168 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
grown and is the more satisfactory of 
the two. Mr. Ernest Braunton, one of 
the leading authorities on California 
horticulture, says that it grows four 
times as fast as the former. “Grown 
under identically the same conditions, 
this species, at twenty years of age, 
had made 40 feet of solid (matured) 
trunk, while the more common spe¬ 
cies had made 10. The deeper and 
more constant green .of W. robusta is 
a strong point in its favor as a decora¬ 
tive plant.” It also differs from the 
former in its shorter leaf-stalks and 
more compact habit—the darker color 
in all its parts. The base and edge of 
the petiole are light brown in W. fili- 
fera, but violet-black in W. robusta. 
The latter also has a much darker col¬ 
ored trunk, and the seeds are only half 
as large as those of W. filifera. With 
the exception of Cocos plumosa, this 
is the fastest grower of all garden 
palms, and it has the great advantage 
of being hardy in all parts of Florida 
where Sabal Palmetto is found wild. 
Though preferring moist, rich soil, it 
grows tolerably well on high pine land, 
provided the soil is made very deep and 
rich and kept moist. Mr. Theo. L. 
Mead has a wonderfully glorious speci¬ 
men on his place “Wait-a-bit” at Lake 
Charm. It is so noble and distinct in 
aspect, so immense and majestic on the 
side of Sabal umbraculifera and Phoe¬ 
nix Carnariensis that it arouses the en¬ 
thusiasm of every passerby. This palm 
must be about 40 feet high and has a 
broad, spreading crown. Mr. C. T. 
Simpson, of Little River, near Miami, 
writes me that these Washingtonias 
“are going to be the avenue palms 
here” (at Miami). This and the fol¬ 
lowing species should be largely plant¬ 
ed everywhere in the state. They look 
very beautiful in groups of a few to 
even a dozen or more; they are fine as 
single specimens on the lawn, and they 
are exquisite as avenue trees. 
Washingtonia Sonorae, S. Watson. 
This fine palm is a comparatively re¬ 
cent introduction from La Paz and Sail 
Jose, Mexico, promising to rival in 
beauty with the former. It has been 
much planted in Florida, seedlings 
having been distributed all over the 
state by Reasoner Bros., Oneco, Fla. 
This firm has also disseminated the gi¬ 
gantic Sabal umbraculifera and S. mau- 
ritiaeforme in large numbers over Flo¬ 
rida, and we may be sure to see a won¬ 
derful display of these large palms in 
our gardens in the near future. Of the 
Sonora Washingtonia I have only seen 
small plants, but they all grow beau¬ 
tifully, particularly in rich, hammock 
soil, and even in rich pine land. The 
trunk is said to grow 20 feet high, the 
leaves being* three to four feet in diam¬ 
eter. 
III. 
Other Hardy Palms. 
There are quite a number of most 
beautiful and elegant, hardy palms 
which are only rarely seen in our gar¬ 
dens. The cause of this singular fact 
is difficult to understand. It is true 
they mostly like shade and rich, very 
rich soil, but both can easily be pro¬ 
vided by a true lover of these royal 
plants. The palms in question belong 
to the following genera: 
