42 
CHOICE BRITISH FERNS. 
This is owing to the fact that some varieties, whose spores 
naturally fly about and settle upon all the Ferns around them, 
germinate and develop much more rapidly than others ; hence, 
if any of their spores have settled upon the fronds from which 
the sowing was made, there is no possibility of discriminating 
them, and all that can be done is to weed them out eventually, 
should they threaten to choke out the sorts especially desired. 
The next, Und to the connoisseur the most fascinating, stage 
of Fern-propagation by spores is the careful search through 
the resulting crop for new or improved forms among the rising 
progeny of already splendid varieties. Here and there the 
experienced eye will detect some unusual or especially promising 
feature as the young fronds develop ; these may either be 
marked and left where they are, or, better still, carefully lifted 
out, and placed in a pan reserved for that purpose. By-and-bye, 
new fronds arise, which perhaps confirm, perhaps upset, his 
expectations; but to the persistent cultivator every now and 
again his warmest hopes are more than crowned, and he has 
the proud pleasure of scoring another success, and adding one 
more gem to his and others’ collections. 
The best time for sowing Fern spores is immediately they 
are ripe, as this generally gives ample time for the formation 
of the prothallus before the cold weather sets in. In this case, 
though they will remain at a standstill during the winter 
(unless kept in a warm house, which should be done whenever 
practicable), the young plants will appear in the spring, and 
have the whole of the season before them for development, 
thus saving a month or two. 
For the beginner the Lady Fern is probably the easiest of 
all to raise; if the spores of fine varieties are available, it is 
just as well to begin with good forms as inferior ones. The 
Male Ferns and Scolopendriums are also likely to yield a suc- 
cessful crop, but the beginner must not be disheartened by a 
failure or two, though with careful following of the above 
treatment in every respect, success should be the rule, and 
not the exception. Should the dormant period, after the for- 
mation of the prothallus, be very protracted, a gentle watering, 
through a fine rose, with warm water (70deg. or 80deg. F.) 
