8o 



down months before, I felt immediately convinced that 

 C. f. sempevvivens was thus established as a British plant, 

 and obtaining ^Ir. Young's permission, through the late 

 Mr. R. Somerville, who had sent me the fronds, I scattered 

 the spores freely inside a Wardian case. The result was 

 a considerable number of plants, all of which have proved 

 their distinctness, winter after winter, by remaining not 

 only perfectly evergreen, but practically growing all the 

 year through. It is a robust grower, but not otherwise 

 dissimilar to C. fvagilis in make. So far, its fronds do not 

 turn brown, as those of C. fvagilis are apt to do. It was 

 found apparently some few years prior to my acquaintance 

 with it, and it is only recently that I came across the late 

 Mr. Somerville's letter, which has induced me to put the 

 m.atter thus on record in the " Gazette." 



C. T. D. 



RAISING LASTREA MONTANA FROM 



SPORES. 



As Lastvea montana, or to give it its English names of 

 Mountain Buckler Fern or Lemon Scented Fern, grows 

 in considerable quantity and in great luxuriance in this 

 neighbourhood, and as I find I can grow it equally easily 

 and well in my garden, it has always been one of my 

 favourites among British ferns, and as I have been 

 successful in raising large numbers of seedlings, I have 

 great pleasure in complying with the request of the Editor 

 to give a short account of my method, in case any members 

 who have the means of growing this beautiful fern care to 

 try to raise seedlings of it. To begin with, I always select 

 soil either from a place where Lastrea monianas are grow- 

 ing, or else use pure loam, which I know to be free of lime, 

 and which, it is well known, this species dislikes, and I boil 

 sufficient soil in an old pan to fill a number of pots ; this I 

 find much less trouble and more efficacious than to first fill 

 the pots with soil and then pour boiling water through 

 them. For pots I use any old glazed dishes, such as cups 



