90 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



Pteris Victoriae. 



tates it forms cells, which are called 

 the prothallus, and is only an increase 

 of cells. On the under side of the 

 prothallus (which resembles the Liver- 

 wort so often seen on the surface of 

 our soil with plants making a slow or 

 stagnant growth) develop the organs 

 of both sexes, which have the same 

 function as the more conspicuous or- 

 gans in the flowering plants. To de- 

 scribe the complicated and marvellous 

 process of fertilization would require 

 a chapter, had I time or space to quote 

 it. From the prothallus finally springs 

 (varying in time with the species) the 

 young true frond. Any cross fertiliza- 

 tion of species, as we do with flower- 

 ing plants, is therefore impossible, but 

 by sowing the spores of different spe- 

 cies in one pan there is assurance that 

 hybrids havei been produced, and this 

 is getting deep into science. 



One word as to the fertility or 

 fecundity of ferns. Mr. Charles T. 

 Druery, who is quoted in the "Book 

 of Choice Ferns," says: "We have es- 

 timated the spores upon a single frond 

 of our native (British) Polypodium 

 vulgare (a frond not over a foot long 

 by three inches wide), and found that 

 one of the sub-divisions of the same 

 size taken from a tree fern would yield 

 plants sufficient to form a wood as 

 large as Epping Forest. Every frond 

 would bear hundreds of such sub-di- 

 visions and the tree fern would prob- 

 ably bear thirty or forty fronds every 

 season. A little calculation, therefore, 

 will show that inconceivable numbers 

 have to be xlealt with." Truly incon- 

 ceivable; countless millions on every 

 frond. Another illustration by the 

 same author was the shaking of the 



spores of an asplenium out and col- 

 lecting them, about filling a teaspoon, 

 in which he estimates he had eighty 

 million spores. So if one in ten thou- 

 sand of the spores we sow vegetate, 

 we are doing well, and the surface of 

 our pan will be covered with the 

 moss-like prothalli. 



The spores should be gathered, or 

 rather the frond cut before the spore 



of broken crocks, should be baked to 

 destroy all germs of weeds or moss or 

 eggs of insects. If not baked, water 

 with scalding water. Make the sur- 

 face smooth and scatter the spores. 

 No careless watering must be given, 

 but let it flow over the surface slowly. 



If covered with glass, which it 

 should be, the soil will not need much 

 watering till the prothalli appear in 

 the way above described. When this 

 about covers the surface of the pan 

 they should be divided by taking 

 small patches, say 1-4 inch square, and 

 placing them on the surface of other 

 pans or flats. Soon the true fern leaf 

 will appear, when in time the liiue 

 plants can be pricked out singly in 

 small pots, or, what is still better, in 

 flats, till they are larger and need a 

 pot for themselves. 



If a few large plants of the leading 

 sorts are kept in a house and allowed 

 to shed their spores, they will be car- 

 ried to every corner of the house, and 

 if some plants (like large palms) are in 

 the house that are not often shifted, 

 you will be sure to have an abundance 

 of young ferns. I have noticed fre- 

 quently the young plants of Adiantum 

 cuneatum growing on the sphagnum 

 in the cattleya baskets. 



Cultivation. 



It would be impossible to give any 

 special instructions for any particular 

 class of ferns, and there is no need of 

 it. Those that make strong roots, 

 such as the pteris, want root room and 

 must be well drained. Those making 

 surface rhizomes, as the davallias, do 

 not want much depth of soil, but need 

 surface room if large specimens are 

 wanted. 



It is generally conceded that in soil 

 ferns are not at all particular. At- 



Cyrtomium Falcatum. 



cases have burst, and if not conve- 

 nient to sow at once, put them away 

 in paper bags. The soil or material 

 you sow on, which can be a light, 

 sandy loam, covering an inch or so 



mospheric conditions are of far more 

 consequence. A good fibrous loam, 

 with a third of leaf-mould, will suit 

 any of them. Bone meal will help ferns 

 if soil is thoroughly watered after re- 



