3^ 



compost of loam and brown peat, half and half, with a 

 liberal dash of coarse silver sand. In this we have six fine 

 varieties : P. v. gvandiceps Fovstev, with heavy tassels 

 on all tips and fronds, 15 to 18 inches long ; P. V' 

 hifido-cvistatiim, a narrow form with smaller tassels ; P. v. 

 glomevaUim Mtillins, with curious bunchy semi - crested 

 fronds, no two of which are ever alike ; P. v. ptdchervimmn, 

 a giant form, with thrice divided broad fronds, a grand 

 variety ; P. v. gvandiceps Parker, bearing heavy crispy 

 bunch crests at the top of almost bare stalks, and finally 

 P. V. longipinnatuni, found by ourselves at Killarney, with 

 long slender side divisions about 3^ inches long and 

 pointed. These were originally planted on the surface, 

 burying the roots proper and pegging down the rootstocks, 

 and now, after some five years, they have taken full 

 possession and push their fronds from the sides as well, 

 forming a grand group. Each spring we give them a 

 mulch of burnt fern fronds, i.e. ashes mixed with a little 

 soil, and this seems to benefit them greatly, as they rise 

 with increased vigour every season. They also remain 

 green and fresh throughout the winter, and though frozen 

 in severe weather, the glass being their only protection, 

 they quite recover themselves when the thaw sets in, and 

 retain their verdure until the new growth starts to replace 

 them. 



We next come to a series of pots and pans, the latter 

 accommodating specimen plants standing on (not in) red- 

 ware saucers, which are kept filled with water and are 

 usually filled with roots as well. The pans are shallow 

 and about 15 inches across, sufficient for a good plant to 

 attain its maximum development. Here we have a series 

 of the camhricnm or Welsh Polypody section, different 

 entirely from the above, except P. v. pulclierrimuui which, 

 however, they far exceed in the delicacy and extent of their 

 division. There are five types of these, all distinct, viz., 

 P. V. camhricnm, the ordinary form of it, with fronds 

 nearly 2 feet long and 8 or 9 broad, the side divisions being 

 2 inches wide and deeply cut into long leafy-pointed sub- 



