HERBS, TUBEKS AXD BULBS, 



321 



and over these place old, half-decomposed sod, then fill up with a 

 mixture of fine leaf-mold and silver sand. Smooth the surface, and 

 make it as level as possible, then scatter 

 the spores and leave them without any cov- 

 ering of soil or other material. Set a bell 

 glass over the seed pan, or, if deep enough, 

 a pane of window glass laid flat on the top 

 of the pan or box will answer equally as 

 well. Water must be applied by placing 

 the bottom of the seed pan in a shallow 

 saucer or other vessel, leaving it in this 

 position until the water rises to the surface 

 of the soil within ; then remove it. Water- 

 ing overhead is not practicable until the 

 plants appear, except it be applied with an 

 atomizer. The frond from which the spores 

 are to be obtained should be cut when the 

 son begin to turn brown, and by passing 

 the finger over them a few can be easily 



Fig. 107.-FESN SEEDLING. rubbed % ff . Lay away the f^ in the 



shade for two or three days, then scatter the spores in the seed pan by 



holding the frond over it, and snapping the back with thumb and finger. 



When the young plants appear, and are large enough to be removed 



safely, they should be pricked off 



in small clumps, and lifted out on 



the point of a knife. When of the 



size shown in figure 107 they may 



be potted off separately, using small 



thumb pots for the purpose. It is 



well to keep them in the house, 



where they will be shaded and in 



a close atmosphere, until they are 



well established. 



Fumariacece (Fumitory Fam- 

 ily). A small order of herbaceous 

 plants, closely related to the Poppy 

 Family (Papavcracece), and by some 

 botanists considered as only a tribe 

 of the latter. The most interesting 

 genus in the family is Dicentra. TLis 

 genus contains several hardy peren- 

 nial species of ornamental plants, 

 a few indigenous to the United 

 States, such as D. cucullaria (Dutchman's Breeches) and D. Canadensis 

 (Squirrel-corn) ; but the most showy and valuable species is the D. 

 spectabilis (Bleeding Heart), brought from Northern China. This is 

 truly one of the most graceful as well as beautiful hardy herbaceous 



Fig. 108. FLOWERS OF DICENTKA 

 SPECTABILIS. 



