THE CULTURE OF 



ADIANTUM FARLEYENSE 



BY JULIUS LINDSTROM, FORMERLY FARLEYENSE GROWER 



AT THE KENT PLACE NURSERIES, SUMMIT, N. J. 



All who have had anything to do with the cultivation of 

 Adiantum Farleyense know that this most beautiful fern is not 

 propagated from seeds, but from the bulbous parts of the roots 

 commonly called eyes. The plants can be propagated .with suc- 

 cess any time during the year providing you have sufficient heat 

 in the greenhouse, whether it be artificial or natural. As a grower 

 of this fern for commercial use, I always aimed to propagate at 

 such times that I would be able to supply the New York florists- 

 with good, well-shaped plants in 5-inch pots, from September ? 

 to June 1. To accomplish this, I found it convenient 1 > propa- 

 gate twice during the year. As there is quite a demanii for cut 

 fronds of Farleyense, a person will always have a chance to cut 

 down a few plants, the stumps of which will, if taken care of at 

 all, furnish splendid material for propagating. 



I used to begin propagating Farleyense the first days of Janu- 

 ary and keep it up to the middle of March, and from June 1 to 

 the middle of July. It requires a good many stumps for propa- 

 gating where 5,000, 8,000 or 10,000 good Farleyenses are wanted, 

 and as a person is continually cutting down some plants* for cut- 

 fronds the stumps should be put somewhere in the greenhouses 

 and cut up and propagated in proper season. If you do not want 

 to sell cut fronds, you can always buy stumps from the city 

 florists, but the eyes are not always as good as the stui-ips you 

 have got at home, providing they were healthy plants when you 



. 3 



