Jamuiry 14, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTIODLTOBE AND COTTA GE GARDENER. 



25 



3rd, Souvenir de David, crimson Tea, lovely colour, seems 

 Hybrid China, from Curtis of Torquay, doubtful climber. I 

 think I might make Safrano climb ; but I doubt if either Belle 

 Lyonnais or Sombreuil are worth trying, though certainly the 

 former will climb. — Sucker, West Kirby, Birkenhead. 



A FEW^ PEKNS NOT USUALLY WELL GROWN. 

 Some people think, say, and even write, that Ferns are the 

 simplest plants imaginable to grow. I differ entirely from 

 such an opinion, and after an experience of many years I 

 find a good many of them that puzzle me still. 



That more Ferns are killed by heat than by cold, every year 

 shows me more and more clearly ; but the result of my own 

 experiments recently leaves no doubt whatever on my mind 

 that such is the case, and further convinces me that the reason 

 why there are so many failures is that cultivators coddle them 

 to death. Some of your readers may say here, " Nonsense. I 

 never saw a Fern yet that I could not manage easily enough ;" 

 and of such a Fern-cultivator I ask. Have yon succeeded easily, 

 or indeed at all, in the case of the following kinds ? — Didymo- 

 chlsena trunculata or truacatula. This is classed as an ever- 

 green stove Fern. I find it is nothing of the kind. Did you 

 ever find the pinnae drop off, and wonder at the reason ? I 

 grew this in a stove for several years, and though the plant 

 thrived apparently, and threw up plenty of fronds, all the 

 pinnse invariably dropped off, leaving the stems bare and un- 

 sightly. I adopted all kinds of ideas, but none of them suc- 

 ceeded. Lastly, resolved either to kill or cure, I potted my 

 solitary specimen in strong loam only, and removed it from 

 the stove to my British fernery, whioii has no heat beyond a 

 flow and return 4.inch pipe to exclude frost. The result has 

 been almost magical, for the plant throws up fine fronds of a 

 brilliant colour, and though I repeatedly shake them purposely, 

 every one of the pinna) keep their places, and at this moment 

 all the fronds have been on many months, and still look as 

 fresh as paint, with all the pinna3 perfect. I am greatly pleased 

 with my success in this instance, for this Fern is truly a beau- 

 tiful one when grown as I am now trying it. Lomaria cycadie- 

 folia and zamiffifolia, decidedly two of the handsomest of their 

 tribe, and, when well grown, charming : the same remarks 

 apply to both of these, which are in my British fernery, and 

 have been so all this severe winter, the frost occasionally 

 getting inside the house 2° or 3' (my boiler would not work, 

 being badly set), and no injury whatever resulting. Grown 

 under perfectly cool treatment these two Ferns throw up much 

 stronger fronds, are quite clear of insects, and the vivid green 

 of cycadffifolia is a marked contrast to the pale sickly colour of 

 it when coddled, or even moderately heated. I have tried the 

 latter system, and failed miserably. 



In the same house I have had all winter three large speci- 

 mens of Gleichenia flabellata which perfectly revel in strong 

 loam, plenty of water, good drainage, and absolutely cool 

 treatment. 



Mr. Findlay, the Curator of the Manchester Botonical Gar- 

 dens, who visited me a few weeks ago, expressed his astonish- 

 ment at the treatment first of all, and next at the luxuriant 

 growth of these Gleiohenias in particular, and he added that 

 the moment he returned home he would remove his own plants 

 from heat to cool treatment. 



Unless G. flabellata is cultivated in a perfectly cool house it 

 produces small, yellowish-coloured, sickly fronds — a marked 

 contrast to the vigorous, bright glossy green, immense-sized 

 fronds, the result of cool treatment, some of which on my 

 largest specimen measure more than 2J feet across. I enclose 

 portion of an old frond 15 inches long, and rather over 3 wide 

 — most unusual size, I think. 



Much doubt was expressed at the Pomona Palace Show, 

 held in Manchester the first week in December, whether my 

 large plant of Gleichenia rupestris (awarded the silver medal 

 as the finest plant in the Exhibition) would survive the ex- 

 treme cold to which it was there subjected. I had no such 

 fear myself, as the plaat had been previously hardened-off 

 almost within an inch of its life, and it is now growing vigor- 

 ously. I will return to the subject shortly. — T. M. Shuitle- 

 WOBTH, F.R.H.S. 



to July 20th, as may be seen by referring to the Journal of 

 July 30th, 1868, page 76. We have had a most extraordinary 

 variation of temperature here. On January 1st we registered 

 2Cf of frost ; and on January 4th, at 8 p.m., the glass stood 

 at 50\ — John Platt, Hillington, King's Lynn. 



Deficient Rain.— Oa page 585, No. 718, of the Journal, 

 Mr. Wright says that from the end of March to the 22nd of 

 July only 3 24 inches of rain fell, and asks. Is not that unpa- 

 ralleled in Britain ? In 18G8 we had only 0-88 from April 20 th 



WEATHER, WORK, AND MEANS. 

 The work of the garden must be doue. It cannot be done in 

 spite of the weather, nor to the greatest advantage, without due 

 and sufficient means. Every man endeavours to do work at 

 the proper time of doing it, or at least he should so endeavour 

 with his whole power, as that is the most creditable to himself 

 and most profitable to those employing him. In the great 

 majority of gardens aid only just sufficient to the carrying on 

 affairs is allotted, even if the weather is fairly favourable to the 

 steady prosecution of routine proceedings. Many circumstances 

 of which the employe can know nothing may conspire to pre- 

 vent the owner feeling himself warranted in providing a pro- 

 digality of aids to meet every want and emergency of his 

 garden. An enthusiastic gardener may, and no doubt does 

 desire all this, and is surprised that his employer cannot see 

 the same as he. But then the coachman, the keeper, and the 

 butler are the same. All wonder where the master puts his eyes. 

 Each one thinks his own department, at any rate, should be 

 abundantly provided for, whatever else may be restricted. 

 That is human nature : nor can any fault be found for this 

 high estimate of their calling by those who represent it. It is 

 in itself a worthy and creditable feeling which impels every 

 man to do the best in his position, and for the honour of his 

 craft. But we cannot make or reasonably expect a gentleman 

 to look at everything through a pair of garden, or game, or 

 stable magnifiers continually. He wiU look with his natural 

 vision at all, divide his interest over the whole, and form his 

 judgment on the dictates of half a hundred other things un- 

 connected with either. That may be taken as fact, and it is as 

 well to admit it at the outset, as paving the way to a more 

 sober and just estimate in one's judgment of another. What- 

 ever, then, the gardener may be, we must accept the fact that 

 every garden owner is not a garden enthusiast ; yet, for all that, 

 such owner may derive much pleasure and benefit from his 

 garden. He may, and no doubt does, enjoy its beauty, neat- 

 ness, and health of its crops, without, however, making it the 

 be-all and end-all of his outdoor domestic pleasures. Certainly 

 the garden is full of them if they could but be brought out by 

 a more lively interest and sympathetic care. This class of 

 garden owners (and they are the great majority), apportion aid 

 to this department which, by thoughtful application and hard 

 work, are made fairly sufficient for the purpose in the absence 

 of any natural and unpreventible impediments preventing the 

 right work being done at the right time. That is the very 

 keyhole of good and profitable gardening. The neglect of a 

 week, aye, even the neglect of a day, in the completion of any 

 given work, may, and has, and will again, make a momentous 

 difference in the looked-for results. Indeed, all the difference 

 between success and failure may be locked up in the small 

 period of less than a week. Neither can it be expected that 

 an employer is able to recognise this, for the very sufficient 

 reason that it may be many mouths before the effect follows 

 the cause, and by this time both the said cause and the cir- 

 cumstances which produced it are vanished from the memory 

 of the master, yet not so from the man, but to whom it is hard 

 work to explain a failure, which by a little timely aid might 

 have been prevented. 



A season of extreme drought is an immense trial to a man 

 who under ordinary circumstances always has his hands full. 

 He must work with redoubled effort to keep things going, by 

 watering and other efficient means to the same end. Eventu- 

 ally the rain comes. Planting must be done, but the ground 

 is not ready. Celery must be got out, but the trenches are 

 undug. By the time this necessary work is done the showers 

 are gone and the burning sun is as fierce as ever, and planting 

 must be done under unfavourable conditions, and extra labour 

 be involved to carry on the unestablished and struggling crops. 

 The week — all-important — was lost, and nothing can afford 

 adequate compensation. Tet there was no help for it. A 

 little extra aid at a timely juncture and under pressing cir- 

 cumstances would have made all the difference between a full 

 and satisfactory, and a partial and unsatisfying result. The 

 autumn comes with its falling leaves and interminable Utter. 

 Ground is cleared, waiting for manure and spade. The hands 

 of the worker may itch to get at it. But a tidy appearance 



