i63 



this plant, which is not perfectly hardy, but around and 

 under the fern fronds, and nestling in the lee of every 

 stone, it maintains its verdurous appearance, and with the 

 first warm spring days commences rapidly to spread again 

 from these shelters. It thus appears to have somewhat 

 of frost-protecting value for the fern crowns, besides its 

 summer function as a moisture retainer. 



At first sight it might seem that the Helxine would 

 harbour slugs, yet I have seldom seen many on it, and 

 those were easily caught on its close carpeting leafage. 

 Altogether, I fancy the plant is well worth experimenting 

 with, and I hope I shall induce a few of the Society's 

 membership to criticise my results. 



The fern cult first captured me when I w^as living at 

 Rochester, Kent, about 1898. I gradually acquired a 

 selection of hardy and semi - hardy exotics, such as 

 Adianttim pedattim, Woodmardia radicans, Onoclea sensihilis, 

 Cyvtomium falcatum, Asp. hnlbiferum, and a number of 

 Pteviscs. Several of these plants I still possess and 

 cherish. 



I don't know whether it is treasonable on the part of a 

 member of the British Pteridological Society, but I still 

 feel that Adiantum pedattim, at its best, is "a gem of the 

 first water." The multitude of plantlets on Asp. hiilhifevwn 

 was W'hat first drew me towards British ferns, as it caused 

 me to take great delight in a proliferous Shield Fern I came 

 across. It was a very ordinary "proliferum," not by any 

 means equal to aciitilohum prol. elegaus. I raised numbers 

 of these bulbils, and hold strongly the opinion that as a 

 means of attracting fern lovers, and inducing them to " try 

 their hands " at easy methods of propagation, the most 

 freely proliferous of our soft Shield Ferns are hard to beat. 

 It is not every day that one comes across the enthusiast — 

 the person who eventually boasts a collection of choice 

 things, and joys in our membership. Such people are 

 rare, and for every one of them I believe there can be 

 found scores of ordinary " fern lovers," of the type that 



