346 



Tire CROSSTNO OF FERNS. 



wore not without influence on two otliers, wiio, in conjunction 

 with him, have helped to produce an aniount of evidence on 

 this subject so overwhelming as to lie absolutely convincing 

 to all not predetermined to remain unconvinced. Ho refers 

 to Mr. E. r. Fox, of Brislington, near Bristol, one of the 

 most painstaking and successful cultivators and raisers of 

 British ferns ; and the late Mr. W. C. Carbonell, of Rhiew 

 Castol, Usk, wlio was not less distinguished in both those 

 respects, and who has lately with groat public spirit be- 

 queathed the whole of his fine collection of British ferns to 



Kew Gardons. 



Hybridization. 



A year or two since, I was told by one of tiio most dis- 

 criminating botanists, Mr. Churchill, that it was now accepted 

 that AH])lcnium germanicum was a hybrid between A. sep- 

 tentrionale and A. ruta-muraria ; and as Mr. Gr. B. Wollaston, 

 of Chiselluirst, facile princeps among British fernists, is 

 entirely of tho same opinion, the idea catinot bo lightly re- 

 garded. I am told that A. germanicum is never found whore 

 A. septentrionale and A. ruta-muraria are not found, and 

 that where these two species abound it is very rare not to 

 find A. germanicum — that it is never found extending over 

 a considerable space as ordinary species do, more or less, but 

 in detached clumps or isolated plants as hybrids, having a 

 difficulty in reproducing themselves, might bo expected to 

 do. It is reputed to be barren, and yet it is on record that 

 Sim, of Toots Cray, once raised a variety from it, recorded 

 as " acutldontatum " both by Mr. Moore and Mr. Wollaston ; 

 it cannot therefore be said that it is impossible that a sporo 

 might not be thrown from one of such hybrid plants with 

 sufficient constitution and general fitness for survival to 

 establish a new race. There is also the case of Lastrea 

 romota, of which four plants were found growing in a clump 



