152 FERN GROWING 



obtained a plant of the best variety from Messrs. Pope & Sons. 

 Colonel Jones named three of the varieties Pearsoni, dissectum, 

 and Lowei, the latter being the one from King's Norton. 



In the second sowing of decompositum-splendens by Mr. Fox, 

 the seedlings were very similar to those first raised. 



In 1885 Mr. Fox sowed a mixture oi decompositum-splendens 

 with a variety known as the plumosum of Wollaston, and 

 amongst the seedlings are plumoso-divisilobum grande (Jones), 

 and Raina (Fox). 



In 1885 Colonel Jones also sowed a mixture of spores 

 consisting of decompositum-splendens (Wollaston), polydactylum.- 

 Jonesii (Lowe), known as the Hampshire Polydactylum, and 

 splendidum (Lowe), the Vale of Avoca Polydactylum of Padley ; 

 the idea was to raise polydactylous forms oi plumoso-divisilobum. 

 In this Colonel Jones succeeded; but all the varieties were 

 congested, and the cresting proved to be no improvement, as it 

 was at the expense of the divisions of the lobes. 



In 1890 the author sowed a mixture of the S'por&s oi decom- 

 positum-splendens, Mrs. Grant's beautiful plumosum, and Colonel 

 Jones' lineare-cristatum ; there are varieties from this mixture 

 having plumoso-divisilobum characters that are crested and yet 

 not congested.* There would have been many sowings of 

 decompositum-splendens on account of the great interest attached 

 to this variety, but the difficulty has been to procure spores. 

 Mr. Moly, in his good nature, divided the plant so that Colonel 

 Jones should possess a portion of it, and unfortunately this 

 injured Mr. Moly's plant, whilst the one Colonel Jones had has 

 been lost. Major Cowburn, Mr. Barnard Hankey, and Mr. 

 Barnes all had spores, but failed to raise plants. 



In 1894 Mr. Moly had only one frond with spores; and of the 

 last sowing of the author, though there were many seedlings, none 

 \ici.dchaxa.ct&rsVike.plumoso-divisilobum — it seems asif the power to 

 produce plumose fronds from some reason or other has been lost. 



* Seedlings from sowings in 1891 and 1893 are very promising. 



