576 



FERN 



is impure and full of the spores of low forms of plant 

 life, which are very (lestruetive to the prothalli of 

 Ferns. To prevent this, the workshop should be pro- 

 vided with a receptacle in which the water intended for 

 use on Ferns while in the prothallus state can be raised 

 to a boiling temperature, which will effectually destroy 

 all spores that may be present in the water. This is 

 best done by leading a 1-inch steam pipe to within 6 

 inches of the bottom of the receptacle and turning on a 

 reasonable pressure of steam. If boiled 12 hours before 

 intended for xise, it will be cool enough to be applied, 

 anl will !"■ |iinr. A Fi-m workshop should also be pro- 

 vide. 1 «iTli ii ,]r: eloset, having a number of shelves 

 about U iiirlies :t I i;crt, for storing Fern spores. 



or p;ili... I'.Uin IJ llu lu ,-. .MjiKUe ;ili.; I Jli.lu;., .Ivei, ji. 



used fur that purpose, as also are the U-iucU common 

 flower pots. The 12-ineh pans should be supplied with 

 li4 inches and the 6-inch pots with 3 inches of coal cin- 

 ders for drainage. Soil for sowing spores on is best 

 composed of five parts, in the proportions of two parts 

 good garden soil, two parts of finely screened peat and 

 one of sharp, clean propagating sand. Leaf-mold may 

 be used instead of peat, if easier to procure. This soil 

 should be thoroughly sterilized, as already directed. The 

 spore pots should be filled with the soil to within )i-inch 

 of the top; press firmly. The rest of the pots should 

 be filled with the same composition after it has been 

 pass.'il tdroiiL'h n .^.Te.-n of nliout M-inch mesh, then 

 made ,,i, ..'iii, I \ K,.i i'i;r,l\ jiressed and thoroughly 

 water. I I > ■ r. Three or four hours 



aftei- . , . M.; I. i. 1 time to sow spores. The 



spore, liHihl I.. i;iiii:\ - .iMered overtUe surface of 



of one- 

 ..ne 12- 



\VI 



kept tightly covered. Being kept in a very closi 

 humid atmosphere after sowing, the spores shoul 

 require any watering for one or two weeks, by \ 

 time they will have sufficiently settled not t.j'bi 

 lodged by a very gentle overhead wat. riui.'. \ 

 should be given whenever soil shows the le;i>t si 

 being dry. Sterilized water should he n~e,l until 

 the first fronds have been fornieil. \s ^,.,,11 -^ tin. 



little fronds have made their ap|" , " . — ■ -::..i! 



taken to weed out all undesiral.l. n ,1 '1, 



In transplanting, great ear. >li..ii 

 cover the remaining juMtlialli. I. 

 level with the surface of ttie soil. 

 ^ should be kept as loose as possil)! 

 this will give each individual plantiet a better chan 

 form the necessary number of rootlets, and it will. 



finely screened 

 exercised not t 

 have them ,iust 

 clumps of pi 



i-lass 



! ! ' ' I . I- of growth and will consequently have 



o. r, in order to be ready for sale at the 



, 1. more rapid-growing ones. The follow- 



1:1- i |. Ilia: 1 .jinnercial varieties will require from 9 to 



10 months between times of sowing and potting. The 



names are those which the plants bear in the trade: 



Doodia aspera multifida, 

 turn, " caudata, 

 eps, Dorj'opteris nobilis 



chrysoloba. 



Sieboidii. 

 Lygodium .Taponienm, 



scandens, 

 Kephrodium hirtipes, 

 Nephrolepis exaltata, 



cordata compacta, 

 Platyloma Brilgesii, 



faleata. 

 Polypodium aurenm, 



fraxinifolium.et"., 

 , Polystit'hum 



Tremula Smithiana. 



Pteris argyrsea, 



Cretica albolineata, 

 magnitica, 

 " Majii. 

 nobilis, 

 hastata, 

 " " adiantoides, 



internata, 

 " Sieboidii. 

 leptophylla. 



decorum, 

 Fergusonii, 



Cibotium SLdiiedii, 



Cyathea meduUaris, 

 Cyrtomium cai*yotoideum, 



Fortuuii. 



falcatum, 

 Davallia tenuifolia sti-icta. 



Veitohia 

 Dioksonia(Balantium) ant. 



Doodia aspera, 



The following trade varieties will develop into plants 

 large enough to be potted in about six iiiontlis after 

 sowing spores: 

 Adiantuin pubescens, 



hispidulum, 

 Alsophila australis, 

 CTymuogramma calomelanos, 

 *' chi-j'sopbylla, 



deeomposita, 



Lomaria ciliata, 



!! «^!'.'"'' , . . " Oavrkrdii, 



plat.vptera, " palniata, 



Nephrodium imraersum cris- " serruiata, 



Nephrodixim molle corymbif- " " " nana, 



ennn, " Tremula. 



Ouychium Japonicum, " Wimsettii. 



It should also be borne in mind, when calculating time 

 of sowing, that spores sown in the autumn will require 

 about four weeks longer for development than those 

 sown at other times of the year. 



Fern spores are borne on the back or under side of 

 fronds. In some cases they are borne naked on under 

 surface of frond, while in others they are produced un- 

 der a scale-like membrane or indusium. In some cases, 

 as in Pteris, the edge of the pinnae is folded back over 

 the spores, while in Adiaiitunis a .small part of the leaf- 

 l..t i- f..M. .1 l..n.-k .-.v.-r . .n.-l, liftl.-. fniit-.lnt to serve as a 



ra;a. r '[i-. ..i.;.. .ira.;.'. . ..r :li tl.e ueluiiuiii-l.earing kinds 

 «h.nll,..' iiei.iMui.i ..r shiel.I b.'gins to open. Spores 

 sli..iil.l l.e eatii. i-ed on a dark day when the fronds are 

 sliirliiU' iii..ist, as til. ■>■ will be better retained in that 

 e.n.litioii. aii.l will n.it be so liable to get mixed when 

 ilistnrbed. Fronds, or parts of them, should be cut off 

 entirelv in most cases, put up in tight paper bags and 

 stored on shelves in a dry closet for a week, by which 



