130 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 14. 1884. 
it cannot be grown ; we sre giving it up as impossible.” One of 
our specimen plants we exhibited at Old Trafford about that time or 
soon after, and it was admired by all who saw it. Some years after 
this, when our supply of leaf soil was exhausted, we resorted to the 
use of peat, and almost lost our stock of A. farlevense, although we 
had some hundreds. I felt sure the peat did not agree with them ; 
had them turned out of the pots, their roots washed, and potted again 
into good loam, and, I think, cinders or sand, and in a few dajs the 
change was marvellous. They commenced growing, and soon became 
strong healthy plants. That lesson has made me fight very shy of 
peat for Adiantums ever since, and we use very little indeed in our 
compost for Ferns. I am satisfied that good rich loam with a sufficient 
Fig. 25. —Adiantum rubellum. 
admixture of cinders or nroken stone and leaf soil is the safest for 
general use. 
[Adiantum lubellum, shown in fig. 25 is a charming Fern 
when well grown, its young fronds having a distinct rosy tinge. 
A. ciliatum fig. 27, page 133, is very useful for a basket or pot sus¬ 
pended from the roof of a fernery, its long narrow fronds being 
gracefully pendent.] 
In the case of such Ferns as Pellaeas, Nothocldsenas, and Asple- 
niums germanicum and septentrionale and Buta-muraria, and small 
Ferns whose natural habitats are crevices in rocks and walls, I find 
it an excellent plan to place the roots between two flat pieces of 
broken stone in potting, and also to use small pieces of the same 
mixed with the soil to secure abundant drainage and free passage for 
the air to the roots. 
Bespecting Davallias, I find many of them grow exceedingly well 
suspended from the roof of the house or against the wall, with their 
roots in moss containing compost, fastened on pieces of cork with 
hin copper wire. Here, with their fronds well exposed to the light 
and their rhizomes or creeping stems in the damp moss, they grow 
luxuiiantly and make objects of great beauty, his also appears to 
be the best method of growing the Platycerium, since it allows the 
wattr to drain freely away, while the moss holds enough moisture te 
support them for dats. Another important advantage of growing 
Davallias and Platyceriums in this way is that it gives the room 
which they would otherwise occupy on stages and shelves for the 
convenience of other plants. 
[An engraving (fig. 26) is given of Davallia hemiptera, a very 
d'stinct species of good habit.] 
In all these cases I have laid emphasis upon the importance of 
good drainage, for though Ferns love plenty of water at the roots 
they do not like it to remain there stagnant, 
excepting in such kinds as the Osmundas 
already mentioned. But let me here say a 
word about the injury often done to Ferns by 
watering tr syringing them. "When grown 
under glass the greatest care ought to be 
taken not to wet the foliage, and especially in 
daik weather ; for the result of water lodging 
on the fronds is often seen in ugly dark stains 
which never come out, but remain an eyesore 
till the fronds so stained are removed from 
ihe plants. Moisture generated by sprinkling 
the paths and walls is the most congenial to 
the plants, and may be produced without the 
risk of disfiguring the foliage. Then, again, 
ihe water applied to the roots should be of th« 
same temperature as the atmosphere of the 
house in which they grow, so that no check i3 
given to the plants. I am impressed with the 
idea that when rain falls on rocks which have 
been long exposed to hot sun it must attain a 
high degree of heat before reaching the roots 
of the plants below, so that we need not fear 
that waim water will do harm to tropical 
plants growing in a high temperature ; but 
we have every reason to fear injury from 
the application of water which is too 
cold. 
As to the potting of Ferns, I need cnly 
remark upon the necessity for open compost, 
and that not too firmly pressed in the pots r 
and especially do not overpot. Small shifts 
as frequently as the soil become filled with 
roots will be followed by the best results, while- 
overpotting is often the cause of failure, sick¬ 
ness, and death overtaking the plants so 
treated. 
With respect to insects, some Ferns appear 
to escape their depredations altogether, while 
others are with the greatest difficulty kept 
clear of them. Of mealy bug I have had such 
little experience that I do not feel qualified to 
speak about its attacks upon Ferns. We have- 
had trouble enough sometimes with bug on 
Ferns v r e have received from other places- 
before we have felt at liberty to put them 
along with the general collection, taking care 
to catch and kill all the insects we could, as 
the plants have been examined from day to 
day for a long time, though unless the plants- 
infested are scarce and valuable they are not 
unfrequently thrown into the furnace and 
burned, plant, soil, and crocks altogether. 
Thrips are great pests on many Ferns. Fumigating with tobacco 
or tobacco paper seems to be the best remedy (but this needs to be 
done very carefully or the Ferns will suffer greatly), and it will 
probably require repeating several times before all the thrips are- 
destroyed. Very frequently Ferns are attacked by thrips because- 
they have too much artificial heat. Many from Japan, New Zealand,. 
Australia, and North America being hardy or nearly hardy, are sure 
to be preyed upon by insects if kept too warm. In the lovely family- 
of Gleichenias are many which require very little artificial beatr 
except to exclude frost, some of them not being injured by a few 
degrees of frost, but very liable to the attacks of thrips in heat.. 
Scale may be destroyed by Mr. Hugh’s capital insecticide, fir-tree 
oil, carefully used. Green and white fly will meet their death in 
the fumigations for thrips. Where only a few plants are infested 
with thrips or fly they may be dipped, if small enough, into the- 
fir-tree oil solution, or in water containing soft soap in the proportion, 
of 2 ozs. to a gallon of water, or treated to the spray of fir-tree oil 
from the spray-distributor. Speaking of soft soap and water, I find 
