1 Mar., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 203 
in pots and tubs, and can be propagated by division, which is not so slow a 
process as is the method employed with the great majority of palms—i.e., 
propagation by seed. 
To the left, in the same illustration, is seen a glimpse of a very remarkable 
palm, the Coquita Palm, botanically known as Juba@a spectabilis. This tree is a 
mative of Chili, where it is used both in the wild and cultivated state in the 
preparation of “palm honey,” which is in great demand. The tree is cut down 
and the sap allowed to drain from the upper end (after the crown hasjbeen, 
cut off) into vessels placed to receive it. A piece is sliced off the trunk every 
morning, and afresh surface exposed. About 80 gallons are obtained from a 
good tree, the sap continuing to flow for some months. Hard by is a Palm 
which you will readily notice, because of the thick-set spines with which it is 
studded. Even the boldest of Brisbane small boys would turn away in despair, 
though by climbing the stem he might get some unripe and unwholesome fruit 
of the kind he seems to crave. Some palms are not content with having the 
stem only defended... The leaves are thickly studded also. 
The largest leaf structure in the world is found ina palm. The Victoria 
Lily, in the Gardens, last year attracted many visitors, but the leaf was a small 
affair compared to that of the Jupate Palm’ of the Amazon shores (leaphia 
tedigera). Says Wallace :—“ I have cut down and measured leaves 48 and 
50 feet long, but could never get at the largest. The segments spread out 
4, feet on each side of the midrib.” ; 
Palms are of easy cultivation, and it is surprising that in Queensland, 
where all succeed so well, they are not more largely availed of for the decoration 
of the home, to which they are so admirably adapted. 
When you sow palva seeds you can sow rather thickly. The drainage 
must be perfect ; the soil should be sweet and fresh, about one-third of fine 
sand should be added. It is well to soak the seed for some hours in very hot 
water, as this hastens germination. Observe the rule previously mentioned in 
our talks, to cover the seeds with a layer of soil of about their own depth. 
When the seedlings are a few inches high, carefully separate them, and 
put into smal] pots. The practice of putting palms into pots many sizes too 
large for them is a common and fatal error. They are very sensitive to any 
injury done to the roots, and particularly resent being planted too deeply in 
the soil. Do not, in potting, injure or prune the roots. Put them in a 
mixture of loam two-fifths, peat one-fifth, weli-decayed vegetable mould one- 
fifth, sharp river sand or silver sand one-fifth. The bases of old staghorn ferns 
well broken up will do for the peat. In potting or for decorative work see 
that you only shift them, at each potting, into pots which allow you merely 
room to place your hand flat between the ball of earth and the inner side of 
the pot. Pot them in the spring. Palms love a plentiful supply of water, 
and delight in a shower bath. See, therefore, that the drainage is perfect, 
and that they are frequently syringed. The drainage of every flower-pot 
for most of the plants ordinarily cultivated should be such that, when 
you fill the inch of space on the surface with water, it will at once 
begin to flow through the drainage hole. When the roots of a palm 
become very dry, it is often most difficult to water it thoroughly. You can 
then stand it in a tub of water until the air bubbles cease to rise. If the 
drainage is good, this willdo no harm. Do not use manure. Our friend the 
Palm likes charcoal in his soil, and small pieces of broken bone (not bone- 
dust) help him. Liquid manure used sparingly gives the leaves a brilliant 
glossy look. “With a bush-house, palms can be grown in pots to great perfec- 
tion, and indeed anyone possessing a back yard can always have a succession 
of palms for his rooms, and not all the most expensive works of art serve so 
well as good and well-arranged plants and flowers to mark a home as the 
abode of persons of refinement and taste. 
Latin words must be used in our chats sometimes. Botanical language 
is not all Latin, as is commonly supposed. Much of it is Greek, some Arabic, 
and some has been culled from little-known languages, as Gaelic and aboriginal 
