4 FERN GROWING 



The occupation of the Fern-hunter who is diligently seeking 

 for abnormal varieties must not be confounded with that of 

 those marauders whose indiscriminate ravage too often results 

 in the annihilating of whole species in the districts they afflict. 

 The former usually finds only solitary plants, and these, if left 

 where found, would after a time perish and the variety be- 

 come lost ; for if they scatter spores in their wild habitat, those 

 of the commoner species choke them out ; whilst if removed 

 to a place of safety and carefully tended, offspring are raised, 

 and the new variety is made to adorn many Ferneries. 

 Take as example Athyrium Filix-foemina var. Victorice, or 

 Nephrodium paleaceunt var. cristatum. Only single plants of 

 each were found, but these have been propagated to such an 

 extent that both are now to be seen in all good collections ; 

 but it is not only the saving of these varieties, it is being 

 enabled to cross them, and so raise a large number of inter- 

 esting intermediate forms, some of which are equally beautiful. 

 The Fern destroyer is annihilating the different species, whilst 

 the man who hunts for new varieties is endeavouring to 

 multiply his choice finds. But names as well as species dis- 

 appear, and it is necessary to say a few words in explanation. 



In " Our Native Ferns " we have Allosorus crispus, the name 

 of which has now been changed to Cryptogramme crispa. Mr. 

 Thomas Moore, in his " Nature- Printed British Ferns," was 

 half inclined to follow Sir W. J. Hooker, who in his " Species 

 Filicum " adopted Cryptogramme crispa, as did Fee in his 

 "Genera Filicum." Moore says, "Perhaps it should be united 

 to Cryptogramme" adding, " in habit and aspect they are 

 quite alike." The Cryptogramme have the sori to some extent 

 a near copy of that of Gymnogramme, whilst in Allosorus, 

 Mettenius pointed out, they were punctiform ; but they both 

 become laterally confluent, and are then alike. Moore 

 thought that the reflexed marginate indusium which resembles 

 Pteris, was overbalanced by the punctiform receptacles ; but 



