1882,] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



137 



A RUSTIC FERN-TRAY. 



Few objects contribute more to the adorn- 

 ment and home-like appearance of rooms 

 than live plants, and of these none are 

 more graceful and delicate than Ferns. 



Planted in window-boxes- — with here and 

 there interspersed a little plant of the Par- 

 tridge-berry, Mitcluilarepens, whose red fruit 

 enlivens the whole by its brilliant color, 

 and, where it can be obtained, the Trailing 

 Arbutus or May-flower, Epigea ripens, which 

 makes the air so fragrant with its pretty, 

 pale pink blossoms in early spring — Ferns 

 lend an incomparable charm to a home. 

 Pyrola ChimapMlla, Spwanfhes, Orchis spect- 

 abilis, and many other small wild flowers, are 

 very handsome, and would grow well in such 

 a box. Some of the larger mosses also, when 

 laid on the top of the soil, produce a pleasing 

 effect, and add to the well-being of the 

 plants. 



An ordinary window-box will do admirably 



ure of loam, sand, and a small portion of 

 decayed niauure may be used. 



In digging up the plants, small specimens 

 are to be preferred, as with these the roots 

 are less liable to be injured, as is almost 

 unavoidable with large ones. A damp or 

 cloudy day should be chosen, and the roots 

 covered with soil at once. When planted in 

 the box, all decayed matter should be re- 

 moved, and the roots placed in their natural 

 position ; fine soil should be drawn around 

 them, firmly pressed, and covered but little 

 deeper than the plant stood in the woods. 

 When all are planted, give a good watering 

 with a fine rose, and apply no more water 

 till the soil becomes dry. 



Our woods abound with many fine Ferns, 

 well adapted to house culture. Of the ever- 

 green species, l'oli/jxxliiiw rulgare and Aspi- 

 dium acrostichoides are the most desirable ; 

 then there are the delicate Maiden-hair, 

 Adiantum palatum, and the Bladder Fern, 



the roots be slightly disturbed ; and as our 

 native species grow mostly in clumps, they 

 can be readily lifted entire and carried some 

 distance without injury. 



Ferns require considerable moisture and 

 little sun, but should not be entirely ex- 

 cluded from it. 



Having carefully planted the box, place it 

 out-of-doors, in a shady situation, until 

 severe frost sets in, when it should be taken 

 into the house and located in a bay-window 

 or cool plant-room. 



The chief cause of non-success with plants 

 in rooms are the extreme dryness of the at- 

 mosphere and the noxious gases which escape 

 from stoves and heaters. These obstacles 

 may be partly overcome in a bay-window, 

 protected by curtains, or a small room de- 

 voted to plants exclusively. To protect the 

 Ferns from the dust arising in sweeping, 

 which is especially injurious to plants, a 

 light, cheap wire frame may be constructed, 



A RUSTIC FERN-TRAY. 



for the purpose ; or, where one is not at hand, 

 a very neat and inexpensive tray can be made 

 of boards, and covered with the bark of trees 

 or split branches, as shown in the accom- 

 panying illustration. The box can be of 

 any size, most convenient to fit the recess 

 of a window. Three feet by fifteen inches, 

 and eight inches deep, are good dimensions. 

 The box should be lined with sheet lead, 

 zinc, or tin, painted ; at one end a small 

 pipe, of about two inches in length, should 

 be firmly soldered into the lining. This 

 may be stopped by an ordinary bottle-cork, 

 or, what is better, have a small tap or stop- 

 cock attached, to draw off the superfluous 

 water. 



The bottom of the tray shoidd be covered, 

 to a depth of an inch or an inch and a half, 

 with coarse gravel or pieces of broken 

 flower-pots, to effect perfect draiiiage. The 

 remaining space is then filled with dark soil 

 from the woods, such as is found among 

 rocks. Where this is not obtainable, a mixt- 



C y stopfer is fragilis, the Sensitive Fern, Ono- 

 clea sensibilis, and many excellent kinds of 

 Aspidium, Asplemum, Woodsia, Dicksonia, 

 and Botrychium. 



If you are in a locality where the Hart- 

 ford or Climbing Fern, Lygodiiim pahnutum, 

 grows, do not neglect to secure a few 

 plants. Though rare, it is found in many 

 places throughout New England, and is one 

 of our most graceful species ; from a run- 

 ning root-stock it sends up slender, twining j 

 stems, with smooth, delicate, palmate leaves, 

 being at once suggestive of a miniature Ivy. 



Camptosorus rhizoph yllns, the Walking Fern , 

 is quite an oddity, and grows in tufts among 

 shady rocks ; the leaves, or fronds, are sim- 

 ple, with a heart-shaped or hastate base, I 

 and gradually taper into a slender runner, 

 which strikes root at the end and forms a j 

 new plant. 



September is an excellent time to trans- I 

 plant our native Ferns ; their fronds, being I 

 nearly mature, are less likely to wilt, should [ 



to stand over the box, which should be 

 covered with a cloth or newspaper when the 

 room is being swept, and when the doors 

 and windows are open during freezing 

 weather. 



The box should be so arranged that it may 

 occasionally, during mild weather, lie taken 

 out-of-doors, and the plants washed off with 

 water sprayed through a fine rose. This will 

 remove the dust from the leaves, and prove 

 exceedingly beneficial to the general condi- 

 tion of the plants. C. R. Hexamer. 



Hyacinths, to bloom about Christmas or 

 New Year, should be potted now, in rich, 

 light soil. The pots should be placed in a 

 dark, cool cellar, covered with four to five 

 inches of sand or light soil, and kept moder- 

 ately dry. When the pots become well 

 filled with roots, they may be brought to a 

 light, cool room, increasing the temperature 

 gradually and giving plenty of water. 



