12 
Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
constant, but it is worthy of record that the many 
crested forms of these are hirgely products of culti- 
vation in this country. In British species and varie- 
ties there is a great tendency to revert to the type. 
Very many experiments have been made with the 
spores of crested forms of both exotic and British 
Ferns with a view to obtaining trustworthy in- 
formation upon the constancy or inconstancy of the 
individual, and the results have been published in 
the horticultural Press. Attention can only be 
directed here to a few Crested Ferns, as illustrative 
of the characteristic. When dealing with the different 
genera seriatim, all the more important will be re- 
corded. N ejjliTolepis davallioides fuvcaiis stands 
very high upon the list of these Ferns, but it is not 
as constant as some. Davallia hirta cristata is 
especially worthy of mention, as it is one that the 
amateur is almost sure to find upon the miscellaneous 
market, being quite one of the most robust of the 
group, as well as one of the most constant. Nor 
must that truly beautiful form of the Royal Fern 
Osmunda regaJis jaj)onica corymhifera be omitted, 
for, apart from its compact habit, it is one of the 
forms that is most constant. Doodia aspera multi- 
fida is one of the tasselled forms that may be relied 
upon to reproduce itself from spores. Apart from 
the interesting variation exhibited by Crested Ferns, 
there is the additional fitness of the majority for 
basket culture. 
Gold and Silver Ferns. 
When enumerating the many charms of the 
huge Order Filices, it w^ould be a distinct omission 
to leave out of consideration those species and varie- 
ties that are popularly grouped as Gold and Silver 
Ferns. They undoubtedly constitute an important 
section even when considered purely from a decora- 
tive standpoint. There is no British representative 
of the group, it is true, all being exotics ; but we 
find the silvery characteristic associated with huge 
Tree Ferns like the 'New Zealand Cyathea dealhata 
and the tropical Ahophila pruinata; and gold with 
