374 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



MARCH 16, 1S99. 



A Stronger growing form of this 

 species was introduced a few years 

 ago from Polynesia and named P. alci- 

 corne majus, the fronds of which are 

 much broader, heavier in texture, and 

 darlver green in color. The last named 

 is an admirable plant for exhibition 

 purposes, being entirely distinct from 

 the type and a very effective plant. 



Another fine species, and much less 

 common than those already referred 

 to, is P. aethiopica, and which from 

 its broad and massive looking fertile 

 fronds has been called the Moose Horn 

 fern. As its name indicates, this fern 

 is a native of portions of Africa, and 

 though introduced more than 75 years 

 ago it is but seldom seen, probably 

 owing to the poor success that often 

 attends tfte effort to raise some of the 

 platyceriums from spores. The fertile 

 fronds of P. aethiopica grow two to 

 three feet long, are pendent and divid- 

 ed into broad segments, the spores ap- 

 pearing in large patches at the base 

 of these main divisions of the frond. 



P. angolense is one of the latest in- 

 troductions in this genus, and is very 

 singular in form, neither the barren 

 nor the fertile fronds being divided in- 

 to the characteristic stag's horn shape. 

 In this particular it differs from all 

 other platyceriums. for the fertile 

 fronds of P. angolense are cuneate or 

 wedge shaped, and the under side of 

 all fronds is covered with a thick coat- 

 ing of rust-colored wool. At present 

 this species is extremely rare in culti- 

 vation, but a number of seedlings 

 have been raised at Kew Gardens. 



P. biforme in another very rare spe- 

 cies and not at all likely to be seen 

 in quantity or in its full development 

 in our trade collections, from the fact 

 that the fertile fronds of this species 

 have been known to reach a length of 

 15 feet in its native home, the East 

 Indies. But attention is directed to it 

 here on account of the peculiarity of 

 its fertile fronds, these being divided 

 into many segments, and a portion 

 only of these segments being fertile. 



The fertile segments of the leaf are 

 kidney shaped, and raised up on a 

 stem from the main disk of the leaf, 

 while the barren segments of the same 

 leaf are narrow and strap-shaped, this 

 two-formed construction of the same 

 leaf producing one of the greatest od- 

 dities in the fern world. 



The nest species is P. grande, one of 

 the best, and also much more often 

 seen than some of those noted above. 

 The young plant depicted in our il- 

 lustration does not give the best idea 

 of this species, the sterile fronds be- 

 coming much larger and more promi- 

 nent with age. The fertile fronds of 

 P. grande are produced in pairs, and 

 are divided into the regular elk horn 

 shape, the spores appearing in an ir- 

 regular mass at the base of the divi- 

 sions of the fronds, and at a little dis- 

 tance remind one of a coating of 

 coarse snuff on the under side of the 

 leaf. But though these spores are 

 produced in such quantity and also 



germinate with moderate freedom, yet 

 it is not easy to get up a stock, for the 

 majority of the sporlings refuse to 

 grow beyond the first or prothallus 

 state of their existence. 



P. Willinckii is another very distinct 

 and striking species, and the plant il- 

 lustrated gives a good idea of the 

 graceful habit of the fertile fronds of 

 this fern. These latter are produced 

 in threes, and attain a length of two 

 to three feet, the surface of the fronds 

 being covered with a coating of silvery 

 scales that gives the plant a hoary ap- 

 pearance. The sterile leaves of P. 

 Willinckii are peculiar in their short 

 life as compared with that of the fer- 



Platycerium Willinckii. 



tile ones, and while remaining firmly 

 attached to the plant these sterile 

 leaves become brown and dry at quite 

 an early period. 



Other species are P. Hillii and P. 

 Wallichii, both of which are distinct 

 and valuable, though neither seem to 

 have become common in their 20 to 40 

 years' existence in cultivation. 



W. H. TAPLIN. 



CARNATION CERTinCATES. 



I noticed with the greatest gratifi- 

 cation the change in the scale of points 

 for judging seedlings as adopted at the 

 Philadelphia meeting of the Ameri- 

 can Carnation Society. It is a step in 

 the right direction to give a certificate 

 its true value. It shows a better un- 



derstanding and appreciation of the 

 beauty and usefulness of this more 

 and more indispensable species of the 

 Dianthus family in the flower mar- 

 ket. 



What is the value of a certificate, 

 and what is gained by it? Nothing 

 more or less than to tell the lovers 

 and growers of the divine fiower who 

 have not been so fortunate as to see it 

 for themselves and must depend on 

 the judgment of others, that Mr. So 

 and So has exhibited a new variety 

 which has been judged by three ex- 

 perts and received so many points out 

 of a possible hundred, designating its 

 grade of excellence and perfection. 

 This is, to some extent, of commer- 

 cial value, for it tells the grower that 

 the flower as exhibited is of a high 

 character, and therefore salable. But 

 here ends the value of a certificate 

 commercially; certainly of more ben- 

 efit to the introducer of a variety than 

 an assurance to the purchaser of a 

 safe investment, for it lacks the very 

 essential points that cannot be laid 

 before the judges, consequently not in 

 their radius of judging, but of the 

 greatest importance "to the purchaser 

 in order to make a safe investment; 

 namely, habit of the variety, whether 

 shy or free blooming, early or late, 

 continuous bloomer or cropper, free- 

 dom from disease. 



Judges like purchaser and every- 

 body else interested have to de- 

 pend on observation and the honesty 

 of the originator or introducer, and 

 then observations are generally con- 

 fined to their own establishments. 

 Therefore, a certificate can only re- 

 late to the worth of the flower, as it 

 has been exhibited, and may be ex- 

 pected to appear in the market, but 

 whether it can be grown with profit, 

 involves the questions mentioned 

 above. That certificated varieties have 

 fallen by the wayside we all know, 

 and also that varieties not scoring 

 enough points to be given a certificate 

 have attained prominence. And again, 

 that special premiums offered were 

 won by varieties now passed into obli- 

 vion, while competitors in the same 

 class are yet grown. I will only re- 

 late one instance, the contest between 

 Sea Gull and Lizzie McGowan in 1S90. 

 Sea Gull, a fine flower, was the win- 

 ner, but subsequent trials proved it a 

 shy and late bloomer, and for this 

 reason never was disseminated, while 

 McGowan is still grown. 



Regarding the awarding of certifi- 

 cates I will mention an instance at the 

 New York meeting in 1896. Flora Hill 

 land Mayor Pingree received certifi- 

 cates; another candidate for the same 

 honor was Mrs. George M. Bradt, and 

 I will here cite the report on this vari- 

 ety as incorporated in the New York 

 report: "Honorable mention was 

 awarded to Mrs. George M. Bradt ex- 

 hibited by Messrs. Fred Dorner & Son, 

 Lafayette, Ind. This variety is similar 

 to Helen Keller, very beautiful, but 

 rather weak in the stem for so heavy 

 a flower and lacking in fragrance. 



