228 



BLACK SPLEENWOET. 



This fern varies greatly in the amount of cutting or division 

 of the frond ; but these discrepancies seem to be the result of 

 external circumstances, and not of constitutional difference. I 

 regret to say that I am unable to decide whether several of the 

 continental names refer to this species or not ; and until this 

 is satisfactorily settled, it seems worse than useless to intro- 

 duce them when there is no real necessity for their appearance. 

 I am indebted to Mr. Watson for the sight of a beautiful and 

 very large frond from Fairmile, near Cobham, in Surrey ; and 

 to Mr. Cheshire, for others from the vicinity of Stratford-on- 

 Avon. The latter gentleman has kindly supplied me with 

 roots, in order that I may study these forms under cultivation : 

 these fine plants differ from the normal form of the species 

 chiefly in their great luxuriance, and their consequent greater 

 amount of subdivision of frond. 



CttltttW, 



This is a very ornamental fern for rock-work and walls. It 

 is remarkably enduring and long-lived when in the open air in 

 the country, but it dwindles in a London atmosphere, and does 

 not like the confinement of a greenhouse, much less that of a 

 Wardian case : in the former I have repeatedly found it dying 

 without any apparent cause ; and in the latter, I have never 

 known it to thrive. The best mode of cultivation, where the 

 atmosphere is tolerably pure, is to plant it among stones on a 

 declivity facing the North, and also shaded by hazel-trees : the 

 soil is a matter of no great moment, but it may be observed, as 

 a rule, that light sandy soils are better than heavy clayey ones. 

 In a greenhouse, care should be taken to supply it constantly 

 but not immoderately with moisture. The caudex will survive 

 a good deal of drought, and a good deal of moisture ; but the 

 fronds are soon affected by both, but especially by the latter ; 

 they turn black, die, and rot, the black spots suddenly appear, 

 increase, and eventually cover the frond, as observed so fre- 

 quently in potatoes. Other ferns are subject to this decay, but 

 no other exhibits it so freqtiently. The soil should be chiefly 

 composed of sand, and small lumps of sand-stone should be 

 interspersed. 



