January, 190! 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



289 



cause a chill, the leaves then turn brown 

 and possibly they will die in a short 

 time. Badly chilled plants to recuperate 

 will need a year or so in a greenhouse under 

 the care of a careful grower. 



Palms need lots of water, but the soil must 

 never become water-logged. If plenty of 

 drainage is- given in the bottom of the pot and 

 sand and charcoal added to the soil, there 

 will be no danger of over-watering, for the 

 surplus will drain away quickly. 



Keep the leaves of the palms clean by 

 passing a damp sponge over the surface each 

 day. It the plants are not too large to handle 

 conveniently, carry them to the sink or bath 

 tub and syringe them with clean water. 

 Be sure to syringe the under side as well as 

 the top, for this will prevent the red spider 

 and the thrips from gaining a foothold on 

 the plants. 



HOME RAISING FROM SEED 



Palms may be grown from seed in the 

 window garden without any more care than 

 is ordinarily given to other house plants, 

 except that they need bottom heat and this 

 can be easily given if the suggestions of 

 Mr. Doogue, given on page 166 of the Nov- 

 ember, 1905, Garden Magazine are followed. 



The first requisite is fresh seed. With few 

 exceptions, seedsmen do not carry palm seed 

 in stock, but it may be secured through a 

 few of the large retail seedsmen in New York 

 and through some of the wholesalers. Place 

 your order with them, asking that the seed 

 be shipped to you as soon as received. Not 



The lhatch palm (Kentia Forsteriana) is the equal 

 of the curly palm in its house qualities. As the plants 

 age, the differences of habit are greater 



all the species reach the market at the same 

 time. For instance, Kentia seed arrives 

 twice a year, in January or February and in 

 September or October. Many of the florists 

 prefer the fall shipment to the winter one, 

 as they seem to have better success in germin- 

 ating the seed. Livistona seed arrives in Feb- 

 ruary, cocos in January, areca in April or 

 May and Phoenix in January. 



Sow the seeds at once upon arrival because 

 they deteriorate very rapidly. A good seed 

 soil for palms may be made from three or 

 four parts of peat, one of rotted sod and one 

 of sand. To this add some finely broken 

 charcoal — two pounds to a bushel of soil — 

 it will help to keep the soil sweet. 



As palms in the young state are very 

 impatient of any meddling with the roots, 

 the window gardener had better sow the 

 seeds in pots. Sink 2 -inch pots filled with 

 soil in a flat filled with sand and plant the 

 seeds one-quarter to one-half of an inch deep, 

 one to a pot. 



When large quantities of palms are being 

 raised, the seeds may be sown thickly in 

 seed pans or flats, which are not over 

 three inches deep, or they may even be sown 

 on a greenhouse bench. There is a dis- 

 advantage in so doing, however. The young 

 plants must be transferred to deep 2-inch 

 pots as soon as the second leaf is developed. 

 In transplanting, the long tap root is very apt 

 to become injured and the plant will probably 

 die. About 75 per cent, of the injured 



Cocos, the most graceful and the finest leaved 

 palm (Cocos Weddelliana). It requires a little more care 

 and greater warmth than the others 



plants can be saved, however, if the damaged 

 portion of the root is cut off; use a sharp 

 knife and make a clean cut. 



The length of time it takes palm seeds to 

 germinate varies. Kentia seed usually comes 

 up in about ten weeks but sometimes all the 

 seeds will not germinate for eight or nine 

 months. Cocos takes about ten weeks if 

 the seed is perfectly fresh — if not, it will 

 take longer; areca and Livistona will come 

 up in a montlv. When the seed is not per- 

 fectly fresh only part will grow. Germination 

 may be helped somewhat by scratching or 

 filing the outer coat of those which have 

 hard shells. 



After the young palm plants of any sort 

 have become established in 2-inch pots, 

 the culture is simple. They will need, 

 however, a rather high temperature and 

 moist atmosphere for some months to come, 

 after which they may be inured to almost 

 any reasonable hardship. 



THE RIGHT SOIL AND POTS 



Do not give the young plants any manure 

 in the soil. A potting soil made up of two 

 parts of peat, one of rich loam, such as a 

 rotted sod, and one part of sand will give the 

 best results. Leaf mold is too light for palms, 

 but a little may be added to the rotted sod 

 if peat is not available. An addition of 

 charcoal is also advisable, using the same 

 quantity as already advised for the seed soil. 



The dwarf date OP. Roebelinii) is the best palm for 

 small rooms and as a table centrepiece. Compara- 

 tively rare and expensive 



As the plants become older, a little well- 

 decayed horse manure may be added to the 

 soil with benefit. The best time to repot 

 palms is in the spring or early summer — 

 April to June — before much growth takes 

 place, but they can be shifted at any time 

 up to the first or middle of October without 

 harm. After that date it is unsafe to disturb 

 the roots; disaster is almost sure to follow 

 any meddling with root system during the 

 winter. 



Never overpot palms, for the soil will become 

 soured very easily. A shift of one size at 

 a time is enough. When repotting be very 

 careful not to injure the roots, and if any are 

 injured, cut off the injured portion with a 

 sharp knife, making a clean cut. If the 

 roots have bound up the drainage, get out 

 all that is possible without injury to the 

 roots, and fill the hole up with good soil 

 before putting the plant back into the pot. 

 The new soil must be firmlv packed about 

 the old ball. To do this, use a thin potting 

 stick. It is possible, of course, to get the 

 soil too firm — but in practice there is not 

 much danger of it. 



The commonest palm in the stores (but the least 

 desirable) is the areca (Chrysolidocarpus lufescens), 

 easily recognized by its yellow stems 



