8lO THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



have reached a certain size, would thrive splendidly in a 

 stronger compost, and this chiefly applies to the well-known 

 Chamsrops and Phoenix, &c, which are so largely grown under 

 those latitudes ; but Palms raised in nurseries require, for a 

 certain number of years, a lighter soil than that found in their 

 native places. 



In planting out, the nature of the ground must be taken into 

 consideration, and the soil previously prepared according to the 

 kind of plant. Drainage must always be thorough, for the 

 number of species growing in swampy places is very small. In 

 the case of Palms cultivated in pots, drainage is a first necessity, 

 for in many instances, when they are plunged in a tan bed, the 

 bottom hole of the pot would be easily closed. 



General Hints. — Palms under our latitude are chiefly kept 

 under glass, but they do not seem to require any particular kind 

 of house. Besides the almost hardy species that have been 

 mentioned, we may divide this order into two different groups : 

 those growing freely under greenhouse treatment, and those 

 which require stove- or warm-house treatment. Numerous species 

 will thrive successfully in the greenhouse, Chamarops, Phoenix, 

 Seaforthia, Kentia, Corypha, &c, which do not require any 

 higher temperature. Those requiring stove temperature form a 

 list too long to be given in full here, but they are found in such 

 genera as Cocos, Caryota, Geonoma, Sabal, Thrinax, &c. Here, 

 however, we are alluding to the growing of established plants, 

 for raising is quite a different matter. A warm-house becomes 

 in this instance a first necessity, thus enabling the seedlings 

 to be placed in strong heat, facilitating germination. 



Palms under glass require to be protected to a certain extent 

 from the direct rays of the sun during the warmer part of our 

 summer. On the Continent, where Palms are extensively culti- 

 vated, they are often kept in frames covered with lights on a good 

 hot-bed composed of stable sweepings. This method is a very 

 cheap one for greenhouse kinds, dispensing with the cost of 

 firing. The frames are raised as the plants grow taller, and the 

 space between them is filled with litter to the level of the lights. 



Propagation. — If Palms vary enormously as regard their 

 forms or habits, they also offer us in propagation a rather wide 

 field. Some kinds produce suckers, which may be utilised for 

 reproduction if carefully removed or divided. The suckers must 

 be potted up singly, and kept in a warmer house on a certain 

 amount of bottom-heat to establish them quickly ; they must, of 

 course, be protected from the sun, and careful attention must be 

 given to the watering. 



Palms are generally propagated from seeds, which have to be 

 collected in their native countries. With few exceptions the seeds 

 do not retain their germinative properties very long, and should 

 be sown when fresh, usually towards the beginning of the year. 



