Seo RTE ee An eh ee ne RS Re a ren Sareea at ree mee = bes eer eae Pere as a ie nace ee toe - age ee Es ~ sinc ” oo Sty Sah eee Se oe SES ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY ornell University Library “din as THE ROYAL SEBDSMEN. JAMES GARTER & CO,, SEED GROWERS anp NURSERYMEN, ay’ & 238, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, and Crystal Palace Nurseries, Forest Hill, S.E. -ERN CASES OF THE MOST IMPROVED PATTERNS Fitted with Ferns of Popular Reputation. ! il I A : THE “WINDSOR” ETRUSCAN ONZED OBLONG SHAPE FERN CASE. TERRA COTTA FERNERY. FILLED wiTH CHOICE Ferns, COMPLETE. FILLED witH CHoIce Frans, CoMPLETE With Two Doors. 5. d. t. Length. Width. With Stand. WithoutStand. 9 inches diameter ........ 17 6 1 20mm. llinw .. £6 60... £410 0 1 > Sond Seegtrrts haan 21 0 tay AS ose £2716 0 oe, 260 0 Ts Ce eee 25 0 ‘S05 Wy «se PlOI0 0 ss, £6 8 0 12 as a) kar) Subhas 30 0 CONOMY IN THE GARDEN.—4JAMES CARTER & CO. recommend intending tasers of Seeds, Plants, or Bulbs, to send for Copies of the following Catalogues, published at the respective named below, and which contain the fullest information to insure successful cultivation. (J. C. & Co. offer the great advantage of Seeds and Plants produced under their supervision). BTER’s ILLUSTRATED VADE MeEcuM AND CATALOGUE oF FLOWER, GARDEN, AND Farm SEDs, shed in January; Canten’s ILLUSTRATED PLant GurDE, published in May; CaRTER’s ILLUSTRATED LoGus oF‘Buxss, published in September ;—all Gratis and Post Free. JAMES CARTER & CO., The Royal Seedsmen and Nurserymen, 927 & 922 HIGH HOT.RORN. LONDON, E.C. WITH COLOURED PLATES. VALUABLE WORK OF REFERENCE FOR THE GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE. THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. Edited by SHIRLEY HIBBERD, Esq., F.R.HLS. Each Part contains A CoLoURED ILLUSTRATION. PUBLISHED MONTHLY, PRICE SIXPENCE. Annual Subscription, Sia Shillings. A Specimen Number sent post free for Seven Stamps. “This very useful publication con- tains a vast amount of information on Horticultural matters, applicable to the wants of all sorts of gardens from the smallest to the most ex- tensive.”—Hereford Journal. “We know of no serial of this character that we could recommend in priority to Taz FroraL Worx. It is cleverly edited, and imparts a large amount of every useful infor- mation.” —Royal Cornwall Gazette. “If any one loves flowers, and who does not? here is a periodical to his heart’s content. Every num- ber reveals new varieties and new sécrets in the horticultural art, and thereby affords the strongest evidence of its claims to public support.”— Gateshead Observer. “The information contained in A NEW SERIES COMMENCED JANUARY I, 1869. this carefully conducted Magazine is vast, and is given with that regard’ to immediate utility which makes it all the more valuable. ”— Coleraine’ Chronicle. * “This is a very useful garden’ guide. For the gardener this is a: very useful and well-edited publica tion.— Doncaster Gazette. “All the information that is ne- cessary to enable a garden or a conservatory to be duly taken care of will be found in its pages, and this is the faintest praise we can bestow upon it.”—London Mirror. | “ This admirable work—one of the best and most useful guides to the garden, and to hothouse and green-.: house management, which has been projected.”—Derby Telegraph. GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS, 5, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, : CYSTOPTERIS OICKIEANA THE FERN GARDEN HOW TO MAKE, KEEP, AND ENJOY IT; OR, , FERN CULTURE MADE HASY. BY SHIRLEY HIBBERD, AUTHOR OF “BUSTIC ADORNMENTS FOR HOMES OF TASTE,” ETC, ETC. ILLUSTRATED WITH EIGHT COLOURED PLATES AND FORTY WOOD ENGRAVINGS. SECOND EDITION. LONDON GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS, 5, PATERNOSTER ROW. MPCCCLXIX. PREFACE, Becinners in Fern culture are very much perplexed by the abundance of books on the subject, and their general unfitness to afford the aid a beginner requires. Almost everybody has written a book on ferns, it having become the fashion to consider a knowledge of the subject rather a disqualification than otherwise. When the blind attempt to lead the blind the result can be safely predicated, and no doubt the myriads of bad books on ferns that swarm in the cheap book shops have done their full share of mischief. We have fortunately plenty of good books on the subject, but for the most part they are technical and elaborate, and shoot over the heads of beginners. Some of my fern-loving friends have persuaded me to iv Preface. try my hand on a small volume adapted for the induction of the unlearned and unskilled in this pursuit, and here it is. Whether it will supersede any of the bad books or take lowest rank amongst them is for me a solemn problem. But I send it forth in hope that after a quarter of a century of hard work in the practical part of the subject, I may be better qualified to make a little book than some of those who, previous to writing, had acquired only a week or so of experience, and a very dim knowledge of about half a dozen species. As almost every fern in cultivation has names enough to fill a small volume, I have in every case adopted the names by which those recommended are best known in nurseries and gardens. The fearful question of nomenclature is thus avoided, and every fern may be found by the name it bears in this epitome. » &. Be CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE FERNS IN GENERAL . f ‘ * 1 CHAPTER II. FERN COLLECTING 3 . ‘ . re 4 CHAPTER III. How To FORM AN OUTDOOR FERNERY ‘ ‘ « 2, CHAPTER IV. CULTIVATION oF Rock Ferns . S - . 19g CHAPTER V. CULTIVATION OF MarsH FERNS . é “ » 24 CHAPTER VI. Ferns in Pors : * . “ « 26 CHAPTER VII. Tar Fern House : P * - 33 CHAPTER VIII. THE FERNERY AT THE FIRESIDE: ¥ « - 42, CHAPTER IX. MANAGEMENT OF FERN CaSES . F * "| 56 CHAPTER X. Ture Ant oF MuLTIPLYING FERNS ‘ Pp . 64 vi Contents. CHAPTER XI. Britisp FERNS % ‘ . CHAPTER XII. CULTIVATION OF GREENHOUSE AND STOVE FERNS : CHAPTER XIII. Firry SELECT GREENHOUSE FERNS CHAPTER XIV. Turrty SELnct Stove FERNS . . CHAPTER XV. GOLD AND SILVER FERNS 3 % CHAPTER XVI. TREE FERNS . a CHAPTER XVII. Fern ALLIES. . . PAGE 73 95 105 117, 124 128 131 THE FERN GARDEN: HOW TO MAKE, KEEP, AND ENJOY IT; OR, FERN CULTURE MADE EASY. CHAPTER I. FERNS IN GENERAL. y| HAVE a fine opportunity now for a dry chapter. I have a good mind to hang up a tuft of straw to indicate that the way is Suiryerouis: and to warn the reader not to proceed a line further. Ferns, my friends, belong to the sub- kingdom of vegetables termed Cryprocamra, a sub- kingdom so named because it is the custom of the population to celebrate marriages in the dark, so that it can scarcely be averred of them to a certainty that they really marry at all. In this sub-kingdom there are several large tribes, such as the mosses, the horse- tails, the lichens and liver worts; but the ferns or filices are the most noble of all, associating with others freely, but towering above them in apparent consciousness of right to rule. 2 The Fern Garden. All the cryptogams are destitute of flowers; that is one of their most noticeable distinctions. But though flowerless they, for the most part, produce seeds in plenty. Look on the under side of a ripe frond of almost any fern you can get hold of, and you will observe sharp lines, or dots, or constellations of red, brown, or yellow fruit or spore cases; within these are the spores or true seeds, by the germination of which the race is multiplied. Ferns differ from flowering plants in the principles of their construction and growth. If we examine the base of a leaf-stalk of a tree we shall find a bud there, which, if left alone, will produce a branch or a cluster of fruit the next season. There are no such buds in the axils of fern leaves, not even in those of the brake, which is peculiarly tree-like in its growth. The growth. of a fern is a sort of perpetual lengthening out at both ends. The upward growth, which is more frequently the subject of observation than the growth of the roots, consists first in a process of unrolling, and then of expansion and maturation of the leaves and stems. Because of these and other characters which obviously and without reference to the peculiar nature of their fruit distinguish them from flowering plants, the several parts of a fern are named differently to the corresponding parts in flowering plants. Thus, the true stem or root-stock of a fern is called a caudex, the true leaf is called a frond, the stem which bears the leaf is called the stipes, and the ramifications of the stipes through the leafy portion corresponding to the leaf-stalks of other plants bears the name of Ferns in General. 3 rachis. These are all the technicalities we need be troubled with, save and except as we go on the names of the ferns themselves. From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step. I have just made that step while walking through the fern-house to obtain the needful inspiration to write this little book. There I saw my plumy emerald green pets glistening with health and beadings of warm dew, and I thought it might help me if I read their names. Here are a few of them— Acrostichum Requienianum, Alsophila Junghuhniana, Anemia Schimperiana, Aspidium Karwinskyanum, Polystichum Plaschnichianum, Asplenium Gaudichan- dianum, Euphegopteris hexagonopterum, Dictyopteris megalocarpum. You must endure this sort of thing if you purpose giving the slightest amount of attention to ferns, for only a few out of thousands have English names, and to translate the botanical names into English would be very imprudent, not to say sometimes im- possible. But I assure you the names do not spoil the plants, they only compel fern books to be ugly and forbidding. Carolina Wilhelmina Amelia Skeggs was an unamiable person, but my Mohria thurifraga var. Achillizfolia is as sweet a bit of vegetable jewellery as you are likely to meet with in a day’s march, and I am sure you will admire, when you find it, Didymoglossum vel Trichomanes radicans. 4 The Fern Garden. CHAPTER II. BELIEVE no one can thoroughly enjoy or understand ferns until after having actually “2H hunted for them in hedgerows, woods, and amongst rocks, and rivulets, and waterfalls. The lady fern may be allowed to sing, as Madame Vestris did once upon a time: Through the woods, through the woods, Follow and find me, Search every hollow, and dingle, and dell, I leave but the print of my footstep behind me; So those who would find me must search for me well. I cannot afford space to enlarge upon the joys of fern-collecting, the pic-nicing, archzologico-exploring, © and holiday perambulating that may be associated with the sport. Kindly imagine all this and save me the expenditure of space on anything but the business in hand. Ferns are so widely distributed that wherever a rural walk is possible, it is almost certain that some- where in the district ferns may be found. The south- western counties of England constitutethe home paradise of the fern collector, but, as we must find our happi- ness where our lot is cast, it is better to make the most of the ferns within our reach than to repine if Cornwall and Devon happen to be ¢erra incognita. In the neigh- hourhood of London are many localities rich in ferns, Fern Collecting. 5 but as these are for the most part pretty well known I shall not enumerate them, but proceed at once to make some remarks on collecting ferns for cultivation. It is only during the height of summer that the deciduous kinds can be readily found by inexperienced collectors, and it is at that season that fern hunting proves a particularly agreeable pastime. It would be better always if the ferns could be removed from their native sites when first about to commence their new growth in the’ spring, and this can be done sometimes by searching in woods and hedgerows for old fronds, and tracing them to their source. The roots should then be taken up without injury to the crowns, and be at once planted or potted as required, and assisted with shade and shelter until established in the places assigned them in the garden. Experienced collectors may hunt for ferns during the winter to great advan- tage in districts where they are known to abound, as in the event of a mild season many of the deciduous kinds will be still green; and evergreen kinds, such as hartstongue and common polypody, may be better lifted in winter than at any other season. But as a rule fern hunting is a recreation for summer time, and any fern may be taken up in the height of summer and be kept with the utmost certainty for cultivation; the worst that is likely to happen is the loss of all the fronds they carry at the time of taking up; but a new crop will soon succeed them if proper care be taken. The fern collector should be provided with aids and implements adapted to the county in which he is about to make explorations. Where only terrestrial and hedgerow 6 The Fern Garden, kinds are expected to be found, a large basket, or better, a pair of baskets of moderate size, such as can be car- ried one in each hand, will be necessary. They should have close fitting lids, because if ferns are taken up on a hot day and exposed for some hours to the atmo- sphere, the crowns and roots will be so much exhausted that some may die, and all will be injured, whereas by packing them close with a little moist moss amongst them, the roots and crowns will be kept tolerably fresh until they can be potted or planted out. A short- handled three-pronged fork and a trowel, and a strong clasp knife, will be needful; and in some instances it will be necessary to borrow a spade or digging fork near the spot where operations are to take place, for fine old roots of royal osmund and other large-growing ferns will defy the leverage of all small hand tools. When ferns of large size are taken up in the height of summer, it is best to cut away all or nearly all their fronds at once, and use those fronds as packing material. On reaching home, the best treatment to subject them to is to pot them all separately in the smallest pots their roots can be got into, with cocoa-nut fibre alone or the fibre of good peat or leaf-mould, and shut them up in a frame, and keep only moderately moist until they start into growth. As at this early stage of the study I may suppose you do not know how to pot them and restore their energies, I will endeavour to point out a simpler mode of procedure. Find a very shady place in the garden and there make a bed of leaf mould or peat soil, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and plant the ferns in it as close together as possible. Then cover them Fern Collecting. 7 with bell glasses or common hand lights, and sprinkle them with water every evening, but take care not to make them very wet at the roots. They will soon begin to grow. In the spring following you may plant them in the fernery. Small ferns found growing on rocks and walls must always be carefully dealt with. The little maidenhair spleenwort will sometimes send its black wiry roots quite through the substance of a nine-inch or fourteen- inch wall, and to remove it with complete roots is then quite out of the question. By loosening a portion of its hold just below the crown of the ‘plant, roots may generally be obtained sufficient to enable it to re-establish itself under cultivation. A strong chisel and a hammer will be required in undertakings of this sort, and it may be well to add a little discretion also, especially as to extent to which walls—the property of somebody—are to be injured for the sake of a tuft of fern worth but a few pence, and of which specimens may be obtained more easily by further search without any necessity for the infliction of damage. Ferns found growing on and amongst rocks should always, if possi- ble, be obtained with portions of the rock to which they are attached. If this cannot be accomplished, care- fully tear the’ plant from the rock in a way to injure the roots as little as possible; good pieces will soon emit roots and fronds if properly treated, especially if kept moist by packing in moss or sphagnum from the ‘first moment of obtaining the specimen. Allow me to remark, further, that the passion for fern collecting has in many instances been carried to a ridiculous excess 8 The Fern Garden. by persons who merit the title not of fern collectors so much as fern destroyers. Let every genuine lover of ferns be on his guard both to discourage reckless fern collecting, and protect as far as possible the few re- maining localities of scarce British ferns. It is not many years since I saw amongst a heap of dried mosses, ferns, grasses, &c., in the possession of a lady, a sheet of Tunbridge fern nearly a yard square. This had been torn from its native site, carefully rolled up like a piece of old blanket, and put away, and was afterwards brought forth as a trophy, and preserved as a memo- rial of the days “ when we went gipsying.” The value of that sheet when fresh might have been about £5, and no doubt any nurseryman could make a larger sum ofa good square yard of the Tunbridge fern. Such reck- less destruction, such base contempt for the value set upon a rare fern by those who understand its history and its habits, and appreciate the interest that arises out of its beauty and rarity combined, is to be con- sidered as a crime; and though there is no law to punish the perpetrator, except in cases where there might be an action for trespass or wilful damage, it is the duty of every conservator of our native flora to visit crimes of this kind with the sternest disapprobation, accompanied with truthful explanations of the injury done alike to natural scenery and to science by such acts of spoliation. If you can dig up ferns in early spring, you may plant them in your fernery at once, and if shaded for a time and frequently sprinkled with water, taking care always not to make the soil about them very wet, Fern Collecting. 9 they will soon begin to grow vigorously, and after that patience is the only quality required on your part to ensure your proper reward. You will soon learn to distinguish ferns from all other plants when you meet with them. When you find a fern, take notice of the soil and situation it is growing in, and in attempting its cultivation imitate those conditions as nearly as possible. The pretty wall rue spleenwort loves to grow in the full sun, upon and amongst sandstone rocks. You will see ‘plenty of it on the approaches to the Suspension Bridge at Clifton, and you may find the common maiden-hair spleenwort keeping it company if you look sharp. It is in the shady, dank, almost dripping hollow, or on the slope of a water-course, that you are most likely to find the lovely lady fern, the hard fern, and the royal osmund, yet these will sometimes make a bonny show upon dry banks beside a dusty highway, where, perhaps, for miles the common lastrea is the prevailing fern of the district. In Epping Forest there are thousands of pollard trees on the awkward stems of which are perched, like wreaths of honour, tufts of the common polypody. I used when a boy to tear them off to line my basket with when birdnesting, for that forest was my playground. If you want to see the bracken you need not travel far, but if you would cultivate it you must notice that it grows to its grandest stature on mellow, yellowish loam, and is rather poor and stunted on sand and peat, though not always so. Observe always how they look when they are at home, and thereby learn to persuade them to believe themselves 10 The Fern Garden. at home when you have planted them in the garden. Some thrive on perpendicular walls of stone and brick, others in the moist woodland shade, others on the bleak. mountain top, and many a glorious group may be found on the sides and roofs of caverns, which they make like fairy palaces with their green feathery plumes and golden dottings of mysterious fruit. However many lessons you may learn of the habits of the several kinds of ferns, there should be one lesson impressed upon your mind more deeply than any—it is this, that, much as they love moisture, it is a most rare thing to see a fern growing with its roots naturally in water. When they congregate, as it were, to drink of the brook that passes by, they keep their feet clear away from the current, and lodge safely on the slopes that dip towards the water; or stand proudly upon little islets that compel the stream to sing as it passes them ; or on banks and hummocks round about where they can enjoy the tiny splashes the trout make when they leap for flies, and the soft nourishing vapour that rises day and night amongst their shining fronds. Yes, it is upon slopes mostly that ferns love to grow; . in places where water rarely lodges, but where moisture is abundant, and there is some shade against the noon- day summer sun. Note all you see of the whereabouts and ways of your favorites, and you will find that there is a better book on fern-growing than the one you are now reading—it is the Boox or Narurs. rOB@e—+- How to form an Outdoor Fernery. ll CHAPTER III. HOW TO FORM AN OUTDOOR FERNERY. \ O keep up your interest in the subject, make a fernery at the very outset, even if you do not know the names of half a dozen ferns. If you cannot go collecting you may be able to dip into the tempting basket of the itinerant fern vendor, who is sure to be able to supply you with the Male fern, or Lastrea Filix mas, which is the hardiest of all, and will grow almost anywhere; the Lady fern, or. Athyrium Filiz femina; the Hard fern, or Blechnum spicant; and the Hartstongue fern, or Scolopendrium vulgare. With these four you can make a good beginning. It is usual to construct the outdoor fernery of some sort of “rockwork,” and for two good reasons, first, because the forms and hues of ferns are more effectually dis- played when their bright green tufts rise out of grey stones or dark burrs from the brick kiln; second, because they thrive better, when planted in gardens, if their roots are protected from excessive evaporation by the covering of the soil with stones and vitreous masses. Many a tiny fernery do I see in my travels placed at the entrances to country villas and cottages, where I should never think of placing them, yet they look quiet and pleasing, and suggest to all passers by that 12 The Fern Garden. those who planted them did their best to vindicate the quiet beauties of God’s great harvest, knowing that for more demonstrative forms of vegetable splendour vindi- cation was unnecessary. When little ferneries like these are constructed, only the commonest and most robust-growing ferns should be planted in them. Gene- rally speaking, the common soil of the place will do, but if a quantity of leaf mould or cocoa-nut fibre can be mixed with it the better. If there is any doubt about the soil of the place being suitable, get some sandy or peaty earth from a common where ferns and heather are found in plenty, and have enough to raise the position above the general level, then cover it with stones or burrs, and plant the ferns between. There are sorts well adapted for this simplest form of fernery, namely, the four just named, as likely to be found in the fern dealer’s basket, and the following :—the Bracken or Brake, Pieris aquilina, the Broad Prickly Buckler fern, Lastrea dilatata, the royal Osmund, Os- munda regalis, the common Polypody, Polypodium vul- gare, the Common Shield fern, Polystichum aculeatum. Many more may be added if the soil is a mellow, friable yellow loam, with plenty of sand in it, but it will be well to get a little used to ferns before launching out ‘into grand speculations. When you have had some practice in this humble way, and have, perhaps, suc- ceeded in growing a few ferns in pots in a frame or in a fern case in the drawing-room, you will become am- bitious, and resolve on having a grand fernery, with, perhaps, a model of a ruin for the main feature of the scheme. How to form an Outdoor Fernery. 13 Outdoor ferneries are usually formed of tree roots and banks of earth, picturesquely disposed and planted with ferns severally adapted to the sites and positions the scheme affords. Where there are living trees on or near the spot (and the shade of large trees is desir- able), the use of roots is objectionable, because of the quautities of fungi which are sure to be produced, the mycelium from which may find its way among the living roots and commit vast havoc. But even this danger is worth risking sometimes in cases where roots and butts are plentiful on the spot, and it is undesirable to incur any great expense. The foundation of all banks and earth-works for ferns should be good loam or clay, into which many of the stronger-growing kinds will send their roots when well established. But the upper crust and the stuff for fillmg in between roots, burrs, &c., should consist of half peat and half silky yellow loam, or some mixture which nearly approxi- | mates in character to such a combination. Thus, good loam with well-rotted cocoa-nut fibre, or loam mixed with yellow leaf-mould and manure that has lain by three or four years till rotted to powder. It is best to com- plete the structure and fill in all the more important places intended for soil before inserting any of the plants, for the simple reason that the work must be firm, the soil well rammed in, and the whole of the scheme so substantial that there will be no fear of any portion shrinking away afterwards, and leaving the roots of the ferns without soil, or causing hollows and crevices between the blocks and the banks into which they are set. 14 The Fern Garden. ROGKWORK AND COMMON BRACKEN. How to form an Outdoor Fernery. 15 My own outdoor fernery was figured and described in the ‘Floral World’ of January, 1867. It consists of walls and arches forming a sort of ruined bastion. It is entirely built of “burrs” from the brick kiln, which is the best material for the purpose in districts where rough stone is not to be obtained. All the walls are double, and filled in with strong loam, and, of course, are roughly built, with many crevices and hollows, in which the ferns are planted. These walls may be likened to cases containing earth which is fully exposed on the summit to the weather, and consequently may be regarded as another kind of banks. The annexed diagram will give an idea of the principle of construc- tion, though straight lines of course convey no idea of their form. i A A a)a]4 EB a EB GROUND LINE. Where the walk passes through the bastion, the walls rise clear out of the gravel, but all round in the bays and inlets mounds of earth are raised against them, as would be the case in a real ruin, from the accumulation of rubbish. As a hint of the rough construction of the walls, and the nature of the effects produced, here is a “bit” of scenery from the bastion, from a “ photo,” 16 The Fern Garden. showing how the bracken grows on the rubbish heaps in nooks amongst the walls. The whole scheme is planted with ferns, and various flowering Alpine and rock plants, every position having forms of vegetation suited to it. Thus, at the base, where the walk passes through, there are great tufts of lastrea and lady fern; on the summit, crowning the work, and rooting into the great mass of earth, the common polypody thrives as bravely as on the pollard alders and oaks in Epping Forest. High up in dry positions, on the face of the wall, grow the Wall Rue, Asplenium ruta-muraria, the Maidenhair spleenwort, Asplenium trichomanes, with many varieties of sempervivum, sedum, thyme, and other plants that love such positions. On the smaller knolls, and in half-shaded bays, where there is a good depth of earth, may be seen lovely tufts of the Parsley fern, Allosorus crispus, the most choice tasselled varieties of Harts- tongue, the delicate Bladder fern, Cystopteris fragilis. On the banks around, the giant bracken towers up above our heads, and other ferns of large growth con- gregate in rich masses. My bastion is part of a screen formed to separate the pleasure division of the garden from the experimental, and with it are connected a number of features, such as a rustic house used as a summer reading-room, a bee-house, some great tree butts planted with ferns, ivies, and grasses. J am satisfied that where space can be afforded the imitation of a ruin is the best possible central idea out of which to develop a fernery. We shall have to refer to rockeries again in various ways, but as I am resolved to make no long, tedious How to form an Outdoor Fernery. 17 chapters if I can help it, I will here offer a few general advices on the formation of ferneries out of doors. Provide as many aspects and degrees of declivity as possible within certain limits. One slightly irregular bank is to be preferred to a number of paltry ins and outs, but if you have space and materials sufficient, let the work be somewhat intricate in order to obtain a variety of conditions to suit the various habits of the ferns you intend to grow. Large bodies of soil are absolutely necessary, as it is impossible to keep the roots moist enough during the hottest months of the year if they are in shallow soil, of which a large surface is exposed to the atmo- sphere. It is particularly important to bear this in mind in constructing the walls of a ruin, if it is in- tended to plant ferns on or in the walls. A space of one foot clear, filled in with earth, between the two faces of the wall, is the least that should be allowed in the smallest construction of the kind; two or three feet of earth will be required in a ruin of dimensions large enough to serve as a garden-house or reading-room. Aim at wildness and apparent neglect in the arrange- ments up to a certain point. Dirt and disorder are as injurious to the ferns as to the morals of those who encourage such things, but primness is not desirable in a fernery; the effects should tend towards the rustic rather than to the refined, and the materials used throughout should be of the quietest colours; no gew gaws, no plaster casts, no blocks of coral or shiny shells should be mixed up with the work. Robust-growing ferns planted on banks and mounds 2 18 The Fern Garden. of good mellow loam will scarcely want cultivating. Pretty well the best you can do for them is to leave them alone. But those elevated on pinnacles and in other positions where they are likely to get very dry must have the aid of water, not only in summer but in winter, also on every occasion when dry weather prevails for any length of time. Many plants so situated perish by desiccation during the prevalence of east winds in March, when because the weather is cold and they are not growing, the cultivator is apt to think water un- necessary ; or rather he is apt not to think about the ferns or the water at all. Small-growing delicate habited ferns that are in ex- posed positions on rockeries should have protection durigg severe frost. A flower-pot may be inverted over them or a little clean hay may be placed over their crowns and kept from blowing away by means of a few pegs, or cocoa-nut fibre or sand may be heaped up round and over them, to be taken away of course when the crowns begin to throw up new fronds in spring. Always wait for mild moist weather to remove such protection, for if the swelling crown is suddenly exposed to a cutting east wind, it may shrivel and perish, instead of throwing up its emerald tassels in token of the return of the tender spring. Thus far we have considered outdoor ferneries as superstructures. We might have regarded them as substructures. At all events, I should like for an old quarry to become mine some day that I might make a fernery of it; and perhaps lacking a quarry, I may be tempted to throw myself into a gravel pit, and bya little hard work and patience make a fern garden of it, Cultivation of Rock Ferns, 19 CHAPTER IV. CULTIVATION OF ROCK FERNS. ajOU have taken notice when fern collecting that 4 af many of the smaller kinds are only found on 2) rocks and old walls, or, at all events, are never found in damp hollows or in places over much sheltered from the sun and the breeze. Now, all such ferns require peculiar treatment, and as you advance in practice the rock and wall-loving varieties will probably interest you more than all the rest. The first requisite to success is to plant them where it is impossible for water to become stagnant about their roots. In planting them on a rockery itis a good plan to take out a quantity of the soil from the place where the fern is to be, and introduce soil specially pre- pared for it. In preparing the stations put a lot of broken bricks or broken flower-pots and small stones into the holes, and upon these let there be full nine inches depth of the compost, and let it be raised into a hillock. Nearly all the ferns of this class will thrive in a mixture of equal parts of yellow loam of a silky nature, fibrous peat or the top crust of sandy soil from a com- mon where the ling and the brake grow together. There must be full one fourth of sand in the mixture, but the 20 The Fern Garden. loam or peat may contain as much as that, and no more need be added. If the loam and the peat are both of an unctuous nature, add sharp sand in quantities equal to one fourth or even one third of the bulk, and mix all well together. Never use sifted soil for ferns (except in the case of seedlings, to be spoken of in a future chapter), but have all lumps broken to the size of walnuts or hazel nuts, and mix fine and coarse together. In planting the ferns, those that have a creeping rhizome or root stock must be slightly covered, and it may be necessary to fix them in their places with a few pegs. Do not cover them deeply, only so much in fact as to prevent exhaustion of the rhizomes by drying winds until they can make fresh roots, by which time the frequent sprinklings they are subjected to will have washed the mulching off the rhizomes, which will then be left in their natural position on and not in the soil. It will be well perhaps to make a few remarks on the species which come into this group. ) Ayr ay “A lis \S eat fe Big ty "2 ip YQ OS aN aN - \ eget 4 S 2 Zs SS Ky i aN aes Ke LINK SE pt *f at SS IN A ADIANTUM FARLEYENSE. Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 105 CHAPTER XIII. FIFTY SELECT GREENHOUSE FERNS. chapter will comprise ferns of the most dis- #8 tinct and various characters, essential in any collection in which beauty and character are the qualities most desired, and all of them suitable for beginners in cultivation.. None of the gold and silver ferns will be included in these selections; they will be dealt with separately, as needing more skill and care than be- ginners are likely to bestow upon them. Technical descriptions are not to be thought of in a work of this kind. Anemidictyon phyllitidis, a pretty flowering fern, adapted for pot culture, or to plant out, or for the fern case. Adiantum assimile, A. cuneatum, A. formosum, A. fuloum, A. tinctum, a charming group, requiring shade, not rooting deep, and better if they never have water over their fronds. They are all adapted for specimen culture, the last is one of the most elegant in form and has a rosy purplish tint on its young fronds. Asplenium bulbiferum, A. caudatum, A. dimidiatum, A. dimorphum, A. hemionitis (or palmata), A. lucidum, 106 The Fern Garden. ADIANTUM OUNEATUM. 1 Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 107 A, obtusatum, A. premorsum. The two most striking of this group are hemionitis and dimorphum, which should be first secured. As to management, the merest beginner can grow them well. Blechnum occidentale, B. brasiliense, two noble ferns, suitable for the greenhouse, yet rather tender, and utterly incapable of bearing a touch of frost. Campyloneurum phyllitidis, a very distinct entire fronded fern, which forms a striking object when well grown. It is commonly kept in the stove, but the greenhouse is the proper place for it. The soil for this fern should be rich and gritty, containing plenty of fibre, but it should not be deep, as it is a shallow rooter. Abundance of water should be given while the plant is growing. It is not particular whether in sun or shade, but, of course, will not bear roasting. Davallia canariense, the “ Hare’s-foot”’ fern, D. dis- secta, a charming pair, and the easiest of the family to grow. It is easy to kill Davallias by means of heavy soil and excess of ‘water; equally easy to grow them to perfection with plenty of drainage, a very gritty - soil, and water in moderation. The fleshy rhizomes must be pegged out upon the surface in planting new pieces. Gleichenia flabellata is the only one of the genus I can recommend to a beginner. It is a fern of large growth, requiring to be carefully trained like a delicate climbing plant. Plant in a shallow pot, give plenty of water and plenty of air. When you have mastered this one add G. dicarpa and G. spelunce. Goniophlebium appendiculatum, a splendid edition (we 108 The Fern Garden. CAMPYLONEURUM PHYLLITIDIS. 110 The Fern Garden. potsherds to the compost. Do not wet the fronds at all. Hypolepis tenuifolia, a finely divided brightly coloured fern, requiring abundance of water. Litobrochia incisa, rather coarse, but worth having; it will take care of itself almost anywhere. Lastrea quingangularis, L, patens, two exquisite gems, cheap, but not common. ‘They thrive in our cool fernery. Lomaria magellanica, L. gibba, L. chiliense, grand ferns, nearly hardy, and indispensable in even the smallest collection. lL. gibba will endure almost any hardship except frost. Lygodium Japonicum, L. scandens, the two best “climbing ferns” for a beginner. They may be trained to sticks or wires in the same way as a con- volvulus. Mohria thurifraga, a rich fern, good enough for ex- hibition. It thrives in the cool fernery, but is rather tender. Nephrodium molle corymbiferum, a charming tasselled fern, like a cockscomb; rather tender, and therefore pretty sure to be lost if kept damp and cool in winter ; yet it is a greenhouse fern, and one of the best. Niphobolus lingua, N. rupestris, pretty entire-fronded ferns, requiring a dry soil, with plenty of broken brick and sand. Well adapted also for the fern case. For several years past we have grown a collection of ferns of this class im a sunny part of the geranium house, and the full blaze of the sun has agreed with them perfectly. Any excess of moisture will kill them. Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 111 Nephrolepis tuberosa is the only one of this splendid family I can recommend for the greenhouse, though they are all classed as greenhouse ferns in trade cata- logues. This, however, is so distinct, that you must have it if you buy only a dozen. Onychium Japonicum, a delicate fennel-like fern, NEPHRODIUM MOLLE, var. CORYMBIFERUM. fragile, fairy like, yet nearly hardy, and always in health, if thoroughly shaded. Platyloma rotundifolia, very distinct and fine when in fruit. It must have deep shade. 112 The Fern Garden. POLYPODIUM VENOSUM. Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 113 Polypodium venosum in the way of Niphobolus lingua, a charming object when its ruddy fruits are ripe. This fern requires peculiar treatment, and if properly planted in the first instance will occasion no trouble whatever. In any case the roots must be extra well drained, for stagnant moisture is certain death to this plant. The soil which suits it best is a mixture of equal parts gritty leaf-mould, sandy peat, and potsherds broken to the size of peas. In such a mixture, not more than six inches in depth (four inches is sufficient), on a bottom of some material which will allow of ready escape for surplus moisture, the plant will do well, and prove itself an almost hardy fern. Obviously the best way to deal with a plant so constituted is to suspend it. When grown in a basket in a warm greenhouse it soon forms a fine specimen, the tawny rhizome creeps about wildly, and soon covers the basket with a beautiful complexity of cord-like windings, and from every part of it, except the young pushing shoots of the season, barren and fertile fronds are produced in plenty. To increase it is easy enough; cut off a portion of rhizome with fronds and roots attached; pot it in the same sort of mixture as is recommended for specimen plants, and give it proper encouragement, and it will soon make a plant. Phlebodium aureum, P. sporodocarpum, two bold glaucous tinted ferns, with ruddy rhizomes that run upon the surface. They are both classed as stove ferns in the books, but they are as easy to grow in a green- house as any in this list; at all events we can keep them in luxuriant condition in the cool house. Plenty of grit in the soil, and perfect drainage. 8 114 The Fern Garden. Polystichum setosum, a lovely dark green fern, will take care of itself anywhere in the shade. Pteris ternifolia, P. hastata, P. cretia albo lineata, P. scaberula, P. flabellata, a fine group; scaberula runs about, and should not be put into a case for that reason ; but in a basket, which will allow it to peep out, it is at home; as for the last in the list it is lovely, and thrives in our cool house. Platycerium alcicorne is absolutely indispensable for its curious habit and its hardiness. It will bear seven or even ten degrees of frost, and yet come right again, but should never be so much punished. Get a block of old wood, scoop out a hole, and put in it some fine peat, and in that hole fix the plant firmly. Then hang up the block by means of copper wire,.and syringe frequently all the year round. It will in time cover the block with its tawny shields (we call them “ pot lids”), and make a grand object. A plant has hung near the roof of our cool house for ten years, and has several times been frozen. Todea pellucida and T. superba are a pair of New Zealand filmy ferns of the most exquisite character. I am half afraid to recommend them to beginners, yet they only want deep shade and moisture to succeed to perfection, as they are nearly hardy. Plenty of drain- age, plenty of patience, as little air as possible, and all will be well. Ihave some fine plants growing in a disused (because leaky) aquarium; they are in fine condition. They are covered close with a sheet of glass and never have any air at all. Thamnopteris australasica is too good to be omitted. Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. PTERIS SCABERULA. 116 The Fern Garden. You may call it a sublime hartstongue. It loves warmth, and thrives in the stove. A little practice, however, will suffice for its management in a warm greenhouse. Mr. Gibson had the daring to make a bed of a few dozens of this fern in a shady spot in Battersea Park in the summer of 1867, and not one of them suffered by exposure to the vulgar atmosphere of this degenerate clime. Woodwardia radicans, W. orientalis, grand large growing ferns that will bear many hardships, and yet live. The first is indispensable to a beginner who can find room for it, and as to growing it, look at it now and then, and it will be satisfied; the other is of smaller growth, and scarcely less hardy; it has a purplish tint when growing. Both produce young plants in abund- ance on their mature fronds. Exuisition Grerennouse Frrns.—The following form a rich and varied group of twelve adapted for exhibition: Lomaria gibba, Blechnum brasiliense, As- plenium dimorphum, Asplenium hemionitis (also known as Asplenium palmatum), Phlebodium sporodocarpum, Pteris cretica albo-lineata, Gleichenia flabellata, Micro- lepia platyphylla, Nephrolepis exaltata, Thamnopteris australasica, Woodwardia radicans, Pteris flabellata var. crispa. RRO Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 117 CHAPTER XIV. THIRTY SELECT STOVE FERNS. 7a NEIMIA collina, a fine representative of an | interesting group of flowering ferns. It re- quires the most commonplace treatment. Adiantopsis radiata, a very distinct and elegant little fern; the divisions of the fronds radiate in a regular manner from a common centre. Adiantum concinnum, A. Farleyense, A. macrophyllum, A, tenerum, A. trapeziforme ; a splendid group, not one of which can be dispensed with in even the smallest collection. A. Farleyeuse might in an offhand way be pronounced the most beautiful fern known, but the assertion would not bear criticism, just because there are so many beauties of the kind; it is impossible to decide which is the best amongst them. Asplenium formosum, A. serra, A. viviparum. The second of these is a large-growing exhibition fern ; the other two are delicate beauties. Blechnum brasiliense, a noble fern, well adapted for exhibition, and one of the easiest to manage. Brainea insignis, a grand fern, palm-like in growth, the young fronds tinged with a lovely rosy hue. Davallia polyantha, D. aculeata. The fronds of the 118 The Fern Garden. first have a rich rosy crimson tinge when young; the gars eo Oy. DAVALLIA ACULEATA. other is as thorny as a bramble, and grows in the style of a climbing fern. Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 119 POLYPODIUM LACHNOPODIUM. 120 The Fern Garden. Elaphoglossum frigidum, a curious and most beautiful species, with entire wavy, pendant fronds, which are covered with grey scales, giving it a hoary appearance. Nothing in its way can surpass it. Gleichenia pubescens, one of the finest and easiest stove plants of this section. Deserves all the care that can be given it to form a fine specimen. Goniophlebium fraxinifolium, a particularly handsome once divided fern, of a delicate pale green colour. Goniopteris crenata, extremely pretty when in fruit, and well worth growing as a specimen. Hymenodium crinitum, most distinct and beautiful ; not in the least resembling any other fern known; the fronds are like the large leaves of some tropical tree, densely bearded with black hairs. Hemionitis palmata, a distinct ivy-like fern, bearing many tiny young plants on its fronds. Lomaria attenuata, a very pretty little blechnum-like fern, the young fronds of which have a delicate rosy hue. Lygodium flexuosum, the grandest of the climbing ferns; scarce. Nephrodium glandulosum, extremely pretty and pecu- liar; the fronds once divided; shining green. Nephrolepis exaliata, N. pectinata, the two best table and sideboard ferns known, and first rate, too, for the centre of a fine vase or large case group. We have lost many fine plants of both species in the endeavour to make greenhouse ferns of them. Polypodium lachnopodum, P. Henchmanni, P. phy- matodes, three fine and very distinct species; the metallic blue colour of the second is peculiar and pleasing. Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 121 POLYPODIUM HENCHMANNII. 12k The Fern Garden. POLYPODIUM PHYMATODES. Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 123 Pleopeltis membranacea, a scarcely interesting fern at first, but one likely to become a special pet in time. It dies down completely in winter, and comes up again in the spring. The fronds are undivided, and bear a remote resemblance to lettuce leaves. We have had some plants five or six years in an unheated case, but it is delicate, and most at home in the stove. Pieris argyrea, P. aspericaulis, two richly variegated ferns, which are very subject to attacks of thrips if kept in a dry air. P. tricolor is a favourite which I do not recommend because troublesome to grow, and scarcely worth growing. Platycerium grande is the finest of the stag’s horn ferns, and though usually described as a greenhouse plant, attains a far finer development in the stove. Fix it on a block of wood, and suspend it, or put a block in a pot, and place the plant near it, so that it can take hold and cover the block in its own way. Exuisition Stove Ferns.—The following form a rich and varied group of twelve adapted for exhibition : Adiantum Farleyense, Adiantum trapeziforme, Hymeno- dium crinitum, Aspidium macrophyllum (also known as Cardiochlena macrophylla), Asplenium myriophyllum (also known as Asplenium cicutarium), Asplenium serra, Drynaria morbillosa, Gleichenia dichotoma, Lygodium flexuosum, Nephrolepis davallicides, Platycerium grande, and Pteris argyrea. +eGe-e+ 124 The Fern Garden. CHAPTER XV. ‘GOLD AND SILVER FERNS. SAONE of the so-called gold and silver ferns are YR adapted for beginners. They are so superbly 4) beautiful that people altogether unaccustomed to ferns buy them and put them in greenhouses, sup- posing that watering now and then is all the care they want, and in the course of a month or so the plants die, and an absurd inference is drawn from the occurrence that ferns in general are impossible things. It is quite certain that a very large number of maidenhair ferns are killed by ladies who pretend to love ferns and really have no real care for them at all; but probably there are more gymnogrammas killed through absurd treat- ment than any other class of ferns whatever. Yet they require but little more care than most others; their peculiarity is that if that care is denied them they die outright ; whereas many other kinds survive neglect and ill-treatment, and regain their cheerful looks “in no time”? if proper treatment is resorted to. If we could repeat in an intensified form all the cautions that have been given in this work up to this point we should have a practical code for the cultivation of gold and silver ferns. Instead of attempting that, I Gold and Silver Ferns. 125 will sketch out a code in a very few words, begging the reader to regard each word as pregnant with meaning, each hint and direction as involving for the ferns issues of life or death, as they may be observed, trifled with, or ignored. The pots must never be larger than the plants can soon fill with roots. They must be very carefully drained by means of potsherds packed with the greatest care. The soil should consist of good fibrous peat and a large proportion of sharp siliceous grit; silver sand is almost too fine, but must be used if nothing more granular is obtainable. The plants must be potted firmly with the crowns well above the surface. Thenceforward the temperature and the degree of humidity are of the utmost importance, Only a small proportion of all the gold and silver ferns in cultivation require the heat of the stove, but not one of them will endure a lower temperature than that of the house it properly belongs to. Thus, there are many stove ferns that thrive in a greenhouse, and many green- house kinds that do well in an unheated house. But it is not so with those before us; they are not accom- modating, they are exacting, and must be humoured to their whim. As to moisture none of them will bear much; to make them very wet is to put them in jeopardy. But on the other hand to let them go dry is certain death. The principal enemies that make war against them as cultivated plants are imperfect drainage, heavy soil, cold, damp, and drought. In no case should the fronds be wetted by the use of the syringe. The little that I have said compasses the whole subject, and the observant cultivator, who is also diligent and con- 126 The Fern Garden. stant in his work, will find that the secret of success with this class of ferns is unremitting attention. The following are the names of the best gold and silver ferns in cultivation : Adiantum sulphureum, the Golden Maidenhair. This exquisite plant only needs careful greenhouse treatment. Cheilanthes argentea, a delicate silver fern ;. green- house. OC. borsigiana, golden; stove. C. farinosa, silver; a fine species very distinct, requiring great care; stove. C. fragrans, a lovely little gem tinged with orange, well adapted for greenhouse or case. When dried agreeably fragrant. C. elegans, silvery, a most . delicate and much prized fern, best grown in a warm greenhouse, in a compost of lumpy peat and broken bricks or stone. C. pulveracea, the under side silvery, the edges golden: a fine companion to C. farinosa, and needing the same treatment. Gymnogramma chrysophylla, the finest of all gold ferns ; it must be grown in the stove. G. Peruviana argyrophylla, silvery-grey on both surfaces, a splendid stove fern. G. ochracea, slightly golden, easy to grow, but needing to be kept in the stove all winter. G. sui- phurea, a pretty little plant, light green above, sulphur- yellow beneath; must have stove treatment. G. Tar- tarea, the under side of the fronds pure silvery-white, the best of all silver ferns for beginners; it thrives in the stove, but may be kept in good condition in a green- house. Nothochlena argentea, a fine silvery companion to Cheilanthes farinosa, and requiring similar care. N. flavens, an exquisitely beautiful miniature golden fern; CHETLANTHES ARGENTEA Tree Ferns. 127 a good companion for N. nivea, which is equally diminutive and densely powdered with silvery farina. GONIOPTERIS CRENATA. 128 The Fern Garden. CHAPTER XVI. TREE FERNS. gare REE ferns have been brought within the reach of fern growers who happen not to be #88 millionaires, by the enterprise of trade col- lectors, and may be purchased according to size, rarity, &e., at from five guineas each and onwards. Those, however, who would like to grow their own, and who are blest with the needful patience, may obtain young plants to begin with at from five to fifty shillings each. There is much to be said in favour of purchasing young plants ; they are extremely ornamental, and the green- house kinds will thrive in the shady parts of a con- servatory where scarcely anything else would grow. If it is intended to embark in the purchase of fine specimen tree ferns it will be important to consider first the space available, for the spread of a fine Dicksonia or Cyathea is considerable, and it is not good for them to rub their fronds against the glass roof, however carefully it may be shaded. There are no species of filices more easy to cultivate than such as are classed as “tree ferns.”’? The soil should be the best peat in a rough state, with but little sand added; the addition, however, of sphagnum moss Tree Ferns and Lycopodiums. 129 or cocoa-nut fibre improves the peat for the purpose. Large pots or tubs are needful; the roots will bear a certain amount of cramping, but as a free growth is desirable—in fact essential—both to maintain the health besides developing the beauty of the plants, as much pot room must be allowed as possible, consistent with the sizes of the plants and the place they are kept in. Shade is of the first importance, abundance of moisture is indispensable. The most desirable greenhouse tree ferns are Dick- sonia antarctica, D. squarrosa, Alsophila australis, A. excelsa, Cyathea dealbata. The first named is the most useful and is extremely likely to prove a hardy plant for sheltered shady dells in the south-western parts of England and the warmer parts of Ireland. The beginner should avoid Alsophila capensis as risky, and the expert need be in no hurry to obtain it. The most desirable tree ferns for the stove are Alsophila glauca, A. armata, Cibotium scheidei, Cyathea arborea, C. microlepis. Let us now suppose that some obliging friend in Australia makes you a present of a lot of tree ferns. He has found some specimens with stems from four to five, or even six feet long; he has cut away all the fronds, and dug them up, without taking the trouble of saving any of the roots. In fact, they are stems and nothing more—stems, sans fronds, sans roots, sans everything. He leaves them out in the air for a few days to dry, and then packs them with shavings in a box ; let him be especially careful that this box be not air-tight—that is their greatest danger. In this way 9 130 The Fern Garden. they generally come with pretty good success, a large majority of them quite safely. And now, as we unpack them, let them be placed upright in some close, cool, dark corner—under the stage of a greenhouse is as good a place as they can have. Give them a syringing once a day for the first week, and after that two or three times a day; never allow them to get quite dry. By the end of a fortnight, or even sooner, you will observe the points of new roots starting out upon the stem, and the closely coiled-up fronds in the centre to be pushing upwards. They may now be safely potted. I have no faith in exact proportions for mixing soils, and my candid opinion is that the mechanical condition of the soil has more influence than anything else. Let it then, above all things, be open and porous. Use pots as small as you can in the first place, and shift them from time to time as the plants may require it, using rough peaty soil as before. If allowed to become pot-bound, the _ fronds 'soon dwindle in size. Keep them always moist at the root, and during nine months of the year the stem should be kept constantly moist. This can easily be done without wetting the fronds much, which is not always beneficial. Do not expose your plants to draughts of dry air, and be sure to shade them from bright sunshine. Following these simple rules, your __ tree-ferns will be an ever-increasing source of pleasure. Fern Allies, 131 CHAPTER XVII. FERN ALLIES, LYCOPODIUMS, SELAGINELLAS, PEPPER-WORTS, HORSE- TAILS, AND MOSSES. MOWEVER slightly the cultivator of ferns may 4 be interested in their technical classification and =) botanical affinities, it is impossible to proceed far in the practice without being attracted by the beauties of certain plants which are not ferns, but cousins-german to them. - 126 Localities in which ferns grow ‘ é ‘ 9 Lycopodiums : : s é . 183 Index. 147 PAGE Marsh ferns : é ; : . 4 Mobria thurifraga : . : - 110 Mosses . f js ‘ - 143 Multiplication of ferns 3 - : . 64 Mural ferneries. : ‘ 2 . 1b Nephrodium molle , ‘ 5 . 110 Nephrolepis, species of . : , 111, 120 Niphobolus lingua and rupestris : ; . 110 Nomenclature : : : ‘ 3 Nothochlena argentea, flavens, &e. . ‘ . 126 Onychium Japonicum ‘ ; . iil Ophioglossum, British species of . 7 . 84 Osmunda regalis . : ‘ ; 24, 84 Outdoor ferneries . : . . - dil Pepper-worts ‘ ‘ . 188 Phlebodium aureum and aporndcear sit : . 118 Platycerium alcicorne : , : . 14 a grande Aj * 5 . 123 Platyloma rotundifolia ; ‘ ; . 1 Pleopeltis membranacea_.. é ‘ 123 Polypodium, British species of : : ‘29, 84 9 exotic species . ‘ 118, 120 Polystichum, British species of ‘ : . 86 Pot-culture of ferns - ‘ é . 26 Pots for specimen ferns : ss . 103 Propagation of ferns by spores, dipisinas &e. . . 64 Pteris, British species of . ‘ ; . 89 » exotic species ; S ‘ 114, 123 Selaginellas ‘ - : . 134 Scolopendrium, British apeciey of . : 23, 89, 92 Silver ferns . a : 7 . 124 Stag’s-horn ferns . . : ; 114, 123 Stove ferns, culture of : ‘ J . 100 Structure and growth of ferns : ; a) Thamnopteris australasica . r : . 114 Todea pellucida and superba : ‘ . 114 148 ‘ Index. Tree ferns ‘ Trichomanes radicans Tunbridge filmy fern Rockeries and rooteries Rock and wall ferns é Rosher’s fern-pillar Vermin in fern-cases Woodsia alpina and ilvensis Woodwardia radicans and orientalis PAGE 128 92 8, 80 13 7,19 55 57 23, 94 116 DICK RADCLYFFE & C0.’S CATALOGUE GRATIS AND POST FREE. PLANTS, FERNS. fLOCKERIES PUILT IN J own OR PouNTRY. AQUARIA, FERN CASES, AND Every Description of Hortienltaral Requisite. DICK RADCLYFFE & CO., F.R.HS., 129, HIGH HOLBORN, W.C., AND AT THE Royat HorRTICULTURAL GARDENS, KENSINGTON. SEED GROUNDS, ERFURT, PRUSSIA. HOOPER & CO,, SEED AND PLANT MERCHANTS, &c., COVENT GARDEN MARKET, LONDON, W.C, Supply SEEDS, BULBS, &c., of every kind, to suit the requirements of all classes of Consumers. SEEDS FOR THE FARM. SEEDS FOR THE KITCHEN GARDEN. SEEDS, BULBS, ETC., FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN. SEEDS, BULBS, ETC., FOR THE GREENHOUSE. SEEDS FOR SENDING ABROAD. ———_+o—___—_. The following Catalogues are published by the firm, and may be had on application: THE GENERAL CATALOGUE, published each January, price 6d., gratis to Customers, Illustrated, and pronounced by competent autho- rities the most correct and perfect: work of the kind published in this country. THE AUTUMN SUPPLEMENT to the General Catalogue, published each September, price 6d., gratis to Customers, Illustrated, and contain- ing the most unique and varied assortment of Bulbs, Tubers, &c., offered by any house, always including many very interesting novelties. Also other minor Catalogues, such as the Beppina CaTaLoeur, the Fern CataLocuE, &c., which may be had gratis. PURCHASERS OF FERNS are supplied as under, with rich assort- ments of Hooper & Co.’s selection : Per dozen. Ferns for the Wardian Case ............. anietdananans 9s., 12s., and 15s. Ferns for the Greenhouse or Stove ... 10s. 6d., 15s., 21s., and 30s. Ferns for Outdoor Rockery ............ 6s., 93., 12s., 18s., and 24s, FERN CASES ready fitted and most tastefully arranged, suitable for presents, packed to travel with safety anywhere. Prices from 15s. each upwards. Forwarded in safety to any part of the kinedom. Artificial Masses of Rockwork, also “ Ruins,” in small Models for introducing into Fern Cases, greatly improving their beauty. From 2s. 6d. each upwards. HOOPER & CO, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C. JAMES PHILLIPS & CO.,, HORTICULTURAL GLASS MERCHANTS, 180, BISHOPSGATE STREET WITHOUT, LONDON, E.C. Catalogue of fem Caress and Stands, all of the very best quality. Fern Cases. win. . £1 0 0|22in.. . £118 0 14 5s 1 3 0|24,, 220 16 5, 1 6 0/26,, 210 0 18», 110 [3 > 3.0 0 20 >, 114 0130,, 310 0 Fern Cases. With Circular Tops 3s. extra on above prices. No. 1,—Rustic Fern Stands, Diam. s. d, 8 in. 3 0 9% 4 0 10 ,, 4 6 TT 35 5 6 12, 7 0 Imitation of Ouk. lo, 2.—Rustic Fern Stands. CONIOT A 09 2D TO HI eo MOOMOMOOMROGO™ Initalion*of Ouk. 16 The ‘Perfect Fern Stand. Similar to No. 2, but contains terra-cotta ee whereby the Ferns are kept in a healthy condition, having both drainage and soil veutilation. This Fern Stand is admitted to be the best yet introduced. Price 50 per cent. above No. 2. No, 3.—Clay Fern Stand. Diam. Y a 09 09 09 G9 DID WWW HE OAWSCOAWOORA™ No. 4.—Clay Fern Stands, LEAF PATTERN. Diam. s. d.{ Diam sed fin. 2 0} 13 in 6 0 8 ss 2 6{14,, 7 0 9° 5 3 0/15 ,, 7 6 10 ,, 4 0/16 ,, . 8 6 A 4 6]17,, 9 6 125 55 5 0418 ,, 10 6 Fern Shades only. s. d. 6 inches diameter, 9 inches high . 14 - 10 a Lg 8 3 12 aa 2 0 9 5 14 os 2 6 10 15 a . 3 3 | 11 7 16 » 4 0; 12 i 18 3 5 6, 13 4 19 #8 7 6 14 as 20 ff .10.0 15 ” 21 5 .14 0 16 22 a 18 6 The height can be reduced if necessary. GLAUDET, HOUGHTON, & SON. HYACINTH GLASSES. BULB STANDS, WINDOW CONSERVATORIES. GLASS FLOWER VASES FOR TABLE DECORATIONS, ORNAMENTAL TILE WINDOW BOXES, WINDOW GLASS, PLAIN, OR ORNAMENTAL. CLAUDET, HOUGHTON, AND SON, 89, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, W.C. See Cia i atid Fin alld amar hod Ser SPER, Petts pale Year SEL ee 4 are Coe LAs OA we Sa Si ee ae ; So te te es on Tks WE es ea a re Sy ty ry Let we a ora ae ee ee eae nae os ee Conan . ays ae BOO er rae renter Pe Roe Ph Pot Doggett oe