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only are the fronds larger, but the particular varietal 

 character is greatly enhanced. A secondary advantage of 

 course is that specimens can be multiplied, since with judi- 

 cious separation all such lateral offsets when removed will 

 be found to have their own root system and thus only require 

 replanting to form full-sized specimens in time. The best 

 plan is to lift the plant bodily with a strong fork and force 

 the various drowns gently apart with a blunt trowel, or, as 

 is often the case with Lady Ferns, which multiply rather by 

 fission or splitting up of the crowns on Siamese twin lines, 

 a sharp knife may be employed to cut down into the 

 connecting portion or neck until the two sections can be 

 forced asunder with the fingers. When this is done care 

 should be taken not to squeeze the upper part of the 

 crown in which the coming fronds are packed, as this 

 may do damage to eventual development. The Shield 

 Ferns have a greater tendency to retain the single crown 

 formation, but in many cases produce not only lateral 

 bulbils, but also others near the bases of the fronds on the 

 frond stalks. In the " proliferum " or acutilobe section of 

 P. angulave, innumerable bulbils are sometimes produced 

 all the way up the frond, whence the name of proliferum. 

 Nothing is easier than to propagate such forms by simply 

 layering the fronds in their entirety, or so far as they 

 shew the proliferum character, or they may be cut into 

 short sections and pegged down in special pans, or inserted 

 in the edges of pots containing other plants. 



Ferns with creeping rootstocks, such as the Polypodies, 

 do not, of course, lend themselves to single crown culture 

 and are best left alone if doing well, though, as Nature 

 teaches us, a mulching of old leaves is beneficial, that 

 constituting Nature's own manuring. If clumps of P. 

 vulgave varieties are out of condition, they may be divided 

 into sections consisting of a few inches of rootstock with 

 roots, a few fronds and growing tips. These planted 

 superficially on a compost of mainly leaf mould, oak for 

 preference, only the fibrous roots being buried and the 



