Lastrea family — L. filix mas, L. pscudo mas, L. pvopinqua, 

 and L. dilatata and its sub-forms. Of L. moutana there are 

 but few, this species so far declining to thrive, though we 

 are sure that, seeing the many varieties in existence, it will 

 ere long be persuaded by Mr. Cranfield to be fairly repre- 

 sented. One or two of the finest, among them Dr. 

 Stansfield's beautiful Welsh find of L. moutana plumosa, are 

 to be found in one of the greenhouses in conjunction with 

 a few other gems which claim such protection. 



We next come to an open field sparsely planted as an 

 orchard, and here we find the few frames devoted to that 

 class of culture. Two very long and wide ones are 

 devoted, one to that unique and beautiful class of Poly- 

 stichum known as the Pulcherrimums and Gracillimums, 

 the other to Poly podium vulgar*. This latter contains about 

 forty varieties of that beautiful species, planted in very 

 free leafy soil and actually rivalling in robust development 

 the noted collections of this species of Dr. Stansfield 

 and Mr. Henwood, which is saying a great deal. The 

 former class was raised in the first place by Mr. 

 Druery and Mr. Green, and subsequently by Mr. Cranfield 

 himself, and is known as the " gracillimum ■' and 

 "plumosum" sections of that species, to which he has 

 added a promising cristate form of Pulcherrimum itself. A 

 special shelter close by accommodates practically the entire 

 known section of Scol. v. crispum, or the frilled Harts- 

 tongue, in its manifold forms, and here, as elsewhere, 

 the robust healthy state of all the plants testifies to the 

 grower's peculiar skill in meeting their requirements as to 

 soil, shade and other conditions. 



A fairly good collection of Blechniim spicant occupies a 

 small frame, and in another close by we see a most 

 charming collection of dwarf forn s of several species, 

 on which Mr. Cranfield has promised a special article. 

 There is, furthermore, a close frame devoted to the new 



