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| THE TWIN PALMS IN LOS ANGELES. |
"Our indigenous palm, one of the most striking native plants of the State, gave the botanists some trouble in classification. First it was Prichardia, then a Brahea, and finally it has found botanical rest as Washingtonea filifera. Its native area along the Colorado river was thrown open to the public by the building of the Southern overland route, and is now a comparatively familiar country. Long ago, however, seeds were brought from this region and plants were established which have now grown to grand size, while the facts of their introduction have become a matter of tradition. The twin palms shown in the engraving which are growing within the limits of Los Angeles city, are perhaps the oldest and largest cultivated fan palms in the State. They are probably upward of 50 years old. The tourist who enters Los Angeles from the east by the Southern Pacific sees them upon the left side of the railway just before the station is reached; in fact, the buildings shown in the lower lefthand corner of the picture are those of the railway. These palms are a landmark for the tourist, and their photographs are in great request. They are now being encroached upon by the buildings, and may fall before the progress of the day, but we trust they will be spared as long as possible.
