THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



185 



apart, and thin out to four inches apart 

 in the drill. It may remain in the 

 ground all winter, and will not be the 

 worse for freezing. 



FERNS AS HOUSE-PLANTS. 



Ferns for window-plants should be 

 such good-growing common sorts as 

 cannot fail to give satisfaction ; the 

 finer and more delicate kinds, and those 

 requiring special treatment, should not 

 be attempted, unless we are prepared 

 to give them the care they demand. 

 A well-grown, thrifty Fern is always 

 pretty,- -a scraggy, sickly thing is a 

 miserable-looking plant indeed. You 

 can grow your Geraniums, Fuchsias, 

 Mahernias, Pinks, Mignonette, Petu- 

 nias, and Oxalis, in your sunny win- 

 dows ; Ferns do not like such quarters, 

 but prefer the very quarters those 

 flowering plants don't like— namely, 

 sunless windows. Ferns like lots of 

 light, and to be grown near the glass, 

 but they dislike direct sunshine. Ferns 

 may be grown separately in pots, or 

 baskets, or in the same pots as Calla 

 Lilies and other window-plants. 



Soil for Ferns. — Ordinary observa- 

 tion will teach us that different Ferns 

 require different soils : for instance, we 

 go into the woods and find the little 

 Spleenworts growing in the chinks of 

 , rocks, the Virginian Chain-fern in wet 

 swamps, the Hart's-tOngue under lime- 

 stone cliffs, the i^ensitive Fern in wet 

 meadows, and evergreen Acrostichums 

 on the hill-sides. Then, again, in Cali- 

 fornia and Colorado we find little fari- 

 nose and crispy-leaved Ferns growing 

 in open rocky and gravelly places, and 

 so on. For ordinary Ferns I should 

 advise a compost of turfy loam with 

 the finest stuff sifted out of it, old-leaf 

 soil and i)eat (that is, if you have up- 

 land peat ; but if you have not, do not 

 use any), in equal parts, and some sharp 

 sand. Gross-growing Ferns like a little 

 2 



manure. Some pounded charcoal is a 

 good addition to the soil. 



Watering Ferns.^—Qf'xvQ Ferns lots of 

 water at all times. The soil should be 

 of such a porous nature that superfluous 

 water will run off as fast as received, 

 but care should be taken not to over- 

 water the plants. Ferns like to be 

 dewed overhead ) gold and silver and 

 some Maiden Hair Ferns, when they 

 become old plants, had better not be 

 watered overhead, but young ones of 

 them are assisted by dewing. In mild, 

 showery weather in spring put out your 

 plants to get the shower ; it will do 

 them good ; but take them in again. — 

 Wm. Falconer, in American Garden. 



CHINESE PEONIES. 

 The Chinese Pseonies are so valuable 

 on account of their large size, beautiful 

 coloring and delightful fragrance, and 

 so entirely hardy and vigorous, that all 

 should have at least a White and a 

 Pink PsBony. Fragrans is one of the 

 best Pink varieties, but there are few 

 exhibitions that present such a wonder- 

 ful combination of colors as a bed of 

 Pseonies. The Paeonies are perfectly 

 hardy, never suffering injury by cold, 

 and will succeed in any ground, unless 

 so wet that the water will lie on the 

 surface in the winter and spring. They 

 may be planted either in the autumn 

 or spring, and are transported with 

 greater safety than almost any plant — . 

 not one in a hundred failing. They are. 

 also easily increased by division of the. 

 roots. A little extra attention i^ the> 

 way of manure will induce a vigorous, 

 and raj)id growth. We do not know 

 of anything that injures tie Pceony,. 

 except starving in a poor soil and stand- 

 ing water dunng the cold season. For 

 large floral decorations few of our flowers 

 can surpass the Pa?onies. They seem 

 designed for a grand display, without 

 anything cheap or gaudy in their appear- 

 ance. — Yields Floral €uid^. 



