12 



THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



tion ; the worst that is likely to hap- 

 pen is the loss of all the fronds they 

 carry at the time of taking up ; but a 

 new crop will soon succeed them if 

 proper care be taken. The fern col- 

 lector should be provided with aids 

 and implements adapted to the county 

 in which he is about to make explora- 

 tions. Where only terrestrial and 

 hedgerow kinds are expected to be 

 found, a large basket, or better, a pair 

 of baskets of moderate size, such as 

 can be carried one in each hand, will 

 be necessary. They should hare close 

 fitting lids, because if ferns are taken 

 up ou a hot day, and exposed for 

 some hours to the atmosphere, the 

 crowns and roots will be so much ex- 

 hausted that some may die, and all will 

 be injured, whereas by packing them 

 close with a little moist moss amongst 

 them, the roots and crowns will be 

 kept tolerably fresh until they can be 

 potted or planted out. A short 

 handled three-pronged fork and a 

 trowel, and a strong clasp knife will 

 be needful ; and in some instances it 

 will be necessary to borrow a spade 

 or digging fork near the spot where 

 operations are to take place, for fine 

 old stools of Osmunda and other 

 large-growing ferns will defy the 

 leverage of all small hand tools. 

 There is much need of a fork or spade 

 suitable for botanical tourists. It 

 might be in several parts, so fitting 

 together as to provide a powerful 

 tool for digging up roots, yet occu- 

 pying but little space, and the handle 

 serving as a walking-stick when the 

 other parts were packed away. 

 When ferns of large size are taken 

 up in the height of summer, it is 

 best to cut away all or nearly all 

 their fronds at once, and use those 

 fronds as packing material. On reach- 

 ing home, the best treatment to which 

 to subject them is to pot them all 

 separately in the smallest pots their 

 roots can be got into, with cocoa-nut 

 fibre alone, or the fibre of good peat 

 or leaf-mould, and shut them up in a 

 frame, and keep only moderately 

 moist until they start into growth. 

 Then (and not till then) they can be 

 planted out where they are to remain, 

 or have a shift to larger pots, with 

 the soil that may be requisite for each 



particular species or variety. Small 

 ferns found growing on rocks and 

 walls must always be carefully dealt 

 with. The little Asplenium tricho- 

 manes will sometimes send its black 

 wiry roots quite through the sub- 

 stance of a 9-inch or 14-inch wall, 

 and to remove it with complete roots 

 is then quite out of the question. 

 By loosening a portion of its hold 

 just below the crown of the plant, a 

 portion may generally be obtained 

 sufficient to enable it to re-establish 

 itself under cultivation. A strong 

 chisel and a hammer will be required 

 in undertakings of this sort, and it 

 may be well to add a little discretion 

 also, especially as to extent to which 

 walls — the property of somebody — 

 are to be injured for the sake of a 

 tuft of fern worth but a few pence, 

 and of which specimens may be ob- 

 tained more easily by further search 

 without any necessity for the inflic- 

 of damage. Ferns found growing on 

 and amongst rocks should always, if 

 possible, be obtained with portions of 

 the rock to which they are attached. 

 If this cannot be accomplished, care- 

 fully tear the plant from the rock in 

 a way to injure the rhizome as little 

 as possible ; good pieces of rhizome 

 will soon emit roots and fronds if 

 properly treated, especially if kept 

 moist by packing in moss or sphag- 

 num from the first moment of obtain- 

 ing the specimen. Allow me to re- 

 mark further that the passion for 

 fern-collecting has in many instances 

 been carried to a ridiculous excess 

 by persons who merit the title not of 

 fern-collectors so much as fern-des- 

 troyers. Let every genuine lover of 

 ferns be on his guard both to dis- 

 courage reckless fern- collecting and 

 protect as far as possible the few re- 

 maining localities of scarce British 

 ferns. 



Cultivation. — This is a large 

 subject, and can only be treated now 

 in a cursory manner. I shall first 

 offer a few general observations, and 

 then endeavour to bring under your 

 attention a few particulars of some 

 importance. As a rule, ferns require 

 to be sheltered and shaded, and abun- 

 dantly supplied with water. It is 

 said there is no rule without excep- 



