206 
Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
DICKSONIA. 
The genus Dicksonia, as it stands at present, 
includes Balantium, Cihotimn, Dennstcedtia, Eu- 
dicksonia, Patania, and Sitolobium, 
The majority of the Dicksonias only require 
cool treatment; most of the arborescent kinds being 
found growing in valleys and in deep, shaded 
ravines, and in countries where some of them occa- 
sionally have their fronds heavily loaded with snow. 
D, antarctica thrives when planted outside in shel- 
tered spots in different parts of England, Wales, and 
Ireland. At Bosahan, near Falmouth, Sir Arthur 
Pendarves Vivian grows it to perfection. Wherever 
a suitable spot exists. Tree Ferns should be intro- 
duced, as they present a tropical appearance. When 
Dicksonias are grown in pots, it is indispensable 
that water should be applied freely to their roots all 
the year round, or they will show the effects of a 
day's neglect in an unmistakable way, and a very long 
time will elapse before they recover from the injury 
done during that short time. The plants are all the 
more likely to suffer from want of water when grown 
in pots, as these should be of the smallest size pos- 
sible consistent with the dimensions of the trunks. 
As a rule, when not planted out, all Tree Ferns 
thrive best in pots or tubs in which only three or 
four inches of soil all round the trunks is allowed. 
The most suitable compost is a mixture of two parts 
fibrous peat, one part fibrous loam, and one part 
coarse silver sand. However good their growth may 
be when cultivated in pots, it cannot equal their 
vigour when grown in the open ground, in which 
case the bottom must be particularly well drained ; 
for, although these plants require a constant supply 
of water, their roots soon decay when stagnancy is 
allowed. To produce luxuriant and lasting foliage, 
Dicksonias should, during the summer, have their 
trunks thoroughly watered twice a day; but these 
copious waterings should gradually decrease as the 
season advances, and during the winter the trunks 
should only be kept constantly moist, the heads being 
slightly shaded during the hottest summer days only. 
