CHAPTER XIV 

 Ferns and Lycopods 



Greenhouse Fern Culture 



Soil. This should be of a porous nature, through which water 

 will pass freely. Small plants from spores will need about two parts 

 leaf soil and one each of loam and sand. Loam, whenever used, 

 should be fibrous, well broken up and not sifted. For plants in pots 

 larger than 4-inch, leaf soil, loam and sand, in equal parts, will be 

 a safe compound. Some Ferns, notably A.Farleyense, are benefited 

 by having some rotted cow manure mixed with the soil. Large 

 plants, and those which have to remain in the same pots for any 

 length of time without shifting, should have less leaf soil and more 

 loam. But most of the species thrive in a variety of soils. The 

 usual time for potting large plants is before starting into growth; 

 but rapid growing, small plants should be shifted into larger pots 

 as they need them. 



Summer Quarters for Cool House Ferns. Many Ferns 

 used during Winter as decorative plants will be found to put on a 

 vigorous growth in frames during the warm months. Select those 

 frames with a northern exposure, with the sashes tilted to give an 

 abundance of air. The pots may be plunged or placed on some 

 material capable of giving off considerable moisture. The plants 

 may be kept in this structure till cool weather. Among the kinds 

 which may be thus treated are: Pteris VictoricB,P. cretica alho-lineata, 

 P. Mayii, P. serrulata and its many forms, P. tremula, P. hastata, 

 Onychium japonicum, Aspidiiim capense, Adiantum Capillus-Veneris, 

 A. formosum, Cyrtomium falcatum and Dicksonia antarctica. In 

 Winter a minimum temperature of 45 degrees will keep all of the 

 Ferns named above in healthy condition. For the more tender 

 kinds 10 to IS degrees higher will be necessary. 



Shading. Some Ferns, such as Cheilanthes lanosa (vesiila) grow 

 in dry places in the full sun, but the vast majority thrive only 

 under conditions exactly the reverse. In Winter the very thinnest 

 shade will be sufficient, and from the ist of April to the end of Sep- 

 tember it should be heavy enough to intercept the sun's rays. 



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