2/1 



explored the locality for years, and found a large number 

 of very fine varieties ; but, on examining this one, he was 

 compelled to own that it quite surpassed anything he had 

 himself discovered, owing to its singularly graceful form, 

 great size, and the peculiarly pretty arrangement of the 

 terminal pinnae of every frond, these being curved inwards 

 towards the tip, so as to overlap each other, the tip itself 

 being long and attenuated. Despite its robust character it 

 was quite barren, but under cultivation it displayed a 

 strong tendency to produce lateral offsets, and by means 

 of these the doctor was enabled to distribute plants freely 

 among his fern-loving friends. One went to Mr. G. B. 

 Wollaston, and in time he gave the writer an offset, which 

 flourished, reached full size, and provided others. One of 

 these was given to Mr. C. B. Green, of Acton, a neighbour 

 of the writer, and under his fostering care, in a few years, 

 a very fine plant resulted. Dr. Stansfield, visiting the 

 writer's collection, was taken round to see INIr. Green's, 

 and under our joint close inspection with a lens, dictated 

 by experience of the sometimes minute character of the 

 fructification on very plumose Polystichums, to our great 

 delight here and there on a few of the pinnules single 

 sporangia were detected as tiny black dots. 



Chas. T. Druery, V.M.H., F.L.S. 

 {To be continued.) 



SPRING TREATMENT OF HARDY FERNS. 



Since by the time this number reaches our members the 

 best period will have arrived for re-arrangement, repotting, 

 planting or dividing the hardy ferns in their collections, a 

 few words on that subject will be appropriate. It is in 

 March that active growth really commences; although 

 there is not much obvious evidence of it, the roots will be 

 found to be pushing their whitish points into the soil, the 

 crowns are appreciably swelling and from the bases of the 

 future fronds new fresh roots can be discerned pushing 

 their way down the sides of the old caudices in order 



