12 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



case, and produce a charming effect, 



Cocos Weddeliana. 

 Dsemonorops plumosns. 

 Dictyosperina aureum (Are- 



ca aurea). 

 Dictyosperma ruhrain (Are- 



ca rubra). 

 Euterpe edulis. 

 (Euocarpus minor. 

 Oreodoxa regia. 

 Phoenix farinifera. 

 Ehapis flabelliformis. 

 Khopalostylis sapida (Arec? 

 sapida). 



is a very simple affair, 

 is to keep them in a 

 for each kind. Having asso- 



"Waltonian 

 such as — 



Acrocomia sclerocarpa. 

 Astrocaryum aureum. 

 Caryota sobolifera. 

 Caryota urens. 

 Chamsedorea elegans. [gusti. 

 Chamsedorea Ernesti Au- 

 Chamsedorea gracilis. 

 Cbamsedorea graminif olia. 

 Chamsedorea pygmaea. 

 Chrysalidocarpus lutescens 



(Hyophorbe indica). 

 Cocos iriuinosa. 

 Cocos comosa. 



The cultivation of Palms 

 The most important point 

 temperature suitable 

 ciated together in 

 one case some of 

 the species which 

 require the same 

 average tempera- 

 ture, and taking- 

 care that they are 

 not allowed to be 

 in an atmosphere 

 much colder or 

 much hotter, the 

 only other point to 

 be attended to is 

 watering. The soil 

 which suits them 

 best is loam, peat, 

 leaf - mould, and 

 sand, in about equal 

 parts. The pots 

 should be smaller 



than are generally used for other plants of a 

 similar size, and there should be plenty of drainage. 

 If the soil, the drainage, and the temperature are 

 what they should be, they can hardly have too much 

 water given them. 



Aquaria. — There is no branch of horticulture 

 so interesting as the cultivation of plants in water, 

 partly because of the opportunity which it affords 

 of seeing the growth of the roots of plants, which 

 process is invisible ordinarily, but particularly on 

 account of the great variety of both animal and veget- 

 able life which can be kept in one pot or receptacle. 

 The word "pot" is here used advisedly, since there is 

 no better form of glass vessel for growing aquatics 

 than a tall pot with straight sides, and of any con- 

 venient diameter. If it should appear desirable, 

 for the sake of uniformity, that these vessels should 

 be all of one size, a diameter of six inches will be 

 found to be most generally useful. The height may 

 y&tj from three inches to two feet, according to the 

 habitat of the plants which are to be grown, for 



some are found in shallow, and others in deep water, 

 but if uniformity in height is required in the glasses, 

 twelve inches will be found a desirable height. 



It is important that glass of good quality should 

 be secured, as it is then so much easier to see what 

 is going on. A very good make-shift is to be had 

 by buying the show T -glasses which confectioners use 

 in their shop-windows, for holding sugar-plums and 

 other "sweeties." If these are to be used care should 

 be exercised, when purchasing them, to pick out 

 those which have the fewest irregularities and flaws 

 in the material, and to avoid, as far as possible, 

 knots and air-bubbles. These are usually sold with 

 glass covers, which fit into the top loosely. Do not 



discard these, for 

 though they must 

 not be used in the 

 manner for which 

 they were made, 

 they will be useful 

 in two other ways. 

 By laying two thin 

 strips of wood over 

 the top of the ves- 

 sel, and resting the 

 cover on them, 

 much dust will be 

 kept away from the 

 surface of the water 

 while sufficient air 

 will be admitted 

 for the require- 

 ments of the grow- 

 ing plants. They 

 can also be made available for the cultivation of 

 minute plants, by inverting them and dropping the 

 round knob or handle into a hole in a shelf or block 

 of wood. 



Having thus described the simplest form of 

 aquaria, one might go on with an endless variety of 

 designs that have been proposed and used for a 

 similar purpose. After these plain receptacles for 

 water-plants, the next best form is an inverted bell- 

 glass, which can be bought of almost any size likely 

 to be required in a room. These stand on a block 

 of wood with a hole in the middle, into which the 

 knob of the bell-glass drops. 



The advantage of a bell-glass over a confec- 

 tioner's jar is that it admits of plants of a larger 

 size being grown ; the drawback is that you cannot 

 see so clearly what is going on in the centre of the 

 aquarium, owing to the greater body of water that 

 you have to look through. 



The illustration in Fig. 24 shows a conservatory 

 window, which has been fitted with an aquarium at 

 the lower part of it. This should have three of its 



Wardian Case. 



