FERNS. 



23 



(fig. 13), which is really a miniature tree-fern; graceful in habit, it 

 possesses those qualities so desirable in plants used in dwelling-houses, 

 the surface of the fronds being devoid of hairs, thus enabling it to be 

 easily cleaned, and it is not readily affected by draughts. Other 

 popular plants are the dwarf tree-fern Lomaria gihha and its con- 

 gener, L. ciliata, and its varieties, of which grandis is one of the 

 most desirable; these will be found to require water more frequently 

 than many other ferns. Of Davalhas there are many, both charm- 

 ing and interesting (fig. 10). Davallia Marlesii and its variety cristata, 

 though deciduous, are beautiful when grown naturally and not in 

 the form of those monstrosities imported from Japan. D. canariensis, 

 known as the Haresfoot Fern, is not only decorative but 

 may be grown quite easily in an apartment. D. hullata is another 

 useful variety, and even when denuded of its fronds its coloured 

 rhizomes are by no means unattractive. Osmunda "palustris and its 

 variety Mayi are graceful in appearance, and retain their fronds 

 for a long period. Of British ferns, perhaps the most suit- 

 able are Scolopendrium vulgare and many of its varieties; beyond 

 watering, these require but little attention, the foliage remaining 

 in good condition throughout the year. I have enumerated only 

 those ferns w^hich are most commonly used for decorative pur- 

 poses, but there are many others less known that are equally adaptable. 

 I have in my mind a number of Scolopendriums that have for a 

 long period furnished a window in a dairy on the South Coast, some 

 of them for more than twenty years, and bear eloquent testimony 

 tiO the care bestowed on them. 



We may now revert to the Nephrolepis , the development of which 

 is of quite recent date, most of them being varieties of Nephrolepis 

 exaltata, known in the U.S.A. as the " Boston " Fern. For many 

 years there were very few novelties. In the 'eighties I produced 

 grandiceps and multiceps, then, after a lapse of time, came N. exaltata 

 superha (fig. 12), one of the most beautiful ferns I have had 

 the good fortune to introduce, followed at a later date by 

 A''. Piersonii from America. The last has been the progenitor 

 of numerous others as diverse in character as they are beautiful; 

 many of them originated as " sports," that is, they were not raised 

 from spores, the variation occurring in the stolons which are such a 

 characteristic feature in this genus. These varieties are not only 

 beautiful in themselves but are among the most useful subjects for 

 house and conservatory decoration with which I am acquainted; easy 

 of culture, they may be kept for a considerable time in excellent con- 

 dition, and will amply repay the care and attention bestowed upon 

 them. As inquiry is frequently made as to treatment, I would 

 advise the plants should be protected from draughts, watered sparingly, 

 especially in winter, never allowing them to stand in water, and the 

 foliage kept free from dust; this may be effected by sprinkling or 

 sj^ringing, or, still more effectually, by sponging the fronds, always 

 excepting the plumose Nephrolepis and Adiantums. 



