THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



ber of genera. Perhaps the most fa- 

 miliar to us is Pteris argyrea, a fine 

 free growing fern. The variegated 

 form of Adiantum cuneatum is only 

 interesting to the specialist. Variega- 

 tion is found among adiantums, aspi- 

 diums, aspleniums, nephrodiums, poly- 

 podiums, pteris, scolopendriums and 

 others. 



Crested Ferns. 



While variegation is found mostly 

 among ferns belonging to the tropics, 

 cristation, .as this form is known, is 

 largely confined to the European or 

 cooler species. Cristation consists in 

 the subdivision of the extremities of 

 the frond, forming a tassel, sometimes 



which is covered with a thick coating 

 of powder, giving the plant a marvel- 

 lously rich appearance. 



In cheilanthes the silvery appear- 

 ance is produced by scales or hairs 

 evenly and thickly distributed over 

 the under surface of the fronds, and 

 in the noble 'Cyathea dealbata the un- 

 der side of the fronds have the ap- 

 pearance of being painted. Of all this 

 ciass, the gymnogrammes are the best 

 known and most useful, and if I could 

 only grow two of them it would be 

 G. chrysophylla, a perfect cloth of 

 gold, and G. c. peruviana, with grand 

 silvery fronds. Other handsome ferns 

 of this class will be found among the 



Adiantum Decorum. 



grotesque and sometimes very orna- 

 mental. And sometimes the tips or 

 outline of the whole frond are divided 

 and multiplied. It has been noticed 

 that when these forms or monstrosi- 

 ties occur they reproduce themselves 

 by spores with little variation. The 

 most familiar forms we know are the 

 crested pteris, cretica and serrulata; 

 Adiantum cuneatum has several forms, 

 and the grand Nephrolepis daval- 

 lioides furcans. Among other genera 

 that give us crested forms are aspi- 

 dium, asplenium, davallia, gymno- 

 gramme, polypodium, woodwardia, etc. 



No. 6. Gold and Silver Ferns. 



Although occurring in fewer genera, 

 the gold and silver ferns embrace 

 some of the most beautiful plants, and 

 are easy of culture. They are all of 

 exotic origin, but will thrive very well 

 in a winter night temperature of 55 

 degrees. The very attractive golden 

 and silvery gymnogrammes owe their 

 beauty to the under side of the frond, 



cheilanthes, gleichenia and notho- 

 chlaena. 



No. 7. Climbing, Trailing and Drooping 

 Ferns. 



In this large class will be found 

 many of our most useful decorative 

 ferns. We use them for cutting, in 

 veranda boxes, as window plants, and 

 for the hanging baskets. Many of 

 these have been mentioned in other 

 classes, because their use is varied. 

 Some years ago at Kew Garden we 

 remember seeing baskets of adiantum 

 and davallia three feet in diameter. 

 They were covered on all sides, a per- 

 fect ball, and we have all seen mag- 

 nificent baskets of Nephrolepis exal- 

 tata and N. e. Bostoniensis. There are 

 at present several hanging baskets of 

 the latter as well as of old N. tube- 

 rosum at our botanic garden that are 

 at least eight feet in diameter; they 

 are grand objects for large conserva- 

 tories. 



The truly climbing species, which 

 climbs as perfectly as smilax, is Lygo- 

 dium scandens (Japonicum). This was 

 largely grown about twenty years ago 

 as a decorative plant, and was used 

 as we now use Asparagus plumosus. 

 It is now little heard of; possibly the 

 latter beautiful and useful plant has 

 displaced it in public favor. There 

 are several species of lygodium and 

 an interesting item appears in the 

 "Book of Ferns," which says that our 

 native Lygodium palmatum, which 

 grows from Massachusetts southward, 

 was likely to become extinct in the 

 state of Connecticut, and was pro- 

 tected by a law passed by the state 

 legislature forbidding its being gath- 

 ered, under a penalty of $100. It 

 would be interesting to know whether 

 that was a law made to be kept, or, 

 like most of our laws, made to be 

 broken. 



The trailing ferns are of the great- 

 est use to the amateur who has a 

 fernery as well as to the commercial 

 man for baskets, etc. They cover 

 walls, trunks of large ferns and rocks. 



The davallias are best known and 

 are grand for ~iis purpose, spreading 

 out into large masses. Their rhizomes 

 (or creeping stems) creep on the sur- 

 face and are ornamental as well as 

 the fronds. Many of the beautiful spe- 

 cies are from warm countries, but will 

 thrive wherever 50 degrees is kept in 

 winter. Little soil but thorough drain- 

 age is the great requisite. Their sur- 

 face rhizomes when growing should al- 

 wa'ys be kept moist, and when parti- 

 ally resting in water never allowed to 

 get dry. 



Some of the finest of this beautiful 

 genus are: D. canariensis, D. bullata, 

 D. Tyermanni, D. dissecta, D. immer- 

 sa, D. Mariesii, D. Novae-Zelandiae, 

 D. pentaphylla. The last six species 

 are especially adapted for hanging 

 baskets. Their curious and hairy 

 rhizomes, resembling the paw of some 

 small animal, gives rise to their popu- 

 lar name of hare's foot, squirrel's foot, 

 etc., although Polypodium aureum is 

 often called the hare's foot. 



The nephrolepis need more soil for 

 their roots and are not so truly trail- 

 ers as the davallias. They are so well 

 known little need be said here. They 

 multiply fast, and if given surface 

 room soon form large masses. Their 

 stolons, or what we would call in a 

 strawberry a runner, spreauing out in 

 all directions, sometimes above and 

 sometimes below the surface, but from 

 them there spring up a few fronds, 

 which are most easily taken off to 

 form another plant, or left to add to 

 the size of tne parent stock. 



The gleichenia is another beautiful 

 genus that spreads by rhizomes, and 

 for the private fernery is among ..ae 

 handsomest but not so easily managed 

 as the devallia. Gleichenia Boryi, G. 

 circinati, G. dicarpa, G. polypoides, G. 

 rupestris, and varieties of these are 

 mentioned as fine trailing ferns, as are 

 many of the polypodiums, and of easy 

 management. P. aureum, P. Bil- 



