PALMS. 



303 



to have as many uses as there are days in the year. It 

 yields everything, from cordage to candles, to say nothing of 

 arrack, door-mats, and Fern fronds. Upwards of 170,000 cwt. 

 of a valuable oil, afforded by its kernel and nsed for soap- 

 making, were imported in the year 186.2. Of the oil 

 afforded by Elaeis guineensis of west tropical Africa, near 

 1,000,000 cwt. are imported annually ! The uses of Palms are 

 as infinite as their grace is inimitable. Sago, upon which 

 whole races solely depend for food ; dates, which feed dusky 

 hosts in Arabia and North Africa; toddy, which affords 

 one of those strong drinks the human race always manage 

 to squeeze out of something or other in every known 

 country, to the peril of their souls and destruction of their 

 stomachs; resins, wax, brooms, books (the old Sanscrit 

 was written on Palm leaves), sugar, and the bottoms of 

 chairs. 



Clearly they are of the highest interest from an econo- 

 mical as well as ornamental point of view ; and we may 

 confidently look forward to seeing them abundantly grown 

 in the gardens of this country before many years have 

 elapsed. The object of amateur growers of these plants 

 should be to secure a suitable selection, preferring such as 

 are hardy and small in their proportions. Hitherto Palms 

 have been for the most part confined to our botanic gardens, 

 and in them all sorts were welcome ; but for the purposes 

 of private collections we must be more select and choose 

 them for their ornamental qualities rather than their bo- 

 tanical interest, particularly favouring all the dwarf kinds. 

 There can be no doubt that when once the taste for these 

 plants is established among us, plant-hunters will search for 

 all that is diminutive in this vast family, so that the owner 

 of a town greenhouse may enjoy his Palms in pots as well 

 as the owner of a conservatory big enough to hold an old 

 Date Palm. The collections found in the nurseries of this 

 country are by no means so rich as those of the Continent, 

 and particularly Belgium ; but many of our larger nursery- 

 men keep them in stock, and no difficulty need be ex- 

 perienced by the purchaser in getting them. The following 

 selection has been made from the collections in our bo- 



