410 



THE CRYPTOGAMIC STOVE. 



the remaining inch and a half should be fiUed with brown, loamy earth, 

 sifted through a hair sieve, the surface being made perfectly smooth, and 

 on tliis the seeds are to be scattered as evenly as possible. Care must be 

 taken that the wind be not suffered to blow the seeds away, leanng 

 nothing but empty capsules. The seeds being sown, no other covering 

 is necessary than a bell-glass, which should just fit within the rim of the 

 pot, so as to exclude all au\ Tlie pot is then to be kept in a pan always 

 half fuU of water, and set in a shady part of the stove or hot-house, being 

 always regularly watered as above directed. When the young plants 

 have acquired then- second frond or leaf, it is proper to give them a little 

 air, by placing a smaU piece of wood under the edge of the glass at one 

 side. In a short time afterwards the glass may be entirely removed." 



According to the experiments of ^lessrs. Shepherd, Bevis, Smith, and 

 others, the seeds of ferns do not appear to remain long after being sub- 

 mitted to a proper nidus before they vegetate. Seeds of Gymnogramma 

 tart area were brushed off a frond on the 10th of July, 1817, and on 

 the 5th of August, 1818, the plants from these very seeds produced per- 

 fect seeds, which were immediately sovm and produced young plants as 

 thick as a crop of fine moss by the 8th of September following. Seeds 

 obtained from specimens obtained through Dr. Carey from Semaphore, 

 were sown on the 1 0th of July, and young plants were obtained by the 

 8th of September. 



The seeds of ferns, unlike many other verj^ small seeds, do not appear 

 to lose their vegetative properties very soon, for we are informed by 

 Mr. H, Shepherd, that he obtained plants fi*om seeds taken from the 

 herbarium of Dr. John Reenhold Forster, which were perhaps fifty years 

 old. It is probable, if the seeds of ferns were kept dry and inclosed 

 in their natural covering, that they would vegetate after being many 

 years gathered. These plants appear to shed then- seeds if the fronds be 

 allowed to become too old and diy before gathered, and on the other 

 hand, if the specimen be gathered too soon, that is, before the seeds be 

 fully ripened, they will not vegetate at aU. These circumstances should 

 be considered whenever this experiment is to be reduced to practice. 

 The seeds appear to, be in the greatest perfection for sowing when the 

 fronds are just beginning to turn brown, or rather when the fructification 

 is beginning to turn brown on them. 



Fern seeds will vegetate when thrown against a damp wall or sand- 

 stone pavement, if kept moderately damp and not brushed over. V»'e 

 recollect once seeing a fine crop of young ferns produced by brushing 

 dried specimens over large pieces of cinder clinkers placed in a damp 



