1 8 Pitcher, Remarks on Ferns. [v^jr^'xxx 



private individuals, owing probably to the facilities for 

 obtaining the principal species in seedling form from our 

 natural fern-grounds, yet there would be no difficulty in 

 raising stock of most of our tree and other ferns from spores, 

 as is done with them elsewhere. 



The general method adopted could be followed with undoubted 

 success. When the spores are ri})e — which is indicated ])y the 

 sori becoming brown — pieces of fronds containing these should 

 be cut off carefully and i)laced in small paper bags for drying. 

 After being kept for a few days they may be sown in flower 

 pots or pans specially prepared for their reception by being 

 filled with well-sifted loam and peaty soil in equal quantities, 

 mixed with finely-powdered or crushed brick material. These 

 pots or pans should be well drained by being nearly half-filled 

 in the first instance with crocks (broken pieces of brick or 

 pots). The soil, after being filled in to within half an inch of 

 the top of the pot, should be pressed firmly down with the 

 bottom of another pot and then well watered and allowed to 

 drain. After this the spores may be scattered very finely over 

 the surface. A piece of glass should then be placed horizontally 

 over the pot, which will induce a moisture and encourage 

 germination. The glass should be occasionally removed and 

 wiped. The pots or pans must be kept in a frame or con- 

 servatory, and sheltered from too much light. 



After germination, which will vary in the different species, 

 but may be averaged at, say, six weeks, little patches of the 

 seedlings may be transferred and *' pricked " into similarly 

 prepared pots, and subsequently again divided after growtli 

 until they are able to be established as individual plants. 



Another method of propagation of many ferns is by division 

 of the crowns of growing plants. As a number of our Lomarias, 

 Todeas, and other ferns produce many crowns, these may be 

 carefully divided if with each crown it is possible to cut a 

 portion of the stem and root without injury to the plant. In 

 other cases complete individual plants arise from the creeping 

 rhizomes, which, being only connected by root with the parent 

 plant, may be easily removed. This is the method by which 

 so many thousands of greenhouse and cultivated ferns, in- 

 cluding the beautiful class of ornamental Nephrolepis— ^now 

 so popular for ordinary and indoor cultivation — are propagated 

 by ])lant-growers and nurserymen. This method may be 

 adopted and facilitated with many of our local ferns, such as 

 Davallia, Gleichenia, Polypodium, by layering the growing 

 points of their rhizomes and subsequently removing carefully 

 the portions that have formed fresh roots. A few of our ferns, 

 notably Aspidhmi aculeatnm and Asplenium hulbiferum, 

 produce bulbils at the apex or along the rachis of the fronds. 



