470 



a compost of turfy peat, silver sand, and broken sandstone and char- 

 coal. Planted in shady rock-work, in a greenhouse, or plant-stove, it 

 soon becomes vigorous, and from its evergreen habit is at all times or- 

 namental. When cultivated in a common frame it should have some 

 protection against cold in winter; and is in fact best placed with 

 other tender kinds beneath a hand-glass kept closed in the green- 

 house."— p. 109. 



Trichomanes speciosum. " This fern requires a damp, calm atmo- 

 sphere, without which it will not thrive ; hence all attempts to culti- 

 vate it artificially other than under close confinement have failed. It 

 likes warmth, and thrives admirably under a glass in a shady part of 

 a plant-stove or greenhouse. Mr. Smith, who has grown it very suc- 

 cessfully, thus explains how it and the Hymenophyllums should be 

 planted : ' Procure some porous freestone (if in one mass so much 

 the better) large enough to fit the mouth of the pot in which the plant 

 is to be grown ; this should be a good sized one, as the plants 

 should be seldom disturbed. Fill the pot so far full of broken crocks 

 for drainage as to admit of the sandstone lying firmly on the mouth 

 of the pot, and on a level with or rather above the rim. Then strew 

 a little silver sand over the stone, and arrange the caudex of the plant 

 neatly on the surface, strew a little more sand over this and follow by 

 a good watering. If necessary the plant must be supported in a 

 firm position by means of some small stakes, judiciously placed. All 

 this must be done with great care, for neither the plant nor the sand 

 must be disturbed. Next place a hand or bell-glass tightly over the 

 plant, and remove it to a shady place, either in the stove or green- 

 house or sitting-room, but away from sunshine. After this all that 

 is required is careful and rather abundant watering, sufficient, at 

 least, to maintain a constant dampness about the plant.'" — p. 142. 



The same treatment is recommended for both species of Hymeno- 

 phyllum. 



And here we must close our extracts, finding nothing in the treat- 

 ment of the remaining species to which we can invite the reader's 

 attention. From the specimens we have given our readers will con- 

 clude that the author is a greater adept in horticulture than in botany, 

 and that he would have acted more wisely in adopting the botanical 

 portion of his work from other authors, say the fifth edition of the 

 ' British Flora,' the second of Babington's ' Manual,' or the second of 

 ' British Ferns ;' in either case the confusion always incidental to an 

 altered nomenclature would have been avoided. O. P. Q. 



