September 20, 1877. ] 



JODENAL OP HOBTICTJLTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



227 



many sorts. Nor can I complain of quantity of flowers ; I 

 cut a very lovely batch to-day for the sitting-room glass, and 

 I could almost hops for a cessation were it not for the little 

 clots of white which appear at intervals (close to the thorn) 

 on even the strongest shoots. Well, unfortunately, I have 

 been no better with the Briars ; they have all suffered from 

 this mildew, and though they are now covered with blooms, 

 small ones it is true, they are literally wrecked with this 

 disease. Is it the soil? When I read that when Briars will 

 not do because of the absence of a stiff soil it is preferable 

 to plant Manettis, I can understand it, but I cannot understand 

 why all, Briars and Manettis, Ehould be so terribly punished. 

 There must be a reason. I have watered with chamber slops, 

 urine, &c. ; my cow dung on the Manettis was new, the contents 

 of a ditch containing nothing but slop water were resorted to, 

 and there has been a good deal of decaying substanoe applied. 

 Will any of these account for the disease? It has even 

 attacked Gloire de DijoD, Salet (Moss), and the Monthly China, 

 yea, and I find it on some shoots of Briars which have not 

 been cut off. What is best to do ? I have laboured every 

 spare minute, and am fairly wearied and cast down. Will 

 "Wild Savage" or the "Parson's Gaedenek" spare me a 

 few minutes, and would they like to see some of the shoots? 

 Would you feed or starve ? Would you give them dung or 

 chemical manure ? Would you cut them, or what ? I am not 

 enough of a naturalist to know, but is the disease on the backs 

 of the Laurel leaves, which I find to be very prevalent in 

 Surrey, the same as Eose mildew? It looks very like it, 

 though I observe that the leaves of the Laurel seem eaten 

 entirely up, while the leaf of the Bose curls and withers. I 

 have seen Laurels in many parts all suffering from this mildew. 

 I am sorry I have taken up so much time, but you have so 

 kindly answered before that I venture again. 



Another querj — I have a tarred close fence, faces towards 

 the eaBt, gets all the morning tun. What had I better plant 

 against it ? The border is about 18 inches wide. Would Apple 

 trees trained on wires do ? or would some laths be better than 

 wire ? If Apples, what sorts would be best ? I find that Haw- 

 thornden and Court-Pendu-Plat make capital espaliers. Will 

 Cox's Orange Pippin do the same ? I have also a north or 

 north-west fence, gets a deal of sun : would any fruit tree be- 

 sides Morello Cherries do well here ? The fences are close, so 

 that the wind does not get through, and are about 6 feet high. 

 Can you also tell me the name of a very pretty hardy climber 

 which is now filled with red berries ? I see it on some of the 

 cottages, and would it do with a north aspect? Would a 

 Baddlea globosa do on an eastern wall ? Another query — I have 

 three plants of Thomas Mills Eose, they are very vigorous, but 

 they will not bloom. Is this Thomas Mills' character ? if so 

 he must find another home. Not a single bloom on the three 

 trees, though they are large and occupy space. — City Clebk. 



DEVELOPMENTS IN FERNS. 



Fekn literature is almost daily increasing ; this shows evi- 

 dence that Ferns are in great favour with the gardening world ; 

 besides their being in favour, it shows that their cultivators 

 desire to know more about them than the books in the past or 

 their experience tells them. Ferns altogether are very in- 

 teresting plants, and their developments, which are so unlike 

 those in other vegetable families, are a source of pleasure and 

 study to many people. 



The changes of form in Fern-life to all pteridologists are mys- 

 terious, because the cause of the developments are unknown. 

 A few students have apparently tried to fathom the mystery, 

 and because they cannot find the source or the motive-power 

 of the changes some of them have, perhaps too hastily, con- 

 cluded that the variations that we see in one or other species 

 of Ferns are abnormal and unnatural growths. This conclu- 

 sion, however, is not altogether satisfactory, although it is for 

 some people an easy way of disposing of a difficulty which may 

 come to be more thoroughly understood as knowledge increases. 

 To my mind there must be laws which govern the growth of 

 these interesting plants as in other natural phenomena, and 

 daily I am more and more convinced that such is the case, 

 because as time rolls on most species of Ferns (my experience 

 is in British Ferns) produce the same characteristic forms of 

 growth in their different families which are commonly called 

 freaks of nature. If we examine Asplenium Tricbomanes im- 

 bricatum, Laetrea Filix-mas crispa, Athyrium Filix-fcemina 

 Simpsonii, Blechnum Spicant imbricatnm, Soolopendrium 

 crispum, &c, we find their fronds contracted and imbricated, 1 



and though the varieties named belong to separate families 

 they all assume this peculiar form of growth. Again, crested 

 habits of great similarity are met with in Lastreas, Athyriums, 

 Bleohnums, Aspleniums, Adiantums, Osmunda?, Cystopteris, 

 Scolopendriums,Polypodiums, Polystichums, &c. These same 

 families, or most of them, produce their incised, cornuted, 

 crisped, depauperated, marginated, and other styles of growth. 

 After thinking over these peculiarities, which are found in 

 common in most Fern families, it seems to my mind that if 

 they were freaks of nature there would be great irregularity 

 and nothing in common among the developments in the 

 different species. But such is not the case. To even common 

 observers there is a great similarity of aim, if I may use the 

 expression, in the attempts of Ferns of all sorts to change the 

 outline of their fronds into definite types of form, recognised 

 not in one or two Fern families, but through all the genus. 

 With this evidence before us, it seems that a power is working 

 through Fern- life according to rules which produce by its 

 action in all the Fern species a changing of the general out- 

 line of their fronds to other definite shapes. It must be 

 acknowledged that the unknown natural force, which is chang- 

 ing rapidly in these days the appearance of Fern fronds, works 

 more quickly in some families than in others ; but I believe its 

 effects may be traced in all, or nearly all, of the British and 

 many of the exotic species. The unknown force appears to 

 work strangely, although it seems to move one step at a time. 

 Sometimes it at one move developes a crested variety, as was 

 the case when Lastrea Filix-mas took the cristata form. Again, 

 this latter variety brought into existence a narrowed form 

 known by the name of Lastrea Filix-mas cristata angustata. 

 In the following case the contraction came first, when Lastrea 

 Filix-mas took the crispa or imbricated habit ; after which 

 Lastrea Filix-mas crispa generated the crested type, whioh is 

 very dwarf, and known under the name of L. F.-m. crispa 

 cristata. Another almost parallel case is that of Athyrium 

 Filix-femina curtum cristatum. In the first place Athyrium 

 Filix-fcernina assumed the curtum habit, and the spores from 

 that type generated a crested form. The march of the un- 

 known force might be traced many steps amongst the Athy- 

 rium and Soolopendrium varieties, but time and space will not 

 allow us to follow in its path. From theso three cases men- 

 tioned and others of like nature it may be inferred that the 

 unknown natural force is an active and progressive power, its 

 goal, like its starting point, being unknown : therefore we may 

 presume to expect that though the Fern varieties we have 

 may generate their like, yet they may yield spores which pro- 

 gressively will give to us forms of Fern-life of which we can 

 have no conception. 



I should like to add a little more upon this matter, also 

 upon the germination and hybridity of Ferns, but I must not 

 now. — G. Smith, Kendal. 



CRYSTAL PALACE. 



Year by year the ornamentation of the grounds at this 

 great public rendezvous appears to improve. Certainly they 

 have never been more effective than they are during the present 

 season, as all must admit who inspect them. They are attrac- 

 tive when viewed from various standpoints, but from no point 

 is the effect more imposing than at the entrance to the grounds 

 from the low-level station. To the right is the broad reced- 

 ing lawn and massive beds of Geraniums, &a. ; to the left the 

 still broader and extremely fine beds of Dahlias, with masses 

 of Tritomas and Helianthuses in the distance ; and in the 

 front is the artistically arranged bank round the rosery, and 

 the series of round carpet beds on the sloping lawn, which 

 must rank amongst the most effective beds in any of the public 

 metropolitan parks and gardens. 



A few of the isolated beds on the lawn may first be noticed. 

 The best of the brilliant scarlet Geraniums is Lady Constance 

 Grosvenor ; it is extremely floriferous, lively, and bright. 

 Vesuvius also is excellent. The beBt pure pink variety is 

 Cleopatra ; and Amaranth, lilac pink, is very good. The best 

 of the salmons is Gloire de Corbenay, and of the whites 

 Madame Yaucher. Waltham Nosegay is unsurpassed as a 

 crimson, and as a crimson-scarlet Bonfire is still pre-eminent. 

 The round beds of the varieties named, edged with contrasting 

 colours, are as good as Geranium beds possibly can be. Some 

 large Y-shaped beds at the corners of the walks ere splendid, 

 especially one planted with a centre of Serena, Eatioy pink, 

 a broad band of Bonfire, and an edging of Eobert Fish. 

 Nearly equal to it, however, is the corresponding bed with 



