340 



THE CROSSING OF FEENS. 



with British ferns, it was not Innji; boforo iio was irresistibly 

 attracted by the exceptional beauty and almost oxhanstlesB 

 power of deviation of Polystichuni angularo — "'/'Ac Fern of 

 the South." And it was not unnatural that after a time, 

 appreciating it as he did, he should bo desirous that some 

 record of the more beautiful and marked varieties of this 

 fern should be left; and that possessing himself consider- 

 able artistic skill, great natural discrimination, and intense 

 interest in the subject, he should have contemplated pro- 

 ducing " a monograph of Polystichum angulare." Having 

 at that time in his employment as a gardener a young man 

 of great intelligence and general fitness for the work, ho 

 sent him to London to be instructed in the best system of 

 nature printing. It was not long before young Mr. Thos. 

 Smith had mastered all the details of the art, and, being of 

 an inventive turn, had hit upon several improvements in the 

 process, which enabled him to produce an olfect superior to 

 any previously attained in this direction. 



Unfortunately, however, before Mr. Padley had done more 

 than collect material for his work, circumstances occurred 

 which forced him to abandon his design, to the lasting regret 

 of all interested in such subjects ; and probably the valuable 

 results of Mr. Smith's training would have been lost had I 

 not by accident become aware of his talent, and been instru- 

 mental in employing him, in the interest of " The British 

 Pteridological Society," to produce some nature prints of 

 the varieties of British ferns. Subsequently I employed 

 him myself in the issue of a more comprehonaivo series of 

 nature prints in illustration chiefly of the more marked 

 characters which run more or less completely through the 

 different species of British ferns. This work, extending to 

 between 200 and 300 plates, was concluded a few years ago ; 

 but since that time, many interesting experiments have 



