THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



277 



We will decide at ouce to take the 

 rail at Loudon Bridge, say, for Shalford, 

 in Surrey, wliere we will get do\vn and 

 wander into some of the shady lanes about 

 Bromley, to the left of the station ; then, 

 if you please, we will go further on by 

 rail, and get off at Ash or Aldershott, in 

 the county of Hants, at both of which 

 places we shall find examples of many of 

 our British ferns. Well, now first here 

 is a long shady lane of about a mile in 

 length, leading from Bromley to Graffham, 

 arched over throughout its entire length 

 by overshadowing trees, where we find 

 Lastrea Filix-mas, Polystichium lobatum 

 and aculeatum, Polypodium vulgare, As- 

 plenium adiantum nigrum, developing 

 themselves in the richest beauty, grow- 

 ing upon the sloping and almost perpen- 

 dicular banks. The soil of which the sur- 

 face of these banks is composed is, for the 

 most part, a mixture of decayed vegetable 

 matter and a nice silky hazel-loam. The 

 roots of the ferns do not descend perpen- | 

 dicularly into the soil, but spread for a j 

 long distance into the light soil of the 

 surlace. Now, be it remarked, that while 

 these are so situated as to receive all the 

 rain that fails upon them, more especially 

 in winter, when the overhanging trees and 

 shrubs are denuded of their leaves, no stag- 

 natiou of moisture can take place about 

 their roots and crowns, owing to the posi- 

 tion they occupy, while at the same time 

 they are sufficiently saturated with mois- 

 ture, which is as necessary to their well- 

 being in winter as in summer. 



Leaving the Graffham end of the lane, 

 we will stroll round tlirough Oneish, back 

 again to whence we set out. In our pas- 

 sage thither, we shall find some gorgeous 

 specimens of the lady fern (Asplenium 

 Filix-fcemina) growing in the ditches and 

 cuttings by the road-sides, and while, at 

 the moment these lines are penned, the 

 foliage is for this season nearly or quite 

 gone, the roots and crowns remain in a 

 position in which they are in continual 

 contact with water — often entii-ely covered 

 — abundance ot which is quite necessary to 

 their well-being tlu-ough the winter, and 

 their perfect development in spring. 



Let us now, as we proposed, go on to 

 Aldershott ; let us stroll through and 

 aroimd the camp, until we come to what 

 is called North Lane, and we come upon 

 a splendid bank of Blechnum boreale, con- 

 tinued many scores of yards, interspersed 

 with beautiful examples of Lastrea dila- 

 tata, growing throughout its entre length, 

 withm a foot of the water-mark. So tena- 

 cious does this thirsty fern appear to be of 



its right to occupy the position best suited 

 to its nature in this place, that scarcely a 

 stray specimen will be found higher up the 

 bank. Shall we, for a moment or t^o, 

 turn our attention to Asplenium rutamu- 

 raria and Asplenium trieliomancs, which 

 we shall in some places find growing in 

 the chinks and joints of old walls and simi- 

 lar places in abundance, and observe that 

 while these are perfectly situated as to 

 drainage, yet exhibit a richer or more 

 stunted appearance accordingly as they 

 are more or less supplied with moisture ? 

 Their development will be observed to be 

 by far the finest in moist seasons, and in 

 such situations as are favourable to retain- 

 ing a large amount of humidity in the at- 

 mosphere, say, on the under-surface of a 

 bridge, etc. 



Without extending our observations 

 further, though this may be done with 

 great advantage, let us try and apply the 

 knowledge we have obtained to the ferns 

 we have under cultivation. We have seen 

 that, in their natural habitats, they are 

 exposed to all vicissitudes of weather, moi'c 

 particularly that through the winter sea- 

 son they ai-e abundantly supplied with 

 moisture ; and, if we attentive!}' observe 

 the habits of our plants, we shall find that 

 they make root rapidly in the winter sea- 

 son ; and, if we compare plants that have 

 been kept through the winter in a dry 

 position with tliose that have been treated 

 pretty much as they would have been had 

 they been growing in a native position, we 

 shall find the advantage very greatly on 

 the side of the latter. 



Now, our hardy fernery, consisting for 

 the most part of selections from our beauti- 

 ful British kinds, established upon a raised 

 bank of earth, interspersed with pieces of 

 stone or burrs from tlie brick-field, with 

 such kinds as Lastrea Filix-mas, L. rigida, 

 L. dilatata, Polystichium aculeatum, P. 

 augulare, P. lobatum, and similar kinds 

 on the higher parts ; and Athyrium FiHx- 

 fcemina, Osmunda regalis, Blechnum bore- 

 ale, Lastrea cristala, L- Oreopteris, and 

 those of like habit at and near the bottom, 

 will be as nearly as possible in a position 

 resembling their native banks and ditches, 

 and let no means be used to prevent them 

 from having throughout the winter season 

 all the moisture the heavens can supply 

 them with. One of the most enthusiastic 

 and successful fern-growers with whom I 

 am acquainted uses his garden-engine to 

 his fernery throughout the year, and al- 

 most as liberally in the winter as in the 

 summer. The result is the finest develop- 

 ments anywhere within my knowledge. 



