IRISH GARDENING. 



'83 



(until about middle of August) it will be neces- 

 sary to protojt them from the direct rays of the 

 sun, but at the same time care must be taken 

 not to keep them under too deep a shade. 



Lastly, it will be well to remember that ferns 

 grown year after year in pots will require teed- 

 ing. Under such artificial conditions ot lite the 

 plants are removed from their natural sources 

 of supply (decaying foliage, excreta ot birds, 

 &c.), and there- 

 fore something 

 equivalent must 

 be added to the 

 soil in the pots. 

 The quantity 

 must be small, 

 and also it must 

 be given at a 

 time when the 

 roots are active 

 and the fronds 

 are in their full 

 vigour of growth. 

 A little clear 

 liquid manure or, 

 perhaps, better 

 still, a little 

 guano orThomp- 

 son's "Vine 

 Manure," will 

 provide the pot- 

 ted plants with 

 the necessary 

 food materials. 



The following 

 types will pro- 

 vide an interest- 

 ing little collec- 

 tion to start 

 with : — 



1. Pteris or IvIB- 

 BON Ferns. — These 

 require a soil made 

 up of a mixture of 

 If o o d loam, leaf- 

 mould and sand. 

 The loam will 

 supply food, the 

 leaf-mould will in- 

 crease the water- 

 holding powers, 



and the sand, by keeping- the soil open, will secure under 

 proper drainage a good supply of air. The plants should 

 be repotted each spring immediately growth begins, and 

 in some cases a further potting may be required during 

 the course of the season, especially if we are dealing 

 with young plants. 



2. ASPLENIUM OR Spleenwort Fern will require 

 similar culture to Pteris. It may be noted that these 

 two kinds of ferns are best adapted for the dry-air 

 conditions of rooms in dwellinghouses. 



3. Adiantum or Maiden-hair Fern.— This graceful 

 fern is a general favourite, but its fronds are more liable 

 to suffer from comparative dryness of air than the two 

 first named. Its culture is similar to Pteris, but care 

 must be taken not to " overpot." Its roots too are more 



Nephrolepis Fosteri 



[One of the newer varieties of the genus. A fine basket tern. From the 

 Fern Culture," reprpduced through the courtesy of the publishers.] 



sensitive to the presence of stagnant water, as may be 

 inferred from the habitat it selects in nature — damp 

 rocks, walls, &c. Over-watering must therefore be 

 avoided. 



q. Nephrolepis is an exotic genus of ferns with a 

 drooping habit, and most suitable lor hanging baskets in 

 the greenhouse. They prefer a rather lighter soil than 

 the last, and their roots love to forage in leaf-mould. 

 N. davcillioides is a most attractive plant when used in 

 this way. 



5. Davallia or Hake's Foot Fern. — The peculi- 

 arity of this fern is 

 its creeping stem 

 or rhizoine, clothed 

 with light brown 

 scales, which, when 

 devoid of its fronds, 

 bears a striking 

 resemblance to a 

 hare's foot ; hence 

 the common name. 

 Because of its 

 habit of growth 

 pans, rather than 

 pots, are to be pre- 

 ferred for its cul- 

 ture. It loves a 

 peaty soil, and to 

 grow it with suc- 

 cess this must be 

 provided. But in 

 using peat the be- 

 ginner must be 

 specially careful to 

 keep it thoroughly 

 well drained, other- 

 wise the roots will 

 surely sicken and 

 die. 



6. DiCKSONIA OR 



Tree Fe rn. — 

 Some members of 

 this genus are suit- 

 able for greenhouse 

 culture, D. antarc- 

 tica being perhaps 

 t h e best. In its 

 native haunts, on 

 mountainous slopes 

 in Australia, this 

 1 e r n attains a 

 height of twenty 

 feet or more, but 

 under t;reenhouse 

 conditions in this 

 country a plant four 

 or five feet tall is 

 considered a fairly 

 large specimen. 

 The stems require 

 syringing- during 

 nine monlhs of the year, as prolonged dryness is 

 detrimental to the plant. Many growers tie sphagnum 

 moss round the stems and keep it moist during the 

 summer months. Excessive watering of the crown 

 must be avoided . 



It is hoped that these few brief notes will be sufficiently 

 clear and helpful for the beginner to make a start in 

 fern culture, and when his interest passes into enthusiasm 

 and he requires fuller information, the " Book of Fern 

 Culture," reviewed in our last number, may be consulted 

 with advantage. 



5^ a^ e^ 



" Our deeds still travel with us from afar. 



And what we have been makes us what we are." 



J 



■Book of 



