172 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to me, and could I express my feelings with the pencil this paper would 

 need more space than you could give it. 



Palms are the most majestic class of plants known. Many of them 

 very graceful, all of them very ornamental. Their number is some- 

 thing extraordinary, both as to species and individuals. Some have 

 stems a little thicker than a straw and a few feet in height, while others 

 tower up a hundred and a hundred and fifty feet in height. 



Palms are of great importance in an economical point of view. 

 From them are obtained most of the necessaries of life of most of the 

 aboriginal tribes of the tropics, in the shape of fruit, oil, wax, sugar? 

 sago, and fiber for coarse cloth, brushes, mats, etc. The canes, called 

 rattans, are largely used in the manufacture of chairs, stools, seats, bask- 

 ets, brushes, etc. One species, Borassus Flabelliformus, is said to form 

 the chief support of over 6,000,000 human beings. In its native coun- 

 try, Asia, it attains a height of eighty feet or more. A native poem, in 

 describing its useful properties, records nearly a thousand uses to which 

 its products may be applied. The products of the date palm form the 

 chief support of the desert tribes of Arabia, Palestine, Egypt, and 

 northern Africa and Asia, not only of man but their domestic animals. 

 The wood is used in the construction of the frame-work of their houses, 

 and the leaves for thatching. 



Volumes could be written in describing the many hundred varie- 

 ties of palms and their uses. But with us they are only grown for 

 their ornamental and decorative qualities. Many of them are very 

 easy of cultivation as window plants. All do well in greenhouses or 

 conservatories. Large plants require the accommodation of a conserv- 

 atory. No plant can surpass them for decorative purposes. They 

 are fast coming into use in sub-tropical gardening during summer, 

 where, partially shaded and well cared for, they make a great effect. 



All palms need an abundance of water. The pots or boxes should 

 be well supplied with drainage to keep the soil from becoming sour. 

 The foliage should be sprayed often, care being taken that the strong 

 rays of the sun does not strike the foliage while the water is on it, as 

 there is danger of burning the foliage and greatly injuring the looks of 

 the plant. When leaves get dusty, wipe off with moist sponge. No 

 plant can thrive with its foliage covered with dust. That old saying, 

 "Cleanliness is next to godliness," will apply to plants as well as human 

 beings. 



