HISTORY OF INTRODUCTION OF EXOTIC FERNS. 23 
able number, some very interesting novelties in tbe 
latter having been obtained by M. Hermann Wend- 
land, during a journey through Central America ; and 
in many of these gardens species have been obtained 
by means of spores taken from dried specimens, while 
through the Dutch Botanic gardens, numerous rare 
Ferns have been introduced from Java, Surinam, and 
other Dutch colonies. 
Among private individuals on the Continent who 
have made large additions to our collections, by the 
introduction of species from their native countries, 
I cannot omit to notice M. J. Linden, of Brussels, 
who himself travelled in the West Indies, Venezuela, 
and New Granada, and who employed several enthu- 
siastic collectors in various parts of the same and 
neighbouring countries, by whom a great number of 
the new plants were brought into cultivation. But 
Jbesides these M. Linden has also received several 
species new to our gardens, from New Caledonia 
and the Phdippine Islands. About six years ago 
another private traveller in Venezuela and New Gra- 
nada, Dr. Karsten, likewise enriched continental gar- 
dens by the introduction of numerous fine species of 
tree and other Ferns, some of which have not yet 
been imported to this country. 
The total number of Ferns cultivated in our gardens 
at the present day may be regarded as forming about 
one-third of all the species known to botanists by means 
of dried specimens, and described in the numerous 
works of pteridology. Among the remaining two- 
thirds are very many fine species, equal or supe- 
rior in merit, as garden plants, to any of those we 
already possess. It may be worth while to mention 
