HISTORY OP INTRODUCTION OP EXOTIC FERNS. 23 



able number, some very interesting novelties in the 

 latter having been obtained by M. Hermann Wend- 

 land, during a journey through Central America ; and 

 in many of these gardens species have been obtained 

 by means of spores taken from dried specimens, while 

 through the Dutch Botanic gardens, numerous rare 

 Ferns have been introduced from Java, Surinam, and 

 other Dutch colonies. 



Among private individuals on the Continent who 

 have made large additions to our collections, by the 

 introduction of species from their native countries, 

 I cannot omit to notice M. J. Linden, of Brussels, 

 who himself travelled in the West Indies, Venezuela, 

 and New Granada, and who employed several enthu- 

 siastic collectors in various parts of the same and 

 neighbouring countries, by whom a great number of 

 the new plants were brought into cultivation. But 

 besides these M. Linden has also received several 

 species new to our gardens, from New Caledonia 

 and the Philippine Islands. About six years ago 

 another private traveller in Venezuela and New Gra- 

 nada, Dr. Karsten, likewise enriched continental gar- 

 dens by the introduction of numerous fine species of 

 tree and other Ferns, some of which have not yet 

 been imported to this country. 



The total number of Ferns cultivated in our gardens 

 at the present day may be regarded as forming about 

 one-third of all the species known to botanists by means 

 of dried specimens, and described in the numerous 

 works of pteridology. Among the remaining two- 

 thirds are very many fine species, equal or supe- 

 rior in merit, as garden plants, to any of those we 

 already possess. It may be worth while to mention 



