THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



Polypodium Subauriculatum in a hanging basket. 



lardieri, P. Paradiseae, P. repens, P. 

 sororium and P. verrucosum are high- 

 ly commended for any place where 

 ferns of a creeping or trailing habit 

 are desired. 



The drooping ferns are those having 

 drooping or pendulous fronds and are 

 more valuable for hanging baskets 

 than any other class, and none are 

 better known or better for the purpose 

 than the splendid genus nephrolepis. 

 By their stoloniferous habit young 

 plants soon emerge from the outside 

 of the baskets in all directions. Sev- 

 eral forms or variations in the well 

 known N. exaltata have appeared late- 

 ly and the variety known as Bostoni- 

 ensis is a wonderful acquisition. It 

 is unequalled as a basket plant, makes 

 a grand specimen in a pot or tub, with- 

 stands the dry heat of a sitting room 

 remarkably well, equal to a kentia 

 palm, and does fairly well in the broad 

 sun if well provided with water. 



The best known and most desirable 

 of the nephrolepis are N. exaltata and 

 its grand variety Bostoniensis, N. 

 cordifolia, known among florists gen- 

 erally as tuberosa because the under- 

 ground stolons bear tubers. This spe- 



cies, although from tropical America, 

 lives and grows in our cool house and 

 for vases and veranda boxes is the 

 hardiest of all; N. davallioides, and its 

 beautiful form, furcans. Then there 

 are several species or varieties, one 

 known among us as cordata compacta, 

 shorter in the frond but making a very 

 compact, dark green, handsome plant. 

 A new variety has lately appeared, 

 called Washingtoniensis, of which we 

 have heard unfavorable reports. 



Several of the adianturns have a 

 drooping form and for private collec- 

 tions are beautiful, but not florists' 

 plants. A. concinnum is a beautiful 

 species, and with it are recommended 

 for baskets caudatum, digitatum, lunu- 

 latum, Moorei and others. 



Class 8. Filmy or Transparent Ferns. 



To embrace all the classes it is nec- 

 essary not to neglect the above, al- 

 though even if of interest to the flor- 

 ist they cannot be any source of profit. 

 Yet they are considered the gems of 

 the whole family of ferns. There are 

 only three genera: hymenophyllum, 

 trichomanes and todea. These three 

 genera have numerous representatives 



in many parts of the world. The same 

 difficulty would be met with in their 

 cultivation here as occurs with Odon- 

 toglossum crispum among orchids: 

 our hot, dry summers and the neces- 

 sity of fire heat in winter. To this 

 class belongs the world famous Kil- 

 larney fern, which grew, and if Van- 

 dals have not destroyed it, yet grows 

 among the shady nooks and rocks 

 about the Lakes of Killarney. What 

 a pity travelers do not search for a 

 section of the vertebra of some ex- 

 tinct saint, of which that island has 

 been so prolific, and leave the gem Tri- 

 chomanes radicans in peace. 



Some forty years ago, in fact, ex- 

 actly that, the writer had charge of a 

 cool conservatory. In that house on 

 the south side of the north path, about 

 half way between the east and the 

 west paths, and partly shaded by the 

 fine heads of a Dicksonia antarctica 

 and a Cyathea dealbata, one on either 

 side, was a small case, perhaps about 

 five feet long and two feet wide, with 

 a hinged glass roof; and in this case 

 some eighteen inches below the glass 

 were several clumps of the Killarney 

 fern (Trichomanes radicans) and the 

 other British filmy farn, Hymenophyl- 

 lum Tunbridgense. I have been par- 

 ticular in locating this little green- 

 house within a greenhouse because I 

 can see the Killarnay fern now, al- 

 though I have not seen one since it was 

 my duty to lift up the lid and let in 

 a little air if there was too great a 

 degree of moisture on the delicate 

 fronds. There was an older and wiser 

 mind than mine who inspected these 

 plants daily, and when I now read to- 

 day of the most approved methods of 

 culture of these wonderful ferns I can 

 see that the house of forty years ago 

 and their treatment was about right. 

 They are now seldom grown, but an 

 ardent lover of ferns would surely like 

 to have them under his care. Briefly 

 then, the principal fact to realize is 

 that wherever found their surround- 

 ings are charged with moisture: Light 

 they have, but never the direct rays 

 of the sun. Most of them have sur- 

 face rhizomes and they need little 

 soil, which can be broken up peat, 

 chopped sphagnum and pounded up 

 bricks or broken crocks. Moisture at 

 the roots they want at all times and 

 t an atmosphere charged with moisture, 

 ' but no syringing overhead. A dry, 

 cutting draught, even in the green- 

 house, would soon destroy them. The 

 British species will withstand a tem- 

 perature far below freezing, and the 

 species from India and the West In- 

 dies, as well as those from China, Tas- 

 mania and New Zealand, are found at 

 high elevations. The hymenophyllums 

 "forming a green matting over con- 

 stantly wet rocks." 



A low temperature, shade and moist- 

 ure are the essentials to success with 

 these beautiful ferns, which the com- 

 mercial florist will let severely alone. 



Class 9. Viviparous and Proliferous Ferns. 



This peculiar class includes many 

 species of many different genera. 



