THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN CIUIDE. 



281 



Cheilantlies farinosa, one of tlie easiest 

 managed of the silver ferns, and a very su- 

 perb object; round this, at equal distances, 

 are Campyloneurem augustifolium, a vei'y 

 hard-leaved cactus-like fern ; Adiantopsis 

 radiata, the fronds of which radiate hori- 

 zontally from the top of the stalks which 

 bear them ; Clieilanthes tomentosa, a 

 very curious downy-leaved silver fern, not 

 very easy to manage ; A spleuium fragrans, 

 vei-y cheerful and luxuriant ; Asplcnium 

 marinum, one of the prettiest of British 

 ferns ; Pteris argeutea, a minute silver 



a special note of commendation. It is 

 more diffuse in habit than apoda, the 

 colour a deeper tint of green ; but, like 

 that little gem, it is strictly procumbent, 

 and makes a very beautiful surfacing. The 

 silver Pteris and the crested lady fern 

 (Athyrium f. f. corymbiferum) I had from 

 Mr. Cooling, of the Mill Ash Nurseries, 

 Derby, to whom we are indebted for this 

 addition to our lists of hardy fern sports. 

 It does well in the Wardian case, but as 

 it loses its leaves early, and is strictly de- 

 ciduous in greenhouse or open air tempe- 





AJ.ianiiim sctulosiim. 



ei-n of exquisite beauty ; and Atbyriitm 

 Filix-foemiua coi-ymbiferum. The flatness 

 of the surface is broken by a few pieces of 

 rock, and between the ferns there are a 

 fewpatchesof Selaginellaapoda, and the real 

 Selaginella helvetica. This last, and all the 

 ferns, except the Pteris and Athyrium were 

 supplied by Mr. Sim, of Foot's Cray, who, 

 I believe, is the only nurseryman iu pos- 

 session of the real Selaginella helvetica, 

 which has never been sent out true before. 

 Mr. Sim had it from the Alps, and he sent 

 me a patch for trial, accompanying it with 



ratures, it adds nothing to the beauty of a 

 case dui'ing winter. 



Why I should get Pteris argentea . 

 from Mr. CooUng arose through my writ- 

 ing to him for Pteris atropurpurea, an 

 American Brake, of which I had heard a 

 good account, but had never seen. Mr. 

 Cooling sent the little silver fern, suppos- 

 ing it would interest me, as it certainly 

 has done ; but, to see its beauty to ad- 

 vantage, it should be grown on a minia- 

 ture rockery in one of Pascall's fern-pots, 

 and have a warm place in a shady part of 

 N 2 



