1869. ] 



SEASONABLE HINTS FOE AMATEURS. FEBRUARY. 



35 



up by the stiff black stipites. Two or three pairs of compound pinnae are 

 produced at the base of the frond, the largest of them scarcely 1 Jin. long ; 

 •while the upper part of the frond is simply pinnate, with the pinnse slightly 

 diminishing in size upwards, the wedged-shaped terminal one, both of the 

 frond and pinnse, being A in. in breadth. The largest of the simple 

 pinnae measure about 1 in. in their longer and £ in. in their shorter dia- 

 meter ; and they are set on stiffly at an angle with the plane of the frond, so 

 that the front margin is projected forwards. The young fronds are very beautiful, 

 being of a fine red colour, the mature fronds being of a pale green. 



We borrow the foregoing particulars and the annexed magnified woodcut 

 representation of one of the larger pinnse of this beautiful novelty, from the speci- 

 men of Baildon's Nature-Printed Ferns* which has lately been issued. M. 



SEASONABLE HINTS FOE AMATEURS.— FEBRUARY. 



\ i HE short, dull days of winter are now nearly past. This season they have 

 been more than usually dull and cheerless, from the great fall of rain we 

 have had ; but the appearance of the Winter Aconite and Snowdrop re- 

 minds us that now spring is fast approaching, and with it a busy time for 

 the Amateur Gardener. All plans and arrangements for the next season should 

 at once be decided on, if not already done. After the long continuance of mild 

 weather we have had, we may have severe frosts and snow in spring, and should 

 this happen, the greatest attention will be required in seeing that everything 

 which needs it is properly protected, otherwise serious consequences may result, 

 as most plants are already in a forward state. 



Some of the hardy Eoses may now be pruned ; the remainder may be left for 

 a month or six weeks longer, so as to favour a succession of flowers. The 

 pruning of the tender ones had better be deferred until next month. Moss 

 Eoses should bo pruned back to two or three eyes, otherwise the shoots will 



* Baildon's Nature-Printed Ferns, prepared according to his new patented process, by Henry C. 

 Baildon. The descriptions by Thomas Moore, F.L.S., &c. London : Reeve & Co. A set of 12 capital 

 fern portraits on four folio plates, produced by a novel combination of nature-printing and chromolitho- 

 graph}-, the structural details being added by means of a cleverly drawn woodcut of each of the plants. 



