THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



61 



A long bed of ferns between the walk and the fence injDr. Storms' garden 



sons of the year. In the fall it is well 

 to 'spreads leave over the fern beds. 



These can be left 

 there, and in the 

 spring a layer of leaf 

 mould is formed al- 

 most the same as the 

 plants were accus- 

 tomed to in the 

 woods. 



In collecting 

 I have found the lit- 

 tle book, "How to 

 Know the Ferns," 

 extremely useful, 

 and in fact better 

 for an amateur 

 than many larger 

 works. A good lens 

 is needed to disting- 

 uish some of the 

 varieties. 



In studying the 

 names it is better 

 to get both the house- 

 hold knd scientific 

 names, as though 

 the latter are seem- 

 ingly long and dif- 

 ficult, are not easily 

 lost when once 

 learned, and it is 

 much easier to talk 

 ferns using the bo- 

 tanical names. 

 These names, too, 

 have each a mean- 

 ing which is most in- 

 teresting to determine, and which should 

 be carefully studied by all those who 



have a special liking for beautiful flowers. 

 The names of the ferns exhibited last 

 fall will give a fair idea of those best 

 for cultivation. They are as follows: 

 Asplenium angustifolium, Narrow- 

 leaved Spleenwort; Asplenium acrosti- 

 choides, Christmas Fern ; Asplenium 

 acrostichoides, undulatum ; Asplenium 

 filix-foemina. Lady Fern; Asplenium 

 filix-foemina latifolium, Broad-leaved 

 Lady Fern; Asplenium thelypteroides. 

 Silvery Spleenwort; Asplenium tricho- 

 manes, Maiden-hair Spleenwort ; Asplen- 

 ium ebeneum, Ebony Spleenwort; As- 

 pi dium cristatum, Crested Shield Fern; 

 Aspidium niarginale, Evergreen Wood 

 Fern; Aspidium spinulosum, Spinulosa 

 Wood Fern ; Aspidium spinulosum dila- 

 tatum; Aspidium munitum; Aspidium 

 noveberacense. New York Fern; Aspid- 

 ium Goldieanum, Goldie's Fern; Aspid- 

 ium thelypteris. Marsh Fern; Adiantum 

 pedatum, Maiden-hair Fern; Camptos- 

 orus rhizophyllus. Walking Fern; Cys- 

 topteris bulbifera, Bublet Bladder Fern; 

 Onoclea sensibilis. Sensitive Fern; Ono- 

 clea struthiopteris. Ostrich Fern; Os- 

 munda cinnamomea, Cinnamon Fern; 

 Osmunda Claytoniana, Interrupted Fern ; 

 Osmunda regalis. Royal Fern; Pellsea 

 atropurpurea, Purple Cliff Brake; Phe- 

 gopteris dryopteris, Oak Fern; Phegop- 

 teris hexagonoptera. Broad Beech Fern; 

 Pteris aquilina, Umbrella Brake; Scol- 

 opendrium vulgare. Hart's Tongue; 

 Woodsia Ilvensis, Rusty Woodsia; 

 Woodsia obtusa, Blunt-lobed Woodsia; 

 Polppodium sculari; Lomaria spicant. 



•I beautiful evergreens, and amateurs 

 who know the secret find little difficulty 

 growing them successfully. Many var- 

 ieties are tender in this country, and the 

 tenderest varieties are the most beautiful 

 and graceful. The variegation in some 

 of them is equal to some of our most 

 beautiful tropical plants, and, for the 

 above reasons, I am surprised that they 

 have not been more extensively grown 

 as tub plants for the lawn during the 

 summer, or for the decoration of halls 

 and churches during the winter. 



A collection of cupressus are very 

 pretty in beds on the lawn. The illus- 

 tration shows the cupressus in half-inch, 

 galvanized, chicken netting baskets, 

 Uned with moss, and then planted the 

 same as a hanging basket lacking the 

 vines. The netting was obtained from 

 a wire factory in a bale, and was cut to 

 the size desired for each plant with a 

 plumbers' shears, and sewed in basket 

 form with wire the same as the netting. 

 Any handy man can make one of these 

 baskets in a few minutes. 



The plants on the right, showing the 



TKe Gro-wing of Tender Ervergreens 



RodericK Cameron, Niagara Falls, South 



roots protruding through the side of 

 the basket, has been in the basket for 

 two years, and will remain there for an- 

 other year, when it will be changed into 

 a larger basket. It must be borne in 

 mind that this method is only intended 

 for haK hardy, oi" tub plants, of any 

 variety grown by the general public. 

 The nurserymen can make general use 

 of it for evergreens, and many expensive 

 and rare deciduous plants. 



Each basket costs about five cents. 

 Tubs that look respectable, when made 

 of material that lasts any time, cost 

 about two dollars, and are heavy and 

 awkward to handle, and they look un- 

 natural and are out of place on the 

 lawn. There is also a loss of time con- 

 nected with caring for them, and the 

 continual watering that if neglected, 

 means sickly, diseased, insect eaten 

 plants, and probably their death. The 

 basket described requires no watering, 

 as the plants, with the exception of the 

 basket, are the same as if planted in the 

 natural manner. The plants take the 

 moisture through the basket, from above 

 as well as round about. The roots, also. 



have freedom to pass through the meshes 

 of the basket. Plants treated this way 

 are always clean and healthy, and can 

 be moved from place to place during the 

 summer without loss. 



WINTERING HALF HARDY PLANTS 



My method of keeping the half-hardy 

 plants through the winter is very simple 

 and inexpensive. I dug a cold storage 

 pit, eight feet deep, below the natural 

 surface of the ground, 16 feet wide and 

 30 feet long, lined it with galvanized 

 corrugated iron along the sides and 

 threw joists across on a level with the 

 surface soil. A much smaller hole would 

 do for amateurs with only a few plants. 

 On top of this was placed a greenhouse 

 roof for light and air when necessary. 

 Two feet of good soil was placed on the 

 natural floor of this cellar. Into this is 

 planted the plants that will not stand 

 our winters. The basket and tub plants 

 are dug up before severe frost, and re- 

 planted in the cellar, basket and all, as 

 they were out doors. The two feet of 

 soil in this cellar is thoroughly watered 

 in the fall before the plants are put in. 

 This is all the watering required until 



