578 FERN 



The bottom should be a zinc tray, to prevent drip on 

 the floor and to prevent too rapid drying out of the soil. 

 The top or roof of the box should be hinged, so that it 

 can be raised. In this miniature greenhouse many in- 

 teresting Ferns can be grown. Lycopodiuras and Selagi 

 nellas (which see) are treated in much the same way as 

 Ferns. Nichol N. Bkucknek. 



Gbowing Ferns from Spores by the Amateur.— 

 Ferns may be raised from spores at almost any season 

 of the year, though the early spring months are best. 

 The shallow pans 2 in. deep by 6 in diameter, now sold 

 by pot manufacturers, we have found, after repeated 

 trials, best to sow Fern spores in. Tliese should be filled 

 to within half an inch of the top with a mixture of sifted 

 peat, leaf -mold and silver sand in equal proportions, the 

 surface being made very fine and even. By sowing the 

 spores thinly we have found that they are not as liable 

 to the attacks of fungus during the prothallus stage. 

 They should not be covered with soil, as in sowing seeds. 

 Each pan should be placed in a pot-saucer, and all the 

 water necessary to keep the soil moist should be poured 

 into the saucer and allowed to soak up through the soil. 

 This not only prevents the spores lieintc floated into clus- 

 ters, but probably filters i1m , n. I . I :iriy germs of low 

 forms of vegetable life w; ii-m- injurious to 



the spores during gcrxir i tlie prothallus 



stage is passed this pn-.^iii i i- iinn. r.ssary; as soon 



as the young Ferns begin lu .l.-»tl..|. Iroiids, they may 

 be watered freely overhead with a Hue rose. The pans 

 should be placed in a temperature of 65° to 75°, in a 

 shaded position. Each pan should be covered with a 

 pane of glass to keep the surface evenly moist, taking 

 care to remove the moisture which collects on the 

 glass at least twice daily; but as soon as the spores have 

 germinated, which, in most cases will be in about ten 

 days, these should be gradually removed. A close watch 

 must be kept for fungus during ili. (.roilKillu^ si;tL'-e. ;iinl 

 if a pan should show tin- ieii^i sIl-u "I' it, ii ^Ih.hIiI .-it 

 once be isolated from tin- rr^i ;inil u litile tini' snli'lmr 

 dusted upon it; if tliis l':iiN t.i .li.rl^ it tlie |.i-..llitdli 

 should be at nnr.- tr.iT.; ! r ■ ■! ti. ir-sli [.:iiis t.ii' snil, 

 which usually cIm ■' • 1 ' - lu. r r. ;is,,ns for fungus 

 are sowing the - 1 . .. a t.n. stagnant atmos- 



phere after genu::, i: : :i. .1 ; i 1: 1 1.|; iiig greenhouse roof . 

 As soon as the yim^ i'l rn-v I" gin tu make fronds, they 

 may be transplanted. Edward J. Canning. 



FEEN BALLS are the dried rhizomes of Ferns, im- 

 ported from Japan. Dealers start them into growth, and 

 sell them when the mass is well covered with its deli- 

 cate vegetation. To start them into growth, the balls 

 are drenched in a tub of water and then hung in a 

 warmhouse, not in direct sunlight. When the plants are 

 well started, gradually expose them to more light and 

 to a cooler air. Give liquid manure if they do not grow 

 satisfactorily. The species are mostly Dava'Uias, oftenest 

 apparently D, bullata and D, Maritsii. \j^ 0_ g^ 



FERNS, POPULAR NAMES OF. Adder's Tongue F., 

 OpIiioiilnssKiii i-nhiatum. Beech F., l'hr„i<ptrrix. Bird's- 

 nest F., 'I'Iki 1,1,1, ,,,!,, -is Xi, Ins. Ins. Bladder F., Vys- 

 topteris. Boston F., .\,i,h,;,l,,,,s ,jnlt,il„, vtir. Ili'stoni- 

 ensis. Bristle F., Tri,-hum,n,.-s. Buckler F., /'/-.-/.v.^'W.--. 

 CaliJornian Gold F., aii,ii,niiii;i „i„,a lri.,„.iNht ,-is. 

 Chain F., Wn.,.l„;i,;Jia. Christmas F., /'.■l,isi,,-ln,,„ 

 iii-i;,stirl,,,iilix. Cinnamon F., Osiiiiiii,hi ri „ ,iai„n,ii, „ . 

 Climbing F., Linf'tiiim. Deer F., L,.,n,i,-la . Elk's 

 HornF., Pl,il,i,-,ri,iii, ,ih-i,-in;,,-. Female F., Asplniiii,,, 

 Fili.,-f<r„n,i,i. Filmy F., H ,iw,'„;i,h,ill,ini. Floating 

 ¥., C'inil,,i,l, ris. Flowering F., (isniiiiiiln ; soinetinies 

 also A,i,,„i,i. Gold F., (;,ii„„n,,,:ii,ii„,i. Grape F., 

 Botriichnnn. Hart's-tongue F., Plmllilix S,i,lnpen- 

 driiim. Hartford F., L,,,,..,l,„„i p„l„,„ln,„. Holly F., 

 Polijsli,l,ii„, I...nrhiiis. Lace F., Ch.ihi i,ll,,'s uracil- 

 lima. Lady F.. .Ispl.,il,n„ F,li.,--f.,',„h,„ . Lip F., 

 ClteiUnith, s. Maidenhair F., .tili,i iih,i,i : nn.re particn- 

 la.rly A. Cipilliisi; II, ris al.n.,-i,l tnni A . i„-,l,il ntii .-it 

 home. Male F.. Ihii,'pt, lis F,li.r-„ii,s. Marsh F., Ih-,,- 

 optei-is Tl,,l,ipl,ris. Oak F., I'h, ,i..pl, ils nni,.;,!. ,-is. 

 Ostrich F., .V„ll,„,->-i,i Sli;iH,i,.pl,iis. Pod F., rinii,,,,- 

 teris thalictrnuUs. Rattlesnake F., B,it,-,i,li,ii„, Vii-^ 

 ginianum. Royal Y.,Osmmi(la rupilis. Sensitive F., 

 Onoclea sensibilis. Shield F., Drip,iit<ris. Stag-horn 



F. See Ptati/cer 

 Mi/rica aspl,,,, 

 Sword F.. \ /". . 



Bun F., Phegopleris. Sweet F., 

 abroad, various Dri/opleriit. 

 ■ . . j„li„t,i. Venus' Hair F., Adi- 

 Walking F., (\nnpt„s„rHS 

 ¥.. r-hi,,..,l,„i„ ,;ihi„re. Wall- 

 ' ,„',,:,,;;. Washington F., ^Ve- 

 iir. H\ishhi,il,iiii,iisis. 



FERRARIA Kiiovanni Battisti Ferrari, 1584-16,-)3, 

 Itttlitm .l.-suii, hntanical writer and collaborator with the 

 celeltrated artist Guide Keni). IridAceO!. There are 

 7 species, all from the Cape of Good Hope, rarely grow- 

 ing more than (i in. high. They have a large, irreg- 

 ular corm and very glaucous foliage, the lowest Ivs. 

 being long and linear, the rest ovate, clasping, succes- 

 sively sinallc r. tind topped by inflated sheaths from 

 wliieii em. ige tlj.- oddest fls. imaginable. These have 

 i; tiiani.nilar. spiiading, crisped, petal-like lobes, won- 

 derfully marked with many dull colors, as yellow, green, 

 purple and liriiwn. Each spathe contains several fls., 

 and the fls. are united at the very base, connivent and 

 cup-shaped below the spreading lobes. The fls. last only 

 from morning to afternoon of a single day, but there is 

 a fair succession. Some are visited by carrion flies. 

 Only one species, P. unduUita, is advertised at pres- 

 ent, but the other C are doubtless of equal interest. 

 The first is the oldest kind in cult. It was known to 

 pre-LinniPan authors as Flos Iiidlrii.-i and Gladinlun In- 

 tlics. E. .S. :Mill.T wiit.s that tin- l.ulbs should be stored 

 like (Ihnlieliis in a ■Iry. vvarin pl.-Me. away from mice. 



unduUta, Linn. Stem st..nt. erect : upper Ivs. and 

 spathes V/i-i in. long: fls. 2 in. across, largely dull pur- 

 ple; anthers oblong, with parallel cells. B.M. 14-1. 

 AA. Fls, greenish. 



uncinita, Sweet. Lvs. 2-3, linear : fls. 2. "i rctim 

 en|.,fe<l, edged with sage green," according to \V. E. 



FU. dark purple 



nh bulb ^ 

 IS or Flora Capensis: 

 n,fiiftora, inimnciilata, 

 le accounted for under 



FERTILITY "f soils: that condition of soils which 

 makes theni iimduetive. The elements of productivity 

 are, a full supply of available plant-food, a suitable and 

 continuous supply of moisture, good physical conditions 

 of the soil, coupled with suitable seed and climate. 



Land may contain vast quantities of potential nitro- 

 gen, potash and phosphoric acid and other ]ilaiit-tond. 

 and yet be unfruitful, — infertile. .M.i^i .1 i le ii-niial 

 plant-food in the soil is lazy, not a\ a . nl 



quantities in a single season to pro.lur. i-. 



Average arable land which contain^ : n I, mill 



pounds of nitrogen, an equal aniMin,! ! i '^i^tiei n- arid 

 and four times as nineh peta ! '■:,■'■' - imlies nl' an 



which requires, with the si I a . n.l I'll pounds 



of these three eU-meiits ns ' n •'. Hi' leferc, land 

 may contain a great abundanee of potential plant-food 

 and yet not contain enough of that which is available 

 for a full crop. To make land more fertile, one or more 

 of the following means may be employed. Usually 

 deeper and more thorough tillage should first be re- 

 sorted to, since most lands, by reason of careless farm- 

 ing, contain much inert plant-food. Superior tillage is 

 almost certain to produce fruitfulness, and therefore 

 should be resorted to before more expensive methods 

 are tried. Tillage not only makes plant-food more avail- 

 able, but it improves the physical conditions of the soil, 

 thereby making it more comfortable for the plant; it 

 mav also assist in relieving the land of surplus water, 

 ami give to the soil the power of retaining large stores 

 of nmistnre by capillary action. 



.Moisture plays such an important part in productive- 

 ness that it may be said to constitute its prime factor. 

 Clay s.iils .ire usually composed of such fine particles 

 that water peri-olates"through them slowly or not at all. 

 The rainf.ill then must either run off over the surface, 



