1218 



FERNS 



FERNS 



Woodwardia angustifolia wants a moist situation in deep shade. 

 Does well in moist peat north of a bank or wall. Will endure full 

 sunlight in positions where it has become estabUshed, but will 

 not grow well when transplanted to sunny position. W. virginica 

 needs more moisture. p ly BARCLAY 



Culture of asparagus fern (Fig. 1492). 



The sprays of Asparagus plumosus look so much like 

 certain ferns or selaginellas, that the plant is commonly 

 known as asparagus fern; and the cultivation of it is 

 therefore treated at this place. (For the botanical 

 account, see p. 407, Vol. I.) The first and all-impor- 

 tant factor in the cultivation of asparagus fern is the 

 construction of the bed. To meet with any degree of 

 success, the bed must have perfect drainage. The 

 house should be 25 or 30 feet high, and wired at the top 

 and bottom. The wires beneath are made fast to each 

 side of an iron trelhs about 8 inches apart and at the 

 top an equal distance apart, in order that the strings 

 may be as nearly straight as possible. 



1492. A house of "Asparagus ferns.* 



The early growth of Asparagus plumosus var. nanus 

 is very slow; but as soon as it is transplanted and well 

 rooted in a rich soil, the growth is more rapid, the tender 

 shoots developing into a vine which will be ready to cut 

 for the market in about a year. There is great difficulty 

 in securing the seed of the nanus. In a whole house, 

 there may be only a few seed-bearing strings. After 

 being picked, the berries are allowed to dry for a month, 

 and are then ready for planting. A good, rich soil, cov- 

 ered with a thin film of sand, serves very well to start 

 them. The temperature should be about 65°, and as 

 nearly constant as possible. When the plant is well 

 rooted, it is removed to a deeper soil or potted in 3- 

 or 4-inch pots and placed on a bench. Here it remains 

 a year, and is then placed in the bed. 



Up to this time a small amount of labor suffices to 

 keep the plant growing in a healthy condition; but from 

 now on great care must be taken and much labor 

 expended to produce the best crop. The bed into which 

 the young plant is set should be carefully laid with 

 rocks at the bottom, so the water can escape freely. 

 Over this place 2 or 3 feet of soil, manure, and 



dead leaves. It is but a short time now that the roots 

 have room to expand before the shoots appear above 

 the trellis, and the stringing begins. Strong linen thread 

 is used for strings. 



The first crop will not be ready to cut before the end 

 of the second year, — that is, from the time the seed is 

 planted. As soon as this crop is exhausted, new strings 

 are put in place of the old, and another crop is started. 

 This goes on year after year. Now that the plant has 

 gotten its gron^th, it is more hard}', and is constantly 

 sending up new shoots. If the bed is well made in the 

 beginning, the asparagus need not be disturbed for 

 eight or ten years. However, at the end of that time it 

 is well to take the plants up and fill the beds with fresh 

 soil and manure. 



In the spring, when the sun gets high, the asparagus 

 houses are shaded with a hght coating of white lead, 

 whiting and kerosene oil. This is absolutely necessary, 

 as the summer sun would in a very short time burn the 

 tops of the vines. The vine flowers in the fall, and only 



on strings that have 

 been matured six 

 months or more. 



The vine alone is not 

 the onlysourceof profit. 

 When the plant is a 

 year old, a few of the 

 most nearly perfect 

 sprays may be taken 

 without injuring its 

 growth. These are very 

 desirable in the market. 

 There is, of course, 

 some waste in working 

 up the Asparagus to 

 be shifted, but on the 

 whole, it is very slight. 

 The different forms in 

 which it is sold utiUze 

 by far the greater part 

 of it. 



Insects destroy the 

 shoots and sprays. This 

 is prevented to a great 

 extent by insect powder. 

 The cut-worms do the 

 most damage. About 

 the only way to get rid 

 of them is to pick them 

 off the strings during 

 the night, as they gen- 

 erally seek shelterunder 

 the thick clusters of 

 the plant at dayhght. 

 There are many drawbacks in growing asparagus, among 

 which are expensive houses, the slow growth of the plants 

 (which makes it necessary to wait at least two years 

 before receiving any return from the expenditure) , injury 

 from insects, and the great amount of labor involved in 

 looking after the houses. William H. Elliott. 



FERNS, POPULAR NAMES OF. Adder's Tongue 

 F., Ophimjlossum vulgatum. Asparagus F., Asparagus 

 plumosus. BeechF. , Phegopteris. Bird' s-nest F., As ple- 

 riium Nidus. Bladder F., Cystoptcris. Boston F., Neph- 

 rolcpis cxaliata var. bostoniensis. Brake, Pteridiuin. 

 Bristle F., Trichomanes. Buckler F., Drijoplcris. Cali- 

 fomian Gold F., Ceroptcris triangularis. Chain F., 

 Woodwardia. Christmas F., Polyslichum acrostichoidcs. 

 Cinnamon F., Osmunda cinnamonica. Climbing F., 

 Lygodium. Dagger F., Polyslichum acrostichoidcs. 

 Deer F., Lomaria. Elk's -horn F., Platycerium alci- 

 corne. Female F., Asplcnium Filix-foemina. Filmy F., 

 Hymenophijllum. Floating F., Ceratopteris. Flowering 

 F., Osmunda; .sometimes also Anemia. Gold F., 

 Ceropteris. Grape F., Bolrychium. Hart's-tongue F., 



-Asparagus plumosus. 



