FERNS OF GREAT BRITAIN, 111 



as an ornamental plant ; though in the glass cases it is 

 now often to be seen, producing larger fronds than in 

 its native locahty, and by its green beauty deUghting the 

 eye of the dweller in the smoky town, or cheering the 

 heart saddened by long sickness and absence from the 

 scenes of Nature. In Mr. Ward's interesting work 

 on the growth of plants in closed cases — a little book 

 honourable alike to the thoughtful intellect and kind 

 heart of its writer — this gentleman says, that when 

 making the experiments which led to his plan of glass 

 cases, he was induced to commence with this, the most 

 lovely of our cellular plants, in consequence of its being 

 the most intractable under ordinary culture; of its 

 being in fact, as he says, the " opprobrium hortulanorum." 

 " Loddiges," says Mr. Ward, " who had it repeatedly, 

 never could keep it alive ; and Baron Fischer, the super- 

 intendent of the botanic estabhshment of the Emperor 

 of Russia, when he saw the plant growing in one of my 

 cases, took off his hat, made a low bow to it, and said, 

 ' You have been my master all the days of my life !' " 

 On some rock-work in Mr. Ward's fern-house, this plant 

 produced fronds fifteen inches in height, by seven or 

 eight in breadth, one-fourth larger than uncultivated 

 specimens, either from Killarney or elsewhere. 



The small portion of Trichomanes represented in the 

 plate, is part of a very interesting specimen given to 

 Mr. Dickes by Mr. N. B. Ward. The latter gentleman, 

 in a letter to the Author, says of it, " Some years since, 

 when I had the pleasure of visiting Killarney with Dr. 

 Harvey, we determined to find out, if possible, another 

 locality for Trichomanes radicans; and to this end directed 



