270 
JOUnXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
NOTES  ON  PAL]\IS. 
of  the  popular  species  and  varieties  of  these  indispensable 
I'ihuits  seem  to  possess  the  power  of  adapting'  themselves  to  widely 
dili'erent  cultural  treatment,  for  they  will  endure  a  great  amount  of 
ill-ttsage,  not,  perhaps,  wuth  impunity,  but  still  without  being  killed 
outright.  "I’hey  revel  in  the  highest  tenit^erature  kept  up  in  any  hot¬ 
house  as  long  as  the  atmosphere  is  well  charged  tvith  moisture,  and  a 
few  months’  sojourn  in  a  cool  house  in  winter  leaves  little  if  any 
permanent  effect  on  them,  only  simply  retards  growth  for  a  time. 
In  regard  to  soils  their  adaptability  is  quite  as  great.  Importations 
from  the  Continent  may  frequently  be  seen  growing  luxuriantly  in 
]Kire  leaf  soil ;  and  in  this  country  grand  specimens  mav  be  met  with 
which  have  been  potted  in  nothing  but  stiff  loam,  between  these 
two  extremes  there  is  usually  a  “golden  mean”  which  is  safe  to 
follow,  as  it  give.s  satisfactor\’  results.  A  certain  amount  of  experience 
is  necessary  in  testing  the  soil  one  has  at  command  before  it  is 
safe  to  use  lo;  m  alone  for  Palms.  In  some  districts,  where  free  fibrous 
mc-llow  loam  can  readily  be  obtained,  I  have  found  both  Palms  and 
Crotons  succeed  splendidh’’  in  it  with  no  other  addition  than  that  of  a 
little  burnt  refuse.  In  other  localities— especially  where  the  loam 
vests  on  clay — great  caution  is  necessary  in  employing  it  exclusively 
for  such  plants,  as  they  do  not  root  in  it  readily,  although  they  succeed 
fairly  -wxdl  when  once  established.  Loam  of  this  description,  although 
it  may  contain  a  fair  amount  of  fibre,  does  not  possess  that  friable 
nature  which  cultivators  like  to  see.  When  dry  it  is  hard  and  lumpy. 
When  .toil  of  this  description  must  perforce  be  used,  an  equal  quantity 
of  good  fibrous  peat  and  a  liberal  addition  of  sharp  sand  mixed  with 
it,  form  a  safe  compost  to  use.  Those  who  successfully  employ  heavy 
1  'am  for  growfing  Palms  in  are  fortunately  placed  in  being  able  to 
secure  a  sample  which  has  peculiar  characteristics,  for  although  heavy 
its  component  parts  are  thoroughly  blended,  the  sand  and.  the  clay 
I'cing  ev'enly  distributed  throughout  in  the  right  proportion  to  make 
the  soil  holding,  yet  not  lumpy.  In  a  loam  of  this  type  Kentias, 
Latanias,  and  Phoenix  succeed  admirably. 
1  lemember  about  twenty  years  ago,  when  working  in  one  of  the 
great,  London  nurseries  Avhere  Palms  were  extensively  grown,  the 
regulation  compost  for  Palms  was  peat  and  rather  light  fibrous  loam 
in  equal  parts.  The  son  of  a  continental  nurseryman  was  spending 
some  months  in  the  nursery  in  order  to  note  English  niethods  of 
business  and  cultural  practices.  His  idea  was  that  our  Palm  compost 
was  far  too  light,  but  the  departmental  foreman  usually  managed  “to 
take  the  wind  out  of  his  sails  ”  by  pointing  to  the  grand  stock  of  plants 
ot  various  sizes  in  the  houses,  which  the  precise  German  was  bound 
to  admit  he  had  never  seen  surpassed.  After  having  tried  composts  of 
various  descriptions  for  Cocos  Weddelliana  I  have  formed  the  opinion 
that  librc'us  brown  peat,  with  sand  and  charcoal  added,  is  generally  the 
most  suitable  soil  to  employ  lor  this  very  graceful  yet  fastidious  Palm. 
In  a  young  state  they  never  seem  to  thrive  satisfactorily  unless  plunged 
in  some  materia!  having  a  nice  bottom  heat,  as  so  few  roots  are  formed 
during  the  first  six  months  of  the  plant's  existence.  I  make  a  practice 
of  transferring  young  ],lants  from  “thimbles”  to  SHinch  pots,  and 
then  j'lungo  again  in  bottom  heat  till  roots  are  plentiful  in  the  new 
soil.  After  this  stage  is  reached  the  plants  thrive  well  on  an  ordinary 
stage  in  a  stove  or  forcing  house.  Healthy  Cocos  will  bear  a  consider¬ 
able  amount  of  sunshine,  and  when  shading  is  reduced  to  a  minimum 
the  fronds  possess  great  substance. 
In  the  case  of  all  Palms  firm  potting  should  be  practised,  they  then 
assume  a  good  habit  of  growth  and  roots  permeate  the  soil  evenly. 
W’hen  repotting  strong  growing  Palms  which  have  forced  the  ball 
above  the  rim  of  the  pot  very  little  drainage  should  be  used,  as  it  is 
important  to  get  them  low  enough  in  the  new  pots  to  allow  space 
lor  holding  'W'ater  after  the  old  ball  has  been  covered  with  half  an 
inch  of  soil.  For  8  and  9-inch  pjots  I  have  frequently  employed  only 
one  large  crock,  this  being  covered  with  moss,  and  have  never  found  that 
amount  of  drainage  insufficient  when  careful  watering  was  practised. 
Plants  which  have  forced  themselves  upward  in  the  pot  invariably 
have  a  mass  of  strong  roots  at  the  base  which  form  efficient  drainage, 
as  well  as  give  vigour  to  growth,  and  it  is  a  barbarous  practice  to  cut 
such  roots  away  to  enable  the  plant  to  be  lowered  in  the  pot,  and  at 
the  snme  time  give  the  regulation  amount  of  drainage. 
Plenty  of  heat  and  abundance  of  atmospheric  moisture  are  essential 
conditions  to  observe  in  Palm  growing,  but  the  practice  of  syringing 
regularly  at  fixed  times,  independent  of  weather,  is  not  a  good  one. 
During  dull  weather  the  moisture  ought  to  be  applird  by  damping 
walls  and  stages  and  filling  evaporating  pans,  s5Tinging  occasionally 
when  the  hot-'watcr  pipes  lx  come  overheated,  and  regularly  during 
bright  weather.  The  muhLay  syringing  in  summer  time  is  of  immense 
advaulage,  as  when  the  hou.se  is  at  its  highest  temperature  is  just 
the  time  for  a  saturated  condition  of  the  atmosphere,  yet  the  practice 
is  not  folloAved  as  generally  as  it  should  be. 
Reguhnly  dipping  the  plants  in  an  insecticide  solution  helps  to 
keep  insects  in  check,  but  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  kill  brown  or 
white  scale  with  any  of  the  advertised  insecticides  when  used  accord- 
ng  to  the  directions  given  unless  the  ]ilants  ate  dipped  while  the 
insects  are  in  a  very  young  stage.  Althou'ah  ii  secticides  have  to  a 
great  extent  done  away  with  the  tedious  work  of  hand  sponging,  it  is 
not  wi.se  to  dispense  with  the  latter  operation  altogether,  as  when  well 
done  it  leaves  the  fronds  beautifully  clean  and  fresh,  and  the  plants 
seem  to  thrive  the  better  for  it. — H.  I). 
EXPERIMENTAL  HORTICULTURE.— 1. 
E.xi'Ertment  is  a  comprehensive  term,  as,  though  it  is  commonly 
cefined  as  an  undertaking  directed  to  proving  or  dhproving  some¬ 
thing  already  accepted  or  questioned,  it  may  include  every  ]  radical 
operation  of  which  the  result  is  not  an  absolute  certainty.  It  may  be 
a  duly  organised  and  intentional  search  for  knowledge,  or  it  may  be 
only  an  accidental  trial,  yet  in  a  broad  sense  both  are  experimental, 
though  the  utility  of  the  latter  may  be  greatly  reduced  from  want  ot 
system.  The  scope  of  experimental  work  is  very  wide,  and  the 
demand  for  such  research  is  a  necessity  of  the  time.«.  There  is  an 
enormous  and  increasing  competition  to  face  with  producers  in  other 
nations,  and  every  process  or  method  requires  the  closest  examination 
or  testing  with  a  view  to  jiossible  improvement. 
British  horticulturists  deservedly  occupy  a  foremo.st  po.sition  as 
skilful  cultivators,  the  thousands  of  admirably  kept  public  and  private 
gardens  throughout  the  kingdom,  together  with  the  numerous  exhibi- 
tion.s,  afford  ampfie  testimony  of  this  fact.  No  other  country  has 
produced  so  many  triumphs  of  practical  skill  as  the  United  Kingdom, 
yet  the  most  experienced  men  -wdll  be  ready  to  admit  that  even  in 
their  daily  wo:k,  after,  perhaps,  half  a  century’s  study  and  practice, 
difficulties  are  constantly  cropping  up  that  are  most  perplexing,  and 
which  could  only  be  solved  by  careful  experiment. 
Instances  innumerable  must  be  known  to  all,  but  a  few  will  be 
mentioned  whieh  come  within  my  own  knowledge.  An  able  gardener 
had  charge  of  a  place  where  hardv  fruits  Avere  greatly  jiiized,  and 
there  he  excelled  in  the  culture  of  Pears;  the  trees  were  prictnres  of 
health,  they  produced  liberal  cropas  of  magnificent  fruits  ;  the  prride  of 
the  em].loyer  and  the  envy  of  his  neighbours.  O'^er  a  course  of  years 
failure  Avas  unknoAvn,  and  the  fame  of  the  gardener  was  established  as 
a  most  successful  cultivator.  Some  alteration  in  the  establishment  at 
last  compDelled  the  gardener  to  take  another  appointment,  which  he 
found  in  the  same  district  and  a  short  distance  Irom  the  scene  of  his 
former  triumphs.  Pears  were  naturally  again  the  object  of  bis  atten¬ 
tion  ;  old  trees  Avere  treated  and  young  ones  planted,  and  the  results 
Avhich  had  hitherto  attended  his  efforts  Avere  expected,  but  they  did 
not  come.  The  trees  made  poor  growth,  the  leaves  Avere  imperlectly 
developed,  little  fruit  was  formed,  and  that  often  cracked  or  defective, 
everything  being  as  unsatisfactory  as  it  well  could  be.  So  it 
has  continued  year  after  year  ;  all  efforts  have  failed  to  produce  the 
desired  results ;  manures  of  many  kinds  have  been  tried,  lifting, 
replanting,  and  all  means  that  an  experienced  man  can  employ  to 
accomplish  the  pturpose  in  vicAv.  Failure  oi  a  most  marked  character 
is  the  only  result,  and  now  a  friend  Avrites  to  say  that  he  believes  these- 
refractory  Pears  will  send  poor  Mr.  X.  out  of  his  mind,  because  he 
takes  the  matter  so  much  to  heart. 
Another  example  of  the  difficulties  horticulturists  have  to  encounter 
is  afforded  by  a  certain  establishment  Avhere,  for  a  considerable  time, 
strenuous  efforts  have  been  made  to  grow  Vines  that  A\muld  produce 
Graptes  fit  for  table.  Within  recent  years  no  less  than  four  gardeners, 
skilled  men  who  have  produced  satisfactory  Grapes  elsewhere, 
baA'e  tried  to  accomplish  this  task,  and  successively  tailed,  in  pirecisely 
the  same  W'ay,  notwithstanding  new  borders  and  Iresh  plants.  Upj  to 
a  certain  stage  the  Vines  would  flourish  amazingly,  then  they  Avould 
suddenly  cease  develop)ing,  and  the  fruit  would  shank  to  a  disastrous 
extent.  Such  experiences  come  Avithin  the  scope  of  many  practi¬ 
tioners,  and  even  market  groAv’ers  do  not  escape,  for  I  know  men  whose 
losses  would  have  to  be  reckoned  by  thousands  of  pounds,  and  yet  all 
their  skill,  experience,  and  abundant  pecuniary  means  have  failed  to 
enable  them  to  effectually  prevent  such  losses  or  to  combat  the 
difficulties  successfully  when  they  come. 
Even  amongst  vegetables  you  have  all  knoAvn  instances  where 
success  in  one  place  has  been  followed  by  failure  in  another  or  vice 
versa,  and  I  remember  some  years  ago  an  example  in  the  case  of  an 
excellent  variety  of  Pea  Avhich  in  the  same  hands  was  a  remarkable 
success  in  one  place  and  as  great  a  repeate<l  failure  in  another,,  With 
some  pfiants  under  glass  similar  results  are  frequently  experienced, 
and  especially  is  this  the  case  Avith  certain  Orchids,  of  which  abundantr 
examples  could  be  given  ;  but  Avhat  has  been  said  will  be  enough  to 
illustrate  the  point  to  Avhich  I  wished  to  draAV  attention — namely,  that 
Avith  all  the  skill  employed  in  British  horticulture  and  the  successful 
results  generally,  there  is  still  much  that  demands  research,  and  it  is 
there  that  experimental  Avork  can  perform  a  useful  service.  In  the 
great  subject  of  manures  alone  there  is  ample  room  for  most  useful 
Avork  that  would  be  of  service  to  thousands. 
