1875. T 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
14r3 
Palms as Decorative Plants. 
The whole habit of palm trees is so striking, 
and the foliage, especially of those with the 
fan-shaped leaves, so unlike that of other 
plants, that we do not 
wonder that the wealthy 
build costly glass houses 
in which these exotics 
may grow, and where 
their emphatically tropi¬ 
cal beauty may be en¬ 
joyed. Until within a 
few years only the very 
wealthy could ever hope 
to possess a living palm, 
but now we know that 
there are a few which are 
within the reach of those 
of moderate means. The 
family of palms is essen¬ 
tially a tropical one, but a 
few species are found 
some 44° north of the 
equator, and others nearly 
as far south of it. The 
latitude at which a plant 
grows naturally does not 
indicate its extreme limit 
of hardiness. Nor can 
we predict what the be¬ 
havior of a plant will be 
when removed from one 
side of a continent or 
ocean to a point in the 
same latitude upon the 
other side. Were degree? 
ox latitude only to be con¬ 
sidered, we might at once 
transfer the palms of 
Northern Asia to our 
gardens, and give them no 
more care than we do the 
Ailanthus from the same 
region. But there are no 
palms that are quite hardy 
in our Northern States, and we can only use 
them for decorative purposes, as we do the 
Agave or American Aloe, the Oleander, Orange, 
and Lemon. And are they worth the trouble ? 
—How often do we see a court-yard to an ex¬ 
pensive city house cut up in fancy flower beds 
which, after all that can be done, appear only 
trivial; in such a place a bit of turf, with a fine 
palm or two, would lend an air of dignity and 
stability hi keeping with the architecture. So 
in larger gardens, if the sub-tropical style be 
adopted, all the other beautiful forms of foliage 
could lead up to and culminate in the palm; 
or it may be placed where the spectator may 
come upon it sud¬ 
denly, and ad¬ 
mire its tropical 
aspect in contrast 
with the peculiar¬ 
ly northern forms 
of conifers. Not 
the least merit of 
the hardier palms 
is their longevity. 
We have a great 
regard for what we have before called “ family 
plants,”—specimens which have been so long in 
possession, that they seem a part of the family, 
and which children look back to as among the 
objects of their earliest recollection, and in time 
show to their children with pride if not affec¬ 
tion. One plant like this is worth a green¬ 
house full of transient showy things. But the 
first questions we shall be asked are, which are 
the best palms for garden purposes, and how 
can we get them ? The kinds that have been 
most thoroughly tested as to hardiness, are the 
Asiatic species of Chamcerops — C. excels «, of Ne¬ 
Fig. 1.— -HAND-GLASS. 
THE INDIA palm ( Chamcerops excdsa) in fruit. 
pal, and C. Fortunei of the north of China, 
which is known as the Chusan Palm; these so 
nearly resemble each other, that some doubt if 
they are really different; both have been found 
hardy in parts of England, where they are left 
out all winter, and also in Paris. In our nor¬ 
thern states they will need to be housed in win¬ 
ter ; in houses where there is a hall sufficiently 
large, they would make grand decorative plants 
for such a place. A number of florists now of¬ 
fer these plants for sale; small ones at low 
prices, but for show specimens a corresponding 
sum must be paid. We were pleased to receive, 
a short time ago, a photograph of a fine speci¬ 
men of Chamcerops excelsa from Mr. Charles H. 
Hovey, which, with its mate, we had more than 
Fig. 3.— propagating case, or pit. 
once admired at the grounds of Hovey & Co., 
Cambridgeport, Mass.; the accompanying en¬ 
graving was prepared from the photograph; we 
received at the same time the following notes on 
Cliamrerops Excelsa, 
BY CHARLES H. HOVEY, CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASS. 
In a December number of “ The Garden,” 
(London), I noticed an article on Chamcerops 
excelsa , or the Male Hardy Palm. We have two 
fine specimens of this palm, 15 ft. high, with a 
breadth of head of 12 ft. In May, 1873, one of 
them flowered for the first time, and was found 
to be a male. The next year, May, 1874, both 
flowered, the other one fortunately proving to 
be a female, and by care¬ 
ful fertilization, we have 
succeeded in getting a fine 
crop of seed. The photo¬ 
graph sent shows the palm 
in full fruit. The one- 
seeded berries, at this 
date, (Jan. 18th,) are fully 
ripe, and of a bright blue 
color, which, in contrast 
with the yellow fruit-' 
stalks, and dark green 
foliage, form a magnifi¬ 
cent object. This will 
>prove one of the best 
varieties of palms for gen¬ 
eral growing, standing a 
cold of many degrees be¬ 
low the freezing point, 
and requiring only the 
protection of an ordinary 
cellar or even barn in 
winter. In England it is 
entirely hardy, and will 
undoubtedly prove so in 
this country south of New 
York. At the present 
size of our two speci¬ 
mens, the difference be¬ 
tween the male and fe¬ 
male, as mentioned in 
“ The Garden,” is not ap¬ 
parent ; the trunks are 
of the same size, and 
their style of growth is 
similar. When in blos¬ 
som, the flowers of the 
male are more dense and 
numerous than those of 
the female; they are of a 
pale yellow or straw 
color, and look like immense tassels. We 
hope to see this palm more generally grown. 
Hand-Glasses and Other 
Helps. 
Horticultural 
That which first strikes an Englishman in 
visiting our gardens, is the small amount of 
glass in use; we do not especially refer to 
greenhouses, though we have comparatively 
few of those, but to smaller structures, from 
permanent pits and movable frames, down to 
hand-lights of all kinds, and the simple bell- 
glass. From the dif¬ 
ference in climate, 
glass is not so much 
a necessity to success¬ 
ful gardening with us, 
as it is abroad, but 
there is no doubt that 
we might profitably 
make a much more 
general use of it than 
we now do. There 
are many plants, na¬ 
tives of cool and moist climates, that we rarely 
have in any perfection, because the sun becomes 
so hot as to entirely check their growth long 
before they have fully developed ; while this 
difficulty is more than offset, in the long run, 
by the greater luxuriance in the growth of all 
Fig. 2. —HAND-GLASS. 
