62 



HARTSTONGUES. 



(Reprinted from the Gardeners' Magazine of fifty years ago/- :c 

 February 3, 1866.) 

 et The Common Hartstongue fern of the English hedge- 

 rows is the most interesting of our native Filices. In its 

 ordinary form it is distinct from all other British ferns, 

 and it surpasses every known fern — no matter from what 

 country — in sportiveness, so that to make a complete 

 collection of its varieties would be a task of some magni- 

 tude. That readers who are not accustomed to Harts- 

 tongues may form some idea of their importance to fern 

 growers, I cite a few statistics from Mr. Sim's excellent 

 i Descriptive Catalogue of British Ferns.' I find in that 

 work descriptions of eighty-eight varieties of the Harts- 

 tongue, the descriptions filling no less than eight pages. 

 The varieties are offered at prices varying from one shilling 

 to twenty-one shillings each ; and casting up the several 

 sums at which the varieties are priced, the total cost of 

 one good plant each of these eighty-eight varieties would 

 be ^"42, or within a fraction of ten shillings each all round. 

 Nor must it be for a moment supposed that these varieties 

 exist 'in catalogues only, or that the prices are not as real 

 as the prices in Consols. The fact is there are many fern 

 collectors who gladly pay prices varying from half-a- 

 guinea to two guineas for new sports of British ferns ; and 

 amateurs who are entering upon this agreeable and fascin- 

 ating pastime usually make their first bold venture in the 

 matter of outlay by ordering a complete set of Scolo- 

 pendriums, so that there is really an active trade doing in 

 such things ; and if any of us were to run down to Foots 

 Cray, and see everything in Mr. Sim's nursery, there would 

 be few things likely to astonish us more than the collection 

 of Hartstongues." 



Chas. T. Druery, V.M.H., F.L.S. 



* By permission of the Gardeners' Magazine. 





