiccessful. A lucky chance lead to the discovery that 

 the seeds of palms retain theii' power of germination for a long- 

 time. 



Allan Cunningham, the famous botanical explorer, wanted to 

 send some cases of plants from Port Jackson to Kew. When 

 packing the specimens he told the servants to be careful as to the 

 drainage of the lower part of the cases. The men, not having at 

 hand for this purpose either potsherds or pebbles, made use of the 

 round hard fruits of Livistona australis, covering with them the 

 floor of the cases. In due time the cases were delivered at Kew, 

 and Mr. Smith, the Curator of the Gardens, was so anxious to see 

 the specimens sent by Cunningham that he personally supervised 

 the unpacking of the cases. He saw the black seeds and noticed 

 at the same time that the white delicate tip of the embryo had 

 already broken through the hard shell. The seeds were at once 

 confided to suitable ground and all the young palms developed 

 rapidly. 



From that time Mr. Smith instructed all the collectors in his 

 employment to follow the simpler and safer way of enriching the 

 palmhouses at Kew, viz., by collecting and sending the seeds of 

 the palms instead of young specimens. 



How TO SEND SEEDS TO EuROPE. — The method first [adopted 

 by Smith and imitated very soon by all the travellers has 

 long since become the general practice amongst gardeners and 

 botanists. 



In order to secure good results, it is first of all necessary to dry 

 the seeds well. They are then put into a case filled with bran, 

 soil, and sawdust in order to prevent them from becoming- 

 dried up, because dryness is as harmful to them as moisture. 

 If packed in this way, they germinate on the way and usually 

 arrive in good condition. If they do not germinate, they begin 

 to rot as is mostly the case with seeds that contain oil. The 

 latter begins to become rancid and the seed loses its power of 

 germination. 



LIVISTONA KUMILIS, R. Br. Fl., Nov. Holl. 268, No. 2 ; Spreng. 



