352 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



frequently died, leaving nothing behind but dry specimens for the herbarium. 

 Lately, however, owing to their being differently treated, some of the most 

 interesting kinds, looked upon as precious gems by all Fern-lovers, have 

 been established in this country. These, when taken from the packing-cases, 

 were placed in pots nearly filled with crocks, in which they were firmly held 

 by two or three pieces of turfy loam. In this way cultivators are imitating 

 their natural mode of growth, for this class of Fern is generally found 

 with the creeping rhizomes (prostrate stems) running in and about a poor 

 stony soil, frequently drenched with rain, and therefore often carried away 

 and lea^dng very little soil to stagnate about the roots. All of them, too, 

 revel in a humid atmosphere, and under cultivation do well if treated as 

 Filmy Ferns ; but they need a higher temperature. Several of the species 

 bear considerable resemblance to certain Adiantums, some others are more like 

 Davallias but in all instances their stalks, which are light- coloured, lack the 

 black, polished appearance pecahar to those of most of the Maidenhair Ferns. 



Although they require an abundance of water at the roots, perfect 

 drainage for Lindsayas cannot be too strongly insisted upon, for they suffer 

 considerably from the effects of stagnant water — as much, in fact, as from 

 the want of atmospheric humidity. When properly established, these plants 

 should be potted in a mixture of two parts turfy loam and one part fibrous 

 peat, with just a dash of sand ; and only a little of this mixture should be 

 used in each pot, the greater part of which should be filled with drainage 

 materials. They should then be either set on, or, better still, plimged in, a 

 bed of sphagnum moss, kept close, and occasionally sprinkled overhead. 

 Nearly all the species thrive fairly well under such treatment, although a few 

 members of the genus, notably those native of New Zealand, such as 

 L. linearis^ L. microphylla, and L. trichomanoides, naturally need a little 

 less heat. The majority of them, however, come from warmer climes — the 

 East and the West Indies, Tropical America, &c. — where they grow naturally 

 either in or on the margin of the woods and under the shade of large forest 

 trees, close to running streams, where the atmosphere is constantly humid 

 and warm. With the few exceptions indicated, all the species here described 

 require stove temperature. 



Lindsayas are usually propagated by the division of their crowns or of 

 their rhizomes. We have no record of any of them having been raised from 



