Dkcembeb 22, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



249 



COMMERCIAL VARIETIES. 



[A paper by David Lumeden. of A. Leuthy & 

 Co Rosllndale, Masa., read before the Boston 

 Cardeners" and Florists' Club, December 20, 

 1904.] 



I know of no class of plants, taken the 

 year around, which give us so much pleas- 

 ure and real enjoyment as ferns; and 

 what class of plants can we find that will 

 excel, nay, even equal the fern in grace, 

 beauty and utility? 



Ferns are now in greater demand than 

 ever before, not only for greenhouse culti- 

 vation, dwelling house adornment, fern- 

 eries, and other decorative purposes, but 

 are also used with flowering and other 

 decorative plants, making many excellent 

 combinations. Persons in every station 

 of life are taking a great interest in ferns 

 and are desirous of cultivating them, and 

 what gardener or florist have we present 

 among us this evening who has not had 

 these or similar questions asked him rel- 

 ative to ferns? , 



What is the best kind of a fern I can 

 get to live in my house? I have steam 

 heat or furnace heat, as the case may be, 

 and we want a fern that will grow. What 

 variety can you recommend? What is the 

 proper way to treat them? 



It is very true they are flowerless 

 plants; nevertheless they are, I may say, 

 everybody 's favorite ; in fact, through the 

 whole of my experience in Europe as vrell 

 as in America I have met no one who is 

 not a fern lover, which goes far to prove 

 the universality of ferns. 



I may here state that ferns have a very 

 wide geographical distribution and are 

 found in almost every part of the world. 

 They range from the tropics, where they 

 are found in greatest profusion, to the 

 arctic region, as far north as Greenland. 

 In some places they are found at the sea 

 fevel; in other places they attain an alti- 

 tude of several thousand feet. Some will 

 grow only in hot climates, others only in 

 cold, and in their native haunts you flnd 

 some growing in a dense shade, while 

 others stand scorching rays of a tropical 

 sun. We find them growing by the side 

 of winding streams, in dense shady glens, 

 in crevices of rocks where we would think 

 it impossible for them to get sufl&cient 

 nourishment to exist, and, indeed, some 

 varieties revel in such situations. And 

 what a comparison in size is afforded by 

 the fern kingdom I Soi6e are small, their 

 fronds being scarce half an inch in 

 length, while others (tree ferns) attain a 

 height of fifty feet. Tkerefore, among 

 ferns we 1hid"every conceivable kind of 

 growth, and among them is a great di- 

 versity of habit and requirements. Not- 

 withstanding all this, no other plants are 

 80 easily managed in cultivation as ferns. 



Essentials of Fern Growing. 

 While it is considered necessary to have 

 a knowledge of the various species in 

 order to excel in their cultivation, yet the 

 whole family can be satisfactorily culti- 

 vated by careful attention to a few ijoles : 



First, the right kind of a soil to use ; sec- 

 ond, a certain temperature must be main- 

 tained winter and summer ; third, a moist 

 atmosphere free from draughts; fourth, 

 abundance of light, at the same time pro- 

 tection from the scorching rays of the 

 sun during the summer months. 



We find most tropical ferns are ever- 

 green; that is to say, they retain their 

 foliage until new foliage is produced the 

 following season, and some varieties re- 

 tain their foliage for a number of years. 

 Very few of the tropical varieties are de- 

 ciduous, while among the species from 

 colder climates we find the deciduous vari- 

 eties predominate. The great mistake 

 made by a novice is that, when ferns have 



ually damp. Those that have lost their 

 foliage must be supplied with sufficient 

 water to keep them moist while resting. 



The right kind of soil to use for fern 

 cultivation is fibrous loam and to obtain 

 it grass sods should be taken from the 

 field, stacked grass side down, layer upon 

 layer, and left to remain a year or longer. 

 By that time it will be found the roots of 

 the grass are dead. Care should be taken 

 in cutting the sods from the field that 

 they are about three or not more than 

 four inches deep, as the fibrous part of 

 the loam is the portion we require. Leaf- 

 mold is made from leaves collected dur- 

 ing the fall and allowed to lie in large 

 heaps for a season or two, until they are 

 entirely decomposed; also it may be col- 

 lected from the woods, where the leaves 

 fall annually and decay, forming nature 's 

 fern garden. 



At one time the idea was prevalent that 

 ferns could not be grown without peat in 

 the compost. This is entirely erroneous, 

 as by experience we find that peat is not 

 of much importance, as the value of leaf- 

 mold is acknowledged by our leading 

 growers. 



Clean, sharp river sand is the best we 

 can use to keep the compost open and 

 admit the passage of the surplus water 



Carnation Helen Goddard. 



lost their foliage, they are placed on their 

 sides or put away in some corner of the 

 greenhouse unseen and forgotten, and 

 then left for weeks without water. The 

 chances are the roots are injured and, if 

 the plants are not killed outright, it is 

 impossible for them to make such vig- 

 orous growths the following season as 

 they would if they had been kept contin- 



freely through the soil. Charcoal is very 

 valuable, broken small and can be freely 

 mixed in with the compost for some varie- 

 ties of ferns. It is also a valuable agen- 

 cy placed on the tops of the crocks as it 

 tends to insure good drainage, keep the 

 soil pure and in growing condition. 



A great many persons have the idea 

 that ferns need a dense shade to grow in. 



