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CASSELL'S POPULAE GARDENING. 



menoed to make mucli growtli. They form very 

 attractive objects, and command a ready sale. 

 Several crested forms are cultivated by specialists, 

 and some of these are very pretty. They are, how- 

 ever, rather rare, as the "monstrosity " is not as a 

 rule developed to any extent hy plants raised from 

 spores, and therefore recourse must he had to divi- 

 sion of the parent roots, a somewhat slow process. 

 L. alpina is a smaller plant than the last-named, 

 with the pinnae, especially of the fertile fronds, 

 broader and shorter. It succeeds admirably in pots, 

 but planted out in the cool conservatory does still 

 better. Under these conditions its dark metaUic 

 evergreen fronds remain perfect until after a fresh 

 crop are developed. Now and then, when grown on 

 the outdoor fernery, the changeable weather of the 

 English winter discolours the fronds, but as soon as 

 spring sets in a new set is quickly produced. The 

 slender wide-creeping rhizomes run long distances 

 over moss-covered stones or amongst low-growing, 

 shade-loving plants, and no further care is required 

 beyond establishing the plant between the crevices 

 of cool absorbent pieces of rock. 



Cultivation. — ^A good many of the stronger-grow- 

 ing kinds grow readily enough in good fibrous loam, 

 though even some of these seem to prefer a good ad- 

 mixture of peat. Perhaps the safest and best plan 

 for the more delicate species is to use a compost of 

 loam and peat, to which should be added a little de- 

 cayed leaf -mould and some sharp sand. Some 

 authorities on Lomaria culture advocate special 

 treatment with regard to the administration of water, 

 and condemn unreservedly any syringing overhead. 

 At Kew, however, where there is a large collection 

 in excellent health, no particular care is taken to 

 avoid syringing, and in the Palm House, where a 

 number of species are planted out in the beds un- 

 derneath the large Palms, they are being constantly 

 wetted overhead without exhibiting any trace of in- 

 jury from such a course. Stagnant moisture must, 

 as a matter of course, be avoided, or the fronds soon 

 become discoloured and unsightly. Due regard to 

 ventilation is necessary, and also shading during hot 

 and very bright weather. Taken altogether, the 

 Lomarias are not especially shade-loving plants, and 

 they will grow with but little care in this respect, 

 provided the necessary atmospheric moisture bo 

 maintained. If kept too dry, red spider and thrip 

 are almost certain to put in an appearance. 



L. gibba, and the other suharborescent species, are 

 very easily raised from spores. No difficulty will be 

 experienced in this if the plan recommended for 

 raising Adiantum spores be adopted. The ones with 

 widely-creeping rhizomes may also be raised from 

 spores, but they are perhaps more easily propagated 

 by division. 



FLORISTS' FLOWEES. 



By Eichakd Dean. 



The Fuchsia. — This plant is named after 

 Leonard Fuch, a noted German botanist. It is 

 found indigenous in several parts of South America. 

 F. coccima, one of the first, if not the first, intro- 

 duced species, came from Chili. Up to the year 1823 

 there were but two kinds grown in this country, viz., 

 F. coecinea and F. lycioidea ; the first-named remains 

 with us to this day ; the latter in all probability has 

 passed out of cultivation. So much was F. mccmea 

 admired and sought after when first seen in this 

 country, that in a few years there was scarcely a 

 green-house or conservatory but what was orna- 

 mented by it. In regard to the inti-oduction of this 

 Fuchsia to England, it is stated that Mr. Lee, then 

 a celebrated nurseryman of Hammersmith — ^where 

 his descendants stiE carry on their business — saw 

 one day when he was in the neighbourhood of Wap- 

 ping a pretty flower, which he purchased. It 

 proved to be the Fuchsia, then unknown in this 

 country. It soon became very popular, as the next 

 year three hundred plants raised fi-om it were sold 

 at one guinea each. Other fine species were sub- 

 sequently introduced to this country from abroad, 

 such as corymbijlora, fulgens, aerratifolia, and 

 splendens ; while some fine hybrids were raised in 

 this country, such as Riccartoni, a hybrid from F. 

 globoaa, Standishii, Dominiema, and others. 



It would be difficult to say who was the first raiser 

 of seedling Fuchsias in this country, or what particu- 

 lar species were employed as seed-'parents. Finding 

 that the Fuchsia produced seeds somewhat freely, 

 the early cultivators no doubt saved some, and 

 discovered that the result was improved varieties. 

 From these, other varieties of a still more advanced 

 character were obtained. Then the art of fertilisa- 

 tion being better understood, this was employed, 

 with still more satisfactory results ; and so the work 

 went on — the flowers increased in size, substance, 

 form, and colour, until they attained to the splendid 

 proportions we see in the present day. Up to 1855 

 Fuchsias were confined to what we may term two 

 types of flowers, viz., varieties with red tubes and 

 sepals, and violet, dark blue, and purple and plum- 

 coloured corollas ; and varieties with white or 

 creamy- white tubes and sepals, and light scarlet, 

 rose-coloured, and pink corollas. In that year a 

 Mr. Story raised a variety named Queen Victoria, 

 in which the tube and sepals were scarlet and the 

 coroUa ifrhite. This was considered a remarkable 

 production at the time, and led to the introduction of 

 other new varieties of a similar character. Later on 

 there were obtained double varieties of both types, 

 that is, in which the corollas are double instead of 



