90 STOVE FEENS. 



to place the plants in the driest and least shad}'- part of the 

 house, and never to wet the leaves, either with the watering-pot 

 or the syringe. With these few warning remarks on their 

 culture, we shall briefly notice a few of the most interesting 

 species, though every one of the genus is worthy of cultivation. 



NOTHOCHL^ENA EcKLoxiANA (EcHon's). Though from the 

 Cape of Good Hope, this elegant Fern requires a moderate 

 stove, but the conditions of culture mentioned above must 

 be strictly complied with. Fronds tripinnate, growing a foot 

 high ; leaflets oblong and blunt at the extremities, deeply cut, 

 and the edges rising. They are covered with narrow scales 

 of a white colour, giving them a woolly character. A fine batch 

 of seedlings of this elegant Fern may be got by sowing the 

 spores on some pieces of rough peat, placing the pot containing 

 them in a pan of water, and covering the whole with a large 

 bell-glass. The moisture arising from the water keeps the 

 soil moist enough for the spores to germinate, when, as soon as 

 observed, prop-up the bell-glass with a small stone, gradually 

 increasing the aperture till the plants make their third leaf; 

 then the glass should be entirely removed, and after a few 

 days the plants potted-off, placed in a shady spot, and inured 

 by degrees to bear the full light. Most Ferns would grow 

 (if the spores were good), treated in a similar manner. It 

 may, however, be propagated by dividing the creeping rhizome. 



N. FLAVENS (Yellow). This beautiful little Fern, from the 

 central parts of America, is sometimes known in gardens as 

 Ctncinalis jlavens. The fronds are tripinnate, about 6 inches 

 high, including the slender black stalks supporting them. 

 The divisions of the fronds are bright green on the upper 

 side, while the lower surface is covered with yellow powder. 



jST. MARANTJE (Maranta's : he was an old botanist). This 

 plant is a native of the South of Europe, and extends East- 

 ward into Asia. The fronds are about a foot in length, and 

 2 inches in width, twice-divided, supported by short stalks 

 covered with brownish scales. 



