"72 FERNS. 



P. flexum, P. mucronatum, and P. setosum. They are very 

 easily cultivated, and if started in a little heat in spring, make 

 excellent exhibition specimens during the summer. 



PTEEIS. 



This is an ornamental and very useful genus, of the easiest 

 culture. Among the best species for exhibition are P. argyreea, 

 P. creHca alho-lineata, P. serndata cristata, and P. tricolor. 

 They may either be grown in the stove or greenhouse, but 

 make the finest plants in a little heat when proper care is 

 taken to keep them clean and free from scale, from which they 

 are liable to suffer if neglected. Sandy loam and peat with a 

 little maltster's "cummings" grows them well. This material 

 is the refuse from malt-kilns, and when mixed with soil for 

 ferns and soft-wooded plants it has a very beneficial effect 

 upon them. 



WOODWARDIA. 



The finest species of this genus is the beautiful W. radical^ 

 cristata, which makes a fine shapely plant when grown in a 

 warm greenhouse. It grows well in a suspended basket, and 

 thrives best in equal parts sandy loam and fibry peat. 



2, BRITISH FERNS. 



This Sub-Section includes all ferns indigenous to the British 

 Isles. They should be exhibited in two classes, viz., large 

 and dwarf specimens, the latter including all kinds with 

 fronds less than one foot in height from the .surface of the pot. 



British ferns generally require the same cultural treatment, 

 and the few exceptions to the rule will be mentioned under 

 their own genus. They should be gi'own in moderate-sized 

 pots, well drained ; and they thrive well in peat, loam, and 

 sand, varying the proportions of these according to the delicate 

 nature or robust habit of the species. They grow well in the 

 open air, but to produce them in the best condition for exhi- 

 bition, they should be grown in a glass-house or pit with a 

 north aspect. They require plenty water at the roots, and 



