92 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



Microlepia Hirta Cristata. 



with a cool bottom and partial shade, 

 is the place to grow on the young 

 ferns. You don't want them to grow 

 fast, but to fill up and. be strong and 

 robust. An eastern firm who raise 

 several hundred thousand young ferns 

 for this purpose gave me the following 

 list as those best suited for the pur- 

 pose, the first four being most useful 

 in the center: Pteris cretica magnifica, 

 Pteris cretica albo-lineata, Pteris Vic- 

 toriae (variegated), Pteris argyraea, 

 Cyrtomium falcatum, Aspidium angu- 

 lare, Blechnum occidentale, Blechnum 

 braziliense, Davallia stricta, Lomaria 

 ciliata, Lomaria Gibba, Lastrea opaca, 

 Lastrea chrysoloba, Lastrea artistata 

 variegata, Nephrodium hertypes, Ony- 

 chium japonicum, Polystichum cori- 

 anum, Polystichum setosum, Poly- 

 stichum pubescens, Pteris biaurita ar- 

 gentea, Pteris serrulata, Pteris cris- 

 tata, Pteris nana compacta, Pteris 

 voluta, Pteris cretica Mayii (varie- 

 gated), Selaginella Emiliana (for edg- 

 ing). 



Conclusion. 



With the exception of the list last 

 quoted, in which the names of some 

 varieties may not be correct, but by 

 which they are best known, I have 

 followed out the nomenclature of 

 Hooker and Baker, as used in the 

 "Book of Choice Ferns," as those 

 names will eventually prevail. In do- 

 ing so, however, I found with my lim- 

 ited knowledge of ferns that names 

 have been much changed in forty 

 years. What we knew as Lastrea 

 felix-mas is now Nephrodium felix- 

 mas, and many less familiar cases. 



In conclusion, if you are not brought 

 in contact with any class of plants 

 you cannot quickly memorize their 

 names, but all plants under your care 



or that you handle you should know 

 correctly. To ask the name in a 

 botanic garden or at your neighbor's 

 and forget it the next moment is waste 

 of time and an annoyance. "Let me 

 see; what is that fern? I forget." The 

 professor says, "That is Onychium 

 japonicum." "Oh, yes, yes, yes, of 

 course; and what's that?" And before 

 you have got to the door you have for- 

 gotten the very sound of the name. 



To be reminiscent once more. Some- 

 where about the year '60 of this cen- 

 tury the writer had the first serious 

 attack of the "tender passion." The 

 cause of the attack and outoreak was 

 much his senior, and having no funds 

 to buy an album or a volume of By- 

 ron, he made a collection of British 

 ferns, dried them in a book, and pre- 

 sented them, named, and the collec- 

 tion without varieties was almost 

 complete with the exception, perhaps, 

 of ten species. Now, I have forgotten 

 -what size glove that young woman 

 wore, or whether her hair was in curls 

 or brushed back a la the Empress Eu- 

 genie, but I will never forget how to 

 write Asplenium Ruta-muraria, al- 

 though I have not seen Ruta-muraria 

 or the old yjpman nigh on to forty 

 years. Look. at a plant and write it 

 down; once written and spelt correct- 

 ly, you will never forget. The writer 

 has a fair memory for anecdotes, be- 

 cause they can be filled in as you go 

 along, but no good for names unless 

 he writes them down; then they stick 

 in that laboratory which is a mystery 

 to all of us. 



FERTILIZERS AND MANURES. 



As we use the words in gardening 

 operations, they include any sub- 

 stance, animal or mineral, that will 

 add quantity, weight, vigor and size 

 to our crops. I shall not attempt to 

 give you any learned discourse on 

 chemical manures, because, first, I am 

 not able, and, secondly, you can easily 

 obtain a report from the many state 

 agricultural and horticultural stations 

 giving the analyses of the several ma- 

 nures and the quantities used, as well 

 as their effect on different soils and 

 plants. 



Platycerium Alcicorne. 



