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 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS 
 LIBRARY 
 
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 429 
 
 H55 
 
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THE FEEN GAEDEN 
 
 HOW TO MAKE, KEEP, AND ENJOY IT ; 
 
 OE, 
 
 FEEN CULTUEE MADE EASY. 
 
 BY 
 
 SHIELEY HIBBEED, 
 
 AUTHOK OF "EUSTIC ADOENMENTS TOE HOMES OP TASTE,* 
 ETC. ETC. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH EIGHT COLOURED PLATES AND 
 FORTY WOOD ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 FOURTH EDITION. 
 
 LOND ON 
 
 GEOOMBEIDOE AND SONS^ 
 
 5, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 MDCCCLXXII. 
 
 V 
 
 X^ 
 
6^4 
 .55 
 
 H5^ 
 
 
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 MASSACmiSETlS 
 
 1 AlVIHfPST MASS 
 
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 ■«iM*«E«iiM«lii/">M^^ 
 
 rRI>'TED BY J. E. ADLAED, 
 JiARTUOLOilEW CLOSE. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Beginnees in Fern culture are very mucli 
 perplexed by tlie abundance of books on the 
 subject, and their general unfitness to afibrd 
 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 m^yriads 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 
 
av Preface. 
 
 try my liand on a small volume adapted for tlie 
 induction of tlie unlearned and unskilled in 
 tMs pursuit, and liere it is. Whether it will 
 supersede any of tlie bad books or take lowest 
 rank amongst tliem is for me a solemn problem. 
 But I send it fortli 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. 
 
 S. H. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 Feexs in GENEEAL , . . . T .1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Feen collecting . . . . .4 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 How TO FOEil AN OUTDOOE FeENEEY . • • ] L 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Cultivation of Roce Feens . . . .19 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Cultivation of Maesh Ferns . . . .24 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Feens in Pots . . . . .26 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Feen House . . . . ,33 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Feeneey at the Fieeside . , .42 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Management of Feen Cases . . . .56 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Aet of Multiplying Ferns . . . Gi 
 
vi Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Beitish Feen3 . . • • .73 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Cultivation op GEEENHorsE akd Stote Feens . • 05- 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Fifty Select Geeenhouse Feeks . • • 105 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 TniETT Select Stove Feeks . . • .117 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Gold and Silver Feens .... 124 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Teee Feens .,..•• 128 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Feen Allies . • • • • . ISl 
 
THE FERN GARDEN: 
 
 HOW TO MAKE, KEEP, AND ENJOY IT 
 
 7 
 
 OE, 
 
 FERN CULTURE MADE EASY. 
 
 CHAPTEH I. 
 
 FERNS IN GENERAL. 
 
 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 
 dangerous,, and to warn the reader not to proceed a 
 line further. Ferns, my friends^ belong to the sub- 
 kingdom of vegetables termed Cryptogamia^ 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 ; tliat 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 headings 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. 
 Achillisefolia 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. 
 
 ■ — <^^^^5^f^^=^^— * 
 
4 The Fern Garden, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BELIEVE no one can tliorougUy enjoy or 
 understand ferns until after having actually 
 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 : 
 
 Througli 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, archseologico-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. Eerns 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 constitute the homeparadise 
 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 terra 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, sucb 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 J 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 rr'.erit 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 
 of a 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 tliat 
 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 Book or Nature. 
 
How to form an Outdoor Fernery, 11 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOW TO FORM AN OUTDOOR FERNERY. 
 
 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 
 Filixfoemina; the Hard fern, or Blechnum spicant; and 
 the Hartstongue fern, or Scolopendrium vidgare. 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 phiced at 
 the entrances to country villas and cottages, where I 
 shoukl 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, Pteris aquilina, the Broad Prickly 
 Buckler fern, Lastrea dilatata, the royal Osmund, Os- 
 miinda regalis, the common Polypody, Polypodium vul- 
 gare, the Common Shield fern, Polystichuni 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 
 quantities 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 filling 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. 
 
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, 
 w^hich 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. 
 
 GEOTJND 
 
 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, Asplenimn rut a-mur aria, the Maidenhair 
 spieenwort^ 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 earthy 
 may be seen lovely tufts of the Parsley fern, Allosorus 
 cy^ispus, 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. I 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 i« 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. 
 Prettv well the best vou 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 
 during 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 
 sach 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. TTe 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 by a 
 little hard work and patience make a fern garden of it. 
 
Cultivation of Rock Ferns, 19 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CULTIVATION* OF ROCK FERNS. 
 
 OU have taken notice when fern collecting that 
 many of the smaller kinds are only found on 
 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 it is 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 Ferii 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 coA^er 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. Allosorus 
 crispuSy the mountain parsley fern, makes a charming 
 tuft on a rockery ; it is fond of stone, and abhors 
 damp. I find that a mixture of equal parts peat, de- 
 cayed cocoa-nut fibre, and broken pots or broken hearth- 
 stone suits admirably. It must be shaded, or the new 
 growth soon goes rusty. 
 
 Aspleiiium adiantum nigrum, the black maidenhair 
 spleenwort, is rarely met with but in positions elevated 
 above the ground ; it greatly needs shade and shelter, 
 and will thrive in any peaty mixture, or in broken 
 pots alone. 
 
 Asplenium riita muraria, the wall rue, requires a very 
 
Cultivation of Rock Ferns. 21 
 
 dry and open position, and will do well in a mixture of 
 two thirds broken bricks and chalk, and one third 
 sandy peat. Stagnant moisture will be speedy death 
 to this fern, but it must have daily sprinklings while 
 growing to promote free growth. 
 
 A. septentrionale, the forked spleenwort, should always 
 be grown in an elevated position for the sake of the 
 protection thereby afforded it against slugs and wood- 
 lice, which rarely get into the higher parts of mural 
 ferneries. Being very small, it may be easily lost when 
 planted on banks or level ground ; but in a suitable 
 pocket in a sheltered nook in a wall or ruin, it makes 
 a very pretty and interesting patch. 
 
 Asplenium trichomanes', the common maidenhair 
 spleenwort, and A. virides, the green spleenwort, are 
 superb wall ferns, and in fact they rarely do well 
 under cultivation except when planted out in an 
 elevated and well-drained position. The soil should be 
 equal parts sandy peat, yellow loam, and broken bricks, 
 and the plants should be planted firmly, with their 
 crowns slightly above the surface. 
 
 Ceterach officinarwn, the scale fern, is essentially a 
 wall or rock fern, and a very beautiful and interesting 
 species. Confinement and damp are most prejudicial 
 to this fern, and when planted on a rockery under glass 
 the most airy position safe against drip should be chosen. 
 Any good sandy soil will suit it. 
 
 Cystopteris montana, the mountain bladder fern, re- 
 quires peculiar care. Select for it a position thoroughly 
 sheltered and shaded, and prepare for it a station Avith 
 a stratum of broken bricks for drainage, and over that 
 
22 The Fern Garden. 
 
 six inches of a mixture consisting of sandy peat, sphag- 
 num, and broken sandstone or common hearthstone. 
 Plant in the centre of the station, and place a bell- glass 
 over ; keep constantly moist, and give air periodically. 
 When it is well established, remove the glass, and leave 
 it to take care of itself. If the fernery is supplied with 
 a stream of water, Cystopteris montana is one of those 
 which should be planted on a ledge of rock where it 
 can have the benefit of a daily trickling of water over 
 its rhizomes. 
 
 Lastrea montana — the hay-scented fern, better known, 
 perhaps, as L. oreopteris — requires similar treatment to 
 that recommended for Cystopteris montana, but should 
 have a soil more inclining to loam. It can scarcely 
 have too much water, provided the position in which it 
 is planted admits of it readily flowing away. 
 
 Polypodium vulgare, the common polypody, will grow 
 in almost any position except in a sheer marsh, and 
 there it soon perishes. When growing wild in the 
 woods, whether on pollard trees or moist banks, it is 
 invariably found rioting in deposits of leaf-mould and 
 wood rotted to powder. Pure cocoa-nut fibre, or equal 
 parts of the fibre and mellow loam, pure leaf-mould, 
 and very dry, tough, fibry peat, in which there are old 
 hummocks of grass, are soils that suit this fine fern to 
 perfection. It will bear sunshine well, but grows more 
 luxuriantly in the shade. In a very dry position where 
 no water can lodge about it, but sprinkled daily all the 
 summer, this fern will attain to grand dimensions, and 
 be one of the most beautiful in the collection all through 
 the autumn and winter months. 
 
Cultivation of Rock Ferns. 
 
 23 
 
 Polypodium Robertianum, the limestone polypody, 
 requires a dry position, and a mixture of sandy loam 
 and chalk. 
 
 Woodsia ilvensis, the oblong Woodsia, must have 
 shade and shelter: and the most perfect drainage. 
 Make a little hollow of broken bricks, or other porous 
 substances. Fill with a mixture of yellow loam and 
 silver sand. In this the plant will luxuriate. 
 
 aEOUP OP SCOLOPElSTDRirATS ON EOCE-TVO-RX. 
 
24 The Fern Garden. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF MARSH FERNS. 
 
 HIS will be a very short chapter, just because 
 there are no marsh ferns. I remarked as much 
 in Chapter III, and pointed out that the most 
 moisture- loving of them managed usually to keep out 
 of the water. But you may wish to plant some ferns 
 beside a stream, or on an islet, or near a fountain, or 
 in some other peculiarly damp position, aud it will be 
 proper here to name the most suitable. 
 
 Osmunda regalis, the royal fern, delights in moisture, 
 especially if it is growing in a great bed of spongy 
 peat. AVith such aids and a warm climate it will 
 overtop the tallest man, but if it only attains a height 
 of five feet, it is a noble object, as much like a palm 
 as any plant of English growth. 
 
 Athyrmm Filix fmnina, the lady fern, delights in a 
 similar position. This has no palm-like aspect, but is 
 rather to be compared with a plume of ostrich feathers 
 of the most intense and delicate tint of yellowish green. 
 
 Lastrea thelypteris, the female buckler fern, is another 
 charming species for a very damp position, and it spreads 
 fast, literally carpeting the ground with pale greyish- 
 green most delicately textured fronds. 
 
 Blechnum spicant, the hard fern^ will attain grand 
 
Cultivation of Marsh Ferns. 
 
 25 
 
 dimensions, and produce abundance of fruitful fronds 
 in damp spongy peat. I never saw this and the Osmunda 
 grow so grandly as in a wet gully I struck upon once 
 when fern hunting in a wood near Oakshot in Surrey. 
 There the Osmund was my equal in stature, and the 
 fruiting fronds of the blechnum just reached my chin. 
 It was a very damp spongy spot, yet the ferns stood a 
 little above the water line. 
 
 Charming plants to associate with the moisture-loving 
 ferns are the Equisetums or Horsetails. Get Equisetum 
 sylvaticum if you can, and plant it in wet spongy peat 
 in a sheltered nook, and you will have a bit of vegeta- 
 tion that will make you proud of the land of which 
 it is a native, — that is, if you happen to be a true 
 Britisher, which the plant is, — if not, be glad now and 
 then that you came here, for if this is not in any 
 especial manner the land of ferns, it is at all events the 
 land of people who love them. 
 
 ATHYEIUiE FELIX FCEillNA, YAK. FEIZELLI^. 
 
26 The Fern Garden. 
 
 CHAPTEH VI. 
 
 FERNS IN POTS. 
 
 ET us now make another advance in practice. 
 Ferns are beautiful objects when well grown as 
 pot plants. To grow them well in pots de- 
 mands more care and skill than growing them in the 
 rockery, because there they, for the most part, take 
 care of themselves. But pot plants are at all times 
 more dependent on the cultivator, and must have con- 
 stant attention. If you fail at first do not be dis- 
 couraged, for the practice is attended with but few 
 difficulties. Begin with a few of the commonest, and 
 do not make a rush at rare varieties, until you have 
 got your hand and your mind in the work. It is a 
 great secret of success in cultivating any particular 
 class of plants to get used to them. 
 
 There is a whole volume of philosophy in the last 
 sentence, and it applies directly and peculiarly to the 
 subject now before us. Whoever hopes to succeed in 
 fern growing must first grow a few in order to get 
 used to them, and having got used to them opera- 
 tions may be extended and money may be spent 
 with some prospect of remuneration; but whoever 
 attempts too much at first will find that effort and 
 money and hope and enthusiasm have been wasted, 
 for disappointments in the early stages of a pursuit 
 
Ferns in Pots. 27 
 
 are ten times more dispiriting than when they occur 
 after we have been rewarded with many successes. 
 
 Suppose the beginner in fern growing to take in 
 hand a dozen species only; what shall they be? I 
 should recommend the following : — Lastrea Filix mas, 
 Lastrea clilatata, Polystichum aculeatum, Polystichum 
 angulare, Polypodium vulgare, Polypodium dryopteris, 
 Athyrium Filix fmmina, Asplenium marinum, Scolo- 
 pendrium vulgare, Cyrtomium falcatum, Woodwardia 
 radicans, Lomaria chiliensis. These are among the 
 cheapest and most easily procured. The first eight of 
 them are British, and the remaining four foreign. 
 Supposing them to be all small nursery plants, they 
 might all be potted in five-inch pots, or what are termed 
 48's, but the size of the pot must depend upon the 
 size of the plants, and that size will suit which will 
 take their roots without cramping them, and allow very 
 little space beyond. Fine specimens can be grown 
 with more certainty by shifting them into larger and 
 larger pots as the plants increase in size, beginning 
 with pots as small as possible without cramping the 
 roots, than by putting them into large pots in the first 
 instance. The soil that would suit all these would be 
 such a mixture as the following : one part peat, con- 
 sisting of the top slice of turf, and which consists 
 chiefly of the fibre of fine grasses, the roots of heaths, 
 decayed moss, &c. This must be chopped up the size 
 of walnuts. One part friable yellow loam of a clean 
 silky texture, such as will crumble to powder between 
 the fingers, and yet scarcely soil them even when it is 
 moderately damp. If this is full of fibre of grass turfj 
 
28 The Fern Garden. 
 
 and has the fleshy roots of brake intermingled with it, 
 all the better. Such loam as this is very abundant, 
 indeed it generally prevails where the brake grows 
 luxuriantly in the hedgerows. One part thoroughly 
 decayed leaf mould, which should be black and gritty, 
 free from fungus, and from bits of iron and other rub- 
 bish which gardeners too often allow to get mixed up 
 with it. One part silver- sand. Mix these ingredients well 
 together; break all lumps to the size of walnuts; do 
 not sift it, and do not on any account endeavour to 
 make it fine like dust. Indeed, a compost as fine as dust 
 will not grow any plant to perfection. When prepared, 
 the sand should be visible throughout the mass, giving 
 it a grey hue and a granular appearance. It should 
 be only moderately moist, not wet, free from large 
 stones, and have a pleasant feel in the hand. Now 
 draw to one side a heap of the toughest and largest 
 pieces of fibre and loam from the mixture; this we 
 shall call rough stuff. Next lay ready for use a small 
 heap of green moss, or, if not green, tolerably tough 
 and fresh, that is to say, not rotten. Next break up 
 a lot of flower-pots to the size of crown-pieces, and 
 another lot to the size of peas. The last job prepara- 
 tory to potting is to have new or quite clean pots. If 
 they are not clean inside and out, the ferns will not 
 thrive, and if they did we should not like them for it. 
 
 The process of potting is very simple, yet it is usually 
 badly done by beginners. First place over the hole 
 in the pot a picked potsherd, hollow side downwards ; 
 then lay, also hollow side downwards, a few pieces all 
 round, to cover the bottom of the pot, and then add a 
 
Ferns in Pots. 29 
 
 good handful of the smallest potsherds. Next spread 
 a thin layer of moss^ then a thin layer of the rough 
 stuff, and then take the fern in the left hand and place 
 it with the crown in the centre, level with the rim of 
 the pot, and allow the roots to spread, so that when 
 earth is put upon them they will not be cramped up in 
 a bunch. Take the compost in the right hand, and 
 pour it in all round till the pot is full, and then with 
 the thumb of each hand press it down, turning the pot 
 round in so doing, adding more soil as required, so 
 that when finished there will be half an inch of space 
 between the soil and the top edge of the pot. There 
 is a golden rule for success in growing any kind of 
 plant in a pot, and it is to pot firm. Do not be afraid 
 to press the earth in round the roots, and give the pot 
 a tap on the board at the finishing touch ; when potted 
 loosely, no plant can thrive. 
 
 Now, what are we to do with this dozen of ferns ? I 
 propose that we fit up a frame to face the north in some 
 quiet corner of the garden, and that we make no boast 
 about our ferns until they have had one yearns growing 
 at least. We want a dry spot, rather sheltered; the 
 soil on which the frame is to stand should be covered 
 with coal ashes, and be easy of access at all seasons. 
 Suppose we have potted them from the 30th of March 
 to the 1st of May — ferns may be potted at any time, 
 but when they are just starting into new growth is the 
 best time — the next question is, AYhat shall we do with 
 them ? It is but little they require ; first place them 
 in the frame, next water them with a common watering- 
 pot with a fine rose on the spout. When you get used 
 
30 The Fern Garden. 
 
 to fernSj you may water them without the rose^ unless 
 you wish to wet the fronds^ but you must use the rose 
 now, because, as you are not used to them, you might 
 wash half the earth out of the pots by a sudden dash 
 of water, a contingency not possible when the rose is 
 used in watering. All through the summer these plants 
 will want a little water every other day at least, and it 
 should be given so as to wet the fronds all over, and 
 moisten the soil without drenching them. In very hot 
 and very dry weather daily watering will be necessary, 
 and in the very hottest weather you may water twice a 
 day with benefit. 
 
 Not less important is the giving of air and light. If 
 the frame faces north, the light may be stood up on 
 end, leaning against the back, so as to form a sort of 
 south wall to the plants, and a mat hung on it, or a 
 breadth of canvas tacked to it will render it efficient to 
 screen off the full blaze of sunshine. If this cannot 
 be done, put the light in its place, lay a mat upon it 
 and draw it down, and tilt it slightly with blocks of 
 wood or empty flower-pots, so as to allow a current of 
 air to pass through. In this state it is to remain from 
 the 1st of May to the 1st of September, during the day 
 time only. Every evening — at sunset or earlier — draw 
 the light off altogether, that the plants may have the 
 full daylight as long as it lasts, the dews all. night, and 
 the full daylight again in the morning till about 
 9 a.m. 
 
 On the 1st of September your plants will have a 
 most luxuriant appearance, and the pots will be 
 crammed full of roots. Shift them all into pots the 
 
Ferns in Pots. 31 
 
 next size larger without breaking their balls of roots, 
 and let the operation be performed in precisely the 
 same manner as already described. Take off the 
 shading, and give the plants very much air both day and 
 night for another month. During very bright sunshine 
 shade them for an hour or two; but let them have the 
 sunshine morning and evening, and the night dew. 
 Continue to water as before, but give less and less, so 
 that by the 1st of October they wdll be watered only 
 once a week. After that date, until frost occurs, shut 
 them up at night, take off the light all day, and once 
 a week pour water gently over their crowns, sufficient 
 to make the crowns moist, but not to sodden the soil 
 in the pots. When frost occurs, throw a few mats on 
 the light; if the frost increases in severity, take off 
 the light, and strew dry hay amongst the plants, taking 
 particular care to cover their crowns with this protect- 
 ing material. Put the lights on, lay some dry straw or 
 hay on the glass, and then lay a good mat over all. 
 If you neglect these precautions, you will probably 
 not lose any of your plants, for they are all hardy; 
 but the effect of frost upon them will be that they will 
 be a week or two later in growing in spring than if they 
 had been protected, and so 1 must insist on protection 
 as necessary. 
 
 Whenever the weather is mild, or the frost only 
 amounts to a few degrees at night, continue to pour a little 
 water over the crowns once a week; in fact, that operation 
 is only to be suspended when the weather is really severe. 
 Give air as often as possible, never allow them to become 
 thoroughly wet, and keep them safe from being frozen. 
 
32 The Fern Garden, 
 
 The majority of amateur fern growers allow their pot 
 plants to go dry as dust all winter^ and the consequence 
 is that they grow very poorly in the early part of the 
 following season ; in fact, scarcely grow at all till June, 
 by which time their new fronds ought to be all com- 
 pleted. It is a grand secret of success to keep their 
 crowns freely moistened all the winter long. 
 
 The next best time to shift them will be the 1st of 
 March. Proceed as before, using pots one size larger. 
 You will now have fine specimens. The frame will no 
 longer hold them. You must either build a green- 
 house to keep them in, or you must have a pit of suffi- 
 cient depth to give them head room, or you must make 
 a rockery and plant them all out in it, or you must 
 divide them all by splitting them asunder with a knife 
 right through the crown, and pot all the pieces, or you 
 must sell them and retire on the proceeds. It cannot 
 be my business what becomes of them after this date ; it 
 suffices that I have made a fern grower of you, and you 
 will be enabled to understand and practise all the direc- 
 tions and suggestions on fern growing which you may 
 find in this volume or any other that may be worth 
 referring to. You will have learnt that a clean, granular, 
 peaty, fibrous soil ; a rather still, warm^ and moist at- 
 mosphere, and shade from sunshine, are the principal 
 essentials to success in fern growing, and to make short 
 of this part of the paper, I may as well say that you 
 bave very little more to learn in the way of principles ; 
 if you are ever to excel in fern growing, it will be owing 
 to the use you make of observation and experience in 
 carrying those principles into effect. 
 
The Fern House, 33 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FERN HOUSE. 
 
 E are now becoming '^ expensive and hard to 
 please.^^ We "want a fern house — oh dear ! 
 how our wants increase with increase of know- 
 ledge and advance of taste. Any man could live con- 
 tented on just double the amount of income he has 
 already, and the fern grower at any time could promise 
 to be satisfied if he could be sure of advancing from a 
 frame to a house, or from a house to another and a larger 
 house, and from such ferns as anybody could grow in 
 a modest cool fernery to tree ferns of gigantic growth, 
 and the gorgeous Leptopte^ns superba, which is perhaps 
 the loveliest fern in the world, and rather too dear as 
 yet, and needing too much care for the humble fern 
 grower ever to dream about it. 
 
 By a fern house I mean some sort of cave or rockery 
 covered with glass and with or without heating apparatus. 
 The best example of a fernery of this sort I know of, 
 to which the public have access, may be seen at Messrs. 
 Veitch and Sons' nursery, Chelsea. It is truly a garden 
 with gravel walks amidst rocks and waterfalls, and on 
 every hand the ferns present themselves in sheets of 
 delicious verdure or in waving palm-like masses, or in 
 a glorious confusion of brake and lastrea intermingled 
 
34 
 
 The Fern Garden, 
 
 as if the dryads themselves attended to the planting. 
 I could mention hundreds of private gardeners where 
 I have seen beautiful ferneries under glass, but the 
 reader would gain nothing by the list. Pardon my 
 boldness^ but in truth I have scarcely met with a fernery 
 to surpass Mrs. Hibberd's in beauty and interest, though 
 it is on an extremely small scale. I will tell you some- 
 thing about it. 
 
 Given, a recess in the walls of a house, and what shall 
 we do with it ? It is of no use to put the question to 
 echo, who is represented as giving answers as required, 
 because an honest echo could only reply, ^^ Do with it !^' 
 which, at the best, would be ambiguous, and might be 
 supposed to mean, " Do away with it V In a certain 
 sense that is just what I have done; for, by converting 
 the recess into a fernery, it is a recess no more, but a 
 part and parcel of the garden, and yet not utterly sepa- 
 rated from the dwelling-house. Please allow a few 
 hap-hazard lines to represent the case in the first in- 
 stance. If you suppose A to be one side of the house, 
 
 4 
 
 and C another side, then B will be the recess or hole in 
 the wall requiring to be occupied in some way or other, 
 or by some construction to be blotted out. Letter A 
 
The Fern House. 
 
 35 
 
 looks west^ letter C north ; the garden-walk passes by 
 the side of the house along the line A, and past the gap 
 B ; and as long as that remains a gap^ it is abominably 
 ugly. It is twelve years ago since I filled up the gap B 
 with a lean-to greenhouse^ with the slope of the roof 
 looking west^ and the door on the side which looks 
 north. Fig. 1 is the back wall of the house, fig. 2 the 
 
 end wall, fig. 3 the door, fig. 4 the front. This was at 
 first used as a small show-house, for, being easy of 
 access, always in sight, and in a shady position, it served 
 the double purpose of displaying a few good things in 
 a place where it was convenient to see them, and also, 
 by reason of its cool, shady position, keeping them 
 longer in perfection than they would have remained in 
 
36 The Fern Garde?!. 
 
 any more sunny position. In tlie cut the house is 
 shown with a stage for flowering plants^ as originally 
 constructed. In the course of time_, some building and 
 planting took place a little way off towards the west^ 
 and the nice gleam of sunlight that enlivened the house 
 from 2 p.m. till sunset was effectually blocked out, and 
 the house became unfit for flowering plants. Instead 
 of bringing an action against the neighbour who de- 
 voured my sunshine, I brought an action against myself, 
 and the verdict was, that the shady house should be 
 forthwith converted into a fernery. The stages were 
 removed, and in their place a rockery was built upon a 
 very simple plan, and which, considering the smallness 
 of the house, proves delightfully effective, as affording 
 at all seasons a beautiful scene, and very serviceable 
 arrangements for the growth of plants. I employed a 
 skilful bricklayer to do all the solid work, and, under 
 my direction, he faced the back and end walls of the 
 house (1 and 2) with a rugged mass of burrs from the 
 brick-field, rendering it somewhat like the interior of a 
 cave. The work was commenced at some little distance 
 from the wall, and gradually brought nearer and nearer 
 as it proceeded upwards, occasional large blocks being 
 firmly cemented to the wall, and strengthened with 
 holdfasts j and between the walls and the burrs good 
 loam was rammed in from bottom to top. Next the 
 front wall (4) and the end (3) a low border was formed 
 Avith a facing of burrs, this border consisting of good 
 loam. No special device for drainage was resorted to, 
 and it has never been wanted ; a layer of broken bricks, 
 about six inches deep, was put upon the tiles, and the 
 
The Fern House. 37 
 
 soil thrown upon this rough bed. There is a trapped 
 sink leading to a drain in one corner of the house, and 
 all superfluous water finds its way there quickly, as the 
 pavement slopes gently to it. The finish of the work 
 I did myself, and it occupied me, at odd times, about 
 four months, the work being essentially amusing, though 
 attended with an occasional abrasion of the knuckles. 
 The task I had was to make the ^^ pockets'^ — openings 
 for the purpose being left at intervals in the work. I 
 made the " pockets^^ and planted the ferns at the same 
 time. Some of the larger ones are planted in projecting 
 receptacles, just as the bricklayer left them; but gene- 
 rally speaking, I found it the best plan to stuff" the 
 necessary soil into a chink or gap, then place the fern 
 in it, and, lastly, to introduce a piece of burr of suitable 
 size to close it in, and this was done with the help of 
 cement. I do not think I can profitably occupy further 
 space with remarks on the formative part of the aff'air ; 
 details of this kind do not admit of being described 
 minutely ; all I can say in concluding this part of the 
 history is this_, that I never did a better job in my life ; 
 for not only have the ferns and mosses planted in it 
 thriven amazingly, but the scene produced is exquisitely 
 beautiful and affords more than a suggestion of the 
 
 " Negligence of nature, wild and wide." 
 
 It is of the utmost importance to inform the reader 
 that the house is not heated. It is remarkably 
 proof against frost, which I attribute to the fact that 
 the back wall (1) forms one side of the drawing-room, 
 which is kept at a comfortable temperature all the winter, 
 and of course the wall itself is in winter alwavs warmer 
 
38 The Fern Garden. 
 
 than the atmosphere outside the house. That frost 
 does get in, however, is certain ; the thermometer 
 several times indicated five to ten degrees of frost inside, 
 and when the case has become in any way serious, 
 Hays^s constant stove or Hinks^s petroleum stove has 
 been set to work to keep all safe until the weather 
 changed for the better. 
 
 A fern house is a genuine luxury, which every lover 
 of ferns should have if possible. Amongst its many 
 advantages, a few must be named as particularly worthy 
 of attention. It affords, even without the aid of arti- 
 ficial heat, opportunity for growing a number of nearly 
 hardy ferns which need some protection, yet are not 
 much hurt if they have to endure a few degrees of frost. 
 Ferns of this class are numerous and extremely beau- 
 tiful. I will name four only now as a key to the rest 
 in illustration of this particular advantage — Woodwardia 
 radicans, Cyrtomium falcatum, Adiantum pedatum, 
 Todea pellucida. Another advantage is that if planted 
 only with the hardiest British ferns, they grow more 
 beautifully than the same sorts do in the open air. 
 As a winter garden and as a peculiarly charming scene 
 — if well done and well kept — the fern house is worth 
 something to a home bird^ and as an amusement for 
 an invalid it is invaluable. 
 
 The management is a modification of that advised 
 for the outdoor fernery, but watering must be more 
 regularly performed, and if fast growing ferns run 
 riot and overrun the others they must be kept in check 
 by occasionally digging out their roots. Lastrea the- 
 lypteris and Onoclea sensibilis are likely to do this^ but 
 
TJie Fern House. 39 
 
 they are sucli lovely inmates of a cool fernery that you 
 cannot do without them. 
 
 During the summer the roof must be shaded with 
 thin " scrim" or " tiffany/' or a smear of whitewash. 
 At all events^ it will never do to allow powerful sun- 
 shine to shrivel ujj the tender growth and change the 
 glistening green to dingy brown^ as it will do very soon 
 if there is no shading used. 
 
 A very small amount of ventilation will be required 
 if the house faces norths as it should do. A fern house 
 in a hot southern exposure would need abundance of 
 air, heavy shading and extra help from the garden 
 engine from the 1st of May to the 19th of September. 
 After the last-mentioned date it might be left alone for 
 ever, for one season's struggle against overwhelming 
 odds ought to be enough for anybody. Choose or 
 make a shady place for your house, and then see that, 
 as the rockery is built up, there is a good body of earth 
 for the ferns to root into. 
 
 Constant attention will be requisite to keep the fern- 
 house as beautiful as it should be. Dead fronds must 
 be removed without injury to the young fronds that 
 are rising ; some ferns will need more water than others, 
 and in the height of summer the floor must be wetted 
 daily to cause humidity of the atmosphere. 
 
 The following ferns have prospered in the house 
 during the past twelve years, all of them having been at 
 times exposed to a few (say half a dozen) degrees of 
 frost. It must be borne in mind that they can better 
 endure frost if planted out than in pots. 
 
40 The Fern Garden, 
 
 List of Ferns for planting out in a Greenhouse 
 Fernery : 
 
 Large Growing Ferns. — Woodwardia radicans and 
 W., orientalis. Plant these about five feet above the 
 ground^ that their drooping fronds may be seen to advan- 
 tage. Cyrtomium falcatum, a rigid grower_, often and 
 appropriately called ^' the laurel fern.^^ Onoclea sensi- 
 bilis, suitable for a cool damp nook on the ground line^ 
 as it is an upright grower ; under glass it is a magnificent 
 fern. Lomaria cMlense, a rigid habited fern with bold 
 dark green fronds. Pteris flabellata, grand pectinate 
 fronds, of a vivid light green colour, suitable for a shelf 
 or bank three or four feet above the ground. Pteris 
 cretica alho-lineata, an upright grower, spreads freely 
 at bottom. Phlebodium sporodocarpum requires a well- 
 drained elevated ledge, from whence it will put forth 
 masses of tawny roots and handsome glaucous fronds. 
 Polystichwn acrostichoides, a bold habit, and a good 
 companion to Lomaria chilense. Lomaria magellanica, 
 Lastrea intermedia, L. frondosa, L. Sieboldii, Asplenium 
 angustifolium, Adiantu7npedatum,Athyriu?7i asplenioidesj 
 A. tenuifrons, A. filix-fmmina v. corymbiferum. 
 
 Medium Growers. — Davallia eanainense, Asplenium 
 Michauxii, Adiantum cuneatum, A, assimile, A. affine, 
 A. formosum, Asplenium buJbiferum, A. angustifolium, 
 A. athyrium filix foemina v. Frizellics, A. f. f. v. corym- 
 biferum, A. f, f. V. crispum, Scolopendrium vulgare v. 
 crispum, S. v. v. alcicorne, S. v. v. ramosum, S. v. v. 
 ramO'Cristatum (and a dozen others of the same series 
 desirable), Lastrea thelypteris, L. cemula, L. Goldieana, 
 L. filix-mas v. cristata, Poly podium dryopteris, P. aureum, 
 
The Fern House. 41 
 
 P. phegopteriSj Platycerium alcicorne (suitable to sus- 
 pend on a block of wood ; it is almost hardy) . Todea 
 pellucida (this grows finely in a cool bouse,, if in a damp^ 
 sbady^ and still place ; wind it cannot endure) . 
 
 For Elevated Positions in the Fronts or Rock- 
 eries — that is to say^ to grow as wall ferns, and all 
 requiring plenty of air : Asplenium trichomanes, A. 
 adiantum nigrum, A. marinum, Ceterach officinarurriy 
 Allosorus crispus (a sunny position near the door will 
 suit tbis and Asplenium tricbomanes), Polypodium 
 vulgare and its varieties^ especially Cambricum and 
 Hibernica. 
 
 Tbe most bardy of tbe tree ferns is Dicksonioi 
 antarctica, wbicb is as easy to grow as a common 
 lastrea; provided it bas enougb water. 
 
 For Baskets, take Pteris scaberula, Adiantum setu- 
 losum, Asplenium flab ellifolium, Camptosorus rhizophyU 
 lus, Davallia pyxidata, Niphobohis lingua, and any of 
 tbe free- growing bardy ferns tbat run about freely, sucb 
 as Lastrea thelypteris and Onoclea sensibilis. 
 
 If you sbould wisb to create in your bouse or out of 
 doors a constant trickling of water for tbe benefit of 
 some fountain-loving ferns or mosses, take any large 
 vessel, in tbe bottom of wbicb you can break or bore a 
 small bole. Cover tbe bole witb a flat tile, and over 
 tbat put two incbes of tbe finest sand. Fill tbe vessel 
 witb water daily, and it will run gently as long as tbere 
 is a drop left at tbe fountain bead. If an ornamental 
 vase sbould be used for tbe purpose, it migbt be utilized 
 by placing in it a pot containing some semi-aquatio 
 plant. 
 
42 The Fern Garden. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE FERNERY AT THE FIRESIDE. 
 
 HOU SANDS of amateur fern growers have 
 only a glass case in the sitting-room for a fern 
 garden. In the heart of a great city where 
 gardens are unknown^ and even the graveyards are 
 desecrated by accumulations of filth, the fern case is 
 a boon of priceless value. It is a bit of the woodside 
 sealed down with the life of the wood in it, and when 
 unsealed for a moment it gives forth an odour that 
 might delude us into the belief that we had been sud- 
 denly wafted to some bosky dell where the " nodding 
 violet grows." Before we go a step further it is but 
 just to the memory of a good man to call to mind that 
 for many years the structures now commonly called 
 " fern cases^^ were known as " Wardian cases," being 
 the invention of the late !Mr. B. N. Ward, an eminent 
 surgeon, many years resident in Finsbury Circus, who 
 died at a ripe age in 1868. Peace to his memory ! He 
 not only added to the embellishments of the English 
 home and the recreations of English domestic life, but 
 his invention has been of incalculable service in the 
 introduction of valuable exotic plants to this country, 
 for if shut up close in Wardian cases they travel over 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside, 
 
 43 
 
 sea far more safely than by any other system of pro- 
 tection. 
 
 The simplest form of a fern case is the bell-glass and 
 flower-pot_, of which the annexed sectional figure affords 
 an accurate representation. This particular form of 
 pot was invented by Mr. Fry, of Lee^ and is made by 
 
 Mr. Pascall, a potter at Chiselhurst. It can be obtained 
 of the dealers in ferns, and forms a very neat table 
 ornament, as the pot is made of fine red ware and is 
 roughly ornamented. 
 
 Another form of the same Kind of tning consists of a 
 glass dish with rim and bell-glass, the whole very neatly 
 finished, and forming, if skilfully fitted^ a most elegant 
 miniature fern garden. 
 
 Fern cases constructed of wood or metal frames, with 
 boxes or troughs for soil, have been made in endless 
 
44 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 variety^ yet for real utility and beauty of appearance 
 there are none so good as those of the simplest rec- 
 tangular outlines,, such as may be readily obtained of any 
 of the leading dealers in such things. All things con- 
 sidered, the cases known as ^^ Miss Maling's/^ which 
 
 may be heated if required by means of gas flame or hot 
 water renewed periodically, are the best, because of their 
 extreme simplicity and the uninterrupted view they 
 allow of the interior. AVe are supposed to be great in 
 fern cases — I say we in the way of the organ blower in 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside. 45 
 
 tlie story; but Sine qua Noa is the master of them here; 
 and they comprise cases of several kinds, some rather 
 gigantic in dimensions, besides vases fitted with lanterns 
 of plate glass, in wliich not only climbing ferns and ferns 
 of many other kinds, but climbing ivies, lycopodiums, 
 and such odd things as the artillery plant are grown. 
 I have had to make as well as furnish plant cases. 
 We have between us managed to exhibit a considerable 
 number, and step by step we have acquired some very 
 definite ideas about them, which I shall endeavour to 
 set forth categorically. 
 
 In the case of fern shades which fit into glass dishes, 
 and which, as long as there is water lodged in the rim 
 into which the lower edge of the shade rests, are air- 
 tight, air must be given three times a week by removing 
 the shade altogether for an hour or so. This allows 
 the excess of moisture to dry ofi^ the foliage, and prevents 
 mould ; and the glass getting dry in the meanwhile, it 
 is prepared to take up a fresh supply of moisture from 
 the soil when replaced, which is equivalent to a circula- 
 tion of water as well as a change of air. This air- 
 giving, however, must be regulated by discretion, for if 
 the air of the room is hot and dry sudden exposure of 
 the plants to it may do them harm. Moreover, it is a 
 very easy matter to remove the glass and forget it, the 
 result being, perhaps, complete destruction of all the 
 more tender fronds, and the disfigurement of the afi'air 
 for a fortnight. Now, a very simple and expeditious 
 and effectual mode of ventilating consists in taking off 
 the glass, wiping it dry and bright, and replacing it at 
 once. There is then no fear of forgetting it. 
 
46 The Fern Garden, 
 
 It is important in choosing fern shades of this de- 
 scription to see that the glass dome fits loosely in the 
 pan which accomj^anies it. One of our shades, which 
 was a tight fit, was one day removed into a sunny 
 window for a few hours to make room for some domestic 
 operations. The sun heated the air within the shade, 
 the expanded air had no means to escape, and it burst 
 the shade with a loud explosion into a multitude of 
 fragments. A guinea^s worth of glass was thus lost in 
 a moment, and a collection of Selaginellas placed in 
 jeopardy through neglect of this precaution. 
 
 Success in these matters often turns on points of 
 management that appears trifling; let me, therefore, 
 describe the process of planting a fern shade. If in- 
 tended for a winter ornament, it should be planted in 
 July or August, that the ferns may be established 
 before the decline of the season, and if they are ever- 
 green kinds they will have plenty of time to throw up 
 an abundance of fine fronds, which the liberal supply 
 of water from below, with regular ventilation, will 
 render luxurious and beautiful; and before winter 
 comes, the excess of moisture will be gone, but the soil 
 will hold enough to render watering almost unnecessary 
 until spring. In a large pan — say, six inches depth — 
 lay down two and a half inches of broken flower- 
 pots or cinders of the size of walnuts; on this lay 
 a thin coating of half-decayed moss or sphagnum. 
 Fresh green moss is apt to go sour or breed fungi, and 
 therefore it is preferable if it has been for some time 
 exposed to the action of moisture. Fill up to the level 
 of the rim with a mixture of turfy peat, small broken 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside. 47 
 
 charcoal, and the siftings of broken pots, varying from 
 the size of a hazel-nut to that of a pea, with plenty of 
 silver-sand. I never measure the ingredients of any 
 compost, but the beginner may like to be saved from 
 doubt, and therefore let the proportions be taken as 
 follows : — Peat three parts, silver-sand one part, broken 
 charcoal and crock- siftings one part. This compost 
 should be broken up and mixed with the hand, and 
 should be in a free lumpy state. Ferns will never 
 prosper if the compost is sifted, but a little of the 
 finest of it should be put aside to dress the surface 
 with when the planting is completed. Now, take a 
 can of boiling water, and water the soil till you have 
 supplied enough to rise to the top of the drainage. 
 The water should be poured into the centre first to 
 warm the soil gradually; poured against the glass 
 suddenly it may shatter it. I have used the boiling 
 water now for many years on every occasion of planting 
 a fern case, and have not yet had one accident. With 
 a little caution there is no risk. The use of the boiling 
 water is to destroy every insect that may have escaped 
 your eye when breaking up the peat. It will not only 
 do that, but kill their eggs also, and equally make an 
 end of the seeds of weeds and the mycelium of fungi ; 
 all of which are enemies better got rid of at first than 
 to be hunted for when their ravages become a source of 
 alarm. The over cautious may of course scald or bake 
 the materials before filling the pan ; in that case they 
 must not be put in the pan until nearly dry again. 
 
 When the pan is nearly cold the ferns may be 
 planted, and the process of planting will consolidate 
 
48 The Fern Garden. 
 
 the compost^ so that it will, when all is finished_, be an 
 inch below the edge of the pan, as it ought to be ; it 
 may indeed go below that, and need filling up with 
 some of the finest of the mixture, which should be 
 sprinkled over as a finishing touch. 
 
 In any case of difficulty in obtaining peat of a friable 
 and fibrous texture for fern cases, a mixture of equal 
 parts of cocoa-nut fibre refuse and charcoal dust will 
 answer admirably. 
 
 I could enumerate fifty groups of ferns offhand 
 suitable for bell-glasses, but tastes differ, and the best 
 possible way to please yourself is first to obtain a 
 sufficient number of ferns of suitable kinds and arrange 
 them as you think best. I will, however, as my 
 journal of fern work is at hand while writing this, give 
 you the planting of a bell-glass measuring twenty-two 
 inches across which I once planted for a friend who knew 
 well how to manage these things, and who was pleased 
 to say that, though very fastidious on matters of taste, 
 she was well satisfied with my way of doing things. 
 
 In the centre Cheilanthes farinosa, the most accom- 
 modating of all the silver ferns. At regular distances 
 round it Adiantopsis radiata, Cheilanthes tomentosa, 
 Aspleniumfragrans, Asplenium vivipara, Pteris argentea, 
 a little silvery gem, Elaphoglossum brevipes, Doodia 
 lunulata. All over the surface, so as to quite cover it, 
 Selaginella apoda. 
 
 The following are six beautiful ferns adapted for 
 glass shades in the hands of beginners ; in fact, if they 
 are not drowned with water, and have but a moderate 
 amount of light, they are sure to thrive even if neg- 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside. 49 
 
 lected for weeks together. Asplenium marinum, the 
 sea spleen wort ; Doodia caudata, Scolopendrium vulgare 
 ramo-margmatuniy a tasselled variety of hartstongue; 
 Asplenium viride, the green spleenwort ; Adiantwn 
 setulosum, Lomaria lanceolata. 
 
 Let us now consider the Tern case proper^ and first 
 as to how it should be made. 
 
 Elegance is a prime requisite^ but as tastes difiier we 
 shall say but little on that point. The lighter the 
 structure consistent with safety the better. We do 
 meet with very ugly fern cases at times_, and the ferns 
 within them are usually in a bad state of health. The 
 fact is, heavy framework and cumbrous ornaments 
 obstruct the light, and therefore ugly fern cases are, 
 as a rule, to be condemned for that reason, if for no 
 other. 
 
 A simple rectangular figure as indicated in the simple 
 sketch annexed is undoubtedly the best for all general 
 purposes; moreover, this box-like form may be 
 made the basis of an elaborate design : out of it may 
 rise a miniature mosque or a Crystal Palace, as I have 
 shown by figures in the chapter on Fern cases in 
 " Rustic Adornments." A figure of the best fern case 
 we have ever had was published in the 1st volume of 
 the ^^ Floral World;" it is a handsome case made of 
 Ransome^s imperishable stone, surmounted by a tall 
 lantern. 
 
 At every step in designing and constructing it must 
 be borne in mind that ferns are to be grown in the 
 case, and, therefore, it must aflPord access to light and 
 air, and egress for water. 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 Accessibility to the ferns is of the utmost importance. 
 If the case is small it should be possible to lift off the 
 whole of the glass framework at any time. If too large 
 
 for that there should be doors on two sides, because in 
 reaching across from one side to plant a fern on the 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside. 51 
 
 opposite side some mischief may be done. The case 
 figured on p. 50 may be taken to pieces in a few seconds, 
 as each sheet of glass is fitted in a separate frame_, and 
 ail the frames drop into grooves and are braced together 
 at the corners by means of small hooks and eyes. The 
 patent cases made by Gray of Danvers Street, Chelsea, 
 are of this make, and they have the additional advantage 
 of a boiler to afford warmth from below ; this boiler 
 requires to be filled only once or twice a day in winter 
 according to the severity of the weather. Ventilation 
 is easily effected without causing a draught by simply 
 tilting up the top glass. 
 
 It is a great convenience if a fern case can be 
 moved about without difficulty, and it is astonishing 
 what may be accomplished in this respect by the exer- 
 cise of forethought. For example, if you buy one of 
 Gray^s cases it will be supplied on a miserable set of 
 legs with wooden castors, and even if a small one it 
 will be difficult to move it. But if you follow our plan 
 the difficulty vanishes, and you may take your fern cases 
 with you on your travels, or at all events wheel them from 
 room to room with a mere touch. The legs sent with 
 the case are converted into firewood, and the case is 
 put on a strong framework made by our own carpenter, 
 of which the annexed figure affords an accurate repre- 
 sentation, save and excepting one particular. 
 
 The frame figured is one on which stands a case 
 measuring three feet long, two feet high, and eighteen 
 inches wide. The frame consists of a skirting-board. A, 
 with neatly-moulded top edge, six inches in depth, 
 mounted on four neat but strong legs, which are fitted 
 
52 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 -nitli large brass castors^ all wooden and iron castors 
 being rubbish. From the ground to the top edge of 
 the skirting-board the measurement is seventeen inches. 
 The case does not stand on this frame^ but in it^ that is 
 to savj it rests on the half-inch ledge^ B_, which extends 
 all round inside_, and which is added to at the corners 
 by the blocks, C, which are placed there to increase the 
 strength of the frame. The advantage of this mode of 
 mounting is not in appearance only_, though that is of 
 some importance in an article intended for the adorn- 
 ment of a chamber. One important advantage is the 
 ease with which the case can be moved about ; an im- 
 moveable case is a nuisance except in some peculiar 
 circumstances. The engraver has forgotten to add the 
 castors. 
 
 That there should be means of escape for surplus 
 water is desirable, but not absolutely necessary. The 
 experienced cultivator will never allow a fern case 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside. 53 
 
 to become so saturated with water as to be hurtful to 
 the health of the ferns ; but the beginner is almost sure 
 to fall into this error, and the first disaster that occurs 
 isj nine times in every ten, to be attributed to a water- 
 logged condition of the roots. Make it a point to as- 
 certain, when purchasing a fern case, if there is any 
 perforation of the base to allow of the escape of water. 
 If there is none you must be the more cautious to avoid 
 charging the soil with excess of moisture. It is thought 
 to be impossible to provide drainage in those cases 
 which have boilers beneath, but I think it may be done, 
 and I hope some day to find time to carry out my 
 views. 
 
 For the benefit of mechanical and experimental 
 readers, here is my idea of a fern case combining means 
 of heating with effectual drainage. 
 
 I would go to the expense of having all the metal 
 work in copper well tinned ; it would be expensive, but 
 would last for ever. A, should be a trough for soil, 
 resting on a ledge all round the inside of the outer 
 wooden casing, and admitting of being lifted out at any 
 time. For the lifting there should be a ring attached 
 on each of the four sides. In the centre of this I would 
 insert a pipe, F, for escape of drainage, and this very 
 simple process makes an end of the principal difficulty. 
 The bottom of the trough might slope down every way 
 to the pipe, F, which would render its action more 
 effectual. For the communication of heat I would have 
 a space, B, allowing a depth of two inches at least under 
 the bottom of the trough, and additional spaces under 
 the sloping ends of the trough. By increasing the 
 
54 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 quantity of water so as to fill the ends as well as tlie 
 bottom,, a maximum of heat would be obtained. Now, 
 to fill this reservoir need not be so ridiculous an affair 
 as it is at present ; my idea of the matter is to have a 
 whole side of the wooden frame removable at a touch, 
 so that we could get to the reservoir and fill it with as 
 much ease as one might fill a washing-tub. I have 
 shown a removable portion only of the end C. I must 
 leave it to the imagination of the inventive reader to 
 work out this point, confident that he will have no 
 
 A, trough containing soil for ferns ; B, reservoir for hot water ; C, 
 opening for filling reservoir; D, air pipe; E, tap to draw off water 
 from reservoir ; F, tap to draw off drainage water from soil ; G, stratum 
 of crocks for drainao:e. 
 
 difiiculty in opening the side of the case so as to pour 
 water into the reservoir with some speed from a large 
 can, instead of dribbling it in as now in a way that 
 suggests that fern-growers ought to live for ever if only 
 for the sake of keeping their cases warm. The pipe, F, 
 
The Fernery at the Fireside, 
 
 DO 
 
 would have to be a fixture^ with a close-fitting india- 
 rubber ring surrounding it where it enters amongst the 
 crocks at the base of the trough, A; this, of course, 
 prevents the water from B rising up amongst the soil 
 and flooding the ferns. 
 
 EOSHEK S FEKN PILLAR. 
 
56 
 
 The Fei'n Garden. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MANAGEMENT OF FERN CASES. 
 
 HE Danger Signal is hoisted here to 
 attract attention. From first to last you 
 must guard against drowning your pets, 
 for that is the calamity that befals 
 thousands of ferns in cases. It is the 
 one only important point to be constantly 
 kept in mind, it is the only big rock you 
 will have to encounter in your pleasant 
 voyage of discovery round the room in 
 search of fern island. So long as the soil is moderately 
 damp water need not be given to the roots ; but at almost 
 any time a slight shower over the fronds by means of a 
 syringe will be beneficial. In winter the syringe must be 
 cautiously used, and if there are any gold or silver ferns 
 in the case, care should be taken to prevent a single 
 drop of water falling upon them, as the farina with 
 which they are covered ought never to be washed off. 
 Air must be given regularly and with judgment ; a brisk 
 breeze will do much mischief, and as dust is to be kept 
 out as much as possible, do not open your case while 
 sweeping is going on, or when, through open doors and 
 windows, a young hurricane is enjoying his gambols. 
 Beautiful effects may be produced by a judicious use 
 
Management of Fern Cases. 57 
 
 of mimic rockeries^ and tliey are useful as affording 
 elevated and well-drained sites for small ferns of delicate 
 growth. The best material for constructing rockeries, 
 arches, &c., is common coke. It adds but little to the 
 weight, and it may be made to look like stone by- 
 soaking it with water and sprinkling it with Roman or 
 Portland cement. For the formation of irregular 
 mounds and to dot about amongst the ferns to vary the 
 surface, soft sandstone or rough and rather soft pieces 
 of brick burrs should be preferred, not only on account 
 of their suitable colours, but because they soon get 
 coated with natural growths of moss and add much to 
 the beauty of the little garden. But the grand thing 
 is to have a sufficiency of healthy ferns of handsome 
 varieties, everything else must be made subsidiary to 
 that desideratum. Have good ferns and grow them 
 well, and you will not be greatly exercised about the 
 niceties of gimcrackery. 
 
 Vermin of many kinds occur in fern cases in spite of 
 all precautions ; mysterious nibblings of fronds are 
 noticed, sometimes the crown of a valuable plant will 
 be found eaten away. The marauders may be woodlice, 
 slugs, or the larvae of small beetles. Trap them, if 
 possible, by inserting fresh lettuce leaves in the chinks 
 you suspect they frequent. Or place slices of fresh 
 apple under tufts of moss. Examine the baits daily, 
 and keep them always fresh. If you can put a few 
 glowworms in a case infested with vermin, there will be 
 a rapid clearance made ; toads are good vermin killers, 
 but they do not add to the beauties of the scene, and 
 they are apt to squat on the tender rising fronds of 
 
58 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 some delicate fern^ and do more harm than good. 
 Green fly, or aphis, is rarely seen in fern cases, and 
 when it occurs it is usually a sign that there has 
 been neglect in giving air. The best way to remove 
 
 
 AIHANTTIM SETULOSFM. 
 
 the aphis is by means of a soft brush or camePs-hair 
 pencil, and to prevent its recurrence give more air. 
 
 For suspending ferns in cases, the outside husk of 
 the cocoa-nut may be used, and also the hard inner 
 shell. For general purposes the latter is preferable. 
 
Management of Fern Cases. 
 
 59 
 
 If broken witti a clean edge half a shell makes a capital 
 basket. It requires a sharp saw and some patience to cut 
 the edge nicely if it is much jagged. The holes must be 
 burnt in the shelly as they are apt to split if any attempt 
 
 CAMPTOSOEUS EHIZOPHTLLTJS. 
 
 is made to pierce them with awl or gimlet^ and, besides 
 that, they are so hard that the best bit of steel breaks 
 like glass against them. Make three holes for drainage, 
 and two very small holes near the rim, exactly opposite 
 each other, and use for suspending a silver string of 
 the Spanish guitar, which will never rot, and is as soft 
 
60 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 and pliable as packthread. The two ferns here repre- 
 sented are examples of my mode of suspending. The 
 Adiantum is in a cocoa-nut, bored all over with holes a 
 quarter or third of an inch in diameter, and it has 
 pushed crowns through every one of them, so as to 
 
 smother the outside with foliage. The Camptosorus is 
 in a little case formed of thin bark, bound with brass 
 wire. To water these, the best way is to lift them out 
 and lower them into a deep vessel, with a stick passed 
 through the suspending cord and laid across the top of 
 
ACSOSriGHUM Qi'ERClFOLIUM. 
 
Management of Fern Cases. 61 
 
 the vessel, so that they can sink the full length of the 
 cord and be thoroughly saturated. They can be lifted 
 out in a quarter of an hour^ and allowed to drip for a 
 few minutes by again lodging the stick at each end in 
 a suitable place. 
 
 Thirty fine Ferns for Cases with Artificial 
 Heat. The best for beginners marked thus ■^. 
 
 Anemidictyon phyllitidis,^ 9 inches ; Aneimia adianti- 
 folia,^ 9 in. ; Asplenium biiidumj 18 in. ; A. fragrans, 
 9 in. ; A. heterodon, 12 in. ; A. radicans, 9 in. ; A. 
 Mexicanum,^ 6 in. ; A. polymorphum,^ 4 in. ; Blech- 
 num lanceolum,^ 4 in. ; B. intermedium, 6 in. ; Campy- 
 loneurum lucidum, 12 in. ; Cheilanthes micromera, 
 12 in. ; Diplazium radicans, 9 in. ; Elaphoglossum 
 brevipes_, 6 in. j Fadyenia prolifera, 3 in. : Acrostichum 
 quercifolium,"^ 4 in. ; Polypodium loriceum, 12 in. ; He- 
 mionitis cordifolia,"^ 4 in. ; Hymenolepis spicata,"^ 9 in. j 
 Hypolepis tenuifolia deformis, 12 in. ; Litobrochia lepto- 
 phylla^ 18 in.; L. pedata, 6 in.; Lomaria attenuata, 
 12 in. ; L. Patersoni, 9 in. ; Nothochlgena vestita^ 6 in. ; 
 N. tenera^ 6 in.; Olfersia cervina,"^ 18 in.; Pleopeltis 
 percussa,^ 12 in.; P. membranacea,"^ 12 in.; Pteris 
 calomelanos,"^ 6 in. 
 
 Thirty fine Ferns for Cases without Artificial 
 Heat. The best for beginners marked thus ^. 
 
 Asplenium appendiculatum,^ 12 in. ; A. attenuatum_,^ 
 4 ; A. crenulatum, 18 ; A. dimidiatum^ 9 in. ; A. nitidum, 
 6 in. ; Adiantum tinctum, 12 in. ; A. assimile,"^ 9 in. ; 
 A. cuneatum,"^ 18 in. ; A. cristatum, 9 in. ; A. formo- 
 sum,^ 18 in. ; A. fulvum, 12 in. ; Doodia aspera,^ 
 12 in. ; D. caudata,"^ 6 in. ; D. lunulata,"^ 9 in. ; Las- 
 
62 The Fern Garden, 
 
 trea acuminata,"^ 8 in. ; L. glabella,, 8 in. ; Niphobolus 
 lingua^ 9 in. ; N. pertusus^ 6 in. ; Nephrolepis pectinata^ 
 18 in. j N. exaltata^"^ 30 in. ; Onycliium Japonicum,^ 
 15 in. ; Platyloma rotundifolia^ 18 in. ; Pleopeltis pus- 
 tulata, 9 in. ; Phlebodium aureum,"^ 36 in. ; P. sporo- 
 docarpum^"^ 30 in. -, Polystichum triangularunij 6 in. ; 
 Pteris crenata, 12 in. ; P. geraniifolia, 9 in. ; Pteris 
 cretica albo-lineata^^ 18 in. ; P. heteropbylla^ 6 in. 
 
 Twenty-four fine Ferns for Suspending in Cases. 
 The best for beginners marked thus ■^. 
 
 Adiantum setulosum^"^ 6 inches ; Asplenium brachy- 
 pteron,"^ 6 in. ; A. flabellifolinm.^ 9 in. ; A. pinnati- 
 fidum, 6 in. ; A. reclinatum, 6 in. ; Camptosorus rhizo- 
 phyllus,"^ 5 in. ; Cheilanthes sieberi, 10 in. ; Davallia 
 pentaphylla, 9 in. ; D. bullata, 6 in. ; D. dissecta, 18 
 in. ; D. elegans, 12 in. ; D. solida^ 6 in. ; D. pyxidata, 
 18 in. j D. canariensis, 12 in. ; D. decora^ 6 in. ; Hu- 
 mata heterophylla^ 6 in. ; Hypolepis amaurorachis, 
 18 in. ; Niphobolus lingua, 9 in. ; Nothochlsena nivea, 
 6 in. ; Oleandra nodosa, 6 in. ; Pleopeltis lycopodioides, 
 3 in. ; P. stigmatica, 6 in. ; Polypodium rugulosum,^ 
 9 in. ; Pteris scaberula,"^ 12 in. 
 
 Forty small-growing Case Ferns, suitable for a 
 Fern Pillar or Rockery. 
 
 British — Adiantum capillus veneris, Asplenium fon- 
 tanum,^ Asplenium germanicum,"^ Cystopteris regia"^ 
 (deciduous), Polypodium dryopteris (deciduous), Scolo- 
 pendrium vulgare bimarginata cordatum,^ S. v. crista- 
 tum minus, S. v. divergens, S. v. geminum, S. v. glo- 
 merato-digitatura, S. v. lacerato-marginatum, S. v. 
 proliferum, S. v. ramo-marginatum,"^ S. v. ramo- 
 
CYSTOPTERIS HECIA. 
 
Management of Fern Cases. 
 
 63 
 
 proliferum^ S. v. ramosum, S. v. Wardii,"^ Woodsia 
 alpina (deciduous), Woodsia ilvensis ^ (deciduous). — 
 Exotic — ^Camptosorus rhizophyllus,"^ Lomaria alpina,"^ 
 Acrophorus hispidus, Adiantum setulosum_,"^ Asplenium 
 fiabellifolium_,"^ Asplenium attenuatum,^ Asplenium 
 brachypteron, Asplenium nitidum,^ Asplenium obtusa- 
 tum, Asplenium pumilum, Asplenium pinnatifidum, 
 Blechnum intermedium,"^ Campyloneurum csespitosum, 
 Diplazium plantagineum, Davallia decora, Elapho- 
 glossum brevipes,"^ Gymnopteris quercifolia, Gonio- 
 pteris scolopendrioides, Lomaria lanceolata,"^ Notho- 
 chlsena vestita, Nothochlsena tenera^^ Pleopeltis stigma- 
 tica, Doodia caudata."^ 
 
 PTEKIS TEUxXIFOLIUM:.. 
 
64 The Fern Garden. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE ART OF MULTIPLYING FERNS. 
 
 |HEE/E are two modes of increasing ferns — by 
 division and by spores. Both plans are easy 
 enougb up to a certain pointy but we need not 
 trouble ourselves about tbe point at which serious diffi- 
 culty commences^ for in truth no beginner should be 
 troubled on that score. I will suppose you have a large 
 plant of the common Male fern (Lastrea filix mas) or of 
 the common Hartstongue (Scolopendriwn vulgare), and 
 you wish to make more of it at once. The best time to 
 operate is when the fronds are just rising in the spring, 
 but it may be done at any time if proper care be taken. 
 We take the plant out of its pot, or lift it out of the 
 ground by means of a fork or trowel, and lay it on a 
 board or table. Probably at a glance you will discover 
 that a number of distinct crowns, each with a tuft of 
 roots attached, may be easily removed from the outside 
 by the use of a strong sharp knife. Separate such 
 offsets, carefully disentangle their roots from the mass, 
 and at once pot them in very small pots in the sort of 
 mixture already advised for use in growing pot ferns in 
 Chapter VI. Prepare the pots by putting in them 
 plenty of small crocks for drainage, over them a thin 
 wisp of dry moss, or a bit of fibre torn from the peat, 
 
The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 65 
 
 then put the little plant in its place and fill in round 
 the roots and press moderately firm. If this is done in 
 spring before the fronds have unrolled, you may be 
 content to give a little water and put them in a frame 
 and keep shut rather close until they begin to grow, 
 giving very little water until they have made some 
 progress. If you have no frame, the pots may be 
 placed in any sheltered shady corner on a bed of coal 
 ashes, and will almost take care of themselves. But the 
 old plant remains, not much diminished in size by the 
 removal of the off'sets. Lay it on its side and care- 
 fully pass the knife through the centre of it, and as it 
 separates into two portions, you will probably see how 
 to divide it yet further without using the knife again, 
 securing to each piece a centre or crown, and a tuft of 
 roots. Treat these in the same manner as the offsets ; 
 or, if you have not rashly torn the plant to shreds, you 
 may at once plant the divisions in the fernery, filling 
 in round its roots with your best mixture of sandy 
 peat, and pressing each firmly in its place. A little 
 shade, and occasional sprinkling, will assist them to 
 become established, and they will soon take care of 
 themselves. 
 
 If you were to proceed in a similar manner with the 
 same plants in the summer time, when crowned with 
 luxurious leafage, you would have to be as quick as 
 possible about the work, and pot all the pieces and 
 shut them up in a frame for a fortnight, to recover and 
 make fresh roots, during that time taking care to 
 sprinkle them frequently and also to avoid making the 
 soil in tlie pots very wet, for too much moisture to 
 
 5 
 
QQ The Fern Garden. 
 
 roots of any kind that have been disturbed and need 
 time to regain their wonted action is like poison. 
 
 So much for the division of ferns that form clustering 
 crowns. Let us now take a tuft of common polypody. 
 Here we find a quantity of fleshy rhizomes of the 
 thickness of a lead pencil entangled amongst masses 
 of fibrous roots. You may cut or pull to pieces this 
 tuft almost ad lib., provided each separate position has 
 its own roots reserved to it. The pieces must be potted 
 rather differently to the others^ as their roots run upon 
 the surface chiefly, and they thrive best in a moist 
 spongy material. The surest way to make plants of 
 them will be to prepare the pots by putting in at least 
 one third depth of crocks_, then nearly fill them with 
 sandy peat, and on that spread a little cocoa-nut fibre 
 to make a soft bed ; then lay one of the pieces on the 
 bed, put some more cocoa-nut fibre over it almost to 
 bury it, and press it down firmly. Water and place in 
 frame and treat as in the first practice. They will 
 soon begin to grow, and will want no particular care 
 after a few weeks. 
 
 Now, by these two methods may the greater part 
 of all known ferns be multiplied ; there are exceptions, 
 as in the case of tree ferns, for example, but the excep- 
 tions are few. Those that grow in clustering crowns 
 may be divided as in the first practice, those that 
 extend by creeping rhizomes may be cut to pieces as 
 in the second practice. 
 
 As you extend your operations, you will not be long 
 in discovering how easy it is to kill ferns by one or the 
 other of these processes. For general guidance I will 
 
The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 67 
 
 say, then, be sure before you begin tbat you know 
 what you ought to do. If you cannot see how to 
 divide a plant without spoiling it because it neither 
 offers you offsets, nor a crown large enough to be 
 severed without danger, leave it alone, be content and 
 wait. The habits of different species must be observed 
 also if the cultivator would become expert in propa- 
 gating. Take for example Onoclea sensibilis, a charming 
 flowering fern for a damp place in a rockery out of 
 doors or under glass, which I hope you will obtain at 
 the first opportunity, if you do not already possess it. 
 Now, this fern propagates itself; that is to say, the 
 rhizoma runs along near the surface, and at some 
 distance from the parent plant throws up several dis- 
 tinct crowns. Leave the plant alone for a couple of 
 seasons and it will be surrounded by, or rather it will 
 consist of, a number of separate centres of growth 
 forming a large rich mass of vegetation. You may 
 divide this into as many pieces as you please, provided 
 each piece has its own centre and tuft of roots, and 
 make plants of them all with patience aided by shade 
 and moisture. Take on the other hand a potted 
 Gleichenia that has been in the same pot two or three 
 years, and you will find it dead in the centre, but all 
 round next the pot will be a series of crowns. Care- 
 fully knock it out of the pot, lay it on its side, pass 
 the knife through it, separate the pieces and shake 
 from them the old worn-out soil and pot as before; 
 but in this case put the plant into a warm pit or 
 some other place where it can have a temperature of 
 60 to 70° with shade and a humid atmosphere, to encou- 
 
68 The Fern Garden. 
 
 rage a new growth. Tlie principle is tlie same in 
 every case, but as different classes of ferns differ in 
 constitution, so the practice must be varied to suit 
 them. 
 
 In every case of multiplying by division it must be 
 borne in mind that the operation severely taxes the 
 energies of the plants^ hence the need of extra care for 
 some time afterwards to restore their vigour. The 
 soil in which small offsets are potted may with advan- 
 tage contain more sand than strong plants require, and 
 it may be quite fine in texture, whereas for strong 
 plants it is best somewhat lumpy. So, again, extra 
 warmth and occasional damping of the crowns, and a 
 humid atmosphere with shade from sunshine, are aids 
 of great importance. Begin with cheap hardy kinds, 
 and take as much pains with them as you would with the 
 most tender and costly, and you will enjoy the work, 
 be rewarded with success, and acquire experience for 
 higher flights in a most amusing pastime. 
 
 " If at first you don't succeed, 
 Try, try, try again." 
 
 Now for the spores; and first by way of preface. The 
 spores of tropical or hothouse ferns must be placed 
 in heat or they will not germinate. The spores of 
 greenhouse ferns may be raised in summer time without 
 the aid of artificial heat, but it is a safer plan to put 
 them into a propagating house and treat them the same 
 as the tropical kinds until the little plants resulting from 
 their germination have made some progress. As for 
 the spores of hardy ferns, they may be raised in a 
 frame kept close and shaded. 
 
The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 69 
 
 First secure some large shalloTr pans^ and bell-glasses 
 to fit them. Of course common flower-pots will answer 
 the purpose^ but large shallow pans are better. Nearly 
 fill the pans (or pots) with broken flower-pots^ the top 
 stratum of which should be broken to the size of peas. 
 Sweep all the dust made in breaking the pots into the 
 pans with the smallest of the crocks, and then put in 
 an inch depth of a mixture of equal parts fine peat 
 and silver sand. Water with a fine rose, and if the 
 watering washes the fine stufi" down, and causes the 
 points of the small broken pots to peep through, all the 
 better — that is as it should be. Now take a ripe frond 
 of a fern on which there is plenty of fruit, and while 
 holding over the prepared pan, sweep the hand over it, 
 or tap it smartly, and you will see' the fine dust — the 
 veritable fern seeds — fall freely. Regulate your move- 
 ments so as to scatter the dust all over the surface, and 
 then put on the bell-glass. 
 
 The proper place for pans so prepared is wherever 
 they can be kept warm and dark, and yet be within 
 sight, so that they are not neglected. They must be 
 kept always moderately moist, but never wet, and as 
 watering with a water-pot would simply wash the seed 
 away, follow the neater practice of placing the pans in 
 vessels of water. If they are immersed in one inch 
 depth for an hour, the whole mass will become moist 
 throughout by capillary attraction, and not a grain of 
 sand or seed need be moved from its place. 
 
 Have patience, and you will see first a film of green 
 confervse, which is a good sign, next little leafy growths, 
 resembling the liver worts or marchantias. By-and-bye 
 
70 The Fern Garden. 
 
 from these curious leafy things little fern fronds will 
 rise, and you will know thereby that you did not sow 
 the seed in vain. 
 
 Be in no hurry to disturb the little plants. More and 
 more will appear; they will crowd and jostle one another, 
 and they will form a sort of microscopic forest, and 
 very likely will appear to be very different in form to 
 the frond from which the seed was taken, for they do 
 not usually acquire their true characters until they 
 have made some advance. The time will come at last 
 to give them more room, but before you disturb them 
 remove the bell-glass, and habituate them to the enjoy- 
 ment of more air and light than they had in their 
 earliest infancy. I usually allow seedlings to remain a 
 whole year in the seed pans, and then pot them off, and 
 this plan will be found a safe and good one for general 
 adoption. 
 
 The process of potting consists in lifting each little 
 plant with its tuft of roots unhurt into a very small 
 pot nearly filled with a mixture of fine peat and sand, 
 and then covering its roots with the same material, and 
 tucking it in comfortably. Shut them up in a frame 
 in a greenhouse, or put them close together under large 
 bell-glasses ; by some means or other keep them com- 
 paratively warm and shaded ; give gentle sprinklings or 
 rather dewings over their leaves, and but little water 
 to the roots, and they will soon grow and become 
 bonny little plants. 
 
 In a rather dark and damp corner of one of my 
 greenhouses I have a glass frame on a stand which is 
 used expressly as a nursery for seedling ferns. You 
 
The Art of Multiplying Ferns. 71 
 
 might make one for yourself by taking a shallow box, 
 and covering it with sheets of stout glass. Make a bed 
 inside the box of a few inches depth of cocoa-nut fibre, 
 or silver sand, or clean small pebbles, and on this bed 
 place the little pots and put the glass over. You have 
 complete command over them by this plan to kill them 
 by excess of shade and moisture, or by exposing them 
 to sunshine ; or to make them grow by giving moisture 
 and shade enough to keep them in the first instance, 
 and to admit more light and air, to strengthen them as 
 they advance and become strong enough to be shifted 
 into larger pots. Small fern cases with moveable tops 
 make admirable nurseries for seedlings when they are 
 grown in sitting-rooms. 
 
 We have spoken of ferns that run about and multiply 
 by means of their rhizomas. A parallel case is seen in 
 ferns that shed their spores, and sprout up into life with- 
 out aid from any one, and almost anywhere. It will be 
 amongst your earliest surprises and delights in fern grow- 
 ing to find seedlings in your fern cases, on the banks, 
 and walls, and stones, and even pavements of your 
 fern-houses, and in crevices of the rockerv out of doors. 
 Some ferns increase spontaneously with such freedom 
 , as to become weeds, but the wise man will not despise 
 them on that account. He will be quickened in love 
 and thankfulness to God for making beauty so cheap on 
 the face of the earth. He will rejoice that the humblest 
 and least enlightened cannot fail to see that in the 
 mystery of life is afforded us deep and blessed impres- 
 sions of the direct relationship of the Divine nature 
 to the manifestations of the Divine will in visible things. 
 
72 The Fern Garden. 
 
 To the observant mind there is nothing trivial or paltry 
 in nature, and the growth of a fern seed is the beginning 
 of a mysterious life, the end of which no man can pre- 
 dicate or understand. 
 
 Behold ! we know not anything ; 
 
 I can but trust that good shall fall 
 At last — far off — at last, to all. 
 
 And every winter change to spring. 
 
 
 
 
 ADIANTUM EXCISUM MULTIFIDUM. 
 
British Ferns, 73 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 BRITISH FERNS. 
 
 HE number of known ferns is about 3000. 
 How many are unknown we cannot even 
 rudely guess. The British species number 46 ; 
 many of these present us with varieties in great abun- 
 dance, that is to say, with forms differing from their 
 types (or what we regard as types), and these varieties 
 number full 500, and no living person possesses the 
 whole of them. It is not the business of this book to 
 treat of ferns botanically, nor to speak of the British ferns 
 exclusively, yet it would hardly be complete — restricted 
 as its object is — unless it contained at least one 
 chapter on the Eilices of Britain, more especially as 
 many persons only cultivate the British ferns, and find 
 enough to amuse them in the fern way in making 
 collections of native species and varieties. Let no one 
 suppose a complete collection to be desired, for it is not, 
 except for strictly scientific purposes. It matters little 
 for our purpose whether it be desirable or not, for the 
 fact is, a complete collection has never been formed and 
 never can be. My excellent friend Mr. Sim, of Foots 
 Cray, Kent, enumerates in his last catalogue 365 
 British species and varieties in all — enough for us to 
 
74 The Fern Garden. 
 
 choose from for the materials for a fern garden. If 
 the reader has no innate horror of statistics, a few 
 figures may be interesting. It must be understood 
 that amongst the varieties are many extremely curious 
 plants. Some are richly tasselled and fringed, some have 
 duplicated fronds, and the variations otherwise com- 
 prise imitations (or resemblances to) stages horns, frills, 
 fans, wires, bristles, embroidery, braiding, puckering, 
 and embossing. Some of the varieties are notched as 
 if a child had cut faces out of them, others are shrunk 
 up to mere stalks ; some have spores on the wrong side, 
 that is to say, on upper side of the fronds, others never 
 produce spores at all, and a few produce their offspring 
 ready made in the form of little plants at the points of 
 their fronds or on every part of their leafy surface. 
 Some varieties are so curious, so rare, and so difficult to 
 multiply that they range in price from one to five guineas 
 a plant. This need not terrify the humble fern collec- 
 tor, for many of the handsomest may be bought for a 
 shilling each. The catalogue prices of 319 kinds enu- 
 merated in Sim^s catalogue amount to jgl30 16^. — say 
 if those not priced be added, £200 for one plant each of 
 the 365. The varieties of hartstongue alone are about 100 
 in number, and to buy one each would cost in the aggre- 
 gate £oO. Here ends the statistical statement. Now let 
 us hastily run through the list of British ferns, saying 
 nothing about synonyms or knotty points in classifi- 
 cation, for with these matters we cannot now have 
 anything to do. For our purpose an alphabetical 
 arrangement will be best. 
 
 Adiantum. — A. capillus veneris, the true maiden- 
 
^ 
 
 tniAMT'M CAPIUUS-VENERIS. 
 
British Ferns. 75 
 
 hair. There are a few varieties, but we need not 
 enumerate them. The requisites for the growth of 
 this lovely fern are warmth, shade, and moisture. In 
 the damp and rather dark parts of a plant stove it soon 
 becomes a weed, and sows itself by spores on bricks, 
 stones, wood — anywhere. I have had it grow to per- 
 fection between the bricks inside a well. To have a 
 plant in a room, the best way is to appropriate to its use 
 a fifteen-inch bell-glass, fitted to an earthen pan of red 
 flower-pot ware. The soil should be sandy peat, with a 
 fourth part of broken flower-pots or soft broken stone 
 added. Give air daily for half an hour; never leave 
 the glass off and forget it; do not saturate it with 
 moisture, and — have patience. 
 
 Allosorus. — A. crispus, the mountain parsley fern. 
 Coddling will kill it. It loves fresh air ; will grow 
 amongst pebbles or broken stone with a little sandy 
 peat to give it a start. Shade is good for it, but I 
 have seen it growing gloriously in the full sun. Beware 
 if there is one snail in the garden; catch him and throw 
 him over the wall into the next garden, or he will 
 gobble up your plant as a cat would a mouse. It is a 
 good plan to put a bell-glass over a newly planted piece 
 to protect it from the vermin ; the glass can be taken 
 away when the plant has grown a bit. 
 
 AsPLENiuM. — A. may^inum is one of the best case 
 ferns known. It loves sand and stone, and warmth 
 and vapour. To plant it in the open air rockery is a 
 risk, but it will do well in the cool fern-house near the 
 floor. 
 
 A. trichomanes and A. viride are charming ferns to 
 
76 The Fern Garden. 
 
 plant in a cool house or a case^ or in sheltered chinks 
 in the oj^en rockery. If it should ever speak it would 
 be in such words as once startled the horticultural 
 community, " Give me air or I shall die." Soil to be 
 bricky and sandy ; fat peat is poison to it. 
 
 A. fontanum — a gem for the case. 
 
 A. rut a-miir aria. — Stagnant moisture is ruin to it; 
 plant with the crown quite above the surface ; soil one 
 half broken brick or stone, the other half very sandy 
 peat. A lovely fern for planting in a chink in an old 
 wall in a shady sheltered spot. 
 
 A. septentrionale, a difficult fern to grow. Try it in 
 a pot in a frame, in soil three parts sand and soft 
 stone, and guard it with fear and suspicion against 
 slugs, snails, and woodlice. 
 
 Athyrium. — A. fiUx-foemina is the Lady fern, and 
 well deserves the title. Please excuse description or 
 eulogy ; see it and believe. It will grow anywhere 
 under glass, or in the open air, if in a shady moist 
 position. I have a grand plant growing in the gravel 
 walk at the foot of the bastion, and more than I can 
 count in other places. A fine pot fern, growing well in 
 fat peat or in common loam, with sand, or in any soil 
 not chalky, with the help of a little cocoa-nut fibre to 
 mellow it. Be sure to drain the pot eff'ectually and 
 give plenty of water. Oh, how it will smile upon you 
 if you treat it kind] 3^ ! 
 
 The following varieties are fine — Coronans, Corym- 
 biferum, diffusa -multifidum, Elworthi, Fleldice, Frizellice, 
 grandiceps, Grantice, multifidwn. 
 
 Blechnum. — B. sjncanSj the hard fern, is a noble 
 
British Ferns. 
 
 77 
 
 and very distinct fern. Try your hand at a large pot 
 specimen — when four or five years old it will be grand. 
 A rather strong soil^ with good drainage, suits it ; say 
 yellow loam three parts, leaf mould two parts, and grit 
 
 ATHTEiriC FILIX-FEMIXA, var. COETMBIFEEUir. 
 
 obtained by sifting the sweepings of the gravel walks 
 one part. By the way, this is a capital plan of obtain- 
 ing clean sharp sand. We rarely buy sand, as we sift 
 all our sweepings and spend the sand money in keeping 
 the gravel perfect. 
 
78 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 The following varieties are good — imbricatum, lanci- 
 folium, multifurcatum, ramosum, strictum. 
 
 Ceterach. — C ojfficinarumj the scaly spleenwort, is 
 
 ATHTEIUM FILIX-rCEMINA GEANDICEPS. 
 
 a very interesting fern. It grows luxuriantly in our 
 cool fern-house, in a chink of the rough wall near the 
 door. A good pot fern. It loves air, stone, old mortar. 
 
CYMNOCRAMMA LEPTOPHYLLA. 
 
British Ferns. 79 
 
 shade, and perfect drainage ; try it as an aquatic, and say 
 ''farewell" to it before you begin. 
 
 Cystopteris. — C.fragilis, the brittle bladder fern, is 
 well adapted to plant in the front of a rockery. With 
 one exception, the varieties are worthless, but Dickie- 
 ana (frontispiece) makes amends for all. C. montana, 
 the mountain bladder fern, and C. regia, are gems. 
 These do best in the open air or cool greenhouse. They 
 need shade and shelter, but love fresh air. Prepare a bed 
 a foot square by removing the soil a foot deep. Then 
 partially fill up with broken bricks and charcoal, and 
 upon this bed place four inches depth of a mixture con- 
 sisting of equal parts peat, silver sand, the finest dust of 
 cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and soft silky loam. Place the 
 plant in the centre of the bed, close the soil firmly 
 around it, and put a bell-glass over. Take off the 
 bell-glass every morning, and wipe it quite dry, and 
 place it over the plant again. Keep the soil moist, and 
 in due time the plant will grow. After six months of 
 such nursing, it will take care of itself in every respect 
 except one, and that is, it will invite the attacks of snails 
 and slugs, which are very fond of it. These must be 
 trapped and destroyed with energy ; you must be a Thug 
 to such people. 
 
 Gymnogramma. — G. leptophylla is the only Britisher 
 of this lovely family. This little gem is an annual. 
 To secure it for ever, get a plant in a pot, and keep it in 
 a fern-house or shady moist pit. It will shed its spores, 
 and the parent plant will perish. The next season it 
 will appear plentifully as a weed on bricks, stones, 
 borders, &c., &c. Pot a few to give away, and allow 
 
80 The Fern Garden. 
 
 the remainder to attain maturity and shed their spores 
 for the next season. 
 
 Hymenophyllum. — H. Timbridgense is the Tun- 
 bridge filmy fern, a cynosure, a paragon, a paradox. It 
 represents a race, all of which require similar treatment. 
 They are all easily grown if dealt with in a proper 
 manner in the first instance. Suppose we consider 
 how to grow a nice patch of any of them. Get a large 
 earthenware pan (flower-pot w^are) and a bell-glass to 
 fit fairly within the rim. A fifteen-inch glass would be 
 best, but one half that size will do to begin with. 
 Spread over the bottom of the pan a layer of broken 
 pots, then lay down a bed of very sandy peat — say peat 
 and silver sand equal parts. On this bed place some 
 blocks of stone of the size of the fist, and less, and press 
 them down, and fill in between them with the same 
 mixture of peat and sand. Make all this quite firm — 
 make it, in fact, hard. Now draw out a small stone, 
 and introduce the plant, spreading out its black hair- 
 like roots, which cover with the mixture, and bed it in 
 close, so that it will sit, so to speak, close to the general 
 surface of the stone. If you can plant little pieces all 
 over the pan between the stones, you may get the pan 
 filled more quickly, but it is a risk for a beginner to 
 tear up a plant as a practised hand would do. Wet the 
 whole by means of a fine syringe ; place the bell-glass 
 on, and press it slightly so as to make it fit pretty close, 
 and place the pan in a warm room near the window, or 
 in a snug, warm, shady corner of the greenhouse, or in 
 a cool part of the stove, and do not look at it for a week ; 
 then take off the glass and give another gentle sprinkle. 
 
British Ferns. 
 
 81 
 
 
 
 wm^mm 
 
 XASTEEA ^MULA. 
 
 6 
 
82 The Fern Garden. 
 
 and next leave it for a month. The plant begins to grow 
 early in the year, and continues growing till quite late in 
 autumn. Keep it only moderately moist at all seasons. 
 Take care the sun never shines upon it_, and as far as 
 is possible — making allowances for curiosity, or the 
 necessity of occasionally ascertaining what is its con- 
 dition as to moisture — give no air at all. 
 
 Lastrea. — L. filix-mas, the male fern, is the com- 
 monest (and some say the handsomest) species in Britain. 
 It will grow anywhere and in any soil, but attains its 
 fullest perfection in mellow loam or peat in a shady 
 situation. The following varieties are fine — cristata, a 
 magnificent object when well grown ; crispa, a little 
 gem for the case ; grandicepSy a fine pot fern ; polydac- 
 tyla, a fine-crested variety. 
 
 L. mmula, the hay-scented fern, a charming species 
 for the cool house or pot culture. When dried it is 
 agreeably fragrant. 
 
 L. dilatata, the broad buckler fern, should be planted 
 plentifully out of doors. The variety dumetorum has 
 a beautiful rich appearance. 
 
 L. montana or L. oreopteris, the mountain buckler 
 fern, common on Scottish moors, and by no means 
 scarce in England and Wales. It should be planted 
 out in loam and be freely supplied with water. It is 
 not a good fern to grow in pots. When the hand is 
 passed over the fronds a pleasant odour is emitted; 
 when dried it has a sweet hay-like scent. 
 
 L. tlielypteris, a free growing species for the cool 
 house and for pot culture. It loves shade, moisture, 
 and spongy peat, and travels fast. 
 
British Ferns. 
 
 83 
 
 POLTPODIUM VULGAEE. 
 
84 The Fern Garden. 
 
 Ophioglossum. — O. vulgatum and O. lusitanicum are 
 the only two kinds of Adder^s-tongue fern in Britain. 
 These should be kept in pots in a frame and con- 
 spicuously labelled, as their fronds disappear early in 
 the season, and the plants are likely to be thrown away 
 as dead. Scarcely worth growing. 
 
 OsMUNDA. — 0. regalis, the royal fern, is a most noble 
 plant for the garden, but not well adapted for pots or 
 the fern-house. Plant in moist spongy peat or strong 
 loam. The variety cristata makes a handsome pot plant. 
 
 PoLYPODTUM. — P. vulgarey the common polypody, 
 may be grown anywhere and almost anyhow, but pre- 
 fers a spongy or leafy soil, an elevated position and 
 some amount of shade. It will thrive on the top of an 
 old wall in the full sun if planted small in the first 
 instance, and make a beautiful object on old tree stumps 
 in the fernery. None of our native ferns endure 
 drought so well as this. 
 
 The best varieties are cambricum, crenatum, cristatum, 
 omnilacerum, and semilacerum. The first of these five 
 is the " Welsh polypody,^' the last is the " Irish poly- 
 pody ;'^ five charming plants for cool house, pot, or case 
 culture. 
 
 P. alpestre, the alpine polypody, closely resembles 
 the lady fern. It will thrive in the hardy fernery if 
 in a well-drained position. Scarcely good enough for 
 pots. 
 
 P. dryopteris, the oak fern, a lovely species, the 
 colour of which is a sure cure for bad temper; it is so 
 extravagantly cheerful and so pleasingly delicate. If 
 planted out it must have a very shady, sheltered, moist 
 
British Ferns, 
 
 85 
 
 POLTPODIIJM TUL&ARE, var. CAMBRICFIT. 
 
86 The Fern Garden. 
 
 place. It is one of the best ferns in the world for a 
 ledge of rock in the cool fernery^ or to grow in a large 
 shallow pan as a specimen. 
 
 P. phegopteris, the beech fern; distinct and pretty, 
 growing freely out of doors with the help of shade and 
 moisture. A fine fern for pots and to plant near a 
 fountain, as it attains its fullest beauty only in an 
 atmosphere heavily charged with moisture. It must, 
 however, be perfectly drained at the roots. 
 
 P. Robertianunij or P. calcareimi, the limestone poly- 
 pody, a pretty and peculiarly greyish- coloured plant 
 which loves chalk or limestone rock, but will grow in 
 almost any soil, and will endure the sunshine as patiently 
 as P. vulgare. 
 
 PoLYSTicHUM. — P. augulare, the soft, prickly shield 
 fern, is the choicest of this section, a truly fine plant, 
 sporting much and good in every form. It is so 
 common that it will occur amongst the earliest '^ finds^^ 
 of the fern hunter. It loves shade and a sandy, loamy 
 soil, or leaf soil, but is not particular. 
 
 The following varieties are invaluable for pot culture, 
 and the smallest of them well adapted for cases, — 
 concinnum, cristatum, grandiceps, grandideyis, latipes, 
 plumosum, proliferum. The last named is a charming 
 fern for pot culture^ and thrives alike in frame, green- 
 house, or stove. 
 
 P. aculeatuMy the prickly shield fern, is at once 
 distinct, bold, and handsome. Plant it in a shady spot 
 and leave it alone for several years if you wish to see it 
 thrive. A fine pot fern. 
 
 P. lonchitiSj the holly fern, a handsome military- 
 
British Ferms. 
 
 87 
 
 POLTPODim ALPESTEE. 
 
88 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 POLTPODIIJM DRTOPTEEIS. 
 
British Ferns, 89 
 
 looking fern, rather difficult to manage, but deserving 
 good generalship. If planted out give it a shaded, 
 sheltered spot, and at least half a barrow full of a 
 mixture consisting of loam two parts, peat one part, 
 sharp grit and small broken bricks one part. It is a 
 good pot plant if kept in a moist frame. 
 
 Pteris. — P. aquilina, the brakes, or bracken, is one 
 of the best known of all. Plant it out in good loam or 
 peat where it will have room to run, as it is a persistent 
 traveller. Ten years ago I planted a piece not so big 
 as my hand on a bank in my out- door fernery, and now 
 it covers at least ten square yards of ground ; at one point 
 in its course it has crossed the gravel walk and come 
 up on the other side. It makes a good pot plant, and 
 also a good wall plant if planted at the foot of a shady 
 wall and kept up by means of horizontally placed 
 lengths of tarred string or copper wire. These supports 
 should be placed about a foot apart ; they will not be 
 visible, and the effect will be a wall richly fringed as 
 with climbing ferns. To see the bracken as it should 
 be seen, we must go to the breezy moorland and skirt 
 the warm woodside; it is, perhaps, the most truly 
 rustic plant in Britain. 
 
 ScoLOPENDRiUM. — S. vulgare is the common harts- 
 tongue, one of the very first requisites of the hardy 
 fernery. This plant will not live in the full sunshine, 
 and it needs a good mellow loamy soil, or tough fibrous 
 peat, with plenty of moisture to attain the growth it 
 should, say a length of two to four feet. It is, how- 
 ever, an accommodating plant, as the fern hunter will 
 soon learn by observation, for it will be found on damp 
 
90 
 
 The Fern Garden, 
 
 POLTSTICHUiT ANGULAEE. 
 
British Ferns, 
 
 91 
 
 POLYPODIUM PHEGOPTEEIS. 
 
92 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 banks in shady lanes^ on dry stone walls in dusty roads, 
 where there is not much shade for it_, and frequently 
 covers an old brick wall as with a felt of small yellowish 
 fronds. When growing between the bricks inside a 
 well; and putting its huge tongues down towards the 
 water, it is a splendid object, and a good companion to 
 the true maidenhair, which will thrive in a similar 
 position. The species and all the varieties make first- 
 rate pot plants. 
 
 scolopendeium: ytilgaee eamo-maeginatfm. 
 
 The most generally useful of the varieties, and one 
 of the ferns which should be first of all secured by the 
 cultivation, is crispum, a grand pot or rockery fern. 
 The following are handsome pot plants, the smallest of 
 them well adapted for cases : — bimarginato-midtifidiim, 
 comutum, cristatum, digitatum, glomeratum, laceratuniy 
 macrosorum, ramo-marginatum, ramosum-majus, Wardii. 
 
 Trichomanes. — T. radicans, the Bristle fern, re- 
 
British Ferns, 
 
 93 
 
 rOLYPODIUM KOBERTIAKUM. 
 
94 The Fern Garden. 
 
 quires treatment similar to that of the Tunbridge fern. 
 As the roots are tough and wiry^ and. spread on the 
 surface, it will be necessary in planting a piece to 
 spread them out on the surface of the stone, and fix 
 them in their places with pegs, or by placing nodules 
 of stone upon them. In due time they will attach 
 themselves, and after that the plant will grow well if 
 taken care of. Small cases appropriated solely to these 
 ferns are intensely interesting. They ought never to 
 be planted in cases with ferns that need ventilation, as 
 nearly all other kinds do. I had a large leaky aquarium. 
 Instead of having it repaired, a hole was bored in the 
 slate bottom, and a sheet of very stout glass was cut 
 to fit the top. A miniature rockery was then formed 
 with coke and cement in one large block, and on this 
 Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense, Trichomanes radicans, 
 and the New Zealand filmy fern Todea pellucida were 
 planted. They have thriven and have a rich luxurious 
 appearance. The leaky aquarium has thus become a 
 grand fern case. 
 
 In a damp stone or a very damp warm dark corner 
 of a greenhouse, the filmy ferns grow freely if their 
 rhizomes are merely fixed to the walls. They soon run 
 up the bricks, and form a delicate felt or living wall- 
 paper. 
 
 WooDsiA. — W. alpina, an Alpine Woodsia, is a pretty 
 little fern, requiring frame or house culture. 
 
 W. ilvensis is a beautiful pot plant. It may, how- 
 ever, be grown in the open fernery, if in a sheltered 
 well-drained position, in a sandy peat soil. The 
 Woodsias are not adapted for beginners. 
 
"""SIA HYPERBOREA. 
 
Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 95 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF GREENHOUSE AND STOVE FERNS. 
 
 RACTICALLY the only difference in the man- 
 agement of the ferns of the greenhouse and 
 the stove from those of the frame or cool fern- 
 house consists in the increase of temperature propor- 
 tioned to the character of the climates in which green- 
 house and stove ferns are found growing wild. Various 
 as are the climates and conditions in which ferns thrive 
 on different parts of the earth's surface,, they all be- 
 come amenable to conditions nearly uniform when 
 subjected to cultivation. Give the most delicate fern of 
 the tropics treatment similar to what is advised for our 
 native ferns^ but with a higher temperature at every 
 season of the year, and the chances are full ten to one 
 that it will succeed perfectly. But undoubtedly it 
 requires some judgment to assimilate conditions in 
 the midst of which there occurs this important difference 
 of temperature, and so we cannot expect to dispose of 
 the subject of this chapter in any offhand or very general 
 manner. However, we must beg the reader to recall 
 the main points of our advice to this extent, that for 
 outdoor, for frame, and for cool-house ferns, we have 
 constantly recommended the use of a granular and 
 
96 The Fern Garden. 
 
 mellow, loamy or peaty soil, a considerable degree of 
 atmospheric humidity, shade from strong sunshine, and, 
 in some cases, a very subdued daylight, as the condi- 
 tions under which success is most likely to be secured. 
 These several requisites are to be considered of the ut- 
 most importance in the cultivation of tender ferns, and 
 the more so that the farther plants of any kind are 
 removed from the circumstances natural to them, the 
 more anxious should the cultivator be to provide for all 
 their wants. 
 
 It is a common thing to see ferns and flowering 
 plants mixed together in the same greenhouse or con- 
 servatory. It is quite possible to grow them well when 
 so associated, but so few are equal to the task that 
 when we meet with ferns and flowers in the same house, 
 we usually flnd one or both in a deplorable condition 
 of disease or imperfect development. 
 
 Ferns love shade and flowers love sunshine. Ferns 
 thrive best in a still air, flowers usually require a moving 
 atmosphere, and many kinds that are most highly 
 prized need abundant ventilation. As to atmospheric 
 humidity, while ferns with very few exceptions enjoy 
 abundance of it, there are not many kinds of flowers 
 capable of enduring without injury the degree of 
 aerial moisture that would benefit the growth of ferns. 
 These are important considerations which we are bound 
 to place before the reader at this juncture, for indis- 
 criminate associations of plants in stoves and green- 
 houses are the causes of many and bitter disappoint- 
 ments. While this matter is before us, however, it 
 should be said that if due care be exercised, many 
 
Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 97 
 
 kinds of flowering plants may be grown in the same 
 houses with ferns, if the selection is made judiciously 
 in the first instance, and the best positions as to air, 
 light, &c., are selected for them. Thus, as to sorts it 
 will be found that camellias, azaleas, cyclamens, pri- 
 mulas, liliums, oleas, and statices, are well adapted to 
 associate with greenhouse ferns, if the sunniest positions 
 are assigned them; on the other hand, heaths, pelar- 
 goniums, echeverias, epiphyllums, boronias, epacris, 
 and kalosanthes, are far less suitable, needing more 
 air and sunshine than most ferns could endure without 
 injury. It must be remembered, however, that many 
 beautiful plants, such as palms, for example, may be 
 grown with ferns to aff'ord variety, and the same routine 
 of treatment will suit both. In the stove it is common 
 enough to find achimenes, gloxinias, alocascias, cala- 
 diums, begonias, gesneras, and marantas, associated 
 with ferns without the least injury to either. Yet in the 
 full blaze of sunshine, where a croton or an ixora would 
 thrive, it would be almost impossible for a fern to live, 
 except in the form of a disgrace to its possessor. So 
 far we see that compromises are possible. There is 
 yet another mode of associating ferns and flowering 
 plants in the same house, and that is to make banks 
 and rockeries beneath the stages where shade and 
 humidity will favour the growth of ferns, and render 
 positions otherwise useless and unsightly as attractive 
 nearly as the stages themselves, on which the amaryllids 
 or the pelargoniums are blooming bravely. A bank of 
 peat faced with largfi burrs answers admirably for a 
 fernery of this sort, and the varieties of cystopteris, 
 
 7 
 
98 The Fern Garden, 
 
 woodsia, scolopendrium, and selaginella^ are pretty sure 
 to take to it readily^ wliile in the most select spots, hy- 
 menophyliums^, trichomanes, todeas, and maidenhairs, 
 will soon become established, and acquire a luxuriance 
 of growth without the least care, such as to make a 
 mere mockery of all our closed cases and bell-glasses, 
 and curious caves constructed expressly for the cultiva- 
 tion of these gems of the fern garden. 
 
 There cannot be a doubt that the plan recommended 
 in Chapter VII for the cultivation of hardy ferns under 
 glass is the best also for greenhouse and stove ferns, 
 unless it be the desire of the cultivator to have the 
 whole or a part of the collection in pots, in which case, 
 of course, something in the nature of a stage or table 
 becomes necessary. A spacious fernery adapted for 
 ferns of all climates, and for the display of them under 
 circumstances which we may justly describe as natural y 
 forms one of the most valuable embellishments a gar- 
 den can boast — enjoyable at all seasons, and especially 
 so in winter, when rough weather forbids our seeking 
 open-air enjoyments, and when, perhaps, if weather 
 permitted, we should find but little in the garden or 
 the field to interest us. One of the best structures of 
 the kind I am acquainted with is in the garden of Alfred 
 Smee, Esq., Carshalton. The walls are formed of solid 
 banks of peat, which extend on either side of the plate 
 on which the rafters rest, so as to form borders within 
 and without. The house may be about eighty feet in 
 length, the banks on either side are varied in outline, 
 and there is in one spot a basin tenanted with gold fish, 
 and surrounded with ferns of peculiarly novel aspect. 
 
Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 99 
 
 which are constantly bedewed by the spray from a 
 fountain. The roof is a span running east and west; 
 the south side of it is covered with felt, and the north 
 side with glass, a plan which admits abundance of light, 
 and renders shading wholly unnecessary. The whole 
 structure is placed on a slope, the lower part being 
 considerably below the outside ground level. At this 
 lowest part is placed the furnace, and there is an extra 
 service of pipes there to maintain a stove temperature. 
 In the middle of the house there are fewer pipes, and 
 a greenhouse temperature is kept. At the upper end 
 the pipes suffice only to keep frost out. Thus in one 
 house the ferns of tropical, temperate, and frigid zones 
 are all accommodated, and though the whole structure 
 is rough, and has been constructed on the most eco- 
 nomical principles, the interior presents at all seasons 
 a grand spectacle, and affords a most delightful prome- 
 nade. 
 
 Although, as explained above, ferns and flowering 
 plants may be grown together, those who would do 
 justice to the fornyer must appropriate a house to them 
 exclusively. It is possible to adapt a south aspect to 
 the purpose, but it is not advisable to encounter such 
 a difficulty. A north or north-west aspect is the best. 
 The house should have a roof of not very steep pitch, 
 a sufficient service of hot-water pipes, and ventilators 
 near the pipes to afford warmth to the fresh air as it 
 enters, and others in the roof at each end, but none 
 elsewhere unless the house is a large one. A frequent 
 change of air is essential to the health of the ferns, but 
 we do not want a rushing wind or so much ventilation 
 
100 The Fern Garden. 
 
 as to render tlie air of the house so dry that the fronds 
 will lose their freshness and health. 
 
 Thousands of villas are now furnished with what are 
 called " conservatories," which would answer admirably 
 for ferneries where they happen not to be exposed to 
 burning sunshine all the summer long. The sunniest 
 of these little glass annexes answer admirably for grape 
 vines and succulent plants, such as cactuses and eche- 
 verias ; the shady ones would answer admirably for 
 ferns, whether in pots or planted out in miniature 
 rockeries. 
 
 In the management of greenhouse and stove ferns 
 the most important matter is to secure a suitable 
 temperature for each department or group of plants. 
 The greenhouse kinds require a temperature of 40° 
 to 50° all the winter, but from the middle of April 
 until the middle of October artificial heat may be dis- 
 pensed with altogether, unless the weather is excep- 
 tionally cold ; and stove ferns require a temperature 
 ranging from 60° in winter to 90° in summer. 
 
 In every case the amount of moisture must be pro- 
 portioned to the temperature, the more heat the more 
 water, both above and below. When the plants are 
 growing freely the syringe should be used to produce a 
 fine shower over them once or twice a day, and water 
 should be sprinkled on the floor to cause an abundant 
 evaporation. They will also require plentiful supplies 
 of water at the roots. 
 
 There is no large class of plants in cultivation for 
 which we may so safely give general cultural directions 
 as for ferns, yet certain kinds require exceptional treat- 
 
Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 101 
 
 ment both in heated houses as in cool ferneries and the 
 open air. The gold and silver ferns, such as gymno- 
 grammas, are for the most part highly susceptible of 
 injury through excess of water, especially when ad- 
 ministered by means of the syringe. All the tree ferns 
 such as Dicksonias require abundant supplies of water, 
 especially over their ample fronds. Most of the kinds 
 which have thick succulent leaves, such as Niphobolus, 
 require drier positions if planted out, and extra careful 
 drainage if in pots, than others that are of flimsy 
 texture. 
 
 The cultivator must be careful to regulate heat and 
 moisture in such a manner as to ensure to the plants 
 regularly recurring seasons of activity and rest. When 
 new growth commences in spring there should be a 
 gradual augmentation of temperature and humidity to 
 afford needful stimulus and support. When in autumn 
 growth should naturally cease, the supplies of heat and 
 moisture should be diminished ; and during the winter 
 rest should be promoted by keeping the house as cool 
 and dry as is consistent with safety. It is bad policy 
 to expose ferns to hardships, such as deferring the 
 lighting of a fire until the fronds are actually frozen or 
 mildew has marred their beauty, for the next season's 
 growth is jeopardised by such treatment, and some 
 valuable plants may be lost entirely. At the same time 
 the cultivator may take comfortable assurance from the 
 fact that the majority of this class of plants are exceed- 
 ingly accommodating ; they will at times bear without 
 material injury more damp, more draught, more sun- 
 shine, and lower degrees of temperature than a prudent 
 
102 The Fern Garden. 
 
 adviser on tlieir cultivation would dare to recommend 
 as good for them. Fully half of the whole number of 
 stove ferns known to cultivators have been well grown 
 in greenhouse temperature, and a very large proportion 
 of greenhouse ferns, properly so called, have been 
 grown to perfection, without any aid from artificial 
 heat, in our own garden. Our large specimens of 
 Adiantum cuneatum, Asplenium biformis, Blechnum 
 brasiliense, &c. &c., that we have exhibited in public, 
 have never known a taste of artificial heat from the 
 time when they started from spores under bell-glasses 
 until they attained their present dimensions of a yard 
 or so across. This adaptability is particularly exempli- 
 fied in the cultivation of ferns in closed cases, Mrs. 
 Hibberd^s cases containing delicate ferns of the tropics 
 side by side with the natives of the British woods, yet 
 all in the most perfect health and beauty. 
 
 The soil for pot ferns should always consist in gre^t 
 part of vegetable mould and sand ; mellow loam, silky 
 to the touch and crumbling to powder between the 
 fingers without soiling them ; peat of a brownish rather 
 than a blackish cast, and containing an abundance of 
 vegetable fibre, so as rather to require tearing than 
 crumbling to reduce it; sand of a sharp clean nature : 
 these three ingredients are sufficient for the prepara- 
 tion of a universal fern compost. In the case of very 
 small delicate habited ferns use two parts peat, re- 
 moving all the rougher portions, and one third sand. 
 For full growing and rather large plants use two parts 
 peat, one part loam, and one part sand, the rougher 
 fibrous portions to be laid over the crocks, and the 
 
Cultivation of Greenhouse and Stove Ferns. 103 
 
 bulk to be used in a rather lumpy state. For very- 
 robust habited sorts of large growth the compost should 
 consist of two parts loam, one part peat, and one of 
 sand, with a liberal addition all through of broken 
 brick or tile of the size of walnuts or hazel-nuts. 
 Ferns that require a drier soil than ordinary should 
 have a compost containing more sand, less loam, and 
 :he addition of a considerable proportion of pounded 
 bricks or charcoal. 
 
 No particular kind of pots is necessary for the 
 cultivation of stove and greenhouse ferns, but, as a 
 rule, they do not root deeply, and shallow pots are to 
 be preferred. Those we use for specimens are made 
 for us by Messrs. Adams, of the Potteries, Belle Isle, 
 King's Cross ; they are extra stout in substance, care- 
 fully finished, and well burnt, and in proportions wider 
 than their depth. A favorite size with us for medium 
 specimens is thirteen inches wide (inside), and nine 
 inches deep. In these we allow our specimens to remain 
 two or three, and even four or five years, without being 
 repotted, though, as a rule, all pot ferns should be re- 
 potted annually in February or March, both to repair 
 the defects of the drainage and remove eff'ete soil, and 
 supply fresh food for maintaining a vigorous growth. 
 
 In every case thorough drainage is of the utmost im- 
 portance, and no progress can be made in fern culture 
 unless the operator pays especial attention to this 
 matter. As for whatever else may be requisite to 
 crown your labours with success, I will endeavour in 
 what follows to indicate as clearly as I can, but it is 
 very certain I shall leave unsaid much that might be 
 
104 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 said, but I may^ even thus far, have assisted you to 
 read the Book of Nature to advantage, so that at the 
 point where 1 stop your studies will take a better 
 direction under authority which never fails. 
 
 " Oar needful knowledge, like our needful food, 
 TJnhedg'd lies open in life's common field." 
 
 V V^ 
 
 
 ADIANTTTM FAELEYENSE. 
 
 ZJ 
 
Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 105 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FIFTY SELECT GREENHOUSE FERNS. 
 
 HE selections I shall make in this and the next 
 chapter will comprise ferns of the most dis- 
 tinct and various character s, 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. 
 fulvuiUj 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 bulbifeimm, A. caudatum, A. dimidiatum, 
 A. dimorphumj A. hemionitis (or palmata), A. lucidum, 
 
106 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 v,^V?^^ 
 
 ADIANTTJM CTJNEATTJM. 
 
Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 107 
 
 A, obtusatum, A. prcemorsum. 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. 
 
 BlecliJium 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 flabeUata 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. speluncce. 
 
 Goniophlebium appendiculatumj a splendid edition (we 
 
108 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 M 
 
 
 m 
 
 CAMPTLONETJEUM PHYLLITIDIS. 
 
Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 
 
 109 
 
 may call it) of our own common polypody; when 
 young tinted with crimson. It requires a rather dry 
 
 DAYALLIA CAXAEIEXSIS.— THE HARE'S-FOOT FEKX. 
 
 soil ; so add extra sand and a good sprinkling of fine 
 
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 quinqangularis , L. patens, two exquisite gems, 
 cheap, but not common. They thrive in our cool 
 fernery. 
 
 Lomaria magellanica, L. gibba, L. cMliense, grand 
 ferns, nearly hardy, and indispensable in even the 
 smallest collection. L. gibba will endure almost any 
 hardship except frost. 
 
 Lyg&dium 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. 
 
 Nephrodiiim 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. rupesti'is, 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 in 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. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Nephrolepis tuber osa is tlie 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. 
 
 NEPHEODIUiT MOLLE, var. COEYilBIFEETJM. 
 
 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, 
 
 POLTPODITJil YENOSTJil. 
 
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 ofi" 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. spoy^odocarpum, 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. 
 
 Platy cerium 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. I have some fine plants growing in a 
 disused (because leaky) aquarium; they are in fine 
 condition. They are covered close with a sheet of glas.s 
 and never have any air at all. 
 
 Thamnopteyns australasica is too good to be omitted. 
 
Fifty Select Greenhouse Ferns. 
 
 115 
 
 PTEEIS SCABEETJLA. 
 
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. 
 
 Exhibition Greenhouse Ferns. — 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 aJbo-lineata, Gleichenia flabellata, Micro- 
 lepia platyphylla, Nephrolepis ewaltata, Thamnopteris 
 australasica, Woodwardia radicans, Pteris flabellata 
 var. crispa. 
 
Thirty Select Stove Ferns, 117 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THIRTY SELECT STOVE FERNS. 
 
 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 concinrium, A. Farley ense, A. macrophyllurrif 
 A. teneruvfiy A. trapeziforme ; a splendid group, not one 
 of which can be dispensed with in even the smallest 
 collection. A. Farleyense 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 brasiliensej a noble fern, well adapted for 
 exhibition, and one of the easiest to manage. 
 
 Brainea insignis, a grand fern, palra-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 
 
 ^DAVALLIA ACIJLTIATA. 
 
 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. 
 
 Goniopteins 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. 
 
 Lyg odium flexuosum, the grandest of the climbing 
 ferns; scarce. 
 
 Nephy^odium glandulosum, extremely pretty and pecu- 
 liar; the fronds once divided; shining green. 
 
 Nephrolepis exaltata, 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- 
 matodeSj three fine and very distinct species; the metallic 
 blue colour of the second is peculiar and pleasing. 
 
OHEILANTHES ARGENTA. 
 
Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 
 
 121 
 
 POLYPODIUM HENCHMANNII. 
 
122 
 
 The Fern Garden, 
 
 POLTPODITJM PHYMATODES. 
 
Thirty Select Stove Ferns. 123 
 
 Pleopeltis memhranacea^ 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. 
 
 Pteris 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 stages 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. 
 
 Exhibition Stove Terns. — The following form a 
 rich and varied group of twelve adapted for exhibition : 
 Adiantiim Farleyense^ Adiantum trapeziforme, Hymeno- 
 dium crinitum, Aspidium macrophyllum (also known 
 as Cardiochlcsna macrophylla) , Asplenium myriophyllum 
 (also known as Asplenium cicutarium), Asplenium seiTa, 
 Drynaria morbillosa, Gleichenia dichotoma, Lygodium 
 flexuosum, Nephrolepis davallioides, Platycerium grande j 
 and Pteris argyrea. 
 
 -H>^^ii|[^=^H- 
 
124 The Fern Garden. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 GOLD AND SILVER FERNS. 
 
 jONE of the so-called gold and silver ferns are 
 adapted for beginners. They are so superbly 
 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 j 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. C. 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. farinosaj 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. suU 
 pliurea, a pretty little plant, light green above^ sulphur- 
 yellow beneath ; must have stove treatment. G. Tar- 
 tarean 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. 
 
 NothochlcEna argentea, a fine silvery companion to 
 Cheilanthes farinosa, and requiring similar care. N. 
 flavenSj an exquisitely beautiful miniature golden fern ; 
 
Tree Ferns. 
 
 127 
 
 a good companion for N. nivea, whicli is equally 
 diminutive and densely powdered witli silvery farina. 
 
 GONIOPTEKIS CEENATA. 
 
128 The Fern Garden, 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TREE FERNS. 
 
 REE ferns have been brought within the reach 
 of fern growers who happen not to be 
 millionaires, by the enterprise of trade col- 
 lectors, and may be purchased according to size, rarity, 
 &c., 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 tlie 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. sqnarrosa, Alsophila uustralis, 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. armataj 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, witkout taking the trouble of 
 saving any of the roots. In fact, they ai'e 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 'proiwrtions 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. 
 
 OWEVER slightly the cultivator of ferns may- 
 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. A tuft of club moss in a marsh or of horsetail 
 in a damp and tangled hedgerow will arrest attention, 
 and the beginner may ask the question — ^^Is this a 
 fern?^^ and when assured that it is not one, will pro- 
 bably ask again, "What is it ?^^ In the greenhouse and 
 the stove the moss-like selaginellas, usually called lyco- 
 podiums, associate with ferns as their proper companions, 
 requiring similar treatment and being obviously allied 
 in structure and habits. On this border land there is 
 entertainment for the curious ; a knowledge of the dis- 
 tinctive character of the tribes of plants that haunt it 
 will prove, like many other kinds of knowledge, abun- 
 dantly remunerative to those who will earnestly seek it, 
 and the lover of vegetable beauty, who may be indis- 
 posed to pore over books or labour with the microscope 
 will discover here many gratifications. 
 
132 The Fern Garden. 
 
 The true ferns may be traced tlirongh many grada- 
 tions of physiological structure "with comparatively 
 little trouble. At all events when the botanists have 
 classified them, it needs no subtlety of perception to 
 determine that the adder's tongue and moonwort ferns 
 are the lowest in the scale, and that their very exist- 
 ence is suggestive of a gradation of similar forms late- 
 rally or vertically separated from them to which these 
 least fern-like ferns serve as connecting links. The 
 plants that are closest allied to the ferns are the Lyco- 
 podiums, the Selaginellas, the Pepperworts, the Horse- 
 tails, and the Mosses. After these we get amongst 
 lichens and fungi, and as we must stop somewhere, 
 the foregoing five families are all we shall recognise for 
 the purposes of this chapter. Each family contributes 
 beautiful plants adapted for the fern garden, and as for 
 the selagincllas they are all beautiful, and we make 
 selections from amongst them, because usually we 
 cannot find room for the fifty or more species and 
 varieties known to cultivators. 
 
 Lycopodiums and Selagincllas closely resemble 
 mosses in their branches and leaves, while in many of 
 their general characters and aspects they bear close 
 resemblances to ferns. They are, however, distinct 
 from cither, and are especially characterised by the 
 nature of their leaves and their fructification. There is 
 one broad distinction between lycopodiums and sela- 
 gincllas, which the beginner may bear in mind with 
 advantage. Lycopodiums have imbricated leaves all of 
 the same shape spirally arranged. Selagincllas have 
 leaves of two sizes and slighthj differing in form. You 
 
Fern Allies. 133 
 
 will not readily perceive these distinctions^ but look at a 
 fresh branch of Selaginella with the aid of a lens, and 
 you will see that between the evident leaves which 
 stand right and left there are smaller tooth-like leaves 
 arranged in the manner of bracts ; such leaves as these 
 you will never find in a true lycopodium. The distinc- 
 tions that depend upon fructification are more subtle, 
 and to describe them would render these pages weari- 
 some. Better is it to quit this part of the subject at 
 once and consider the several families named above as 
 subjects for cultivation. 
 
 Lycopodiums. — The British Lycopodiums are scarcely 
 worth cultivating, for the simple reason that the best 
 endeavours have invariably failed. They are not 
 without beauty ; indeed, when we meet with a large 
 patch of L. clavatum, forming a green mat two or three 
 yards over on a tract of heath, we are compelled to 
 admire, and can scarcely fail to be tempted by the wish 
 to grow the plant to a similar state of perfection in our 
 own gardens. So, again, L, annotinum, the most dis- 
 tinct of all ; and L. alpinum, a charming evergreen tuft 
 that may be mistaken for a savin, are well worthy of 
 further attempts at their domestication. I must con- 
 fess that I have tried them all and failed with all except 
 L. inundatum, which I have had no trouble with, for it 
 grows freely with me in the simple way I manage it, 
 which is to bring home with me some of the soil from 
 the bog I find the plant growing in, and having potted 
 it in this, I keep the pot always standing in a pan of 
 water. Plenty of fresh air it must have, or it will not 
 last. 
 
134 The Fern Garden, 
 
 L. selago, the Fir-club moss^ is a noble species^ quite 
 common on stony mountain tracts^ a plant of great 
 interest too on account of its medicinal properties. In 
 the open fernery, probably, all our British species would 
 thrive if taken up in large masses and planted in fully 
 exposed positions in soil specially prepared to resemble 
 that of their original sites. With tbem should be asso- 
 ciated an American species, L. lucidulum, which 
 closely resembles our L. selago, but is of a shining 
 dark-green colour. This thrives in peat soil in the 
 open fernery if favoured with shade and moisture. 
 
 Selaginellas. — Amongst these occur so many lovely 
 forms of vegetation, that we can safely say for the 
 guidance of the cultivator, the larger the collection the 
 better. The delicate cushion-like growth of S. apoda, 
 scarcely to be equalled by any of the true mosses, is 
 unique for beauty. It will suggest to the reader of 
 Milton the description of the home life of the matchless 
 pair in the happy garden — 
 
 " Of grassy turf their table was, 
 And mossy seats had round." 
 
 The metallic blue of S. laevigata {S. ccesium) is posi- 
 tively marvellous, yet the plant is common and will 
 grow in any moist warm close spot, scarcely needing 
 warmth or daylight, though growing the better for 
 a little of both. In S. rubricaulis we have the colours 
 of the red coral and the emerald combined ; in S. for- 
 mosa we have a charming semblance to a fern, yet a kind 
 of beauty which no fern possesses. 
 
 In practice we find them all adaptable to cool houses 
 
Fern Allies, 135 
 
 and unheated cases, but to grow them in perfection 
 warmth is essential, and they may all be treated as 
 stove plants, and wherever there is a suitable place 
 for them, so surely ought this class of plants to be 
 strongly represented, for they are quite at home, and 
 thrive where it would be next to impossible to keep any 
 other plant in a healthy growiug state, even if it could 
 be persuaded to drag out an existence, which would 
 not be at all likely to compliment the cultivator for the 
 skill and trouble expended upon it. It greatly en- 
 hances the attractions of the fern house to distribute 
 the selaginellas amongst large specimen plants, where 
 they can have the advantage of the shade from them, 
 putting them, of course, so as they can be readily seen, 
 for it is no use to put a light under a bushel. They 
 are also well suited to stand amongst strong-growing 
 ferns, for the spreading nature of the fronds of 
 the ferns prevents the pots being set close to each 
 other, thus giving ample room to stand dwarf- 
 growing plants, which require similar treatment and a 
 deeper intensity of shade than the ferns. They will, 
 however, grow well in a house with a suitable tempera- 
 ture if there are no other plants of any description but 
 them in it, provided that the house is properly shaded. 
 My reason for suggesting the suitability of these plants 
 for growing between others of larger size is this — the 
 stove is generally of limited extent, so that every inch 
 of space is required to be made available for growing 
 something or other, and there is always space between 
 large specimen plants, although their fronds may meet 
 overhead, suitable for growing dwarf plants like these. 
 
133 The Fern Garden. 
 
 thus leaving tlie otlier space^ wliicli has the advantage 
 of the full lights available for growing other subjects. 
 
 The best mode of growing fine specimens is in pans^ 
 for they are shallow rooting plants^ and do not require 
 a great depth of soil. By adopting pans we are enabled 
 to give them a much larger space to spread over than 
 would be practicable in pots. Pans of eighteen inches 
 in diameter are a very convenient size for strong- 
 growing kinds^ whilst for the moss-like sorts of dwarf 
 growth a smaller size is far better. The pans should 
 have about an inch of drainage crocks broken rather 
 fine^ a layer of rough peat, and then must be filled up 
 with a compost consisting of peat, loam, leaf-mould, 
 and silver sand, equal parts. This should be pressed 
 firm, a layer of sand put over it, and the cuttings laid 
 on and pegged down. The cuttings should be good- 
 sized pieces. I take them ofi" at the base, close to the 
 soil, which is better than the tops, and if they are pro- 
 perly attended to, they will soon take root and cover 
 the pans. It is best to keep them renewed in this way 
 than keep a lot of old plants ; for when they are old 
 they are bad, and get broken about, and bear no com- 
 parison to young healthy plants. The metallic lined 
 Icevigata can be kept in good trim by cutting it down 
 to the pan when it becomes a bad colour, and if it has 
 a little fine soil and sand, or sand alone sprinkled over 
 it, and set in a warm corner, it will soon recover. Un- 
 less kept in deep shade this charming plant soon loses 
 its exquisite colour. 
 
 Kinds which have incequifolia and viticulosa for their 
 type require a slightly different method of treatment in 
 
Fern Allies. 137 
 
 their propagation. Instead of laying the pieces on the 
 top of the soilj the old plant should be taken out of 
 the pan, divided into small pieces, and dibbed a few 
 inches apart in fresh soil, in pans about nine inches in 
 diameter, and as they cover the pans be shifted into 
 larger sizes according to their requirements ; they are 
 slower growing than the others, and do not make large 
 plants so quickly. Any time of the year will do for 
 the propagation, but autumn is the best; for during 
 the winter the cuttings get rooted if kept warm enough, 
 and with the return of spring grow freely and soon 
 make handsome tufts. All the kinds which are of 
 moss-like growth, and form rootlets on their stems, are 
 adapted to cover rocky surfaces in the fern house. 
 Just sprinkle a little sand or peat on the rock or brick, 
 and upon this prepared surface press a few pieces of 
 denticulata, apoda, densa, obtusa, and others of like 
 habit, give a sprinkle daily with the syringe, and they 
 will soon take hold and spread and form charming 
 little carpets of the most delicate vegetation. Speci- 
 men plants in pans will need frequent syringing when 
 growing vigorously, but as the damp days of autumn 
 approach, syringing must be practised less, and during 
 winter must be discontinued altogether. 
 
 As there are few cultivators who can find room for 
 all the Selaginellas, a selection of the most distinct and 
 beautiful will be useful. 
 
 Greenhouse Selaginellas. — S. stolomfera, green 
 and tree-like. S. formosa, green, tree-like, massive. B, 
 microphylla, green, slender, tree-like, red-stemmed, 
 (S. uncinatttj blue^ prostrate^ wiry. S. apoda, green, 
 
138 The Fern Garden. 
 
 moss-like, one of the best. >S^. denticulata, green, well 
 known, one of the most useful. There is a white- 
 tipped variety which makes beautiful tufts in green- 
 house or stove. S. Willdenovi, green, fern-like, very 
 hardy; one of the best. S. lepidophylla, dark green, 
 like a miniature cedar tree. This is the American 
 ^' Resurrection plant." S. obtusa, green, moss-like, 
 beautiful. 
 
 Stove Selaginellas. — S. rubricaulis, red-stemmed, 
 tree-like. S. Icevigcita, blue, a splendid climbing plant, 
 well adapted for the fern case or to train as a climber. 
 S. jamaicensis, phosphorescent, a delicate little gem. 
 
 Pepper-worts. — These plants are known in botany 
 as the Marsileacece ; they are for the most part insig- 
 nificant and would have no place in this chapter were 
 it not for the peculiar merit of one of the family which 
 many fern-growers would like to possess. This is the 
 Marsilea macropus, the Nardoo plant of Australian ex- 
 plorers, the plant mentioned as the last resource against 
 starvation in the tragic story of the Burke and Wills 
 exploring expedition. This species may easily be taken 
 at first sight for a large-leaved oxalis, or trefoil, owing 
 to the peculiar divisions of its leaves. It may be grown 
 with the greatest ease in a pot of spongy peat kept 
 constantly plunged in one or two inches depth of water. 
 M. quadrifolia, a native of Germany, is also a pretty 
 species, but it has no story to recommend it like the 
 other. 
 
 Horsetails or Equisetums. — There is a rather 
 troublesome weed, of very elegant structure and curious 
 history, met with in undrained clay and loamy soils ; 
 
Fern Allies. 139 
 
 it is of a pale green colour, and consists of a tough and 
 rather decumbent stem, surrounded with whorls of 
 thread-like branches, its true leaves, if it has any, being 
 in the form of minute scales, placed around points or 
 rings which occur at regular intervals on the stems. 
 The plant is known to country people as the " horse- 
 taiP or ^^ mare^s-tail,^^ and in botany is called Equi- 
 setum arvense, the field Equisetum. Though a trouble- 
 some weed, and one that is detested where it grows 
 plentifully, it is well worth a place in the fernery, and 
 when planted in a shady bank of peat, it spreads fast, 
 and makes its appearance in all sorts of places, but does 
 not drive better things out of the way, or even render 
 itself objectionable. I have some of it in a shady part 
 of my fernery, and very much enjoy the mixture of its 
 elegant light green spray with such ferns as Onoclea 
 sensibilis, and others that have bold-looking fronds. 
 Those who know this plant, as probably most of our 
 readers do, will be, perhaps, prejudiced in favour of the 
 genus to which it belongs. But whether such be the 
 case or not, I wish to recommend these plants to the 
 notice of fern-growers, as suited to contribute in a 
 special manner to the interest of a collection of acro- 
 genons plants. I have all the species that are known, 
 and one of them I consider the most elegant of all 
 plants ever seen upon the face of the earth. This gem 
 is called Equisetum sylvaticum, one stem of which is 
 represented in the accompanying figure. If the reader 
 can imagine a nine-inch pot, with about fifty of these 
 stems crowded together in it, all of them arching over 
 with exquisite grace, like feathers from the tails of birds 
 
140 
 
 The Fern Garden. 
 
 EQUISETUM SYLVATICUM. 
 
Fern Allies. 141 
 
 of Paradise, the colour the most tender shade of eraerald 
 green, no apology will be needed for calling attention 
 to it in these pages, for it is, in fact, one of the most 
 desirable of plants for the fern garden. 
 
 Equisetum sylvaticum is a British plant, very scarce 
 generally, but plentiful enough in some districts. When 
 met with it is usually in a peaty soil, beside a water-course 
 in a shady wood, or on a bank beside a ditch overhung 
 with trees and rank herbage ; always in a moist, shady 
 spot, and if not in peat, in some light soil of similar 
 nature. My best plants in pots are kept under a 
 stage, and have all the drip that results from the 
 watering of plants above them, besides the water given 
 them in the usual way, and their appearance is so 
 delightful, they so fascinate me that I never enter the 
 house where they are kept without having a peep at 
 them. They are to me a feast which never satiates, 
 though I sometimes become tired of flowers, especially 
 after I have for weeks constantly been visiting great 
 gardens, and comparing and criticising bedding efi'ects. 
 We have it also planted out in the shadiest and dampest 
 part of a rockery, in a cool fernery, and also in a 
 shady part of the fernery out-of-doors. It increases 
 fast, and may, if desirable, be parted annually in spring 
 when it begins to grow ; but to make a fine specimen 
 it should not be parted, but be shifted to a larger and 
 larger pot every year, and this should be done without 
 breaking the ball when the plant is shifted ; no, not 
 even the crocks should be removed. 
 
 Another grand species is Equisetum tehnateia, which 
 is of more robust habit than the last, with regular 
 
142 The Fern Garden. 
 
 whorls of branches, which diflPer from those of sylvaticum, 
 that they do not branch again. This grows on dry 
 sandy banks, and is tolerably common, especially in the 
 southern parts of England. It grows finely in the 
 rockery if planted in a shady spot, and though found 
 wild in very dry positions, I have never found it suc- 
 ceed except in a damp position, unless assisted with 
 frequent watering. Sandy peat is the best soil for it. 
 
 Another and most beautiful species is E. umbrosum. 
 This is very distinct and very rare. The whorls of 
 branches are rather crowded, and they all rise at a 
 regular angle, and gracefully arch over at their ends. 
 This grows in very shady places, and requires the same 
 kind of cultivation. 
 
 Equisetum palustre is another exquisitely beautiful 
 plant. By many this will be considered more beauti- 
 ful than sylvaticum, for the slender branches divide 
 and subdivide into the most hair-like ramifications ; 
 indeed, it looks as if constructed of hair, but in a 
 manner that would be impossible to human fingers even 
 if only in imitation of its beauty. This grows in bogs, 
 and therefore when under cultivation must have a damp 
 position and plenty of water. 
 
 I have also plants of E. fliiviatile, which grows in 
 water ; E. hyemale, also a water plant ; E. Mackaii, 
 which loves moisture, and E. variegatum, which will 
 grow well under almost any circumstances. But these 
 four have no beauty. They are like rushes, tall, 
 rigid, without branches, very pretty in a certain sense 
 in their construction, but are likely to interest only 
 such as are devoted to the study of these plants. 
 
Fern Allies. 143 
 
 Mosses. — Though we rarely meet with these as 
 special objects of cultivation_, a large number of the 
 most beautiful may be grown with but little difficulty 
 in an outdoor fernery, and a few are well adapted for 
 cool house and frame culture. Where ferns are well 
 managed mosses are sure to appear amongst them 
 spontaneously, and add very much to the beauty of the 
 rockery by the tone of age and ripeness they give it. 
 In the ^ Floral World ^ of February, 1869, the writer 
 of this gave his experience at length upon this subject. 
 Those who are particularly interested in it may peruse 
 the article with advantage. 
 
 In collecting mosses for cultivation, they should be 
 taken with a thin slice of whatever they may be grow- 
 ing upon adhering to the roots. Thus obtained, they 
 will grow freely, and spread in all directions. But 
 when they are rudely torn from pieces of rock, the 
 roots are injured, and the specimens suffer in con- 
 sequence, frequently resulting in their death. All the 
 mosses require a liberal supply of moisture at all 
 seasons, to keep them in full health. A better proof 
 of the truth of this assertion is not wanted than to 
 point to the vigorous way in which they all grow natu- 
 rally during the humid season of November and De- 
 cember. To keep them in first-rate condition, they 
 should have a liberal sprinkling overhead three times a 
 day through the summer, and at other times twice will 
 be sufficient, unless the weather is particularly dry and 
 warm. There need be little fear of their receiving too 
 much. In the winter there will be sufficient atmo- 
 spheric moisture, in addition to the rains, to keep them 
 
144 The Fern Garden. 
 
 damp enough, unless it should happen to be unex- 
 ceptionally dry. In that case a sprinkle overhead will 
 be of immense benefit to them. The planting should 
 be conducted so that each species gets a position that 
 bears a close affinity to the circumstances in which it 
 is found in a natural state. Those that grow on stone 
 or brickwork should be secured to those substances, 
 whilst those growing in damp pools and ordinary soil 
 should have like positions allotted to them. By taking 
 notice of the conditions under which they are found, a 
 good idea of the treatment they require may be formed 
 by those who know little or nothing about the subject. 
 The cultivator will find every bit of information picked 
 up in this way of very great service to him, at some 
 time or other. 
 
 The undermentioned species are all particularly 
 beautiful, and have the great merit of thriving un- 
 commonly well upon an artificially constructed rockery : 
 — Bartramia fontana, B. pomiformis, Bryum aJpiyium, B. 
 capillare, B. argenteum, Dicranum squarrosum, Grimmia 
 Doniana, G. leucophcea, G. pulvinata, Hookeria lucens, 
 Hypnum denticulatum, H. cupressiforme, H. purum, H. 
 Schreberiy H. splendens^ Leskea sericea, Racomitrium 
 canescens, Weissia contraversa, the principal species of 
 Tortula, and all the Polytrichums, and Mniums. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Adiantum, British species of , 
 
 . 74 
 
 „ exotic species . , 
 
 105, 117 
 
 Adiantopsis radiata 
 
 . 117 
 
 AUosorus crispus . 
 
 . 75 
 
 Alsopliila, species of 
 
 . 129 
 
 Aneimia collina 
 
 . 117 
 
 Asplenium, Britisli species of 
 
 20, 75 
 
 „ exotic species 
 
 105,117 
 
 Atliyriuin, Britisli species of 
 
 24,76 
 
 Basket ferns 
 
 . 59 
 
 Bleclinum, species of 
 
 . 76,107,117 
 
 „ spicant 
 
 . 24 
 
 Bracken on ruin . . . , 
 
 . 14 
 
 Brainea insignis . . . , 
 
 . 117 
 
 Britisli ferns . . . , 
 
 . 73 
 
 Campj^oneurum phyllitidis . 
 
 . 107 
 
 Ceteracli officinarum 
 
 > . 21,78 
 
 Cheilantlies, species of ► 
 
 . 126 
 
 Climbing ferns . . .^ . . 
 
 110, 120 
 
 Collecting ferns . . • . 
 
 4 
 
 Cystopteris, Britisli species of 
 
 1 21, 79 
 
 Davallia canariensis 
 
 . 107 
 
 „ polyantha and aculeata 
 
 . 117 
 
 Dicksonia, species of . . . 
 
 . 129 
 
 Elaphoglossum frigidum 
 
 . 120 
 
 Equisetums or horse-tails . 
 
 25, 138 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 Index, 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Fern-allies . . , 
 
 . 131 
 
 Fern cases and shades • • 
 
 42, 63 
 
 Ferns in general . 
 
 1 
 
 Fern-linnting 
 
 . 5 
 
 Fera-house, construction and f urnisliing of 
 
 . 33 
 
 Fireside ferneries . . ^ 
 
 . 42 
 
 Flowers and ferns in the sa.me house . 
 
 . 96 
 
 Formation of fernery 
 
 . 6,11 
 
 Frame culture of pot ferns . 
 
 . 29 
 
 Gleichenias 
 
 107, 120 
 
 Gold and silver ferns 
 
 . 124 
 
 Goniophlebiums . 
 
 107,120 
 
 Greenhouse and stove ferns . 
 
 . 95 
 
 Gymnogramma leptophyUa . 
 
 . 79 
 
 „ chrysophylla, sulphurea, &c. 
 
 . 126 
 
 Hare's-foot fern . . . , 
 
 . 107 
 
 Hartstongue ferns 
 
 23,89,92 
 
 Hymenodium crinitum 
 
 . 120 
 
 Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense 
 
 . 80 
 
 Hypolepis tenuifolia . . 
 
 . 110 
 
 Lastrea, British species of . 
 
 . 82 
 
 „ exotic species 
 
 . 110 
 
 List of twelve ferns for pot culture . 
 
 . 27 
 
 „ sixty „ cool fernhouses 
 
 . 40 
 
 
 „ fifteen „ glass shades . 
 
 . 48 
 
 
 „ thirty „ heated cases . 
 
 . 61 
 
 
 „ „ „ unheated cases 
 
 . 61 
 
 
 „ twenty-four suspending in cases 
 
 . 62 
 
 
 , forty „ small growing case feiT 
 
 IS . 62 
 
 
 , fifty „ greenhouse ferns 
 
 . 105 
 
 
 , thirty „ stove ferns . 
 
 . 117 
 
 
 , twelve greenhouse exhibition ferns 
 
 . 116 
 
 J 
 
 , „ stove exhibition fei'ns . , 
 
 . 123 
 
 
 , seventeen gold and silver ferns 
 
 . 126 
 
 Localities in which ferns grow 
 
 9 
 
 Ly( 
 
 3opodiums . . . , 
 
 . 133 
 
Index. 
 
 147 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Marsli ferns 
 
 . 24 
 
 Moliria tliui'if raga , . , 
 
 . 110 
 
 Mosses .... 
 
 . 143 
 
 Multiplication of ferns 
 
 . 64 
 
 Mural ferneries 
 
 . 15 
 
 Neplirodium molle 
 
 . 110 
 
 Nephrolepis, species of 
 
 111, 120 
 
 Nipliobolus lingua and rupestris 
 
 . 110 
 
 Nomenclature 
 
 3 
 
 Notliochlsena argentea, flavens, &c. 
 
 . 126 
 
 Onycliium Japonicum 
 
 . Ill 
 
 Opliioglossum, British species of 
 
 .- 84 
 
 Osmunda regalis . . • . 
 
 24, 84 
 
 Outdoor ferneries . . . . 
 
 . 11 
 
 Pepper-worts . . . . 
 
 . 138 
 
 Phlebodium aui'eum and sporodocarpum 
 
 . 113 
 
 Platycerium alcicorne 
 
 . 114 
 
 „ grande . . 
 
 . 123 
 
 Platyloma rotundifolia 
 
 . Ill 
 
 Pleopeltis membranacea . • 
 
 . 123 
 
 Polypodium, British species of 
 
 22, 84 
 
 „ exotic species . 
 
 113, 120 
 
 Polysticlium, British species of 
 
 . 86 
 
 Pot -culture of ferns 
 
 . 26 
 
 Pots for specimen ferns 
 
 . 103 
 
 Propagation of ferns by spores, divisions, &c. , 
 
 . 64 
 
 Pteris, British species of 
 
 . 89 
 
 „ exotic species 
 
 114,123 
 
 Selaginellas 
 
 . 134 
 
 Scolopendrium, British species of 
 
 23, 89, 92 
 
 Silver ferns . . • 
 
 . 124 
 
 Stag's-hom ferns . . • 
 
 114, 123 
 
 Stove ferns, culture of . 
 
 . 100 
 
 Structure and growth of ferns 
 
 2 
 
 Thamnopteris australasica . • 
 
 . 114 
 
 Todea pellucida and superba 
 
 . 114 
 
148 
 
 Index. 
 
 Ti'ee ferns 
 
 Tricliomanes radicans 
 Tunbridge filmy fern 
 Rockeries and rooteries 
 Rock and wall ferns 
 Roslier's fern-pillar 
 Yermin in fern-cases 
 Woodsia alpina and ilvensis 
 Woodwai-dia radicans and or 
 
 ientalis 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . 128 
 . 92 
 . 8,80 
 . 13 
 . 7,19 
 . 55 
 . 57 
 23,94 
 . 116 
 
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